To milicz's point, it would be nice to add a striker that brings an aerial threat...we are oddly awkward with balls above the waist.
I know! However, you said, "The odds of both occurring in same player are about the same as winning Powerball. Hope is eternal." That is not true, not be long shot! I know you were not referring to Adu, but it sounded like the arguments made back in the day about him. He is still the topic of conversation at times!
Fire II win and secure playoff spot. Short bench included both Pratt (new young GK not formally announced yet) and Poreba. Poreba entered at min 87 and promptly drew a foul in box and converted the PK to tie the match at 1-1. Fire II went on to win 2-1.Only 7 months since the ACL injury to Poreba.
Bump: Considering what we have now as back up to Cuypers, anything above a dead carp would be improvement. I would prefer at least TWO back ups, perhaps one could start in a two forward set up on occasion. I think one of the "kids" and the not at all kid, Robert Lewandowski, would work. Oh, wait, this is not the OPTIMISM Thread (or, more likely, the Delusion thread). Really, I want Lewandowski on the team. If we cannot have him, I would be fine with Milik (or similar) and one of the kids as back up. I thought Koutsias was decent enough as a back up, but I suspect that ship has sailed.
Obviously @tombogert's reporting is accurate but I can add that sources have told me Chris Brady's contract ties him to the Chicago Fire through at least 2029 with a team option for 2030 under improved terms #cf97 #VamosFire https://t.co/s4HcIjqWy8— Joe Chatz (@JoeChatz) September 15, 2025 🔴 Sources: The Chicago Fire sign three academy graduates to new contract extensions, led by GK Chris Brady.Sergio Oregel & Mauricio Pineda also sign new deals. Both key squad players under Berhalter this year as club aims for 1st playoff app since 2017https://t.co/7WvbEXw2mh— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) September 15, 2025
I like them locking down quality homegrown guys still looking for their ceiling in the future and vying for a starting spot at best and solid depth at worst in coming years.
Franco covers multiple spots in the midfield and does not backup a DP. I am speaking about this hypothetical Milik signing.
Another poor take. We have long used international slot for back ups and back ups to back ups and EVEN back ups for DPs. For Glasgow. For MHS (back up for DP Bamba) For Kouame Last year: For Salquist For Koutsias (back up for DP Cuypers) 2023 For Aceves For Doumbia For Torres Etc. If the best player we could get at second striker is Milik, we should do it. There are a lot of reasons NOT to sign Milik, of course. Not doing because it "seems inefficient" to use an international slot is pretty dumb.
Well let's take your example of this season. Glasgow was loaned out because his use of an international slot was inefficient. Maren? He is backing up two positions, not one. Kouame? He was planned to be a starter. Oregel's emergence and Kouame's never ending list of injuries is why he is a backup. I can promise you he is not coming back next season. Also not sure we want to be using 2023 and 2024 as a blueprint for how to build a roster. Using international spots because we did so in those failed seasons seems pretty dumb.
Franco? At best it appears like he has been an emergency winger in his career and not a full time solution to that position.
Efficient use of resources - real cash, GAM, international slots, DP slots, U22 slots, even roster spots- is very important under MLS rules. Nothing wrong with asking questions.
More goals each game than the other team. I agree. We score enough goals to win. We don't keep enough goals out so we don't always win.
Think of it this way, an international slot in MLS is a fixed cost asset (~$150–250k on the trade market). That’s a predictable, capped expense. If you can plug a high-end player into that slot at a subsidized salary, the value of the slot skyrockets. On paper, Milik is absolutely DP-level. If Juventus covers enough of his wages so that his MLS budget charge falls under the max-budget threshold, he wouldn’t require GAM/TAM, which is an enormous savings. Normally, $500k + an international slot gets you a mid-tier international at best. If you instead use that same slot and cash outlay to land a proven striker with Champions League pedigree, you’ve gained efficiency relative to the market. As you know, in MLS, rosters are small and depth at striker is notoriously thin. Having a DP-caliber player filling a rotation role (if subsidized correctly) is a huge roster advantage, so I would argue very efficient.
So my point stands. We have a history of using International slots for back up positions including this season. That is the point. Of course, 2023 and 2024 are poor blueprints. I would not say it is "inefficient," it is they way it is. It does not make a difference if a player is "backing up" two positions, even if one of them is a DP. Also, virtually no "back up" only "backs up" a single position. See, this is a useful take. The goal is to build the best possible team, within the rules. There are a ton of variables that go into building a winning team, and you highlighted several of them, at least from the economic perspective. There is NOTHING "inefficient" with using an international slot for a back up for a DP. Now, using a DP slot to back up a non-DP might be "inefficient," (which is the polite term, I guess). We have seen that with a number of DPs who could not get off of the bench and when there were less "costly" (in terms of the resources you highlight) and better options. "Asking questions" - fine. Making declarative statements that are demonstrably false-poor take. Note: I have a history of posting poor takes, so I know one when I see one!
Robbie Keane came to MLS at age 31 and made $3.4 million to $4.5 million over his years at Galaxy. 126 goals in 355 matches, ~0.35 goals per game. Milik - 154 goals in 392 matches, ~0.39 goals per game. On another Polish Serie A player, I would try to get Zielinski from Inter as a DP. Zielinski at Inter does not seem like a happy marriage. He would be our Polish DeBruyne. I am sorry I am fixated on Poles, but I am very aware of where they are in their careers and I don't think I have ever suggested a Polish signing that went on to suck after we passed on him, and this goes back to when we should have signed Sebastian Mila. I have never once suggested that we sign Piatek, and never would. I am not sure he would work well in MLS, he could, but I would definitely have concerns. My Mexican player suggestions have been much worse. I was on record supporting the Nery Castillo signing ( I will still defend it.)
Ya know what is inefficient Using 1.7mil salary budget (1mil of it in TAM) on a backup to the backup to the starter
Oh, No! Not this again. (deflection) …..Loons play semifinal US Open match tonight, hope they have a very long difficult match so they are weaker for us.