I don't know why we are worried about finding a Nagbe replacement. Isn't that what we used the draft for at CB last year?
Your expectations are far too high. We were fortunate to pickup Cucho and his signing paid off big on the field. The number of those out there is just not that high in the budget range MLS operates. We were never to going to sign someone that delivered at Cucho's level.
Agree with this. We have had great players in the past, creative players that have elevated everyone around them. Like Cucho. But in all the years of the club, you can count those players on one hand. We will build again. But there will be some pain between now and then.
The fact that we had Lucas and Cucho at the same time is astounding. I think it says a lot about where MLS is in the world that we won two MLS Cups with those guys, but we won one of them before Cucho arrived and one of them after Lucas left, but they couldn't stay together long enough to win one at the same time.
You're missing the point. Obviously, Cucho was a unicorn but the type of role he provided, and that Lucas provided, and that Pipa and GBS provided, is a completely different skill set than Wessam provides. When you get rid of a playmaker, your replacement needs to fill the role of a dynamic playmaker. Quality will vary, but the role within the structure is what matters. Nancyball doesn't function without that type of player, and Wessam is not that type of player. The Crew spent a total of $12 million on Gazdag and Abou Ali, $4 million for the former and $8 million for the latter. They are the intended replacements for the roles that Aidan and Cucho filled, except clearly neither matches those roles. If the Crew flipped that spending and paid $8-10 million for a CAM and $2-4 million for a striker, I'm guessing this team would be scoring a lot more goals and competing for home field advantage in round 1 instead of limping into a play-in match against Chicago. It's bad roster construction and waste of resources and demonstrates they never had a coherent plan for what to do after all these great players moved on. The blueprint for where and how to spend your money to build a Cup contender is pretty obvious and they've done the opposite. It's the same reason why the Bengals suck right now: they spent a ton on receivers and went cheap on pass rushing and offensive line. Flip those and they're likely in the driver's seat to win their division instead of being one of the worst teams in the NFL. The Crew still don't seem to have a plan considering they've known since the summer window opened that Nagbe was retiring and they still didn't add a CM. It's not about getting a player as special as Cucho, it's about having an infrastructure that makes sense.
All kidding/sarcasm aside, do you have confidence that this team will improve on it's current state for next year after losing Nagbe (and likely others)? I'm entirely sure the team will bring some players in, probably even some quality players. What is your estimation of how well they will do in that regard? Do you expect the team to be able to compete for top 4-5 in the East?
I was going to break out your questions and answer them individually but then I realized that my answer was the same for all three: I expect reinforcements to be signed in the winter/pre-season/summer windows but for the team to finish no worse and maybe only marginally better than 2025's regular season. But it's going to be a shitload of fun to watch, eh?
We're going to go from a team that had Aidan Morris, Cucho and Darlington Nagbe... to a team that had Cucho and Nagbe... to a team that had Nagbe... to a team without all three. No. We're not going to be better next season. Not on paper, anyway. Now, frankly, this team didn't exactly set the bar all that high. We're going to likely finish 9th out of 15. So give Gazdag an offseason to figure out what the hell to do with him, and give Abou Ali the same while healthy, and bring in a couple bodies (at least) on the defensive end, and we'll have a team that can scratch out some results. And it should be pointed out, the East was a grinder this year. If we were in the West, we'd be in 5th place right now, for what that's worth. But the Golden Age is over. We had several guys who were home runs, all at the same time, which MLS teams don't usually accomplish. Next year, all of them will be gone, save Rossi. It was fun while it lasted.
Yeah, I do like what little I've seen of Abou Ali. He has a nose for goal and should be able to knock on a decent number of goals with a full pre-season under his belt. But this team has a growing number of huge, foundational gaps and at best a marginal track record of effectively filling gaps that have opened up on recent years. We look to be a bubble playoff team to me right now.
And plenty of other comments over the years to enjoy everything then as it likely is/was not realistically sustainable. Zelarayán. Morris. Cucho. Plus all of the other players whose play allowed those players to play their best games. And the players that came through with clutch goals while those players were getting double or triple teamed and mauled, like Yeboah and Ramirez.
People forget that Cucho was not a playmaker until Lucas left. We indeed need someone to step into a 10 role. Do we have someone who can step up? Can we maybe ask Rossi to work on that? He seems more likely to be creative than Ali. Does Chambost have the skills? I'm trying to think within our team but outside of the box. Develop JRR more and put 2 targets and 1 withdrawn #10 and maybe it works more? Our total football approach has been nice with the players to pull it off but we have been losing the quality players who could pull it off and replacing them with serviceable guys. I for one think there is no way in hell we should get rid of Arfsten. I understand, selling league, blah blah bullshit, but when we are hemorrhaging quality and can't seem to replace it, now is not the time to sell him.
No, we tried all of those guys in a more central attacking role earlier this year and it clearly showed none of them can do it. Rossi is on his way out so it would be foolish and short-sighted to try having him play a completely different role for one season before his contract ends and the Crew ends up in the same situation next year of needing that player. JRR will be playing for the Hamilton Forge in Canada next year. Chambost.... well, he runs a lot. I can't remember a player who covers so much ground while contributing so little. He's not a difference maker. No one wants to send Arfsten out but it's going to happen anyway. He doesn't want to be here long-term. His value will likely not get higher than it is now with him on the verge of being called up to a World Cup. He has to be sold or he'll eventually become a malcontent. The reality is that the Crew are a jalopy that's been plodding along leaking motor oil for 18 months. The braintrust can either keep doing this until the car finally stalls out and bursts into flames, or they can scrap it for parts and use the money to go buy a new one. What is scary about this situation is we have a desperate GM. That's never a good thing when a team is at an inflection point. The GM will do things in the interest of job security instead of the health of the franchise. It will be all short-term thinking rather than long-term. That concern is exacerbated by the fact that this regime post-Bez and post-McGuinness has, let's say, a spotty record at identifying talent and transacting at good prices. The prudent thing to do is to blow it up now and start over, and that includes selling players who want to go to Europe and who have drawn interest. That doesn't mean giving them away. Issa needs to be much better in negotiations for these transfers because by most accounts, the Haslams aren't rushing to add more money to the player budget. The Crew need to maximize the cash they get from their assets. The alternative to blowing it up now is that 2026 looks very similar to this year, an unremarkable team that's on the playoff bubble all year. A team that the casual public doesn't find compelling enough to warrant attention or discretionary income. And then Rossi, Arfsten, and Moreira leave and the team craters. Then the rebuild, which will take 2-3 years, starts at the same time that a calendar change occurs that will further depress attendance. Casual fans aren't going to be patient about 3-4 years of listless soccer. They'll go back to tuning this team out. The Crew aren't a cool thing to do anymore in that scenario. All the progress that's been made over the past five years is wasted and the billionaires, focused on a successful launch of their new stadium up north, decide to cut spending further here to match the reduction in LDC gate revenue. People really aren't appreciating how precarious of a position this team is in. There is a growing possibility that this team has an extended period of looking like the late years of the Andrulis era. It shouldn't be brushed off as "we'll be fine because Nancy" or "******** the casuals, they're not real fans."
Small point, but note that Rossi is under contract through 2026 and with a 2027 option year. I'm not advocating for him to try out a new position, just noting that he's not "on his way out." Now, how those contract years will work if MLS flips it's schedule...I have no idea.
Didn't realize he still had an option after that. Even so, I'm expecting him to get dealt in the summer if they commit to jump starting the inevitable rebuild. They can't just opt him into a lame duck year after next season. They either need to restructure and extend him next year or sell him to someone who wants to keep him beyond 2027. I wouldn't mind a restructure and new 2-3 year deal if that could get him into the range to buy him down to below DP status. He'll be 29 in 2027, not necessarily old but how much tread will be left on the tires after three straight years of being run into the ground with essentially no rotation?
I heard from multiple people that Rossi and his wife really like living here. They arent into the big city life and such. I wouldnt be surprised if they stick around beyond 2027
That’s interesting, and good to hear. I have been thinking lately that it seems to me, from the outside looking in, he’s been the least visible recent DP in the community? It seemed possibly he’s just less enamored with the city or…something just kind of seemed off? He’s obviously been a great player here, but I don’t really see him out and about on the teams socials, at different events etc. Thinking back all the way back to Hejduk (pre-DP I know) but Mensah, Pipa, Lucas, Nagbe, Cucho these guys all seemed to make it pretty obvious how much they loved it here. I don’t see kids rocking Rossi jerseys by the dozens/hundreds like I did with Cucho jerseys. I don’t know, this is all just observational/vibes/speculation. I’m glad you’ve heard that he likes it here, as I think him and Abou Ali are pretty solid foundational pieces for rebuilding the attack.
Agree in the main. Cincy's problem is Mike Brown. Ownership. Nepotism. Unwillingness to spend. Smallest scouting dept in league. Bad drafting. No real GM. Poor coaching. They left $11 mil in cap space on the table with Chase/Tee extensions and could have lowered Hendrickson's number further if they'd been willing to guarantee $$ beyond this year & sign him to a multiyear deal. Burrow could have been restructured this year to save $19 mil vs the cap. That is $30 mil plus. Point being, the spending on Burrow/Chase/Tee/Trey was not the problem. The problem was the unwillingness/inability to use all the roster building tools to build the strongest possible roster. That other contenders use frequently. Sound familiar?
A team that has trouble scoring goals has to give some deference to a guy who has scored 16. Rossi is Rossi, He does Rossi shit. Not gonna change and not sure he should. Lets focus on someone else.
Cabo Verde just qualified directly for the World Cup about 15 minutes ago. Moreira was on the field for the full 90, and played his part on both offense and defense. The crowd has not yet left the stadium. They are still celebrating.
Which will not be that long at this point, as he is 31. I'd offer a two year contract with an option year.