Trying to assess this s****y situation critically and logically. Obviously it feels like a worst case scenario, but I think that's amplified based on the whole tournament concept: Individually throughout the season I would've been content to write off each loss as one of those days. It's the notion of going 3 matches in a row without scoring a single goal that's worrying. I emailed Doug Roberson last night and asked (WTTE) how much of this might have been strategy, effort, talent, etc. In other words how much of the blame lay at the feet of the players versus the coaching versus the team assembled. His reply: "I think this is more about Bocanegra and talent acquisition than Frank, though his tactics haven’t been great." No one is off the hook here. Several players were just poor, others at least hustled but have a ceiling. FdB made tactical moves that seemed more suited to pre-season experimentation than meaningful tournament play. They all need to do better, yet watching last night with arguably their "strong" lineup it still felt decidedly pedestrian. If LAFC can look strong without Vela Atlanta should be able to look much better than what we saw even without Josef. There's no way Bradley is so good a coach that he's the difference maker. Clearly the roster on hand is not comprised so as to put together a title challenging side based on talent alone, and in MLS coaching is rarely going to be superior enough to overcome that handicap. I'm still fine with writing off the season, IF Bocanegra does a better job in tweaking personnel. Put simply there are too many all-purpose utility players on this roster and not enough players who excel at 1 position so that you can make a high-functioning team. A team that is more than the sum of its parts. 2 years ago when Josef wasn't in you could slot Villalba in as a comparably-styled replacement. The machine could still work. That's not an option now. More critically, everyone between Josef and the back line is arguably disposable save Lennon. He's locked in on the right and an able deputy, and I've little doubt he would excel if surrounded by the other pieces from 2018. But he's not MLS Best XI, either, and when Franco behind him gets frustrated that makes his job harder. All the rest, however are so interchangeable it speaks to their minimal impact. Pity and Barco can't nail down positions because they're too flighty and the other players aren't good enough. Hyndman can be great but is not a leader, is struggling defensively, and makes some odd choices with the ball. None of the rest of the midfielders, who seemingly make up 90% of the roster, are capable of making the LAFC first team. So far, it seems, anyway. I'd trade any of them for Villalba right now, and they either need a lock-down D-mid so Hyndman can stay up or teach him defense and find a Lodeiro/ Zelarayan type player to replace Barco. (Damm's role, possibly?) Bottom line, it doesn't matter who's starting for Atlanta, their midfield won't prove effective offensively without Josef. Last note. I don't know why LGP was released and Lord knows the guy literally cost the team some points, but he was faster than Meza and better in the transition game. Unless this swap made financial sense it may not be an even match on the field because Fernando looks a little lost and slow on the left. Doesn't help his case that Bello is showing his youth. ... If they still finish a regular season I'm all in. Fandom doesn't stop, and I have hope the side will improve. Likely not winning a trophy this year but 2020 is disposable anyway. But they'd better be showing intent to right the ship. Let's see what Damm can bring and find out if they can lock down the other starting positions. And for the love of all that is holy don't let anyone get a red card in the first half! Stay strong, y'all.
I don't think the FO or Frank wanted Tito or LGP around. And I don't think we got the guys we wanted to get. Something happened to our attractiveness (as a club) after Almiron and Tata left, but you'll never hear it from the FO or from the players who didn't come. We may never know for sure, but it's possible that Frank used this tournament to try stuff out. If the season doesn't finish at all, or finishes with a full schedule, he knows those losses won't kill our postseason chances. If the season doesn't get started, he knows none of this matters.
Wasn't LGP let go because of the salary budget? Same with Gressel? And I don't think Dam will play the Barco role, at least I hope not because if he is we are doomed. Matter of fact i don't see how he fits other than he was bought over because he was free. And if Bocanegra is the one picking up these players then he is doing a poor job at it. As Gunner put it, they are just utility players who don't excel at one position. Just hope most of these new guys coming in are just for a 1 year contract.
I am sure season will continue. NFL is going to allow fans, although very limited, into the stadiums.
IIRC, there was the idea of Gressel's age, and trying to get something for him once a new contract had expired. Lennon's younger and can be sold if he shows promise. Gress wanted DP money --I think he'd earned it-- but this damn cap... They're cogs. Sure, it's nice to be able to pull one guy out and insert another and still dominate, but the level of player we can get in MLS with... this damn cap... isn't going to make that happen. We have to have a few who are better than the league if we're going to be better than the league. I'm more worried that the FO has lost its desire to dominate the league. Or that Uncle Arthur has closed up his wallet in response to the FO getting it wrong with Barco and Pity or Frank, who was not the best choice to manage Barco and Pity. And all of this could be us taking too much from this covid tourney. I want to see what we do if there's a season, and then I can make a judgement. We win a 2020 or 2021 MLS Cup, it's all good. We don't, there should be questions for all involved. That's hopeless and unwise, IMO, and MLS should not follow it. Shut it all down and stay home if you can. These guys can afford to stay home, or they should be able, if they aren't spending as fast as they earn (a characteristic of young people)
Quick questions for anyone who knows/remembers: 1) Did Nagbe sign a two-year contract with us in 2018, or did he sign for longer? 2) Did he leave before Gress went to DC and Tito and LGP were traded, or afterward? I don't recall anyone mentioning during the games that he was on the last year of a contract last season, but they don't necessarily discuss that sort of thing during matches, and I might have just plain missed it if they did.
i hope pity hears the twellman commentary about him. it stung because his point was correct, but he was pouring on the disrespect by repeatedly undermining his South American Player of the Year award