The defence is going to be a mess this season. The management and planning of this team is a disgrace. O'Rourke at centre back is a disaster waiting to happen.
The Crew's goals allowed the past two seasons is average to slightly better than average. The only team that is outstanding in this area is Houston. No surprise that they won the last two MLS cups. If Marcos were really that important to the Crew then we should not be giving up the league average in number of goals. He would have to have some measurable impact on goals allowed. And, we shouldn't be throwing away games in the last ten minutes. This season if we give up more goals than the league average, then we can look back and say that Gonzalez's was probably the reason. I just don't believe that we can't get average results with the players we have available or could pick up via waiver etc.
According to Goff, Christian Gomez is apparently willing to play for 325K per year, if he could get the 2009 season guaranteed. I'd be willing to play for that money, too.
And by fun, you mean getting shelled each and every game? It is fun for a while, but it gets old really quick.
Nah. We will trade for Mastroeni. Sigis plan is obviously to play with 1 centre back and 5 defensive midfielders strung out across the back. He is going to revolutionise the way the game is played.
The whole problem with the "let Marcos go" strategy is that GBS, our best player, will only be here one more year. Thus, if we are going to compete for anything, it must be now. Hardly the best time to rebuild your entire central defense. Both starters are questionable (injury and new position) and their backups are a rookie and a long in the tooth vet. We'd better go get a quality defender to replace him. Dallas and D.C. don't seem to be having any trouble.
Yeah, I agree. Vanney is past his expiration date. But the more you think about it, the more you realize that this is exactly the kind of player Sigi would blow his load over right now. Veteran defender, played for Sigi at UCLA, played for Sigi at the LA Galaxy.......
I would sign Gomez if possible, but as far as '09, I would stipulate that he must start 75% of the games and score at least 10 goals to earn an automatic renewal for '09. Of course, I don't know if you are allowed to write MLS contracts that way.
OK, let's all calm down here. I was more pissed about the fact that we have to hear this crap from Ives Galarcep than from the Crew, Sigi, McCullers, et al... Marcos was a solid player, but not great. He had a good first half of the season, until teams figured out that if you ran someone at him, he became pretty average. Still, i hate to see him go, but let's not pretend that he was untouchable. If the transfer fee was right, then this may not be a bad deal, especially with Danny and Iro back there. But that's the problem. No one knows if the transfer even happened, and if so, how much we received for it. How can one evaluate if this was a good move or not without those details? Maybe some 8 year old would like to trade places with me, so I can enjoy being a Crew fan again...
Boy, wouldn't that just say it all about how the Crew is being run? In the deal between Columbus and an in-division rival, the Fire gets a talented young starting defender and a (probably) starting forward, and the Crew gets a fourth round draft pick. Talk about shrewd.
It will probably be on the Crew's website some time in March, or perhaps in the weekly notes... published every other month.
I disagree totally. The Crew will be fortunate to make the playoffs with or without Gonzalez. Gonzalez would only be here for one more year at most, ditto for Schelotto. Iro is 23. If Sigi didn't think Iro could step in right away, he should have drafted another central defender. Defense isn't rocket science. It is a lot more difficult to creatively beat an opponent, especially if your opponent is as quick or quicker than you are. You are also assuming Zayner and Peterson are worthless. Carroll can play center back if he has to. Even Moss is a possible back up. Pierce played center back several times and the Crew did not get slaughtered for it (in games at the beginning of September they gave up a goal in each game). In fact in the Colorado match played at home Columbus' center backs were Pierce and Hendrickson. They were able to hold off Colorado until the 84th minute. If the Crew attack was better than their opponents they might not have to worry about their defense so much.
It has been reported that Chicago have not signed Herron yet because he has signed with Punterenas--I don't know for how long. Wasn't that supposed to be a loan deal? How could MLS loan him out if his contract has expired?
If we sign Greg Vanney I will publicly burn my Crew jersey and never attend a match at Rascal Flatts Field again. Until Sigi is gone, that is. Hell I was almost there after the Kamara-Brian Carrol deal. I am noticing a trend here--nobody seems to want to play for Sigi*. It's often brushed off as a player simply didn't like Columbus. Columbus is not the problem, it's Sigi. In this off-season alone Herron, Kamara, Grabavoy, Gonzalez, Schellotto have all expressed that they wanted out. I am told that Herron, Kamara, and Grabavoy each expressed their discontent, leading to their respective departures. I don't know if I've ever seen a manager that players want to play for less. *the exception is obviously Alejandro Moreno, who must love Sigi because he's the only manager in MLS that thinks that being slow, short, and a poor finisher doesn't stop one from consistently starting at striker.
Interesting, but without an attributable source, "I am told" is just rumor or speculation. Not that it isn't believable, but just irrelevant without a source.
My goodness. I always thought that, though being rather objective, I tended toward the pessimistic side of things. However, compared to the prevailing thoughts on this board, I'm a damned Pollyanna. Someone's going to look at these posts as "signs of things to come" after the next major US office shooting.
Marcos was a rock. That one pass across the middle that turned into a goal was a single flaw in his perfect season. I blame that ignorant reporter who wouldn't get the hell out of the locker room. We have no idea how much that could have f'ed with Marcos. He was the MLS story one weekend. for all we know he made the decision that night. Lay off Ezra. I think he's a great player. he's slow but each stride is like 10 from mere mortals. Racists.
please tell me that is sarcasm.... because nobody turns the ball over on thier own six like ez. I've met the guy and I like him. But I would prefer he retired and worked with the youngsters at the academy. Not start at center back. I think I would rather play 3 at the back...
We should be storming Velma with pitchforks and torches screaming for McCullers' head, along with Sigi's too for good measure. This makes me want to puck, I felt a sick feeling in my stomach as soon as i opened the thread. seriously, FUCK our management.
I love these opinions...as if Sigi is literally retarded and you all have so much more soccer knowledge. No really...I'm watching the same games and I think Ezra exhibits solid play. Much like Sigi, who keeps putting the motherf***er in there week after week, I think he's good.