Well, his heart was in the right place...it always is... But it was an expensive shot in the dark. We always seem to take a flyer on a guy who doesn't already play the position, or show true quality at the position we need him to play...then plug him in and hope for the best. This one was a big financial hit, hopefully we can claw some of that money back...it's clear Bruce doesn't rate him in his system or the amount we're paying him to be a non-essential attacker.
Hernán did play attacking central mid for Godoy Cruz, showed quality in that role, and helped lead them to the top of the table in 2023. He had 7 goals, 5 assists in about 3000 minutes over two years. This article has more in-depth analysis of his performance there. https://totalfootballanalysis.com/a...inents-most-creative-young-players-using-data It is probably true that Bruce doesn't rate the way he plays the role - his style of play. But it's not like he can't play the position or has never been successful at it. He also had 6g, 2a for us last year in about 2/3 full season minutes, which is not great but not peanuts either.
Maybe having better teammates and everybody on the same page made that possible...the numbers are okay...but don't bowl you over. But it only matters, what he does in a Quake uniform...and that dynamic is miles away from the cozy dynamic he had in Argentina with smart savvy technical teammates. So, there is no doubt he is technically very good, we all see that...but his decision making in a Quake uniform is beyond puzzling to borderline dumbass...turnover after turnover, in really bad spots , in the build up...it's classic hero ball...his head is down...he habitually wants to break pressure by dribbling...it's just flat out predictable...and a pretty bad look for a ball progressing creator role...So if he really knew how to play the position he would be self aware and figure out why he is not progressing the ball enough...and make some adjustments to be successful in his new team dynamic...we never saw that....same hero ball approach and poor turnover rate. Even with Bruce in his ear, probably non stop telling him what he wants to see. I don't know, when I saw the first few games, I was really impressed by his skill level, but alarmed how cavalier he was with the ball...I wasn't entertained by the blind flicks and sombreros...it just mattered what happened after the flashy play.... what was the outcome...there simply wasn't enough success getting the ball forward. The clips I saw of him in Argentina didn't strike me as an intuitive ball progressor/distributor...he was really in love with dribbling...granted for the money we were not going to get Riquelme jr...but i was hoping to see a player with excellent quick decision making and vision...instead, just another in the line of flashy dribblers we've had but not the player we need for the role. So does he really know how to play that role in a Quakes uniform, i don't think so.
I think he's been trying to get the ball of his feet sooner. When he came back from injury you could clearly see the difference, especially in the The Town games when he could have played hero ball successfully if he wanted to. The one clear hero ball play was a GK chip goal from about 50 yards, which he pulled of for us last year also against Portland in an MLS game. With the Quakes, he's had fits and starts of playing time since his injury, not enough time to really get into a rhythm, and not always in his natural position. Bruce can try to integrate him into the team or pass and transfer him. Up to him. I hope he makes a clear choice one way or another because doing the half-assed / indecisive thing isn't good for anyone. I will also remind you that we were 2-0 in our 1st 2 games this year, with 6 goals to 0 I believe, before Hernán went out with his shoulder injury. So it's not like we have no evidence that our attack can't work with Hernán playing a 10 role. Also 6 and 2 last year is not bad considering how awful that team was. That's like 12 and 4 for a normal team.
yeah, imo, last year was actually detrimental to his development with the Quakes...we were kind of anemic and disjointed in the attack...so basically, it's the worst case scenario...the expectation is for him to take on so much individually to make something happen because we don't have enough going on...so we tried to play to him as much as possible...in that situation he scored some goals. my read on his game prior to getting injured was he was about to get benched...1-2 progressively worse games... culminating in the very poor game in which he was injured...it wasn't looking good. You could almost hear Bruce's teeth gnashing. I hope Bruce is decisive and i hope we can move Hernan and use the money on a player who would move the needle and add to our performance.
I don't see how the first couple of games could be seen as bad games for Hernán other than the red, which was one bad decision. Again, we scored 6 goals in a little more than a game and a 1/2, and he was part of the build-up for a lot of those goals, including the Arango goal against SKC when he slipped a ball into the box for Martinez. Unfortunately we don't know how things would have played out if he hadn't gotten injured. We could have been more dangerous and we could have more points, or not. And now he's having trouble getting reintegrated into the team because the team's did pretty well w/o him and Bruce doesn't want to mess with the chemistry much. So whatever - either you try to make good use of him or you give up and transfer him. I just think Bruce needs to make up his mind and set a clear direction. The purgatory thing isn't helpeful for anyone.
Hernan is certainly MUCH better than Soda Water yet he keeps getting play time. I'd like to see Soda dropped and Bouda/Hernan fight for the left forward position (if we stick to the current format).
According to multiple reports on X, looks like Hernan is close to being moved to Argentinos Juniors , a couple of respected journalists covering the Argentine league are reporting that the move is a done deal, if true i am going to miss watching him play but it was obvious he is not in Bruce's plans.
If so I’d also miss watching him play even if Bruce won’t. If this is really happening then it might lend credence to my theory that the “lower body injury” he supposedly had last week might have just been us icing him.
The info I've read in different media platforms are that we're loaning him to argentinos jrs with a purchase hopefully after the loan expires. I don't necessarily know all the crazy MLS rules but I was under the impression that we can't use the DP spot until he's actually been purchased from us, correct? If so then we're just shooting ourselves in the foot by loaning out a DP while not being able to bring in another one? Maybe I'm wrong (hopefully). Either way, to bad Bruce never rated him. To me he's a player you build around. Unfortunately we tend sign players that are cheap, free or some other cheap way of getting players that a lot of times don't make a good fit together. In this case we signed a player that's totally different than every other player on our roster but he's expected to play somewhat like a robot, that's not his style. Players like him you build around to take advantage of his skill set...for good or bad. His style of play as a #10 are not used as much in today's game. I'd imagine if we would have signed Riquelme luchi/Bruce would have played him on the wings. Coaching in MLS still leaves a lot to be desired to pragmatic for my taste many times.
As for whether we could claim Hernán’s DP spot if we loaned him, it looks like a definite “maybe”. In MLS, when a player is loaned to an international club, the club generally receives roster relief but not necessarily Salary Budget relief. However, there is an important exception for Designated Players (DPs) and U22 Initiative Players: If these players are loaned to an international club after their first year in MLS. And the international club is responsible for all of the player's compensation during the loan period. Then the MLS club may be able to open up the loaned player's DP slot or U22 Player Slot and receive full Salary Budget Charge relief. If not it would suck because it sounds like we couldn’t reclaim his DP slot or even his salary budget charge. Just the roster slot. Hernán’s salary is probably not that high. Maybe $1-1.2M. Would an Argentinian club pay that for him, in Argentinian $, given what must be horrific exchange rates? I'm not a big fan of loans anyway, as the loan giving club, because the loan acquiring club owns the upside and with little risk. If the player rakes, you get the player for a presumably good (pre-agreed upon) price, i.e. you get a good value. If the player sucks, you drop him at the end of the loan, no muss no fuss, though you did have to pay the loan amount. But the loaning club gets back a player with poor recent performance and diminished reputation. Yeh.
In case Hernán is loaned out or transferred, what kind of player do you think we should be trying to acquire? I'm thinking Bruce will try to do an MLS cash trade, and the cash we'd have available would be in the $1-1.5M range, which is where I think Hernán's salary is. I don't see us trying to do a big intl transfer if we haven't recouped Hernán's transfer $, assuming it's a loan. I think it should be a midfielder but not sure about any particular names. It would have to be a player a team is willing to part with and at the right price point. Should be a ball-winning d-mid type or a 2-way player who's got some good attacking game.
Well again if it's just a loan that would mean all three DP slots are still occupied... so a lot depends on if it's a loan or transfer.
As I posted earlier, it's not clear if a loan clears up a DP slot or not. Apparently the potential exceptions for DPs and U22's is a new thing. This is from the MLS roster rules page. In MLS, when a player is loaned to an international club, the club generally receives roster relief but not necessarily Salary Budget relief. However, there is an important exception for Designated Players (DPs) and U22 Initiative Players: If these players are loaned to an international club after their first year in MLS. And the international club is responsible for all of the player's compensation during the loan period. Then the MLS club may be able to open up the loaned player's DP slot or U22 Player Slot and receive full Salary Budget Charge relief.
2025 updates to roster rules: 5 Outgoing Designated Player loans If an international club absorbs a Designated Player’s entire salary during a loan period, the MLS side will open that Designated Player slot during the loan period, regardless of the player’s initial acquisition costs. Previously only Young Designated Players and U22 Initiative Player slots were eligible to open due to a player being loaned out. This will apply after a player's first season on an MLS roster (i.e. in year two or later) and the player must occupy a Designated Player slot at the time of the loan or, if the loan occurs in the offseason, the player must have concluded the prior league season as a Designated Player. https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/mls-2025-roster-rules-every-change-what-they-mean
From what I read it's a loan first option only with a future sale. Argentinos jrs are definitely not a big club. They're a famous fútbol factory with Maradona being the most famous but Riquelme is also from there as are many other well known players. Supposedly its Hernan's boyhood club before he signed with riBer plate and he would very much like to play for them....I think we'll be lucky if we get $3 tops 4M for him from argentinos jrs. What could happen is he kills it on loan and riBer or some other team (remember estudiantes/Gillette) with more money buys him.
You are not incorrect, but I don't think that Hernan is good enough to build a team around. Add that he was on a poor team last year and didn't fit this year and it was challenge for him. However, he needs to take some responsibility as his decision making was poor at times. Hopefully, for him, it will be maturing experience and will continue forward with his career.
I think that's only one possibility. It sounds like the Quakes are still shopping him elsewhere and that's just one that we know about right now. We'll see.