I agree it can be misleading, and we do have a game in-hand on a bunch of teams that are around us in the GA standings but I didn't calculate anything, I just looked at the goals against standings cuz I'm lazy.
Yes, I probably was unfair to a number of posters and I certainly understand the frustration. I also understand the need as a fan to post suggested line-ups and quibble about player choices and substitutions. I have certainly done that on multiple occasions. Nor do I have a problem with fans posting concerns with the team building (if you can call it that) process and calling out the front office and to a degree Vanney for his role in this. I just think the Vanney portion of this got over the top. I don't think this is Vanney's team yet and I count 16 players as clearly being brought in (as opposed to promoted) during his tenure. I also remember, Bruce bringing in a host of players in an attempt to fix the Galaxy's broken roster in 2008. While we laud the Mike Magee's and Todd Donavent's, there were also the Eduardo Dominguez's, and Alex's, I don't know the why of Vanney starting Gasper in Edwards place, but IMO, Edwards was playing out of control in his last couple of outings, so I looked at his possible benching as a positive example of his coaching.
I will say this - Bruce inherited a team with 2 of the top players in the league and the rookie of the year and signed a top-5 centerback with his first draft pick as coach. So he started with way more talent than Vanney. But Vanney hasn't yet made any moves that rival what Bruce did in his first 3 years - and when Bruce did make a misstep (JPA) he fixed it quick (Keane). The rumor is that Vanney had been trying to get Brugman for over 2 years, and the early eyeball test is that he is gonna be a big addition. But Cabral and Costa are just colossal failures and recovering from those is gonna take time and a willingness to admit to mistakes....
Just a quibble but some of those IMO mistakes like Alex and Kirovski stuck around for more than a season.
When Lalas made his quip about Cabral just being athletic, but not a footballer, I nodded my head. However, the crazy thing is that Cabral showed that he could be a good footballer during the few preseason games. So it seems he has the skills, but is just having huge mental blocks and confidence issues preventing him from being a productive player.
Yeah, I also wondered if Cabral had broken out his shell. That was a good couple of PS games he had until regulars season started and back into the shell he went. I agree it's not pure lack of finishing skills with him. It's a freaking mental block and that thing may be the ruin of his career, such as it is.
It's been reported several times over from different folks that Cabral is really good in training. Could be a mental thing, can't do it when the bright lights are on him. So in a sense, I get Vanney trying to play him into form. I think Lalas was a little harsh; there are some solid aspects of his game, even if you just count how often he gets in good positions to score, but he also has more than a handful of moments where he wows the crowd (like that little nutmeg in the last match). I think he's also improved from last year in terms of being a little stronger on the ball; he used to go down anytime someone breathed on him. If he could put the finishing thing together, he'd be a really dangerous player.
Klein also didn't do him any favors (besides giving him that huge payday) by signing him to a DP contract before he played a minute for the Galaxy. I don't think Cabral was prepared for the pressure he would face with that type of deal and it also really hamstrung the whole organization, if he comes in on a smaller contract and lower expectations you could have sent him down to G2 so he could get acclimated to American soccer and culture, he wasn't afforded that opportunity and now we have what we have now and no one comes out of this smelling like a rose
I've also heard that talk and if true then I would certainly have him evaluated with some shrink that deal with stage fright/performance panic attacks and such and begin a therapy ASAP. Certainly if I was paying the 1.5 and had a 5 year contract with the dude. I would tell him to get in the car. We going for a ride. I don't know if anybody at Galaxy want/can take it to this level or if they even notice. Hell, Efrain had to go to his bro in San Diego to get some help with his weight and training issues. Galaxy is not on the ball.
You guys are much more patient than I am. Cabral (and Vanney for playing him) frustrates the hell out of me. There are a lot of really good soccer players out there who would give their left nut to play for half of what Cabral is making (including some 21yo’s), players who would have many more Galaxy goals and assists and midfield battle wins if given the massive amount of playing time that Kevin has been gifted. The guy has played almost 50 games for us already, most of them starts and in his second season he has paid off with 1 tap in goal and 1 assist. “But his positioning…” Arggg… I guess where I come from is this — First division soccer is not a developmental league. If you aren’t ready to produce when you step on the field then you shouldn’t be out there. You need to be loaned out until you are ready or if the club wants you training with the first team fine - but then play only in side competitions or garbage time at the end of lopsided games. You know - the way developing stars are played in the EPL and other top leagues. MLS games shouldn’t be seen as training exercises, they are competitions you play to win. Under Vanney it’s the opposite- our games are Cabral training sessions, winning is secondary. Sorry if I’m harsh. But the years of the Galaxy half-assing it and papering over the failures with excuses is just fuxxing ridiculous.
When it comes to Cabral its the finishing. That is his biggest weakness. The dude does almost everything else exceptionally well. It's because of this that makes him more frustrating than normal. That and the DP tag. I seriously think the pressure of not only being a DP but being on the Galaxy might be to much for him. He'd probably be a superstar on a team that doesn't carry the weight of expectation this one has in this league despite our last few seasons. I think he needs to go to G2 for a year or maybe be loaned out to like San Jose or DC United so that he can start over fresh. Hell Wayne Rooney might actually fix him. He could pull an Alan Gordon by going elsewhere and getting for real good and then comeback to LA and be a boss.
In my second reading of this, your post reminded me of my favorite LA Galaxy player when first got season tickets, Edson Buddle. He was not successful in New York and Bruce as the Metrostars coach dumped him off to Toronto. He was acquired by Lalas for the Galaxy in June 2007. He scored 47 goals in his 87 game first stint with the Galaxy. In 2008 he scored 15 goals in 27 games. He and Landon were a great pair and Landon had the best year of his career with 20 goals. Of course, the Galaxy didn't make the playoffs that year, IIRC losing out to the Fire 3-1 in the last game of the regular season.
What you must do is release your sensitive feelings, Skydog. Your understanding and empathetic side. I know you keep them close and under wraps but you have to air'm out once in a while. Having said that, this league isn't a rehab center either , BUT, we have the kid on contract for four more years at 1.5 per. If indeed there is a way to unlock whatever the hell Vanney saw in him I think it behooves Galaxy to try. It would make him more useful to the team and sellable at that later on. But like I said, Galaxy organization is a mule with blinders on and a lame foot.
If you believe what COG discussed about the FO on Monday, its far worse than that. In addition to the well known lack of a scouting dept and the lack of analytics, Kevin Baxter mentioned that when GBS and his staff were let go, the sports medicine/physio team left with him and apparently took their computers and the training and rehabilitation records with them. That would be borderline criminal negligence if the Galaxy were a public company. You get the impression that the FO is largely a shell that focuses on marketing, ticket sales and other revenue generating activities with minimal involvement in the nuts and bolts of running a major league club.
Yeah, I read Baxter's piece. Nobody is minding the store. Once Leiwiki left this org turned into a traveling dog and pony show. Just get the people to pay to watch and buy some trinkets and then they move on. That's got to be okay with the big boss too. That's why I am amenable to new ownership and bypass all this Klein Out talk. We need ownership that cares and will make sure the store is staffed correctly and run right.
I agree but don't see that happening as long as "Uncle Phil" is alive. I have to believe that he has too much attachment to the team and the sport that he saved to sell it. Unfortunately I also think that he lacks the energy to be more involved.
Uncle Phill was there. I saw a pic of him and his wife on the pitch, talking and feeling Vanney out. There is a small chance he still cares ad would be willing to clean house. Not too many MLS seasons left for him tho I wish him the very best for what he's done for soccer in this country. He holds on to Galaxy for whatever it means to him. An accomplished man in so many things can't be happy with all the mediocre BS that surrounds this team with the exception of its tremendous, useless spending. He has other assets that fill his revenue stream. You get a sports franchise to also enjoy the competitiveness of it all. Something that we and he have not seen hide nor hair of in ages. Maybe there's hope in that he is showing up to matches.
I also get the feeling that he cares about the Galaxy and I recall reading many years ago that his wife was a huge soccer fan and them winning also those titles was something they were very proud of. the problem is and I think it holds true to all of us as we age, priorities change, our thoughts and actions are not the same as when we were younger and I think he feels he has the right people in charge and at his age, we lose a step or two and he can't manage all his interests and is probably relying on reports from the same people who are burying the Galaxy legacy of his once cherished club
Yep, and by burying the Galaxy legacy also burying or tarnishing his legacy. There is hope if he is making i to games. We all age similarly but this guy like many overachievers may be a bit different. His other interests in business and holdings don't need much attention if stable. A sports franchise does need attention. I am hoping he has a little Jerry Jones in there somewhere.
C'mon ragbone. Dawdler and I are trying to spark a little hope here while we sip the Galaxy koolaid and you come on in with your bucket of ice water.
I just want a FO that works. It makes no difference to me, if Phil or his wife is the driving force to make effective changes. For them it could be like a house remodel. You give up small things you might want to make your partner happy. In the overall scope of things, the cost of changing the Galaxy FO would be a small thing to the Anshutz family. Forbes reports Phil's net worth at $10.8B.