They should have won MLS Cup. The saddest part is besides Temo, Herron & McBride the core of that team was in their early-mid 20s.
There were something like 13 players on the 2009 team who had been full internationals for their national teams: Busch CJ Soumare Logan.....Pause Blanco Thorrington Pappa Rolfe McBride Mapp Segares Husidic and Nyarko (but just 1 game each)
I agree with your first two statements, but not the last paragraph. It's kinda like mutual funds "past performance is not an indicator of future performance" I think a quality 9 or 10 that is at or above Shaqiri's current level has a high likelihood of unlocking the offense. Mueller, Torres, and/or Guti would only ne I disagree on the sentiment; I believe Basti absolutely raised the level of the team...he was a player/coach and his workrate + quality was the best we've seen....and he only played CB after the defense was the reason we were losing. The 'oft injured' was Accam, deLeeuw, Solignac & Juninho...that's why we saw as much Alvarez as we did. Niko (DP) 100% should have been better than Duran/Kacper...and he was. Dax was a better passer than the midfielders we have now, but our current MF play better D. Our current CBs are much better and old fullbacks played better O (they overlapped and made good crosses). And Ezra > hot mess Pauno!
I tried several times on both my computer and my mobile phone to make my profile picture here an action photo of Blanco doing his signautre jump with the ball between his feet lol he got me into this club and I curse him for it!
So...went back and looked at what were the "late season meaningful game"s for 2017 & 2022...& what were the XI. 2017Sept 2nd, a 1-0 ROAD WIN against Montreal to solidify a playoff birth. After getting hacked/injured by a red card challenge in the 50th min, Basti scored the only goal in the 60th min (of a cross from overlapping Polster, that Djordje had fed). Note the XI...not crap, but not exactly a playoff caliber XI, & Basti's play made the difference. 2022 Sept 17, a 2-3 HOME LOSS against Charlotte that was the season's 'nail in the coffin'. While tied in the 89th min of in a make or break game, Shaqiri subbed out...and Charlotte scored in 97th min to kill our playoff hopes. On paper I'd largely prefer this over the 2022 XI...but Shaqiri didn't do much and checked out. Sure Niko over Duran, & Kapp over Burks, but the star DP impact on team...it's not close. I'd take Basti over Shaqiri every day without blinking an eye.
See, I entertain thoughts of pairing him up with a forward he can connect with and instead of glory, the only image that comes to mind is *two* players costing a lot and doing nothing for us because we have no midfield to get them the ball. A forward is not going to be a "drag everyone up" kind of player (at least, I've not seen it done). The most important skill in building a team is identifying the pieces you need. Merely identifying who has potential is insufficient, you need a group that works together. I don't see the new ownership doing any better than the old ownership in this regard.
For sure, but I was responded to your comment I believe Shaqiri typically has more around him than Basti did, and Basti's impact rates better. Basti was a rare "all around quality" leader that raised the level of everyone's performance...Shaqiri is a high quality role player. Hoping we bring in another true DP that can take some of the "carry the team" expectation off of Shaqiri...so he can do what he has always done...'find special moments'.
Well what do ya know?! CFFC is doing drills to have Shaqiri be central, link up with Kacper, and take shots from the top of the box. I don’t know how I feel about this clip of Shaqiri. 😂 The shot is sweet, but everything that happens before looks so weird. The field surface is uneven too. #cf97pic.twitter.com/ys0Iykqwdj— Kuba (Type) (@JTomszak) January 26, 2023 We might actually see Shaqiri play as a 10 this season!
Moved from 2023 roster speculation thread… Shaqiri is one of the highest paid players in the league and was signed to be the focus of our offense. Last season we had 39total team goals(next to last in the league). IMO we are paying for a top 5 offense producer, at worst top 10, and the best stats comparison is ‘in-play goal contributions’ Specifically: G(-PK)+A(direct not MLS hockey assists). Last season he had 7 (3npG+4A). I believe the 2022 top 10 contributors were: Djordje 13, Reynoso 16, Gil 16, Arango 16, Rubio 16, Higuain 16, Gazdag 22, Acosta 22, Druissi 23, Mukhtar 23 There are all sorts of reasons Shaqiri was not a top 10 producer…but in the end his performance was not close to top10. As a top dollar DP he’s gotta be accountable for a big portion of it. With a similar defense as last year, 15+ from him should make us a reasonably competitive playoff team and be getting 8mil value…7 again would be a bust. What’s your G-PK+A over/under for him to be ‘worth’ the DP tag and his salary?
He did not have the best year for the Fire last year in the offensive stats we got him for...some his fault...some tactics and other players not putting the ball away. I do expect a lot more from him and the team this year (though not sure what has changed other then maybe healthwise and perhaps familiarity). That being said Shaq is World Class and we have all seen him perform at that level and just this last fall so...let's bring in that guy he needs to do that world class play. I do not believe the Fire have done that yet.
I’m not sure any player not named Ronaldo, Messi or Mbappe are worth $8M but I do think we have a top 10 attacking player in Shaqiri. Let’s hope he gets some help and we see some success.
I truly thought we were getting someone that would be a top 10 attacking player in the MLS, but he wasn’t, and now I have my doubts that he can/will be. It’s weird to be thinking we need a(nother) top 10 DP to be able to get better than middle of the pack contribution out of him… It would be great if Papa Joe swing for the fences with the open DP a lot and bring in a better DP than Shaqiri, but it’s not looking likely. Of course any other DP quality player will help, but if it’s a Beric type DP then Shaqiri really has to step it up. That’s how I backed into the numbers…that and looking at what was top 10 attacking performance in the league last season. We should absolutely be expecting him to be top 10, or we got the wrong guy. From an optimistic view, he’s likely to be better this year! Meaning no ‘save himself for the WC’, time to learn his mates tendencies, align with Ezra’s tactics, etc Bottom line I do hope he brings 15+ goal contributions and helps us earn a playoff spot.
Piotr Nowak averaged 11.4 G/A per season across five seasons. If we drop Nowak’s fifth (and least productive) season, he averaged 12.75 G/A across four seasons. Shaqiri had 18, total last season. If we make his PKs magically disappear, he is at 14. If anyone has a problem with a #10/CAM for the Fire “only” averaging 12.75 goals and assists they have their priorities wrong.
So…you are saying were pleased with Shaq’s performance last season? BTW, what ‘rank’ was Nowak’s performance that year? Meaning 12.75 doesn’t mean anything without reference/context to the rest of the league’s performance that season. Edit: 2001 Nowak’s npG+A was 14 and 8th in the league…totally would view that as ‘great production from Shaqiri’. Shaqiri had 7 npG+A last year…you included the MLS hockey assist and the oh so contentious PKs.
He also played far less because he was injured far more. So, a big criticism of Shaqiri was, of course, odd propaganda. Proving again that even the same stat in isolation is relatively useless.
Haha, Nowak played Luka minutes and was top 10 in the league…but Shaq plays 40% more and is middle of the pack
Sure, how about y'all be more objective and open to discussion/debate/critique. 34 games in. Were you 'pleased' with Shaqiri's 8mil DP performance? It's odd to me that so many are pitch forks and torches for Heitz and Ezra, but Shaqiri is off limits... I'm presenting logic, debate/challenge the logic...it's not personal.