Older than some, younger than others but been around long enough to know the difference between a blue Stilton and a spoonful of ass cheese. And while I'm not a lawyer, I play one on the internet. Zak was a realist who didn't like it when you pissed in his ear. And in MLS 3.0 you can't field a low ball roster and expect to win anything. "We've got better young kids and our retreads are suddenly all stars and our Austrian leg breaker will get on the pitch and some point - summer, fall, 2018? - and then we'll see blood galore. In the meantime our midfield midget will chip the ball into the box for talentless clods to trip over. Prime seats are still available.
I’m a realist (realest!) too, Bill, but I tend to err on the side of optimism at this time of year. I can’t help it. As a fan, I have a bit of delusion. To your points though, I just don’t see how this team isn’t better this year. Other teams are better too, of course, so it’s not like our new team is going to play the teams they faced last year. We have improved the roster. We have guys getting national team minutes replacing guys like Viana who couldn’t see the field last year. It is year 2 of the Gregg system and we didn’t have much turnover on the roster. This makes me think we’re unlikely to see the kind of crushing winless streak that prevented a higher finish last time around. Kamara is no world beater, I agree. But he’s better (in this system) than Jairo was. He’ll keep Bedell and Schoenfeld on the bench more than Jairo did, that’s for sure. I think we’ll get more points out of the position this year than the 10g 3a we got in 2014. Not 20, but 13 and 6 would make for a nice improvement. Can we expect career years from Meram and Finley again? Probably not, but do think they will continue to be MLS contributors. We’ll have a full year of Francis at LB. We’ll see less of Wahl and JIminez than we did last year which is a positive. The other thing that excites me about the on-field product is the Tchani-Trapp midfield partnership. I know your past rating of Tony was low (understatement), but he showed real class last year and got better as the season went along. Both of these guys are still able to improve and they are getting the chance to do so. I like that we have 2 young guys running the show in the middle of the park. Not many teams have that. That one is a homegrown national team level guy and the other is a reclaimed project that has turned in to a 30 game starter makes it even better. Precourt is not going to break open the piggybank until he sees it as a valid investment. I can’t fault that. He’s re-signed Pipa, that’s ok with me to this point. He’s spending on things that make Gregg and the team’s lives easier to enable focus on the play. I like that. If we do our part and start filling the stadium more and the FO continues to bring in more sponsorship $ we may see a 2nd DP, not this year I don’t think. Might be a nice way to launch a new TV deal though....
I can't agree with Bill's statement about the unprecedented level of his pessimism regarding the upcoming season. He's welcomed to his opinions but, the way I see it, there have been some shitty, shitty off-seasons to compare this one to. Fact is, I like many of our signings. I just don't think the organization is doing enough to truly make the club competitive, AND I think we were pretty fortunate last season, in terms of unforeseen breakout years for a few players and a freakishly low number of injuries. I tend to agree with the following assessment of where we are: No, I don't think we'll be bad, and assume we will make the playoffs. But if the ultimate goal is to, as Bill says, field a team that can "expect to win anything," then, no, I don't think we're in that class. There's a weird willingness in here to just assume that all these new signings will all pan out, and that's very unlikely to happen. A guy like Kristinn Steindórsson, for instance. Maybe things will click for him in MLS, but I'd not bet the farm on it based on his marginal CV. Berhalter has signed a lot of players like this, and to his credit his hit rate thus far has been good. Still, it's about time for Gregg and his secret scouting system to identify some players not obviously linked to via Gregg's Scandinavian-themed Rolodex. The bottom line, for me, continues to be at striker. Precourt and Berhalter are trying to get by on the cheap in a player like Kamara. I don't think it'll work, considering what other clubs have been willing to spend on offensive talent.
3rd would be excellent, but we probably only have a 40% chance of hitting that mark. There's too much optimism here. I can't understand it. Where will the goals come from? Kamara, kamara, kamara, and kamara? Two Higuain chips against poorly positioned keepers? Crossing our fingers that we'll get more of the same from Meram and Finlay? More of the same won't be enough - we aren't keeping pace with the league. I'm just not feeling it. This is a half-complete roster. Yeah, get excited about the 7 or 8 midfielders that we have good reason to believe in. But you can't field them all at once. And its cool that we bought some defenders, but we don't know who our steady back 4 will be, and things will take tome to gel. In the meantime, mistakes will be made. And up top? We're set up for another long stretch of failing to finish at some point in this season. The few guys that can move forward will get tired legs, yellow card accumulation, injury, and general issues with form. We are going to see way too much of Bedell and Schoenfeld - way more than I think some of you guys are counting on. We're not doing the obvious thing (buying the forward we've needed for two years), and we are not keeping up with what other teams are doing. You can't just sit here and feel good about what we've done -- it has to be put in context with what everyone else is acquiring. Chicago adds Shaun Maloney and three strikers, with lots of euro experience. We're still inferior to DC and New England, who now has Agudelo. Houston added Erick Torres. Toronto spends like Toronto, but one of these seasons acquisitions like Altidore and co will really click. And you may have heard of these new guys: Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Kaka, and David Villa. I suppose they have some reputation for being good attacking players. And we're enthused about a club that sits on a pile of cash and believes the goals will come from kamara, kamara, kamara, and kamara.
I am an optimist in life, work and with the Crew. I think the success of the Crew will depend on how successful we are when we need a plan B option against teams. We are not going to surprise anyone with our style of play and during large stretches last year teams where willing to bunker and counter. When that does happen I want to see how we will best break down those teams. I don't think Kamara is an All-Star level forward but I don't think we need him to be. Clearly was and is going to be scoring by committee. Frankly, I think we are 1 legit forward from being a Championship team. As others have said they don't come cheap.
If it makes anyone feel better, the last time I was this pessimistic prior to the season was 2008. Bottom line, the game is won on the scoreboard. If you can't score goals then you can't win shit and this team couldn't score in a women's prison with a pocket full of pardons.
I've seen plenty of worse offseasons. I agree that we don't have much firepower but still have some hope we might sign a DP scorer in the summer window since the cost is lower then. Pogatetz is likely to be an upgrade on Wahl. Grana seems to know what he's doing so I expect the defense to be better. Finlay and Meram may not repeat their career years but we have decent depth behind them with Steindorsson and Gall.
So we're a combination of DC/Chicago/NY circa late 90s? I'd post a picture of the ABMOD, but we know how that would turn out.
Every position on our team is either the same or an improvement over last year. Kamara, while not likely to be the answer at forward, is better than the garbage we've had there over the last 3-4 years. I'm counting the loss of Gonzalez in that as well. He was good for us in the short time he was here, but he wasn't without his faults. He looked much better in the WC than he ever did on the field for The Crew. I would agree we're not really in a position to hope to win anything, but this isn't even close to the worst I've felt about an off-season.
I think that last paragraph sums things up the divide between the optimistic vs. pessimistic crowd (or perhaps satisfied vs. unsatisfied). I don't see how one can claim that we 'don't need' Kamara to be an all-star level forward, yet still admit that we're '1 legit froward from being a Championship team.' I mean, what you're saying is that we actually DO need someone in that role who is all-start quality, if we want to win anything, and Kei Kamara ain't that person. I agree that we seem to be a better team, overall, that a year ago. We're just not close to being good enough in a particularly important position. Playing Devil's Advocate for a minute, I don't think Ale was a great MLS striker, either, so it's not necessarily an absolute that one needs that kind of player to win it all. But 2008 was played under some sort of magic spell, near as I can recall, plus... Schelotto. Distilling this down, this could be as simple as (1) those of us who don't much like Kamara vs (2) those of us who think he's pretty good.
What does everyone say about winning the MLS Cup. You just have to get in. You get in and anything can happen. A hot player can carry you. I am not advocating for this strategy but acting like we have no chance before a single ball is kicked while admitting we are better than last season seems strange. I think we are better than everyone other than NE in the East.
Bill's just being consistent He thought last year would be a disaster because we hired Berhalter and gave him too much responsibility.
I am going with 4th. All this is assuming no major injuries for all teams. And this is the MLS there is always an unexpected jump to the top and tumble to the bottom. NeR - Looks like they will build on last year. I wonder about their defense early on. Montreal - This is my worst to better pick. I get what they are trying to do and it might just work. OCFC - I think they run out of the gate and slack off at the end. Crew SC - The improved back ups will push for playing time as starters. Good thing is except for Pipa and CB, the backups are not a huge drop off in talent. NYCFC - They will start very slowly. I love Villa but I don't see him getting the service that makes him such a dangerous forward. Without Super Frank until summer it is going to be a mess in the middle. TfC - They will squeak in on the last day. Prediction will they will give up more goals than score. Phily - Will lose out on the last day to TfC. Conspiracy theories will run rampant. DCU - Old team gets older and slower and not better. Shitcago - Because they cannot do anything right. Bet Accam is riding the pine by July and asks for a trade. They still knock us out of the Open Cup again. No defense at all. NjRB - Sasha sucks.
1. PATRIOTS SC 2. CCSC 3. DISNEY WORLD SC 4. WINGS SC 5. SYRUP SC 6. SC DC 7. NYCFCSC 8. THE FRENCH SC 9. STDSC 10. INERTIA SC
I see the potential to win it. With so many new pieces, there are lots of unknowns. But the scenario I'm anticipating goes along these lines: - By the end of last year, I felt that we were the second best team in the East. - We did that without a striker. - With a largely new team... - and a radically new system. - The team made tremendous progress and were quite fun to watch during the second half. - I realize others upgraded, but I think we got a better makeover, short that Marquis guy we were hoping for perhaps. - This year, still more new pieces, but many upgrades IMO...... - Certainly at striker. - Much Beefier CB's. - Better options at RB. - Pipa Healthy - Nice new speedy young players - positions TBD. Steindorsson plays somewhere. BTW, my guess is Grana at RB. - And Trapp, Tchani, and Finlay continue to continue to grow at what has been a very nice pace so far. So New England made me nervous, even as we beat them in perhaps the best MLS game I've seen. But we weren't quite there yet. But this year, I think our D is strong enough to stop them - or will be by late season. All the new pieces will take time to gel of course. That's how I like to think about it anyway.
Just based on players lost and new players gained..team is certainly better. No star power except Higs....but instead of saying come see the Stars of Columbus..can say..come see the Tallest and Shortest players in MLS...add a monkey wearing a Fez..and who doesnt want to come see that??? I like a different team..Columbus Til I Die!! Go forth wiff your bad selves.
Very Exciting! But think how much better the spectacle will be when we get that Marquis player! It will be a very tough ticket indeed!
I think I broke something from laughing at that picture..ask for a monkey with a fez and well you get one.
lol, please, photoshop people, when the season starts I want to see the MOTM fixed up to be the Marquis player.