Sooo... it started well enough, but went downhill pretty quickly, and the talent gap between 2019 and 2020 began to show early and often. To recap- we purged a fair number of our influential players, then lost our starting former MVP striker, parted ways with our manager and went with an interim, then made some desperate moves to try to save a season that shouldn't even have taken place. That didn't work, but we can take a lot of consolation in the fact that this was the best season to have a bad season. We have one more match in December to bow out of the CCL, and then we're done with this year for good. Questions going forward... 1) Are we looking for a manager (there hasn't been any confirmation yet that Glass isn't going to stay at the helm. That's the word I think we're all waiting for), and if so, who's on the short list? Does the FO have the desire to go back to square one and reset (and not make the hiring errors that ultimately doomed our best moneymaking prospects)? 2) How many of these current players are we saddled with contractually? Who can we dump to give the new manager some input? Who do/should we keep? Is Larentowicz hanging up the boots? Is Guzan going to see a challenge to his role from an unnamed future prospect? 3) Will the COVID be controlled enough after this second wave takes effect for 2021 to take place safely? Minor stuff: Are we gonna get one new kit, or two? We're already up for a home kit, but it isn't the 25th Anniversary anymore, so something has to happen to the road kit as well.. Feel free to add anything else you see fit.
Beat me to it. Figure we should have its repository for each online pundit's assessment of the team's season. My immediate thoughts, heavily tinged with the taste of yesterday's match: - Glass is not yet a credible top flight manager. There were too many instances of the team looking I'll prepared, unenthused, and otherwise discombobulated to imply he was the impetus for any improvement or in control. He not only can't be considered for the position but revealed certain things that were definitive needs in our next coach. - Barco can't return next year unless someone knows how to use him and manage him. He doesn't link well with others, isn't a credible crosser from the left, and is prone to lapses in defensive duties. Still great potential but clearly better suited for a league that is less physical. - Either a new GK coach or some truly stern management of Guzan's distribution. They guy still has great reaction time and read of game play, and is especially strong in the air, but it's no fun when you have an unforced giveaway rate of about 4 per match. It kills morale and momentum each time he sends the ball out of bounds or into traffic. - A proper D-mid. I think there's potential in Adams and wouldn't mind Larentowicz back as a reserve, but we need a lock-down defender capable of disrupting opposing attacks. Someone like N'golo Kante would be a good fit if we found that in our price range. - Moreno needs both support and coaching to ensure he stays higher up the pitch. That will be easier with Josef in front of him but we can't afford to let another DP lose sight of their role and influence on the pitch.
Also, Amen to a new home kit provided they get back to the right shade of red and don't use those tacky thin stripes Milan had a couple years ago. Keep it traditional looking, please.
Fairly certain MLS rules dictate you can only change one kit per year. I like the new away kit and never liked the new home kit. Wish they wouldn't have changed it to begin with.
I get that- was just curious about who thought this year might be treated differently because we all got commemorative shirts last season. So we'll have the 25th Anniversary shirts for the 26th season as well (along with everyone else)? That sounds weird, even if they change out the patches...
I think our away kit is one of the few good ones left in the league, and I think we'll keep it next year. I'm not normally a white-and-gold kinda guy, but I think it evokes the spirit of this team and fits with the overall ethos. The three shoulder stripes bring back all those early '90s memories, when the USA Men were better than they had any right to be. Most of the players on the posters in my bedroom back then had stripes over the shoulder (or on the ribcage area as was also en vogue at the time), and nobody's boots clashed with their jersey. The current home kit can die in a fire. The red Adidas pinstripes on the shoulders are especially heinous. But if the other 2020 home jerseys are anything to go by, Adidas is unlikely to bring us anything better. Some of the shirts this year were truly horrifying (Portland's away, Houston's home, for instance). Adidas has proven that it won't let the fact that a shirt is really ugly stand in the way of hammering home a fashion point. Those three stripes over the shoulder clash monstrously with the entire front of the shirt? Too bad! As an FC Dallas fan since 1996, I can also assure you that Adidas will totally ignore a fan base's desires when it comes to jerseys. Would not be surprised if we ended up with an all-red kit in the spring ("It has 27 red stripes on a red background, but we've changed both reds so they're maroon now! You can't see the stripes, but as a real fan you'll know they're there." -Adidas marketing dept., Feb. 2021).
The news today is that Bocanegra says we'll have a manager by the start of the New Year... ish. Keep Glass on with the 2s. Larentowicz is long in the tooth, but if he wants to stay on as a player/coach and embrace the role of a part-time starter or bench player, I'd love to keep him. I agree with Gunner that Guzan needs some distribution coaching. His actual goalkeeping and tactical control of the defense is still very good. Alec Kann is a very capable backup who I think we keep unless his paycheck is too big. I wouldn't make any roster moves until we have a manager in place, though. Even though Barco has been uninspiring, I still think we keep him until the new guy can do an assessment. I joked that the COVID would go away after the election. Literally two days after Biden was announced as the winner, every media outlet has news about the various vaccines being certified by December. Alabama immediately released a vaccination plan for the whole state. I suspect by the start of the 2021 season we'll be back to full capacity.
I'm going to quote this post in the Postseason/Offseason thread because it just goes better there, I think.. In a perfect world, we'd be looking for a manager before we got rid of anyone, just like we should have been looking for a manager before we bought anyone this summer. I won't wager the farm that this is how the FO is going to approach it, tho. The best time to do it is right now, for us, but just getting someone here is going to be more difficult in the coming months, with the second/third wave. The summer should have involved getting a manager.
Roberson posted his thoughts on the roster, suggested who he thinks goes and stays. I'll share that later and offer my thoughts. I plan on going section by section, starting with the defense.
So, here's Doug's tally on how the roster will change over the winter: Stays Bello Escobar* Lennon Robinson Meza Walkes Adams Rossetto Mulraney Damm Martinez Moreno Wolff Goes/Released Castillo Hyndman Remedi Barco Castro Gallagher** Carleton Jahn Kunga Torres Williams Mostly with AU2 Campbell Wycke *= He implies Escobar's return will be at his own discretion. **=Gallagher's future depends on the team's decisions with Barco or a potential replacement. If they replace him outright it would imply Gallagher isn't starting, in which case Doug doesn't see him staying around. (He's arguably better and more versatile than Mulraney but also a viable young prospect to sell/trade since he won't want to be a reserve.) Aside from Gallagher the other surprise move implied is Hyndman, not that he's an all-star but that he was among the more creative attackers on a team starved for such. He is on an expensive contract, IIRC (basically costing the club Gressel), so that hurts, but can the team find someone better or good enough without costing the team even more turnover and loss of depth?
If Doug's hunches were to prove true then here's the First XI based on returning players: - - - - - - - - - - Josef Mulraney - Moreno - Damm - - - - Rossetto - - Adams Bello - Meza - Robinson - Lennon Now this leaves a DP slot open and past language implies Atlanta would NOT leave that vacant, especially since they've implied an understanding the team MUST be better next season. Given that above lineup I'd be looking at the D-mid positions and left wing (if Lopez doesn't fit there) as the weakest links, so that's where I'm spending my big money.
Why would Escobar want to leave? Are we looking for better going forward (but worse at defending) with Lennon at RB? What's happening with Lopez? Do we even have him?
I don't think Atlanta wants to lose him but he may want more money or get antsy over playing time if the new coach wants to brood Lennon (who arguably has a bright future) for the job. This will likely depend on who's the next coach. I've not found anything that says the club reneged on the purchase so in theory he officially comes aboard in January. Essentially he was done as an initial loan with intent to buy in Jan, but once Covid hit and Lopez wouldn't be playing with the first team Atlanta let him go back to South America for the year. I'm expecting him to come aboard in '21.
I wouldn't die if this were the case but I'd sure as Hades want him to be surrounded by other quality game tacticians. We'll leverage Saint Gabriel's name for recruitment but then get others to help with the scouting of opponents.
My assumption has always been that scouting was a group effort. I'd be interested in who, other than McDonough, was involved in the scouting and recruitment of talent once Tata was hired.
For those that didn't see yesterday AUFC released the following players: Castro Castillo Carleton Kunga Larentowicz Moore Torres Williams Wycke If Larentowicz doesn't retire hell have to make one more move in his career. Meanwhile I'd forgotten about Moore altogether.
Huh. The Big Red Era is over. Best of luck to him. Hopefully we're clearing out space for the new guy.
His contract ended. Presumably he wanted more money than the team was willing to pay for his services for 2021. He's a big locker room loss, but his contribution on the field this year has been replaceable. Not lacking, necessarily, but for less money we can get an equal return on investment. Larentowicz has been one of my favorite players for United, but it's time to hire him as an assistant coach.
Sorry to see Lagos go, as he's a DDY product. Nice guy too. My son has done a couple of training sessions with him. Oh well, hope he catches on with another club.
Happy Thanksgiving, 17's! This year was extraordinarily lousy on many levels but hopefully you and yours have things and people for which you can be thankful. I'm grateful to have a team, at all, let alone one that has trophies in the cabinet, and I appreciate each and everyone of our fans that have made the home scenes so special. We'll get back to that again someday. So hang in there, everyone. Take some time to appreciate the good things in your life, reach out to those that matter and send 'em your love, and have hope that things will get better. Cheers, y'all.
Not that schadenfreude is a great thing to celebrate but at least Ohlando won't win a trophy this year. They fall at home to New England in the playoffs, 1-3.
Moreno, Gallagher, and (ahem) Damm! Some others worthy of being in the squad but may not feature as often.
At this point in history, MLS is a selling league (and a buyer of youth and over-the-hill talent). I would not be surprised if any of those players were sold in the off season except Guzan because he's old. Frankly, I don't know who I'd keep because I don't know what style of play the new manager is going to play. If we're going to play Tata-ball, then I'd keep all those guys y'all listed except maybe Escobar and Lennon (but even those two maybe as subs). If Glass gets the gig, then keep all of them. If we get Pep Guardiola, then I'm keeping Josef Martinez, Brad Guzan, and Miles Robinson. Everybody else is either for sale or needs to be willing to learn some stuff. There are, of course, a range of managers in between.