I think it’s fair to expect contributions from Rubio first, and Luna to a lesser extent. I don’t expect goals from Holt. Do you have any idea of how many senior team players were on the Quakes 2 roster? If there were several it would modify my expectations a lot.
I would expect / hope Rubio would be scoring in those games Luna isn't a goal scorer, but I'd expect him to be dominant in play Holt shouldn't be part of a defense giving up 3 goals... that's scary
The Monarchs are up to 3 academy goalkeepers vying for time. I wonder if somebody is going to get loaned next year. There's not enough minutes on the Monarchs to go around for 3 goalkeepers and I don't get the impression that anybody will be pushing MacMath for minutes by next year. Maybe I'm wrong about that. https://www.rsl.com/news/real-monarchs-sign-former-rsl-academy-goalkeeper-fernando-delgado
First signing of the off-season! https://www.rsl.com/news/rsl-academy-forward-zavier-gozo-signs-with-real-monarchs
https://www.rsl.com/monarchs/news/real-monarchs-announce-2023-preseason-roster Pre-season roster is announced. 17 players listed, 9 are officially on the roster this year. I imagine several players with RSL right now will be getting significant minutes with the Monarchs, 3 of them being the non-GA draft picks. Guys like Rivera, Benitez, Wellings and maybe Kei. I thought he'd see some not insignificant minutes with RSL, but then they drafted a few forwards.
This will be interesting to follow. Will it be as good as it appears to be or will teams/players find some way to exploit it? This is an amazing new @MLSNEXTPRO sub rule: If the player does not leave the field of play within the 10 seconds, the replacement player will only be able to enter after a 60 second holding period, resulting in the offending team playing a man down for a minimum of one minute.— Andrew Vazzano (@AVRBNY) March 14, 2023
I do like the concept of rules getting tested in MLS Next PRO. A lot of them are common sense or address issues fans have. They'll be able to tell real quick if it's a good universal rule or not without impacting significant matches. What about the playoff format? I think that could be lots of fun/drama. The Leagues Cup tournament giving 2 points for a PK win was tested out last year in MLSNP. I may have to watch the Monarchs this year. Curious to see how much Apple invests in those broadcasts.
I'm a huge advocate of a hockey sin bin, like they have in indoor soccer. You can still get cards for really bad stuff, but the tactical fouls for pulling a shirt on a breakaway gets you 5minutes a man down seems like a much better consequence.
It would really help curtail persistent infringement if those types of fouls are included. In turn, the games should become more open and fun to watch.
I always thought that whenever the medical staff enters the field, the player should be forced to sit out for x minutes. Two maybe? My thought is if you're actually hurt enough for them to come out, then the time is used to evaluate the player. Trying to time waste? Now you're a man down for a bit.
Some really interesting new rules in play in MLS Next Pro for this season. One is that a red card earned in a game against the Monarchs will be served not in the subsequent game but in the next game against the Monarchs (assuming there is one; if not, it's the next week still). Another is that when it comes time for the postseason, top teams choose their opponents: NEW PLAYOFFS FORMAT The 2023 season will feature an expanded playoffs format that includes a pick-your-opponent element in the first two rounds. Within each conference, the two division champions and the five clubs with the next highest points (seven clubs total) will advance to the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs. The Playoffs will consist of three rounds followed by MLS NEXT Pro Cup, taking place over four consecutive weeks beginning the weekend of September 29. The club with the most regular season points in each conference (#1 seed) will earn a first-round bye, automatically advancing to the Conference Semifinals. Conference Quarterfinals: The next two teams with the most points in each conference (#2 and #3 seeds) will choose their opponent and host their match (one of two teams must be the other division champion) The two remaining teams that are not selected will play each other, with the higher seeded team hosting Conference Semifinals: The team with the most overall points in the conference (#1 seed) will choose its opponent from the remaining two lowest seeded teams and host the match The second highest seed will host the remaining team
Choosing is a great idea, because then they can figure in match ups and travel. It's also a great way to build in some rivalries. Next, they need to implement the "Sin Bin." NEXT would be a great venue to try this out.
I like the choose your opponent because some teams just seem to have your number, and potentially avoiding that is good.
There’s also the fan draw aspect, such as, “Uh ya, we choose that team with Messi to come play at our place”. This is probably a lesser consideration though.
I think that it will be interesting to see how that plays out over time on the picking your opponent. My guess it there will be a few more upsets because by picking your opponent you're creating extra motivation for the team you pick. Like, "oh, you think you can beat us? Well we'll show you." Might create more intensity right off the bat.
First game of the season is tomorrow. What are the expectations? Who will be in the lineup? No Beavers, correct?
First Monarchs lineup of the year. First XI of 2023!#SLCvMIN | @MakersLine pic.twitter.com/bM79QUOVsD— Real Monarchs (@RealMonarchs) March 25, 2023 Really young lineup. Two 07s from the academy (Rivera and Gozo), two 06s (Kelly and Amparo), and an 05 (Williams). Nigro (00) and Mondi (98) are the vets. Alba is an 04 we signed from Panama who is a center back I think. Dillon is an 03 who left college early to join us (you can circumvent the Superdraft if you sign someone to your MLSNP affiliate first). Jarvie has committed to Stanford but as far as I can tell he hasn't signed with the Monarchs, meaning he's still NCAA eligible. I guess he's keeping his options open. I do not know who "Nobles" is and that's an impossible name to Google for a club that also has the word "Monarchs" in it. Axel Kei is injured apparently. Not sure why Wellings is on the bench and I'm not sure where Bikyeombe is. The guys to watch in this lineup are probably Rivera and Gozo - especially to see where Rivera is playing (LB or CB).
Nobles appears to be Nicholas Nobles, another 07 from the academy. That's three 07s and two 06s from the academy in the lineup. Nobles was poached from Chicago's academy. Hard to tell exactly what we're doing but it looks almost like a 3-4-3 with Nobles as the central CB.
I coached a team of 2007 aged kids for a bit That Gozo kid is the real deal. Really hope he continues on the trajectory he is on
You can definitely see Tony Beltran's influence in the amount of talent we have at the younger age groups. It's crazy that we're starting three 07s, and our best 07 (Kei) is injured. We could start four 07s and three 06s and still compete with teams at this level. They're pretty much all at least a year away from contributing to the first team but we have an absurd amount of talent in the 06-08 range.
Anybody know if Jamison is a good coach? I don't get to games, and I know results don't matter much so I don't judged based on that.
A Zack Farnsworth sighting with the Monarchs tonight! Our XI in LA#LAvSLC | @MakersLine pic.twitter.com/hMO60YGRLB— Real Monarchs (@RealMonarchs) August 20, 2023 He was once a pretty touted prospect but I'd mostly written him off as a pro prospect - at this point he's 21 with barely any pro appearances. I don't have much confidence that the injuries will suddenly be behind him, but if they are he's still a really talented defender.