Which MLS team has had the best offseason?

Discussion in 'BigSoccer Polls' started by sarabella, Mar 11, 2005.

  1. Dom. FC

    Dom. FC Member+

    May 10, 2004
    Central US
    Chivas, for anyone reading between the lines it is apparent that there are MLS rules and then there are MLS rules V2.0 CD Chivas exceptional circumstances. Having set that up for themselves in the long run will matter more for their future stock than any shorter term personnel actions. If they aren't doing well as the season gets going I will not be surprised to see their talent poll change as about as often as I change my socks. (I was going to say underwear but you really don't need that image.)
     
  2. Wizardscharter

    Wizardscharter New Member

    Jul 25, 2001
    Blue Springs, MO
    Don't forget KC in the final was without 3 multiple All-11 players, two of which are MLS MVPs. Far and away the 2 worst playoff winners both wore the black and white of dc - 1996 and 2004. Combined record of one more total win than total losses, well below .500 in point terms. Those two embarassing teams are the best anti-playoff arguement.

    To KC: With KC's strengths they have the ability to win everything, but only if potential comes to fruition with something more concrete than hope.

    Two Achilles': Completely missing is an ability to spark a fast break counter from the GK spot. Oshoniyi can stop shots, but has great difficulty in long distribution. Kicks directly OB, and his default options to the deepest uncovered defender being the all-too-easy criticisms. Eskandarian certainly agrees. For those crude few who haven't noticed because they were wrongly dismissing KC as a, "bunker team"; KC has been extreemly effective in that offensive dept. with Meola back there.

    Like a class wide-out in gridiron, the ability to strech a D creates exploitable margins all over. Lack of an ability to get downfield quick allows D's to recover and think about less area immediately, allowing greater attacking freedom to range and poach. For KC, its exactly the difference between being able to dominate the last :10 and not.

    Second, there has been little evidence to suggest KC can be creative enough consistently. Someone needs to show the ability to disect multiple defenders with a pass. As KC so far lacks a spark to their run the alternative is always working against 7+ close to the box. That requires creativity at some point.

    Preki is getting no time, Diego Walsh seems a wasted signing to date, and with Klein hurt Wolff was KC's assist leader in '04. Not bad, but not the best sign either for your premier forward. Wolff passing to Arnaud was a pillar in '04. Today's lack is someone getting the ball to Wolff...

    Right now if KC finds a guy besides Wolff who puts up 10+ assists, they have a legitimate shot to win everything. Hell, they might even get a point in Chicago (0-for existence @ CHI). :rolleyes:
     
  3. Hugo Sanchez

    Hugo Sanchez Member+

    Aug 21, 2003
    MEX2010
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    I was seriously going to answer him, but you did quite exceptionally here.

    So I'll be brief in recapping you. :)

    Ska - Rocksteady - Reggae - 2Tone (independent of Reggae, though)

    Ska came about in the 50s and 60s with Coxsone Dodd, Clue J and the infamous Prince Buster.

    Other notable ska acts of Dekker's time were The Skatalites, Toots and The Maytals, Laurel Aitken and Derrick Morgan.

    "Israelites" was the first Jamaican record to hit Gold.

    "Israelites", a ska record.
     
  4. Roblar

    Roblar Member

    Sep 15, 2000
    The 73072
    Almost exactly. In addition:
    1) Mulrooney is not just "very good", he is "outstanding" (if not the best D-mid in MLS). Paired with Valakari (sp.?) Dallas should have an extremely solid defensive midfield, and BOTH Mulrooney and Valakari pass well and are capable of getting into attack (which equals GREAT service for EJ).
    2) They kept hold of O'Brien. This guy, when injury free, is a very talented and creative player. (=more GREAT service for EJ)
    3) They added Glenn. While I'm not completely sold on Glenn, he certainly showed flashes of talent last season. He could be a great complement to EJ. His talent could open up space for EJ. If not, Glenn should certainly have much more space to work with (since the opposition will key on EJ).
    4) They watched KC ship out to the East while TWO expansion teams sailed in to the West. (In addition, SJ has lost Donovan, Mulrooney, and Ekelund.) In the MLS, all you have to do is get to the play-offs and then roll your dice. It is difficult to see Dallas miss-out on the post-season like they did last year. They could easily win the West.
    5) Will be moving to a new stadium (eventually) this season. ....well, this is on the slow track now, but...
     
  5. DCFAN96

    DCFAN96 Member

    Apr 24, 2004
    Chicago had a great offseason, picking up Sanneh, Caballero, Guerrero, Thorrington, etc. They have a brand new team that looks really solid.
     
  6. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yeah Fire is great except that pesky problem of having no experienced forwards except Herron.

    Fire might become the CRapids of 2005. You can play HankiBall.
     
  7. Brushes Sand

    Brushes Sand Member

    Oct 12, 2000
    polychronicqatsitime

    FC Dallas, two weeks before the season begins, has
    the same number of allocations that they had 14 months
    ago. Gibbs bolted, in return we get a player that's
    8 years older who was never as good as Gibbs in his
    prime; we picked up Mulrooney, a 2nd defensive
    midfielder to pair with Valakari, landed Yi, and that's
    it. Last year's most anemic attack will continue to
    be just that because any team in MLS only needs
    to shut down EJ and ROB. If Glenn can prove his
    Swampstay was an anomaly, then maybe he can
    draw away some of the attention that EJ's going
    to get. I suspect that Glenn will deliver the same
    value as Rhine: 3-5 goals, but not a difference maker,
    and certainly not a gamebreaking threat you have
    to gameplan to contain. But with no significant
    upgrade in Offensive Creativity, and the vacuum
    on last year's left side still in place, in light of the
    number of allocations in the bank, and the obvious(?)
    need to beef up the side's flair for the league's 3rd
    SSS debut, giving a single vote to FCD as having
    the best offseason is a HERESY punishable by
    the STARK FIST of the Soccer Gawdz.

    -bs
     
  8. Brushes Sand

    Brushes Sand Member

    Oct 12, 2000
    polychronicqatsitime

    Not. Read the Dallas forum. There is almost unanimous despair.

    Yi and Alvarez are completely unproven, Vanney is a significant downgrade
    from Gibbs; GE and ClarkE both have stated it's insane to pay outside
    backs in MLS anything more than $50k, so to break that cap management
    strategy 3-fold for Vanney again proves we get the bones from Ivan.
    We already had a great MLS D-Mid in Valakari and now we've doubled
    our cash expenditure at the same position. Glenn didn't make the cut
    at the Swamp.

    I could be proven wrong, but instead of adding flair to the most anemic
    attack in MLS in a year where the side will open the 3rd SSS in MLS,
    we've only added defensive talent to compensate for losing defensive
    talent on a defense that had already had a 40% increase in Goals Against
    from '03 to '04.

    Here's what's going to happen this summer.

    Reyna is going to return to MLS. FCD will trade an allocation to
    Metro for _______, a former 2nd-round draft choice.

    JOB is going to return to MLS. FCD will trade an allocation to
    Gals for _______, a former 2nd-round draft choice.

    In so doing the assets accumulated through the debacle
    of Sucklack and the Adu Rape will be nicely disposed of without
    having to spend an ounce of "MLS Currency". If you think the
    I/O's don't participate in the cashflows for players that are
    not proportionate to their absorbtion of capitalized losses,
    then you are incredibly naiive.

    -bs

    -bs
     
  9. Brushes Sand

    Brushes Sand Member

    Oct 12, 2000
    polychronicqatsitime
    It's a sad state of affairs, and yet an accurate comment on the
    "politics" of MLS, and the different standards to which each franchise
    is subjected, when Dallas is considered to have a good offseason primarily
    because we didn't lose all of our blue-chip assets, as if that is the
    expectation for Dallas, the perennial under-supplied redheaded stepchild
    of the league. It was understandable when there was no I/O .....

    -bs
     
  10. Rommul

    Rommul Member

    Aug 26, 2003
    NYC
    UH Cornell Glen socred at a faster clip than Eddie Johnson did last year.

    His prolem was getting playing time from Bradley not scoring.

    He is a steal.
     
  11. Brushes Sand

    Brushes Sand Member

    Oct 12, 2000
    polychronicqatsitime
    Bob Bradley is possibly the best evaluator of talent in the league.

    Why didn't he get playing time in Metro's striker carousel?

    Has Glen lit it up at International Level any time recently?

    You'd score at a faster clip than EJ too if you were supported
    by anything other than what could best be described as a
    vacuum in midfield behind you.

    -bs
     
  12. Arisrules

    Arisrules Member

    Feb 19, 2000
    Washington, DC
    The problem with Glen wasn't that he didn't get onto the field because of Bradley...but rather he is injured....a lot. If he stays healthy, then that trade is a steal. If he isn't, and Ward pans out, then it's a steal for the Metros. There are a lot of variables at play here.
     
  13. Rommul

    Rommul Member

    Aug 26, 2003
    NYC
    Oh good lord.

    Glenn is not a player who depends on service to score. He largely creates his own goals.

    Did you see what he did to Jolley?

    At any rate I don't want to jack a perfectly good thread.
     
  14. Rommul

    Rommul Member

    Aug 26, 2003
    NYC
    Yep.

    These comparisons with Bobby Rhine are beyond odd.
     
  15. sl7vk

    sl7vk Member

    Mar 3, 2005
    Salt Lake City
    Club:
    AS Nancy Lorraine
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    Real went from nothing to what I'm guessing will be a very competitive team in the offseason. Enough said.
     
  16. soccerexchange

    soccerexchange New Member

    Aug 27, 2004
    St Augustine FL
    I voted for RSL, I like what they have done in signing and acquiring veteran players...I'm not just sold on their first round pick Nick Bisignio (SP)...that being said i thinl LA wins the West and KC the East...
     
  17. killedelvis

    killedelvis New Member

    Feb 21, 2005
    State of Denial
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's hard for a novice like me to really say, but based on what I've seen this offseason
    I'm going to have to go with FC Dallas, but my avatar may have something to do with that.
     

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