https://mlsmultiplex.com/2021/07/30/source-erik-palmer-brown-likely-transfer/ EPB looks like he could be headed to France, Italy, or Spain. Venezia doesn't make a ton of sense simply b/c of Non-EU player restrictions.
Well, the restriction is 3, and i thought tyey had three, but their new right back, listed as Nigerian, was born in the well known Nigerian city of Haarlem, Netherlands, so his national team play for Nigeria is a legacy deal, meaning they have two non EU players, and can add a third
https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/minnesota-united-exercise-buyout-on-ike-opara sad to see, but along with Fontas' pretty good season this year one might be inclined to say that SKC did not make such a bad deal after all back then. I still am critical of it, if only for the fact that Fontas should've never been an Opara replacement - they are just completely different players, and we paid dearly for not having a CB with recovery speed for 2.5 seasons. This season has only been better because (1) we sit deeper without the ball, (2) we score more goals to offset our leaky defense and (3) we now have an actual Opara replacement in Isi, if only he could ever be fully healthy.
Wait, isn't that kind of what makes him a perfect Opara replacement? I join you in lamenting a brilliant player ending his career too early. Opara was brilliant for us, and we'd have been better off dropping Besler early (if we had to drop one of them). I wish him the best in his post soccer life.
Former Swope Park Rangers coach Marc Dos Santos sacked by Vancouver. He coached well in the lower leagues prior to Vancouver, but couldn't turn the Caps around.
Vancouver is where promising young managers go to have their careers snuffed out. (cf. Martin Rennie)
I have been trying to watch a Venezia game to see how Busio is doing in Italy. Since I don't have access to their games I have watched the extended highlights on youtube. The latest game vs Torino showed Busio starting and playing 86 minutes at the 6 position. The highlights didn't show much of him and never with the ball. The fact that he is starting indicates he must be showing something to the coaching staff. While Venezia drew with Torino, they have been getting their asses kicked on a regular basis in the league. I hope he can still progress in that environment
Most of the stuff I've been reading about him have been impressed with his performance and he's been one of, if not, the best players for Venezia.
Someone liked this month-old post literally as I was running into Martin freaking Rennie. With the NWSL slate canceled (I'm the league photographer in Cary), I quickly contacted Notre Dame who is currently playing NC State. They hired me. Rennie is an assistant coach on the women's team for a former player of his. Had a nice chat before the game. Second half about to start.
And SKC didn't offer him a one-day contract to retire in our colors? Seems a bad oversight. Hell, I'm still fuming that we didn't just keep him here for another season. Seems obvious in hindsight.
Good for him! But that's a complex set of emotions here, as for the first time I can recall, I have a quiet reason to not hope that Houston eats a wooden spoon.
I am a bit confused by this. So, SKC lets Ilie walk and get picked up by LAFC while they pick up Rosell to fill his spot. These two are pretty much the same player. I have to assume that the salary for Ilie was the problem and Rosell was just a cheaper option?
Jimmy Nielsen has joined Paulo Nagamura on staff with Houston. https://www.houstondynamofc.com/new...-chris-martinez-and-zach-thornton-to-technica
Looks like Dom Dwyer impressed the management of Atlanta United during his trial and signed him to a 2 year deal.
LAFC after one game with Ilie: "Tactically didn't make a mistake, didn’t step wrong once, was able to control the tempo of the game for us," Cherundolo said. "He found very good spots offensively. He made good decisions, he made very few mistakes on the ball. An excellent performance, a consistent high level, which is what we expected. On top of that, he brings leadership skills and he's a wonderful human being in the locker room as well. So to use from another sport, it's a slam dunk for LAFC."
We all knew what we had with Ilie. He was a solid player with leadership skills and well liked by fans and players. But, he also needed a fresh start somewhere else and LAFC gave him a great chance to keep playing with an excellent team. I'm happy for him.