Crew 2022 to '23 Off-season Roster Thread

I already said we need to know the details but based off recent bad moves it’s hard to be confident in Bez.

Again MLS hush on contracts makes it hard to criticize until well after the fact.

when you make a disclaimer it’s hard for your comment to be foolish. I’m ok with being thst guy who speaks out on Bez , FO & the Owner who only cares about money.

 

Crew roster is pretty much set, other than 1-2 more CB’s and maybe a good utility player.

 

I can't believe you two, clearly we are awaiting the Return of Stern

 

The smart move is to really rebuild the team in the summer. New coach gets to see how players adapt to his system, more players are available in the summer window and in MLS you are really never "out" of the playoffs by that time.

 

I would rather have a LB than more CBs

 

We only have 3 MLS cbs.

 

We have 0 MLS LBs

 

Sands and Medranda are at least MLS level. Not starter, but MLS level.

We have no CB backups, literally, except a HG kid that spent four years in college. Yikes.

 

which is why exercising Nagbe is mind blowing

 

If this year is a rebuilding year (sad), I've seen enough of Farsi and Sands in Crew 2 to feel comfortable with a platoon at LB there with Medranda. Add in Quinton and another cheap vet at CB, and you have enough to survive to the leagues cup. A new midfielder and CB should be a summer plan, but Bez will need to find some bargains. We can't afford 5 max budget defenders in the current cap unless we get some GAM or transfer fees converted to GAM.

 

I can report that FIFA 23 has removed Caleb Porter from the Crew and replaced him with an ethnically correct looking Nancy, but looks nothing like him and plays the same tired 4-2-3-1.

 

The main problem with Crew 2, and MLSNext Pro in general, is that it really doesn't tell you all that much. Many, maybe most, MLS teams - at least last year - made roughly zero effort to do anything with it.

What you heard from a lot of fans around the league was that their club seemed to be randomly stashing failed draft picks, undrafted four year college guys, academy kiddies and, basically, guys off the street. The league ordered them to have a II side, so they did.

Most of the time, you really can't tell much from the fact that your front four are running circles around the opponents back line; they're nobodies who will never amount to anything.

One thing you could say for USL 1 is that they're well stocked with MLS veterans who may not be prime talent but they're grown men who've been around, have had at least a whiff of MLS and have at least enough talent that they got framed and passed around a couple teams.

They may not have enough talent to stick at first division, level but they provide a much better barometer than some guy who started 2 years in NCAA Div 3.

 

FIFA is always accurate!!

 

All of that is true. Nevertheless, you can see a few good things.

In the 4-5 Crew 2 games I attended and the limited time Sands and Farsi played for Crew, they showed good awareness and vision in both where to run and to pass. Their defense may be a question mark at the next level, but they may be in a back 5. Sands also did fine in his appearances in a back 4 for Crew.

Quinton is a good defender at the MLSNP level, but his passing has led to a few incidents with Schulte. Morris is a good passer who lacks defensive awareness.

Lastly, some of Crew 2's best players were the young guys on the Crew roster. It wasn't like a 26 year old was dominating. Rowe, Farsi, Parente, and Schulte were the best players with Fuson, Telfer, and Miccaletto supporting.

 

I think Bill's post (which I'm in full agreement with) has to be taken in the context of this phrase: "at least last year." For various reasons (@David Kerr addressed this well), Crew 2 last year had some substantial advantages over other MLS clubs in terms of roster maturity. Over time, one would assume that those advantages will soften. We may end up stocking our club with more kids who've come up via our academy and fewer players acquired from other clubs or USL. Other teams will ramp up their developmental efforts. In other words, I doubt that Crew 2 will dominate Next Pro every year.

My point being, the whole Next Pro experiment is still a work in progress, especially when you look at MLS senior roster structures and where the senior roster budget is going in the last years of this CBA. I mean, last year, the DP salary threshold was $612K. In 2026, it'll over $800K. In 2027, it'll be $883K. And the roster budget in 2027 will be nearly $4M higher than it was in 2021.

While there's not a perfect, linear relationship between player salaries and talent, on the whole, MLS teams will be fielding more talented players in a few years than they can afford to do today. Making the gap between MLS and Next Pro even wider than it is today.

 

Fixed... how did I miss this the first time?

 

Alan Soñora, anyone? Free agent attacking midfielder, US nationality?

 

You must make a sign thanking their manager for not playing him so we could have him and see if you can get it on TV.

 

24 year old with 2 senior appearances. I like to gamble more than most people but I'll pass on this one.

 

League sources confirm to @DispatchAlerts that forward Christian Ramirez will join the Crew on a two-year deal with an option for 2025, transferring from Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership. Story coming soon

— Bailey Johnson (@BaileyAJohnson_) January 17, 2023

 

Does the story say a player or team option? I can live with a two year deal.

 

A TRUJDUB option.

 

It actually says it’s determined by a Grouchy Cup vote

 

Almost certainly team. Though I have recently found out Chicharito had his option picked up, not by choice, but because he hit certain agreed upon metrics. I guess that’s a thing. Know it happens in Europe, didn’t know it happens in MLS.

 

Better

Better than the Molino deal

Depends on the salary but 2 years seems reasonable if we didn’t overpay . You would like 1 yr with option for 2nd but then he would probably want more money .

I wonder Nancy expectations

if we start 2 strikers he will definitely battle JRR for a starting spot