Waiving Mavinga is probably a good decision, but with Neal out for a couple of weeks I can't believe we're not signing another CB soon. We're so thin here. We currently have 24 players in the roster (not counting Ramos Jr. and Miller who are loaned to G2 this season), a U22 spot open, 11 international spots, all of them being filled (Paintsil, Pec, Puig, Brugman, Joveljic, Yoshida, Caceres, Aude, Yamane, Micovic, Vivi). We still have a lot of roster spots and maybe some opportunities with the international spots (green cards coming ? Vivi loaned to G2 despite his good preseason ?), not sure about the cap space. We're probably signing Lepley too, and he has earned it. I would feel a lot better with another CB and depth at striker.
Gabriel Pec has touched down in Los Angeles 🛬 pic.twitter.com/IpdOqydTPC— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) February 22, 2024 Pec is here. All the flowers are in the vase (pending visas)
Paintsil seems powerfully built. I can imagine him being very hard to knock off the ball, despite his smaller height. I guess we will find out.
Even allowing for the autotune, my man is a good singer and a true artist. The bare, white space set up with the woman in a blue dress with a red chair and phone was perfect! This old cisgender white straight male is in love.
CoG saying that we will be on the hook for Mavinga's salary if he isn't claimed. I'm presuming he will be our one permitted buyout in that situation. Even if we don't buy him out, we should get the roster and int'l spot if not the salary space. If no one picks up Mavinga, Galaxy would still be on the hook for his total cost. Therefore, a buyout isn’t off the table eventually anyway. #LAGalaxy #MLS— Corner Of The Galaxy (@GalaxyPodcast) February 22, 2024
Thank you for everything, Bondy 🙏The club has mutually agreed to part ways with goalkeeper Jonathan Bond.📰: https://t.co/f7XLzMCYB0 pic.twitter.com/AHKWXVCpm6— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) February 22, 2024 Mutually agreed termination. That's a plus for the team. Bond doing us a solid. Accountability is here it seems. Perform at the expected level or you are out. Probably the right way to run a professional sports team.
Not sure we handled well the situation. Bond could have been traded to another MLS team or sold to a European club if we had sorted the GK situation earlier. That said, the move needed to be made. I think we can still get AT LEAST one very good TAM player + the U22. There are still a couple of important pieces possibly coming.
I bet we’ve been working the MLS phones all preseason trying to trade him. His play just never reached the expected level and was trending down and not up. lots of good goalies in the west now. Lloris at chivas, Stefan at Colorado, Max C at Portland. hopefully Lloris goes all Culdichini here in MLS.
Lloris is an all-time legend at Spurs, his exit and grace in being sidelined have been incredibly well received by the fans. He was largely a consistent and very good shot stopper for 9 of his 10 years. He wasn’t great with his feet and was prone to occasional lapses that were steadily increasing over the last couple of seasons. TBF the Mourinho-Conte era was not great, but you could see some of those lapses in his game at the national team level going back to at least France’s WC win.
“It’s been an honor and a privilege to represent this great club for three years. Thank you to my teammates, my coaches and of course the fans for welcoming me in as one of your own. Special thanks to Greg and Will for this incredible opportunity and I wish everyone at the club a… pic.twitter.com/agYzjeMrS2— Mike Gray (@MikeGrayAFC) February 22, 2024
Wonder what we are going to do for a 3rd GK (assuming MLS still requires 3 on the senior roster). I haven't heard or seen anything about the GK they drafted (Ethan Brandt) or the former college GK that played with the G2s last year (Simon Jillson). The two GKs who I have heard have been playing with the G2s in preseason (Nolan Anderson and Owen Pratt) are both teenagers.
I think the Galaxy handled it as best as they could, was it ideal? probably not. I believe they gave Bond every opportunity to win the job and it came down to the wire and they made a tough decision and informed Bond he didn't win the job and Bond decided mutually with the Galaxy to try his hand somewhere else. I wish Bond the best of luck, he represented the LAG Shield with honor and respect, a true professional. and as mbar, mentioned there is accountability and a level of expectation now that wasn't here previously, things seem to be trending up. *fingers crossed*
With all the teams getting cap compliant in the next 36 hours, I wonder if there will be an opportunity to add a depth piece or two. I could see a need for a depth central defender, GK, fullback. You never know if a team might have a wealth of players and need to make a tough decision.
Imagine that. I don't like that they do it right before kickoff but granted nobody outside knws what was going on in the guts of the team. Zavaleta better send his uncle his appreciation. The only reason he is still with the team. Vanney may not make it to the other end of this season. All hail Kuntz... show us the way Will! Ahead of the @LAGalaxy season opener against #Messi & @InterMiamiCF, new GM Will Kuntz catches up w/ @jaimemaggio to talk about his path to the job, new additions & a message to the fans @ACBrigade @LARiotSquad @galaxy_outlawz @Galaxians #LAGalaxy📅Tonite⏰545/1045p@kcalnews pic.twitter.com/rz7GTaQDwk— Sports Central LA (@SportsCentralLA) February 21, 2024
I completely disagree. I think that Dawdler got it right. By waiting until the end, Vanney and Kuntz gave Bond every chance to win the starting job. Bond is now free to make a deal with any club. If they waived him or bought him out, the league would still hold his contract rights (like they did for Gio before they sold him to Club America). I also think that Zavaleta survived because he is being paid the league's veteran minimum and as such is a good value. This fits with Trickhog's post that hevwas thr ideal 4th or 5th string centerback. I also thought that he outplayed Mavinga this preseason by making fewer mistakes.
Yeah, McCarthy is not quite first team material- just ask the other team. However for what he is probably being paid, I can live with it... PROVIDED that the funds we are recouping from shedding Mavinga and Bond will be spent to reinforce the defense. I have a feeling we will need better pieces at LB/DM, maybe another depth CB if Neal isn't quite the same player as before.
All things being equal I want tall guys with a good build for the team but it isn't crucial. We had little Boateng and Mauricio Cienfuegos right? Not to mention Puig who could stand to be a bit bigger given how he is fouled. But listen who would not like Maxi Morales, Lucho Acosta or guys like Giovinco all standing tall at a 5'2"?
Why are you invoking Dawdler man? If you're gonna do that I have to counter with Lem-Lag and MP9. The former questions the whys and wherefores of these late cuts with no backup and the latter throws shade on a suspect new keeper who has yet to prove himself. Which leaves us with the Micovic kid and how did he look to you in pre-season? Those are legit concerns, don't you think? Of course I do not question the moves as internationals slot have been acquired and others have been vacated in the case of Bond I assume. I just question the timing but they could have it all worked out so I am just gonna let the FO do their thing seeing as they seem to be on the ball and Kuntz appears to be nothing short of a pimp. I will say no more.
I mean seriously he's made some great moves, right? Speedy wingers? I kinda don't know what to do with myself. He's competent and making some solid moves. Wow.
I see your Lem-lag and MP9 and raise you TrickHog and Skydog. wait, what are we doing? ugh, this season needs to get here quicker