MLS 2016 Week 1 Continuous PBP Thread [Multiple R]

I think that despite the lack of ambition/support from ownership, that squad they have looks pretty good. Heaps has been a lot better than I thought he'd be as well.

New England had a higher salary budget last season than FC Dallas and NYRB. Those two happened to finish the season tied for the best record in the league. There should be no excuses. New England might be cheap. But cheap can win in MLS if you do it intelligently. I think the NE front office made some nice pickups this off-season. Koffie is a nice pickup. JeVaughn Watson is a nice depth piece. They drafted well as usual. Jordan McCrary is a nice player.

I mean, what is NE's starting XI missing?

------------Agudelo----------
Fagundez---Nguyen---Rowe
------Koffie-Caldwell--
Tierney-Goncalves-Farrell-Woodberry
----------Shuttleworth--------------

And they'll have some nice options not in that XI like Charlie Davies, Teal Bunbury, Darius Barnes, etc. etc.

Maybe you're concerned about right back, but that's why they got Watson. You've got a bunch of guys that can play there.

There's absolutely no reason for NE fans to go into this season without high expectations.

So you don't have Andrea Pirlo or Steven Gerrard huffing and puffing around a small section of the field in order to sell jerseys. So what? Did NYRB have that last season? Not at all. They won the Supporter's Shield because they were actually better on the field, and not in the jersey sales department.

 

Dallas is pretty clearly the best team, and hell, they probably were most of last year. (If Portland can keep its end of season form following the position adjustments, it may be them. We'll see.) But I'm not so sure about Red Bulls. They got "solved" a few times, especially by Columbus. Plus the Crew still look strong, Montreal is better, and TFC is the wild card. I am not sure how the east shakes out.

 

Clint,the last thing I would want for the Revs is a Pirlo, or Gerrard, or Lampard, etc... I would, however, have wanted a Jones. We have no idea how Koffie will be with this team, and I have no reason to have high confidence he will come close to replicating what Jones gave us [a biting and effective on field leadership, a commanding presence and vision in anchoring the middle, and first rate cross fielding passing to instantly change the flow of the game].
As for that line-up, seeing them on a regular basis is sobering. Rowe, Juan, Caldwell were players "with genuine potential", and they still are that. Meaning that there is no sign of genuine progression these last two years. Which is exactly what I expected from a Heaps led team. Nguyen is simply not playing with the belief and aggressiveness that he did in his great season two years ago. He has moments of brilliance, and stretches of being out of the game, and as he is now the general for our attack this is not reassuring. Farrell is decent, at times, but not yet comfortable as a CB. Tierney is solid on the left, but is now 30 and has a history of showing slowing injuries.
We are in no measure as good as we were last year, and last year we were not so good. I expect some games where it all "comes together" and we look first rate, and many more games where we are frustrated and ill-structured.
There is one stroke of good fortune. The East is overall quite weak. It won't take so much quality to eke into the playoffs.

 

The offseason is no more

 

I just think every team in MLS has holes. Every team has shortcomings. Your concerns are valid, but you just described every team in the league!

FC Dallas is seemingly a choice from everybody to go far this year. I have no clue who's going to start at fullback for them this season (on either side) and they have essentially one natural forward. That forward is Urruti, who was a super-sub in Portland. NYRB won the Supporter's Shield last season, and if I was one of their fans I'd be super worried about centerback.

There's so much parity that last season New England finished the regular season 3 points behind both MLS Cup participants. That really could have been them. Its all about getting into the playoffs, and then being hot at the right time. Anything can happen.

And Jones was a good player two years ago. He missed a lot of time last season, and when he did play he wasn't the same guy. They made the right decision letting him go. They replaced him with Koffie, who's 24 years old & has played 140 MLS games. Of course, they had the bad luck that Kouassi got hurt.....................

I'd put money on 24 year old Koffie having a better season this year for New England than Jones has for Colorado.

 

Predictions for Red Bulls - TFC?

2-1 Red Bulls.

 

Although there are fans of parity on these boards, I would like to see a few teams distinguish themselves from the pack with a significantly higher quality of play. Having said that, here are my pics:

East

Top two are a step above the rest of the conference

1. Columbus Crew: they have all the tools and Kamara is settled now that he has the $ he wants.
2. Toronto FC: Will Johnson will be the defensive difference this team has needed to make a deep run in the playoffs and Giovinco will dominate again.

Teams 3-9 will constantly displace each other throughout the season. Expect Philadelphia and Chicago to improve. Very little gap between all of these teams.

3. Montreal Impact: will be difficult to score against with Ciman commanding the back line and Drogba will continue to score (when he plays).
4. New York Red Bulls: will have a similar season to last year but will lose some key games now that Miazga is gone.
5. New England Revolution: the talent is there; perhaps their last shot at glory as management will probably rebuild if success is not achieved.
6. DC United: an aging but consistent lineup; looked halfway decent against Queretaro but can be exploited defensively.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7. Orlando City: these guys could make a run if Kaka stays healthy but I predict otherwise as artificial turf and Brazil callups will drain him.
8. Chicago Fire: do expect to see an improvement from last year. This team was better than their record indicated last year and there is talent to move up the table but chemistry will be the issue.
9. Philadelphia Union: almost a carbon copy of Chicago but capable of making a run.

Still not ready

10. Until NYCFC gets rid of the aging dp's and signs and/or develops new young players, I do not see any improvement from last year. I also think playing on a small field at home is a hindrance when they play on bigger fields on the road.

West

Top two will separate themselves from the pack early and duke it out for top spot in October.

1. FC Dallas
2. Vancouver Whitecaps

Teams 3-5 will be very tight and occasionally, but not often, threaten the top two.

3. Real Salt Lake: this team has a lot of talent as displayed in their impressive series against Tigres.
4. Seattle Sounders: the pieces are all there if Morris can consistently contribute and Dempsey doesn't get burned out with national team callups.
5. Portland Timbers: despite their impressive playoff run last year, I still see them as more of a mid-table squad over a 34-game regular season but more than capable of threatening any team in the league on a given day.

Teams 6-10 will also be tight and interchange often throughout the course of the season but lack the depth to compete with the top five.

6. Los Angeles Galaxy: will make the playoffs but not much else. Despite the talent, chemistry and endurance will prevent this team from true success as it was so dramatically displayed in the disgraceful loss to Santos. That loss will haunt the Galaxy for the entire year.
7. Sporting Kansas City: the potential is there but losing Nemeth is a huge blow. Dyer needs help.
8. Colorado Rapids: will show improvement with new signings and might make a run in the summer but will need another year to develop chemistry.
9. San Jose Earthquakes: very little has changed from last year and Wondolowski's gas tank gets more depleted each year. Will be tough at home though.
10. Houston Dynamo: this club is a dark horse as I really do not know what to expect from them. Will definitely be tough at home during the summer months though.

 

CANPRO, what do you think of Babouli? One to watch?

My prediction is 2-2 draw. NYRB has some things to work out in defense. They're vulnerable there.

 

People picking the Rapids 8th...that's about the best I'd hope for, I think worse is more likely.

I'm not as optimistic about Pappa as most Rapids fans seem to be. Jones will miss a lot of games due to the suspension, callups, and injuries. If Howard comes, there's the question of how much he helps a team that really seemed to need help on the attack, and he'd be a midseason window add as well.

The best hope is that Doyle is really sharp and works well with Gashi, both stay healthy, and having two good finishers yields far more goals than the team's poor passing ability would warrant. Kind of like when Casey and Cummings were in their primes.

 

Babouli can make something out of nothing. He can create his own chances and score. He's exciting. TFC made a smart move in ditching Moore and Gomez for him.

If he gets playing time this year, he'll score.

 

Thanks @ufc -- ready to go with Fight Pass! #UFC196 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/gtuwnrfsqQ

— Hope Solo (@hopesolo) March 6, 2016

Saw this last night and still can't stop laughing.

 

I was surprised to learn recently than Conor Casey is Colorado's all-time leading scorer with 50.
Bradley Wright-Phillips has scored 51 in a little over two seasons for NYRB!

 

Endoh and Lovitz starting for TFC. This will be...... interesting?

Also, picked up Applebee's for lunch/dinner due to them giving Tinfoil Ted the business the other week.

 

Spiked the coffee.
Heating pad plugged in.
8.5 hrs of MLS.

 

I have a suspicion that neither Toronto or red bulls will be good this year. Mostly due to having the same players who were terrible or innefectual last year on the pitch this year.

Toronto, poor back line, especially cb. Red bulls torched by athletic teams who didn't allow them to play half court offense. Same guys in the squad.

Go Sunderland!

 

Beautiful day in Texas. Good day!!! The field is in immaculate condition and we're ready to go!

Listo #ToyotaStadiumTX para su juego inaugural. @FCDallas vs @PhilaUnion hoy a las 2pmCT #DTID pic.twitter.com/UhAyKhpR2l

— Carlos Alvarado (@golalvarado) March 6, 2016

 

The end is near!

 

5 DPs take the field in Chicago. But for some reason fans can't decipher, Sean Johnson is on the bench. Only 3/8 defenders on the field have appeared in an MLS game before.

And in a truly shocking turn of events, Lampard is nowhere to be seen

 

I see a broadcast!

********.

I hate this shit.

 

O @THOMA GOL...

 

Shep Messing.

I miss the offseason already

 

Tina Cervasio alert!

Thx,

Jay!

 

No free weekend of Direct Kick I guess

 

Man, NYCFC just isn't going to be very good until they get rid of the Pirlo+Lampard millstones, are they? That's a no-defense midfield, and guys like Jason Hernandez, Ethan White (at RB!) and Taylor Taylor are starting.

 

Free on DirecTV.

Might prove useful today too, given the overlapping games.