The "Thoughts That Don't Require Their Own Thread" Thread XVI

The Patriots at least knew that it was a rebuilding year, and the roster was weak.

The Revs supposedly had a good roster coming in, and a top 6 payroll, but got little bang for their buck. And some of this in on Arena:

They are still paying Altidore through the end of 2024.
$400K to Vaclík (bought out)
$1.7M to Vrioni
$1M to Kessler/Parker
$775K to Arreaga, who just turned 30
$750K to Kaye
$450K to Mensah
$450K to Wood
$435K to McNamara

I'd rather see them play Tiago Suarez. He didn't get a single first-team minute this year, but he can't be any worse that what we saw from the 6-figure CBs (then again, R2 did win the Wooden Spoon).

 

Suarez didn't look very good in the friendlies he played in back in February. I get that it's a long season, but Porter hates young players and will only play them as a last resort

 

My understanding with Suarez is that he is very good defensively but his passing out of the back needs some work. I think he still might have a little more to prove but a strong pre season would help

 

I actually think available money is something both have in common- and their nearer-term prospects will be determined by how well they use it. I have more confidence in the Revs side in player acquisition, as I feel like they’ve done well since Porter has arrived - and the limited data on Elliot Wolf isn’t too encouraging (though drafting Maye rather than trading back seems like it may end up solving their most difficult piece).

The Pats may have solved their most critical position with a young player, the Revs with an older one.

Regardless, both have an ownership and management that has given no reason to inspire confidence.

 

I found it interesting that when I went to the MLS site to see what they had to say about the US men's game Monday night....crickets! The game was kinda important, it wasn't just a throw-away friendly. I guess they just verified that Greg was MLS-centric because they paid attention to and did write-ups on his games.

By the way, they looked pretty good in the first half.

 

Yeah, I noticed that too.

 

MLS playoffs have been going on for a month now and still have weeks left. Since Messi is gone, does anyone care anymore?

FWIW, I’ll root for Orlando. No thanks to LA and NY, and SEA as well.

 

I'm only paying attention to RIFC this weekend and not MLS.

 

Kudos to Khano and his team for making it all the way to the finals in year one!

John Morrissey’s Tactical Guide to the 2024 USL Championship Final
By JOHN MORRISSEY, Special to USLChampionship.com, 11/19/24, 3:00PM EST

 

I made it out to a couple of games this year and it was an impressive atmosphere. Lot's of passion and support for this team.

 

Elite Eight Bound! UMass Downs #11 Virginia 1-0 in Sweet 16 Clash - University of Massachusetts Athletics

Up Next
The Minutemen travel to Colorado to face off against #3 Denver on Saturday, Dec. 7 in the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship Elite Eight. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. MST with action streaming live on ESPN+.

 

Also, Vermont beat UC San Diego and moves on to play Pitt

 

yep, excellent PK call by the referee for the Catamounts in OT...Pitt will be tough.

 

did not realize that they played to 2-2 tie up in Burlington earlier in the year.

 

So United Healthcare is in the news of course, due to the killing of their CEO. Though it's unrelated to that, I am reminded that I really wish we had a different jersey sponsor. UHC isn't much of a company to be proud of to begin with, being in health insurance, but they're kind of sketchy too. My kingdom for a new sponsor that isn't embarrassing on its face....

 

How about Amway or Herbal Life?

 

Do you all remember when UHC first became the shirt sponsor? Their pre-game banner at midfield only covered half the circle...... Just like the UHC health plan...... Only covered half of what it ought to cover.
Just sayin'............

 

I remember when there was all kinds of discussion about why we didn’t have a sponsor when almost everyone else did.

 

NCAA Men's Soccer ESPN+ today:
3:00 pm Massachusetts vs. #3 Denver (Quarterfinal)
3:00 pm Vermont vs. #2 Pittsburgh (Quarterfinal)
5:00 pm #8 Wake Forest vs. #1 Ohio State (Quarterfinal)
7:00 pm #13 Marshall vs. #12 SMU (Quarterfinal)

 

Vermont beat Pitt 2 - 0 to advance to the college cup. Both goals were the results of "mistakes" by Pitt. Hey, a win is a win.
Umass didn't fare as well, they lost 3 - 0 to Denver.

 

The Vermont game is at 5:00pm on Friday. Go Cats Go!

 

LA Galaxy were 26th in the Supporters' Shield standing in 2023, and won MLS Cup this year.

Revs were 26th in the Supporters' Shield standing in 2024. Maybe there is something to this "Porter wins the Cup every 5 years" theory...