D.C. United salary figures Player Base Salary Guaranteed Compensation Tony Alfaro $81,375 $81,375 Paul Arriola $1,000,000 $1,050,000 Yamil Asad $475,000 $542,667 Steve Birnbaum $700,000 $712,500 Jovanny Bolivar $81,375 $81,375 Fredric Brillant $300,000 $315,000 Russell Canouse $500,000 $500,000 Michael DeShields $81,375 $81,375 Edison Flores $1,600,000 $1,733,000 Jacob Greene $63,547 $66,547 Julian Gressel $705,000 $760,781 Bill Hamid $500,000 $500,000 Brendan Hines-Ike $240,000 $274,429 Ola Kamara $400,000 $420,000 Jon Kempin $85,444 $85,444 Felipe Martins $150,000 $150,000 Joseph Mora $184,000 $198,600 Junior Moreno $184,000 $193,550 Andy Najar $90,000 $100,000 Moses Nyeman $85,444 $88,230 Chris Odoi-Atsem $130,000 $141,000 Kevin Paredes $100,000 $108,000 Adrian Perez $81,375 $81,375 Donovan Pines $125,000 $127,000 Yordy Reyna $711,500 $774,640 Nigel Robertha $550,000 $622,406 Chris Seitz $160,000 $160,000 Kimarni Smith $81,375 $81,375 Erik Sorga $150,000 $173,000 Griffin Yow $110,000 $116,118 This was posted on B&RU in May. Now that we are about haflway through the season, which players are bargains and which are overpaid for what you get? My list: Bargain: Najar, Pines, Perez, Paredes, Nyeman, Moreno, Mora, Kempin, Alfaro Overpaid based on performance so far: Reyna, Gressel, Flores, Robertha, Asad Market rate paid: Sorga, COA, BHI, Martins, Brillant, Arriola, Yow, Canouse, Hamid Incomplete: Greene, Smith DeShields, Bolivar, Birnbaum (injured at start of season),Skundrich (not on list in May)
I don't understand the Gressel hate. Yes, he's probably overpaid for his contribution, but show me a player whose compensation is precisely equal to his contribution. We have subpar finishers, so many of Gressel's passes into the box are unrewarded. They were rewarded in Atlanta. If we were to dump Gressel we would probably have to move Najar or Paredes out of today's position to compensate, and then we would have another hole to fill. Yes, if we could get a cut-rate Gressel through a trade then let's do it, but until then he is a help, not a hindrance.
It's not a hate on Gressel. It's just that DCU way overpaid for what they got. He's not playing like a three quarters of a million dollar player. In MLS at that salary, you should get something special. Gressel isn't special -- he's a journeyman who can look exceptional in exactly the right system. Losada's system doesn't flatter him. As someone posted, play on rubber and feed crosses to Martinez and you will look all-world. Play on turf and feed crosses to DCU's strikers and you look very ordinary. In Atlanta he could play up high and the defense would worry about Martinez and Almiron. The defense doesn't "worry" about Kamara and Robertha and Gressel, on his own, isn't dangerous enough to unbalance that situation.
I don't hate Gressel. I think he's by and large a good player and he seems to play hard for the shirt, which I respect tremendously. But I'm also not thinking much about this year. I'm thinking about next year and the year after. These next two weeks are the first chance the front office has to change the team after seeing Losada's system - to build the team with players that fit the system... Gressel is not a good fit for it. He's too slow and doesn't seem to have the endurance to be constantly buzzing around like this system demands. Not saying he's out of shape, just doesn't seem to have the "constant activity" physique. I guess I think of it this way. If everyone on this team was healthy, how would I line the field up given what we've seen so far. I would put: Hamid Birnbaum --- Pines --- Hines-Ike Najar -------------------------------------- Paredes Canouse - Moreno I'll get to the top three in a minute. I know Najar is playing well at center defense but he could be doing so much more as the right wing back who had even more freedom to get forward. Caveat is that maybe playing center back instead of wing back will help extend his career by being less physically demanding. For the center defenders, we've got some good cover in Alfaro and Brillant and we know Najar can also play there. For right wing back, my first choice after Najar would be Arriola. Paredes coverage is Mora. Someone who could play either wing back when needed would be a great addition. Defense mid coverage is Nyeman, Felipe, Skundich. So let's look up top. At striker, I would play Kamara as the first choice. He's been pretty productive this year for the number of minutes he's played, but not sure he's the long term answer. On the left wing, Flores is presumably the first choice. I'm massively underwhelmed with what we've seen so far. We need to find a better option. Your Designed Players need to be difference makers. I know there are some who are high on Perez. I've been less impressed but I understand why people like him. I see him as good depth. On the right, the spot is Arriola's. Depth up top comes from Robertha, Asad (who doesn't really fit as a winger in this system), Reyna (who has done nothing in the limited amount of time he's been healthy), Yow (who I like but who can't seem to get meaningful minutes), Sorga (who I think has talent but maybe is a step too slow in his speed of play for MLS right now), and Kimarni (who we really haven't seen much from), and Bolivar (who knows). That leaves Greene (no idea how he fits in), COA (who I guess would be a wingback in this system) and DeShields (no idea how he fits in). So I look at this and I say, the biggest place we need massive upgrades is with the attacking three. Who do we have that can help us get there either by bringing someone in or leaving and freeing up a slot. Gressel I think is the top of the list. Felipe almost certainly has value within the league, especially at that price. Asad might have some value. After that, we're rapidly running out of people another team might be interested in and we're willing to possibly give up. If we keep Gressel, I'm fine with that. He is a good player. All I'm saying is that he's not a perfect fit for Losada's system and he has value in the league so we should be able to get something signficant in return. Far more important is the move I guess will happen this offseason when we dump Flores and need to replace him with a new DP. That move will probably determine the success of Losada's time here at DC United... They need to find a difference maker.
Another point on Gressel, he is part of a long line of Olsen/Kasper acquistions who excelled at one spot "and could also play centrally" who they tried to shoe horn into a major role in the middle. Started with Dax McCarty a holding midfielder they tried to make a #10 Zoltan Stieber was a good winger they tried to make a big player in the middle. Gressel started with DCU in the middle of the park before they quickly realized he needed to be outside. Flores they've tried to make a central player at times but he's a winger. All of these guys, they brought in saying "can also play in the middle." Gressel they paid him for it, thinking he could be a major lynchpin of the attack. It hasn't worked out that way....
In my hypothetical everyone is healthy line up I would start Najar at right wingback. If he wasn’t able to go for some reason my next choice would be Arriola before Gressel. Obviously that would necessitate a good option at right wing to replace Arriola. I certainly wouldn’t keep Gressel around as cover at his salary. All of which is to say - AGAIN - I don’t really dislike Gressel. I will be at the game tonight cheering him on. Just saying he happens to be a) not a great fit for Losada’s system and b) out biggest asset that would draw interest within the league. And the right play may be holding onto to Gressel to see what he can do once we upgrade the attacking three. I would like to see SOMETHING happen in the next 10 days though. This is the first major opportunity to start building a roster for Losada’s system that can compete for a trophy…. It would be a shame to let it slip by without doing anything. And I realize it may be one step back before two steps forward.
This. Our bigger problem. to me, is that we don't have reliable strikers to turn Gressel's service into goals. If we dump him without (1) an equal or better replacement, and (2) don't bring in more lethal forwards then we've not really moved the needle. Yes, Gressel can go (although I would be unhappy without a clear improvement). But no more Flores, please..
Hines-Ike has been our best player this year. Beyond being a good bargain, and at $240,000, one of the better bargains in the league. With a couple of quality additions, I could see this team making noise in the playoffs this year. I understand why you want to run numbers and hypotheticals for 2022, but not sure why so many are discounting this year (aside from the fact we haven't beaten a quality team since opening night.).
How are they going to make those quality additions? I believe we are maxed out on roster spots. That makes it very difficult to add someone from abroad. And to gain someone from within the league, we're going to need to give something up. That's why I keep mentioning Gressel. He's our biggest (potentially disposable) asset that someone else might actually want. But I think any run in the playoffs this year would really be a fluke. We're not there yet. So we need to begin moving pieces so we can be there net year. Kinda like NBA teams doing a salary dump at the trade deadline to set the stage for next year. Unless they can somehow unload Flores in the next week and replace him a more impactful DP.
While we can complain about players not playing up to the level of their salaries, we shouldn't forget that perhaps the team' standout player this year is Andy Najar, who makes only $90,000/100,000.
Andy is on a "show me" contract this year after his career was basically over due to injuries. Assuming he doesn't break down in the next couple of months, he should get a well-deserved bump next year (or sooner).
After tonight, I’m toying with having Gressel’s name & number put on the back of my authentic United team Jersey.
Agreed. He was MOTM last night. My criticism of him has been that at his salary level, that is what he should consistently be bringing. He was a difference maker last night both offensively and defensively. I hope he continues to play at that level. DCU is really a sum of its parts team and that means the guys paid as difference makers have to rise to that level for this team to have success. Arriola does it consistently, if Gressel can do that as well, DCU "probably" can make the playoffs. BTW, if Flores can somehow rise to this level, then DCU could be a handful -- but I think the chances of that happening are on par with my chances of getting a pony for Christmas.
I attended a practice recently in which the team practiced the front-runner dummying the ball to set up the outside runner for the shot. Last night our front-runner tried this- twice. In neither case was there an outside runner to shoot the ball. Memo to strikers: don't be a dummy and step over a perfect pass when you have no one outside you to bury the ball in the net - take the shot yourself.
Welcome to D.C.‼️Oka Nikolov joins the Black-and-Red Coaching Staff! pic.twitter.com/wax1b6VtfI— D.C. United (@dcunited) July 27, 2021