Well, another one's done and dusted. I don't know that we would have done much better than R1 even if Almada had been present for G1. We really needed more time with this team if we were going to be successful. Probably losing Thiago and Miles... and Guz' time is up.
<snark>We need a Dutch coach that can introduce the Ajax system...</snark>. I see the door, I'll show myself out.
I think Pineda stays this off-season. He won a playoff game, which is not a very high bar, but I believe it’s high enough under the current situation. And he’s not done well enough that somebody else will hire him away. Almada, defensive mid or box to box mid, and goalkeeper are going to be the big issues in the off-season. A slight upgrade at the latter two positions would drastically change this team’s place in the standings. If we can somehow keep Almada, we’re in a really good spot. Anybody got a handle on where we sit, MLS roster rules-wise? I have no clue.
You think we have a shot at keeping Almada for another year? There's also Miles. Someone will certainly want him- he'd have already been gone if he hadn't gotten hurt.
Miles isn’t irreplaceable. You’re right, he’s likely gone, though. Almada would be a more difficult piece to replace. There’s an outside chance he stays. His second half of the season was below par for him, and the offers he gets may not suit his agent given the speculative prices for him after the World Cup.
Lots of preparatory roster moves today. The only surprise for me was that we declined the option on Chol. While he never looked like a finished product, I really thought he had potential to be good. I hope that means we’re planning to use that spot on somebody specific.
Supposedly there's a max-TAM offer on the table for Miles. Even if he wouldn't make more money, if Miles wants to test the waters in Europe, now's the time to do it. I think an upper-tier Dutch or Belgian club, or mid to lower-tier club in the top leagues would be a good fit for him. And he's still young enough that he could impress there for a couple years and move to a better club. I haven't heard confirmation that Almada flat out wants to leave, which means there's a possibility he might stay, especially since Garth seems to prefer to make moves during the summer. There's a scenario where the club may feel it can get a better deal for Almada during the summer, and if they weren't planning on picking up his replacement until the summer anyway, then you wouldn't have to play a DP down for half the season. No word on if Silva will be moved permanently, and Saba can be bought down, so if Almada moves also that's two open DP slots. Assuming the new 10 is also a DP, then the question is on where the other DP goes. I'd prefer an 8, but it could be another winger if Silva isn't brought back permanently. Also a question on the age of the DPs. Garth doesn't seem to be into the idea of developing youth to sell like the previous administration, so he may go for players that the club plans to keep for a while (although they need to get rid of some U-22 players to accomplish this). Speaking of which...after the way he was unceremoniously moved on during the season, even though he is still under contract, there is no way I see Franco Ibarra coming back to Atlanta.
There's rumor of possibly MLS adding a 4th DP. If so a player I would really like for Atlanta to target is Alvaro Fidalgo of Club America. He isn't getting paid much there, below TAM level, but his transfer fee certainly will put him as a DP. A midfield of Fidalgo, Muyumba and Almada and we cook!
A. I'd rather a larger overall roster "cap" than a 4th DP. The latter would help teams in LA, NY and Miami provided they're willing to spend big, but not so much everyone else. I'm guessing the idea was conceived by Miami, who want to Chelsea their way to success. B. Atlanta's initial off season moves: Players out of contract/ options declined Miles Robinson Matheus Rossetto, Amar Sejdic Ozzie Alonso Miguel Berry Clement Diop Quentin Westberg Machop Chol Jackson Conway Justin Garces JuanJo Purata's loan option was not renewed, but Silva's is still under consideration last I checked. Santi Sosa and Franco Ibarra are likely to be loaned. Guzan is under contract for another year (+ an option) but is said to be considering retiring, so the team has openly said it's pursuing a proper GK to compete with Baldy. Homegrown/ AU2 players to be added Luke Brennan Adyn Torres Nick Firmino C. Color me glad Columbus, with Stripes alum Gressel and Nagbe in the fold, have made it to the MLS Cup final. Hope they beat "God's gift to soccer!" next week, and send a nice big turd pie to Anthony Precourt after! D. Keep it civil, y'all, and hope you all are enjoying a peaceful holiday season.
Purata is out. Ww needed him. Better than Abram IMO. But I hear that he spoke out against Pineda. Can't do that in this day and age.
BTW, we're now sending the 2s to the USOpen cup, so the first teams are saved for whatever this new thing is. LMAO @ this country and its unique approach to the game...
Just play the first few rounds as regionally-aligned away games at the lower division side. The tournament will instantly be a bigger deal. But it won’t line the Don’s pockets. U.S. Soccer is just as guilty, failing to prioritize the tournament. It should threaten to recognize USL as a first division instead of threatening to pull MLS’s status (which it won’t do for lots of economic and legal reasons). USL is much more willing to spend wildly on players a la NASL, and could legitimately threaten MLS in the short term.
IIRC, NASL as an entity didn't spend. One team did and the rest bitched out. So the league went under die to owners who should never have been owners to begin with. At this point, after 26 years, if we still have training wheels... if we can't invest in the roster, there isn't much to say. Maybe this country doesn't need this game. We're trapped supporting a league that's scared to spend.
For me the most interesting mechanic of the Open Cup is seeing clubs on the same field that you wouldn't normally see against each other. While I understand the reasons behind having regions, it does mean that you kind of see the same match-ups year after year, which lessens the draw. We've already seen Atlanta play Charleston multiple times, and I'm less interested in another game against Nashville or Orlando than I would be playing Louisville, or New Mexico or Sacramento. I'd also be all for the upper leagues always having the away game against lower competition, at least before the later rounds. You'll probably get a better crowd in Memphis with Atlanta coming in, versus Atlanta hosting in Kennesaw.
Eh. Get it out of the way early. Wednesday schedule is weird. First half they're all on the road, second half all at home. What's going on on Wednesdays in the spring at the Benz? Atlanta made three picks in the Superdraft, two of them keepers. New rule added for this upcoming season is that the player can return to college if they still have eligibility left, and the selected club has their rights for two years. Both GKs just finished their sophomore season, so it's feasible that both of them won't be in Atlanta until 2026. Other pick was a 5-year senior midfielder, so he'll be in camp. Apparently Miles took a visit to Cincinnati. The max-TAM offer from Atlanta is still out there, so the only way Cincinnati can beat it would be a DP offer. Haven't heard if that's what they're thinking.
Dropping in just to say an early Happy New Year to everyone. Stay safe out there. I should be back to normal check ins after January.
Reports are coming out that Miles is signing with Cincinnati. Haven't seen anything yet on the contract. If it's a DP, then money talks, but if not, then I guess Miles felt like a change of scenery was due. I really thought he was going to land in Europe.
So did I. I almost feel like we may be toxic some kinda way. One-year contract, can't find out if DP or not. That's two solid defenders who either decided we weren't for them or Pineda helped them decide. Guz is the last holdout from the title team.