I think it's a pretty big message to Pulido: We don't think you're playing well enough to be attractive to a club with barely any players on a free transfer
True, but Pulido, as a DP, isn't that much of a roster cost. And they're in San Diego, two mexican nats is not a bad thing in that locale.
It would be the most SKC type a thing for him to get selected and then go off like he did for like 6 weeks that one time for us but for a whole ass season.
Was not planning on it but I just might watch the draft this year. I would say that Salloi is the most likely as a better coach could likely get him to improve his performance.
I mean, there's a chance they're interested in Radoja. Hell, a canny team could leave him exposed in agreement with the expansion side, which would enable us to reload our midfield with the fancy guy we were talking about a week or two ago... Actually I'm still perplexed by his drop-off. Radoja was really solid once he got healthy, and then a slight change to team formation just knocked his whole thing off.
As it did for Walter. He was so good as one of the top two in our midfield triangle, but he sucked as the back one and the back two when we flipped it. Maybe that's why having a purpose for every player in a roster build is so important? When you reach the higher levels of the game, there's such a fine line between stupid and clever.
Actually, I think it's a mark of why we're not at the higher levels of the game. A player who just disintegrates because of a slight change in formation is not a top player. If a player requires the entire team to function in one particular way in order for them to succeed, that player has to be just bananas. I think Walter declined less than Radoja did - I just think some injury frustrations let Jake gain some real ground on him. When you're getting outperformed by the breakout academy player... yeah that's when you gotta watch your back. Vermes needs to stop signing defenders and midfielders with so much of their value being in their possession ability. I think that obsession of his accounts for why Salloi has fallen off - he's turned into a riskless, possession-oriented winger instead of the floating finisher he was a few seasons ago. That's why Afrifa and Agada have been so fun. They're nowhere near as secure as Vermes likely wants, but they charge that goal and constantly look to take risks and create. That's what we need in these mythical 10 and RW signings I'm constantly refreshing this site to see if Buzz has news to share about...
I still belive Salloi can be a star. I think a move, to San Diego, anywhere really, is a good thing for him, and it doesn't hurt us because he is stagnant
Fingers crossed, today is the day that San Diego FC rids SKC of any one of several albatross contracts. I don't see him developing into a star. Maybe a serviceable MLS player, but he is nowhere near where an elite wingers speed needs to be. Compare him to Paintsil or Pec (or even Thommy). He's nowhere near fast enough, with or without the ball.
Salloi isn't a scary, pacey winger but he's fast enough. His game isn't tearing down the sideline and burning fullbacks, and that's okay. Plenty of players like that can succeed, no sweat. He's just got to remember how the rest of his game works. He's Rashfording. He's stalled out at a club, looks complacent, and has hit just terrible form. A change of scenery would likely reignite him into a real dangerous forward again. Because that quality is there. He's not, what, 3rd or 4th? on the club's all time scoring list because he's lucky. He's good. He just hasn't shown the attributes that made him good in a few years.
If you think Salloi is a quality winger, you've been successfully conditioned by PV and the gang to expect mediocrity. As for him being 4th on the SKC scoring list, Salloi has more games played than almost anyone in the SKC/Wiz goal scoring top 10 list. Davy and Zusi are the exceptions. And Davy Arnaud is 5th on that list of all time scorers. I love Davy, he's my all time favorite Wizard, but him being the 5th highest goal scorer in club history is almost as unimpressive as Salloi being its 4th.
Well that's pretty rude. Might carry a little more weight if I didn't watch assloads of soccer in a handful of different leagues. But as long as he stays here, he'll remain in his mediocre (at best) form. I just think there's a pretty solid player in there and under a coach that doesn't train the creativity and pace out of every attacker he's ever had... We might see the sparky little shit who terrorized RSL or Vancouver.
Because I got curious, here's the minutes per goal for the top 10 goal scorers (technically 12 b/c 10th is a tie) for KC in league play: Preki 71 goals, goal ever 251 minutes Russell 60 goals, goal ever 236 minutes Dwyer 57 goals, goal ever 176 minutes Salloi 47 goals, goal every 322 minutes Arnaud 43 goals, goal every 451 minutes Wolff 43 goals, goal every 267 minutes Klein 39 goals, goal every 420 minutes Kamara 38 goals, goal every 234 minutes Pulido 35 goals, goal every 188 minutes Zusi 31 goals, goal every 895 minutes Feilhaber 31 goals, goal every 421 minutes Johnston 31 goals, goal every 406 minutes. All Comps: Preki 81 goals, goal every 255 minutes Dwyer 67, goal every 177 minutes Russell 67, goal every 254 Salloi 60, goal every 298 Arnaud 52, goal every 416 Wolff 46, goal every 281 Klein 43, goal every 452 Kamara 41, goal every 243 Pulido 38, goal every 204 Feilhaber 35, goal every 445 Zusi 35, goal every 935
Huh, the numbers make Pulido look better, historically, than I'd have thought. Also, while the most exciting wingers have incredible speed, lots and lots and lots of very good ones, world best 11 ones even, do not. There are a lot of wings who have been and are effective without blistering pace. What Salloi has, when he's on, is an incrediby quick shot release. At his best, he is accuate and gets shots off quicker than a lot of players in that role. That's a star quality. He has the ability to see and complete passes that a lot of folks do not have. that's a star quality. He also has the ability to vanish for years at a time. That is not even kind of a star quality.
I feel like they used to take a lot more than 5 players at times when it was even more difficult to recover from...
They did, yes, Orlando/NYCFC in 2014 was the last 10 pick each expansion draft, ever since then it's been 5 each.
I am beginning to think that the "3 transfer window rebuild" is to take place over non-consecutive windows. They less than a month from players reporting for training and two months from the first game. I expect that game against Miami to be painful to watch. The most important transfer window for me will be the one where PV is finally replaced.
Obviously the situation isn't the same given the amount of work KC needs to do, but here's an example of when KC's "bigger" signings have been over the last few years as an example. 2023 Radoja 10/26 Leibold 1/12 2022 Ndenbe 1/14 Voloder 1/19 Tzionis 1/24 2021 Walter 12/22 Isimat-Mirin 2/3 2020 Puncec 12/4 Shelton 12/9 Pulido 12/10 Kinda 1/23 Only 4 of those 11 would have been announced by right now.
The three transfer window talk is just to appease fans and limit the possiblity of a fan revolt. They have a roster full of bad contracts to turn over. For this transfer window, let's hope they sign one impact player who is not 1) a free transfer, 2) coming off a series of knee injuries 3) eligilble for the 30 plus league at all american and 4) in traning camp by the start of training camp. I have set my expectations for this offseason really low and fully expect them not to be met.
It is also interesting that 6 of the 11 occur after the announced 2025 player report date. Seems to me that bring in players after season prep begins is not ideal. Players need time to wrap up things where they live, find a new place to live, move, get settled etc. SKC need to hit the ground running next season lest the "meh" that we have seen the last few years continues. To me that means getting players in sooner rather than later.
4 is the one that worries me the most, I don't expect the "10" to be here by then. Maybe a U22 signing will, but I don't see the "10" coming until further into the "European" winter window when there's a better idea of in/outs for teams in season.