Do you think we are going to get any new players or is Bob and CJ content with the crap that we put on the field every week?
I certainly doubt that they're content. Unfortunately, though, we will likely be more limited in what we can do. The SEM will see to that. No Taylor Twellman's for us. The question really is - who's going to retire. Vermes? Burns? McKeon? I'm not sure how much trade value we can get. If we stand pat with the existing lineup, we will not make the postseason next year. Sad, but true.
Who do you guys not want to see on the team next year. I could go either way on Fabbro, you have to think there is a better option out there some where. I like both Simu and Armstrong. I would be pleased if McKeon was no longer around, Gomez and Burns too. Paul
Haven't thought about players yet but here's some skills/traits we need. * Height - we can't score/defend on set pieces that are out of shooting range. Begining of the season Talley got a few but then nothing throughout. 60+% of goals are scored off set pieces. Mostly on us not by us. * Speed on the backline - face it we got burned by Columbus' and LA's forwards repeatedly. Any run and gun teams eventually break us down in the back and we can't recover. Hell Soitchkov even made us look silly in one game against the Fire. * Right footed shooter - We've got Preki for the lefty tries but not since Lowe did we have someone who could nail it from beyond 20 yards out that kept keepers honest and walls cringing about the power. And don't anyone say Q was a specialist at this. His went into row 32 over the goal all but like twice when he took them years ago. * Finisher - (Duh) This of course the biggest obvious. I guess we got spoiled with Molnar. I wouldn't mind a premadonna like Razov who's streaky but when if form gets it done. Brown is streaky too but much less frequent on the "in form" side of things. Fabbro's not great and Igor probably needs to be Preki's replacement and move back to attacking mid. * Left Mid - We got spoiled with Henderson and I don't think we found anything yet to even come close yet. Quill wasn't effective all year until the very end; and even still nothing that was that serious. Armstrong I felt was better at this spot and was aggressive but almost too much. Remember his fouls late cost us a game or two from trying too hard (Reg Season in LA tie instead of win). This is probably the least of all the points to worry about though as we have acceptable skill and depth here. We should look at teams that will have to rebuild this offseason and pluck some one there. Columbus has too many forwards to keep/pay (McBride, Cunni, Buddle, Washington) and Chicago will have to completely rebuild due to Salary cap. We'll have to trade/negotiate with the smaller market teams. Face it the league will cater to Metro's and LA so the imaginary cap shouldn't effect them as much since good players will play for less money just because or lifestyle, profile, and side endorsement deals that are much more lucrative in those markets. I wouldn't mind if Kries from Dallas came up here personally. Now is not the time to "develop" a finisher, we need a proven one. Brown and Arnaud still aren't there. Although Arnaud hasn't really had a chance yet. I'd still like to see Delevski from the Comets get some work outs in the offseason.
CJ was on our flight from Chicago to KC, and we talked about this (and other stuff) for an hour whilst waiting for the plane. Basically, we saw about 50% of Igor this year, and about as much of Dario. Neither of them were at anything like full fitness, though for opposite reasons. Burciaga will be back...they were very frustrated that he couldn't play this year because he was pencilled in as a starter. If I had to guess, we'll take a fast defender with our #3 pick. That's a spot where you can usually get a pretty good player, particularly at defender (Nick Garcia, for example). Curt, despite having a liking for both Dario and Igor (seemed like he's a bit more of an Igor fan, but that's just me reading things in), also seems to want a pure scorer. How we come by that, I have no idea.
The idea of getting a player from Columbus is an interesting idea. They do have quite a few attacking players and they don't need that when they could upgrade a different position. Only question is what/who would we part with the the Crew would take?
I would say we're deep at midfield which is a luxury I'm really not willing to give up much but if you think of our pool of midfielders it consists of: Preki Klein Zags Gomez McKeon Quill Armstrong Igor - technically Diego - depending Brown - depending That's a pretty deep pool of mid capable players available for trade. Of course we wouldn't part with several untouchable/cornerstones types. Who I'd like to see traded/retired/turnedover: Vermes: getting too old and slow since contraction up the bar. Would like to see him become an assistant for the organization due to his leadership and intensity type push. RETIRE/MOVE INSIDE THE ORGANIZATION McKeon: although not a favorite on these boards has value to somebody. Could be a starter for someone when the talent pool thins back out with expansion after next season as D-mid. TRADE Burns: He's not as bad as many of you portray him to be. He's cursed negatively from the Cup goal and any time he gets beat that's right on the edge your mind that he's worthless and blah blah. But it is about time to hang it up or move somewhere. RETIRE/A-League Brown: I think Brown for one of the Crew forwards would be good. We'd get a proven forward and they'd get an adequate 3rd-4th forward and 2nd tier midfield utility guy that can start or fill in nicely for injury, suspensions and attack minded situations. I'm just done being frustrated with him maybe a coaching change will trigger him. TRADE (to Columbus) Gomez: face it he'll never replace Preki or Igor in the distributor/attacking midfielder. I don't think many can. If Igor's around he's our second string distributor. Gomez has value. TRADE Fabbro: I'd say he's the SI that's gone if someone good comes down the pipe and we have to give up that spot. Igor will pan out. Armstrong is young, aggressive, and can play anywhere. Fabbro just has too much "I'm not sure yet" about him. Brunt: I don't know, he's too green not to give him a second season. Unless there is a stud college draft pick and someone has to go.
Quill: he needs to be given a second season before any real judgement is passed on him, since he spent most of this season injuried or recovering from an injury, see what happens this next season, then make a decision.
Fabbro should be the least of anyone's concerns. One thing I'd like to see is a better back-up keeper.
The way Tony finished the season, I'm not feeling all that well about him being between the pipes. Let's hope that was an abberation and he'll return to form. Concerning Cisco, I say trade him. He was a major disappointment last season. Igor and Fabbro need a full season together with both fit before I'm ready to cast off either one.
I hope so, but one thing in common with most lousy teams in MLS is paying the top salaries to average players who used to be great. Not that Meola doesn't deserve it for past performance, but it's not something we can afford. Maybe one more year. With the combo of Bunker Bob and an aging defense, there is a lot to worry about.
Tony was injured for most of the season with a groin injury, which he just had surgery on. Lets let him heal, and then decide.
I agree but with Tony have lots of knocks lately I think we should be thinking about the future and get some young goalkeep. One with lots of potenial and let him learn from the great one so he can be money for years to come.
I believe all of the above can be distilled into two qualities or possibly two players: Heart and atleticism OR a back with size, speed, and brains and an assassin-like finisher. KC's main lack was not the creation of chances. KC was league high in shots. The main lack was an overwhelming failure to finish at a high rate. KC was dead last in percentage of SOG finished (9.18% - MLS avg. 11.11 or 1 in 9). If you know stats, that's easily a full standard deviation below avg - not good. Additionally, KC was next to last in percentage of shots on goal. To reitterate, league best in shots, league low in percentage on goal. Anyone see a glaring error? If means that KC has to create two more chances per game just to be on equal footing. A team only gets 6-7 quality chances every game. It means with KC's poor finishing, they have to carry the game for :15 more minutes to be equal. Physically, this is impossible, it's too exhausting. You need look no further than the "blowouts every 3 days" period this season. People have been ragging on Gansler all season. Nonsense, he's a good coach. I will say that Gansler's failure to understand the consequence of poor finishing as it relates to his team's physical limits baffles me. It seems basic and I'm certainly not a coach. All season we generally heard from him that he wasn't worried because chances were being created. You hear such things from EPL guys too, but you never hear them more than just on an occasional basis. Certainly not consistently over months... The solution also seems pretty evident. Finishing drills with high physical penalties for failure. Just like real games. Run them into the ground until the mental side of it breaks. Then rebuild it...I digress. Back to the point, poor finishing also means opponents had a greater ability to come back and KC had a lesser ability to overcome deficits. The good news is KC did create the chances but either missed or choose poor opportunities. After watching KC rip up and down the sidelines at will most days in 2002, I lean towards the "miss" theory. Brown, Preki, Fabbro, and Klein all had moments of brilliance. None of them were sustained over the course of a season. Fabbro being new and hurt, Preki being 39 and the team's leading scorer partially excuse them. Fabbro needs to produce more and have a higher work rate. Part of Preki's unattractiveness has always been a high shot to goal rate. At 39, obviously it's more than acceptable. Klein was the team's #2 scorer and was injured. He underacheived. 7 goals, two of which were absolute gifts by keepers. Granted, his level is high. As the saying goes: To whom much is given, much is expected. We should expect more. For 2003, he'll be the leading scorer if a forward does not emerge and he's healthy. It's about time. As for Brown, it's easy to recall 10-15 golden chances he put high, wide, or at the keeper. That's why he went to the bench mid-season. In 2003 do we see the late season Brown that took one chance and buried it, or the Brown in the other 25 games that couldn't put one on net, or needed 6 to bury one? We hear the practice Brown is a formidable one. Maybe they should wear Blue every practice, too. The first suggestion on offer of "height" is accurate due to the failings of defensive set pieces. Given that many short players scored free headers against KC this season I think atleticism is more appropriate. Intelligence and reading of the game sneaks in here too. Part of the game is to do what your opponent can't, be that run all day, be positionally solid, or outthink a team. Hendu has the ability to do whichever is needed. In 2002, KC couldn't do that at Henderson's position (and others). To a team at that time was used to having his endless effort there, it left gaping holes in midfield and consequently at the back. Speed - all teams must improve this every year. To illustrate, if NU had speedy linebackers, they would have won the title last year and would be 7-1 this season. I'm not kidding. No way Colorado puts up the 62 they got running away from slow backers. No way Miami scores so quick after numerous turnovers if their TE's didn't rack up 200+ yards. Watch Texas do the same thing this weekend in Lincoln. In CFB if you block at the line and force pass coverage with the linebackers, two levels are destroyed and it's up to the tiny DB's to tackle a bowling ball. In soccer the lack of speed up front and at mid dooms the defenders and goalkeepers to early decisions. Everyone is wrong sometimes. My point - speed kills and you can never have too much of it in any sport. BTW, Columbus up front is about dribbling and quickness more than speed. Buddle and Cunningham are almost as fast with the ball - that is the danger. Rt footed shot: Fabbro, Klein, and Brown should be enough! Brown played all 28 games and was dangerous in most. He scored only 4. Four! Fabbro has a work rate that isn't enough to get consistent opportunities and his power is lower than you would like up front. Both he and Klein can claim injury as a contributor to low output. A healthy Klein has proven to be more than MLS can handle. Finisher - KC with a Twellman takes every title this season. A Twellman KC front line scores 10-15 more goals. Can anyone tell me that would not have made a difference against Morelia, Columbus' late comeback, LA's skate job, and KC's initial 8 seed? Please. Yes I'm biased, but I know what my satellite showed me all year. LM - agreed. Let's hope CJ has learned his nepotism lesson. (Hendu for Lassie trade). In many other sports in many other cities the mistake would have been fatal.
One guy I've always liked watching, who just happens to be underutalized currently, is Columbus' Dante Washington. He's got everything we need, speed, athleticism, finishing skills, heart for the game. I think we have more than plenty to trade or work something out for this, if it's in the cards.
Agreed!!! Brown for Washington (you heard it here first) Washington has to be getting frustrated there by now. Only the fragility of McBride even gets him sub time anymore since Buddle is becoming a "Budding" star. Or, Lamar puts a little booster, supporter, off the table (whatever you want to call it) money in the back pocket of Miklos to give up Ironman and return for 2 more seasons. Hey if Florida State and Oklahoma can get away with it for years under stricter scrutiny in the NCAA then MLS should be cake...
I know everyone likes to push developing the youth, but outside the aging backline, what about the possiblility of some older players coming in for spots around the rest of the team.... Former/Nats possibly Questions? 1) Would anyone not want to see Ernie Stewart from NAC Breda come play for us? Ernie's contract is up in Q1 03... Still a very solid player, could boost attendance with his legacy and good guy image. 2) Tony Sanneh? Financial problems with his Bundesliga team and they're looking to unload him and two others to "reduce debts". Could be a good attacking RB. Better than Boorns anyway; major height and athleticism improvement; still has speed. 3) Would you want to see a John Harkes if he still had another season in him? He could help Z in the defensive Mid when in a 3-5-2. Probably reasonable wage. 4) Eric Wynalda out of the booth for a season? Another streaky primadonna forward like a Razov but still could finish better than anyone we got (other than Preki). He was willing to play for A-League wages before his knee went out. TV contract can't be too lucrative in USA's soccer market. Just thinking of a few known oldies but fairly goodies.
Re: Re: New players for next year I'm all for the Molnar deal. How could you not be for this. I'm not holding my breath however. KC needs a finisher and Dante is a proven B-level guy who might be A material in today's game. Still, the Dante for Brown trade would be a mistake in my opinion. Why would CJ pull the trigger? *Leadership, intelligence, his presence ideally would improve Fabbro and others, and a big step up physically from Brown. Why it should not happen: *Dante's salary is much higher so a deal would limit KC's options in other areas. *Brown is equal or arguably higher on the production curve right now in what is a much tougher league than in '96. -- Looking back at DW's production you get 2 points in 1996, then 30, 19, 12, 39, 17, and 14 this year. That's an average of 19. Brown is 6+ years younger and scored 14 this season. That corresponds to 2 points for DW at the same age. Obviously, the league is better today than in 1996 so it should be harder to score now. I would bet that Brown's taste of starting will give him the proper motivation to do more in the off season this year. If he gets traded we know that the front office didn't see this. *Age -- Dante's 32. Older players get hurt more often. DW has a history of injury. Strikers don't play until they are 40 so the problem of replacement would loom sooner. Do you trade away 6.5 years of Brown's growth and upside to get just a bit better at forward and then deal with replacement 6.5 years sooner? I don't think you do. I'm not saying Brown will put up 30+ points next year lik Dante did, but CB's created enough chances to think that it's possible. Dante for 28 games yields 20 points, pretty consistently. To me it isn't worth taking a cap hit and giving up on Brown for 6 points a year. Generally you want difference makers being your big cap guys. Do you see Dante as a "difference maker"? "Upgrade" might even be stretching it based up what we saw glimpses of this season from Brown. For now, better to lock Fabbro in the weight room with Boca games on tape, get Brownie a sports shrink, and find other uses for the cap space. That's what I would do at forward. March is too far away.
1)Hmmm, Stewart or Burns... If that's my choice, yeah, I'll take Stewart. {duh} MLS will not let him toil here. I'd have high expectations of KC today with Stewart. Just tell me Tony's healthy all year. 2)Sennah - You have to think he would only sign to play at DC. He'd look good in blue. 3)Harkes - Pass. He's done, you can't willingly take the injury history, even if his game is good enough. 4)Wynalda - His salary was 75k last season for 1 game pre-blowout. That's ify on many levels at best. Right now we have (Fabbro) a technically good forward with little speed, low/smart work rate, and medium shot power, so why go after Waldo? Is Waldo a difference maker? I don't know that he can be in MLS anymore. Are there enough balls to give Waldo and Preki thier requisite 5 shots per game? Probably not. Short of playing here, anything to get him out of the booth is fine by me. I'm not a big fan of him when he speaks. Why not grab Chacon (if healthy) from NE for Bo O. Chacon and Preki worked pretty well in 2001. NE needs a back up keeper, has the F position worked out, and Bo was better than Summer in the back up roll. Maybe add in Brown/Fabbro for Summer. It's interesting on both sides. It would be nice if MLS contract info was readily available so this "hot stove" stuff was easier to hash out.
Dante for Brown we might be willing to do. Unfortunately, it doesn't (IMO) improve us, but it does likely trim cap space. Brown won't get you any of our other strikers without something much sweeter thrown in the pot. I'm more interested in a blockbuster - Cunningham for Klein. Allows both teams to address a weakness. If you think Klein is too much to give up, I'll remind you that Cunningham is the top scorer in MLS over the past two seasons combined. Presthus might be available, if the price is right. He probably won't be happy sitting the bench, however - that seems to be the case right now.
I'd take that deal in a minute. I remember reading that a player (somewhere in Scandanavia) was traded for his weight in shrimp. I'd take that deal as well. klein is still too much to give up. All things being equal, you want to keep your guys. I believe Klein is a better player to begin with. That would definitely be worth looking in to.
Re: Re: Re: New players for next year CAREER Washington 10186 52 29 .715 scoring avg. Brown 6341 13 9 .312 scoring avg. 2002 Washington 1122 6 2 .641 Brown 1512 4 3 .417 --- Brown starting as forward: 2492 6 5 .397 Could be the worst in MLS history with 2000+ minutes.
I like the Chacon idea... I can't imagine that NE is too excited about burning the salary along with an SI spot on a guy who isn't even playing. (Played 20, Started 9 - only 1014 minutes.) The only Wizards to play fewer minutes this season were Quill (992), Brunt (158) & Arnaud (43).
Maybe one more year. With the combo of Bunker Bob and an aging defense, there is a lot to worry about. How about keeping Tony one more year and then letting him go to one of the expansion teams in exchange for a well-known younger player. He doesn't have many seasons left in him, and he's too big of a star to just drop. I love Tony, but the diminishing returns of age are definitely starting to set in. There's no good way out of the backup keeper situation. On one hand, Tony's age means the possibility of long absences due to injury. On the other, playing second fiddle to Meola in Kansas City may be a bad career move since it virtually guarantees no notice from the national team or the rest of the league. Additionally, and this is pure speculation, Tony's super-star status probably keeps the available salary room for a backup fairly low.
Also, isn't Twellman's salary supposed to significantly increase next year? Chacon may be a real steal.