It looks like SN has hit on a starting eleven that works well together and can be expected to improve over the next few matched as the chemisty solidifies. We also have a solid bench with Reise in Goal, Kante in Defense, midfield with Noonan and Hernandez and Woldi at Forward. With the emergence of Joseph the pressure to sign a AMF seems to have lessoned. That having been said: We still have an open roster slot ~Are the Revs still looking to sign a AMF? ~Will DH continue as a Rev? ~If the Revs sign a DMF who sits? My guess is that SN still wants a solid AMF and will continue the search till he finds the player he wants and can afford. My bet is that when such a player is signed we will see Joseph and The Phantom when we are in an offensive posture and Cullen and Joseph when we are being more conservative. I'm not sure where Hernandez fits in and think he will be considered expendable when The Phantom finally is signed. George
Also whatever happened to Kante's brother? Seems they had plans to sign him as they put the "D" on D. Kante's jersey, but I haven't heard anything yet.
'' Ibreham Kante has been working out with the team since preseason and reportedly will be signing a Developmental Roster contract (I don't know what the hold up is)
I think it is still too early to tell re. Hernandez' future with the team. The fact is that since his "benching" re. the interview he has performed very well when he has been on the field. Based on what we saw last week the pairing of Joseph and Hernandez may well be a long term situation. At this point it has to be game to game since a lot will depend on the meshing (or not) or TnT and Joe-Max, Ralston's continued return to full health and better play from Kamler and the fullbacks. If all these click we may get old waiting for an AMF. On the other hand, the wait may be worth it. These are officially "early days" and the rest of May should tell. As of now we are a mid-table team with the possibility of moving upwards based on two of the last three games. Wed and Sat should reveal a lot more. JIM DOW
I agree with you Jim. This was my point as well. The emergence of Joseph has at least seemed to fill that last unmet need in the Rev roster--an attack up the middle. This makes the pressure on signing a classic AMF far less pressing. My gut reaction is that Joseph's best position will be eventually be as a Defensive Midlielder. His defensive instincts, size, comfort on the ball, vision and ability to start the offensive movement all say he could develope into a world class DMF. This reality suggests that we still need to find him an mature AMF partner. Again, back to the above point--John Lewis on the "New Trialists" thread made the point that SN is a pragmatist and will go for an upgrade at any position if one becomes available. Seeing how the midfield and attack evolves over the next few games could make it easier for him to fill the last roster slot with other than an AMF. George