I’m glad someone brought up Troy Perkins - I hadn’t thought about him in quite some time. “When goalie Troy Perkins joined D.C. United in 2004 as an undrafted rookie, he worked in a sports store to supplement his $800 a month salary. He will make more than 100 times that amount in soccer this year. Perkins, the reigning MLS goalkeeper of the year, signed a contract extension yesterday. MLS has a policy of not disclosing details concerning contracts , but a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press that the goalkeeper will make about $90,000 in 2007. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Perkins made $29,400 last year.” {Teammate Bobby Boswell, MLS Defender of the Year that same season, made the same 29.4, the league minimum, iirc.} Options were few and contracts one-sided not so long ago. Go Gaga! Edit: My
When it comes to Slonina, it seems like he's 5th choice. But hell, 5th on the depth chart is damn good for an 18 year old. He doesn't turn 19 until next May. So if there's an injury, or a guy is just in terrible form..........................he's not that far off from the roster He'll be playing MLS games till the end of this season. So like Horvath, Steffen, etc. we'll be able to see whether he's in form or not. I'd make a case for him if he's LEGITIMATELY in better form than Sean Johnson. That's not entirely out of the realm of reality. We're not giving him a role for experience. It has to be earned. [I'm totally with you on the difference between transfers now and 15 years ago. The howls of derision on these boards when a player like Taylor Twellman had his lowball transfer offer from Preston rejected by the league were comical. Plenty of other examples. Now the league is turning down offers from Real Madrid for 18 year olds, and the board totally accepts it. Yeah, 5 million isn't enough!!! And of course, it wasn't. They got 3 times as much. I think the board also has a more experienced approach to transfers. Most people get the game. We see it with players like Bryan Reynolds and Ricardo Pepi in Dallas. You don't take the first offer that comes along. In the past a player like Clint Dempsey would have his first transfer offer rejected, and people would flip out.]
No, Meola was on that team. I think the idea of including Slonina is just nuts. We don't need a teenage keeper there. We don't even know if he'll be ready for the #1 spot four years from now. Our #'s 1 & 2, (Whoever you have in that order) are not anywhere near over the hill and could easily be available for 2026. Will they grow and stay ahead of Slonina? Will Slonina race ahead, or will he plateau/go nowhere. Only time will tell. So why pick him for getting the experience? An ealier post mentioned Covid potentially making it more likely that a #3 keeper could see the field for someone in this cup. Personally, I'd much rather see Johnson or Horvath there than Slonina. I would not feel good at all with Slonina on the field in Qatar.
MLS used to take a higher percentage than they do now. I know it was 25% at one point for non-homegrowns, but don't remember if it was every higher than that. At least since about 2015, Slonina, as a homegrown would have been 100% to Chicago anyway you look at it. The percentage is a minor change compared the dollar amount. To be honest, to most of these owners, getting $750k or $1M was immaterial; the problem was that the $1M really isn't worth much to them. It was better to hold for a chance at a bigger pot. Long run, MLS developing a higher valued market is vital since these sales provide the ROI for the academy investments -- most teams are putting in anywhere from $3-6M/year into the academy. If you only sell a dude for $1M every two years, the payout is simply nowhere near there unless you are winning titles with the homegrowns. Whereas this Slonina sale could fund Chicago's academy for anywhere from 3-5 years, probably, in addition to the gametime value they are getting. I'm sure we can argue individual decisions, but honestly, for years continuing to now, a huge part of the fanbase gets mad every time an MLS team doesn't sell on the first offer. People lament pay to play but they never have a solution about where the money comes from. This is where the money comes from. And despite all the sales, I would venture every single MLS academy is still in the red all time except maybe Dallas, and Dallas would be as well if you time discount. Trajectories were altered and options limited, but that's the model worldwide. MLS isn't unique here. Players get free training and get salaries and the certainty of a longer term contract and in return, the team gets a say in what they do. I think people are just tired of the idea that MLS teams should provide free coaching, give them unearned PT in many cases, lose games and then give the player away because it'd be nice. It's a business, and the players should like it that way, because that's also a big reason of why they get paid so much.
For those who followed the team back in 2002, what was the thought process on bringing Meola as the no.3 versus a young Tim Howard? I suppose when you had both Friedel and Keller both starting in the Premier League, it didn't particularly matter who the 3rd keeper was.
We desperately need to develop a Jorge Campos type just to be the third keeper and an occasional striker who has wheels.
My vague recollection is that Arena just decided to go with the more experienced goalie, but there's some good stuff in this article about 3rd keepers. https://www.foxsports.com/stories/s...d-goalie-key-for-usmnt-even-if-he-never-plays "When Bruce Arena called me," Meola said, "I remember him saying that Timmy will have his chance one day, but I’m taking my three best guys to the World Cup." Brad Friedel and backup Kasey Keller, two of the most decorated keepers in USMNT history, famously didn’t get along. Meola was the buffer between them in 2002, a spot in which a younger and less experienced keeper might not have been as comfortable.
He's def capable. Hoping he can prove this season that he is def a legit option for a club in a top 4 league.
This is one game but I have this sinking feeling about Steffen. Is it possible that he plays himself off the WC roster?
Steffen and Horvath with just about polar opposite starts… good thing we’re getting more data points for both before the World Cup The man is pure comedy I'm telling you 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/a1uZodkeSg— vince (@v_sospiffy) August 6, 2022
That's why you put a baseball cap in your goal. https://www.futhead.com/news/209/who-is-lev-yashin-meet-fut-18s-new-icon/