I wonder if you showed Robert Kraft a picture of Nicol if he'd think he was Steve who used to work in accounting.One of the most storied competitions in all of soccer, I know. As was SuperLiga:
MLS Turns 21 - the 2016 season
- Thread starter Titans Bastard
- Start date
A few links & news items:
- A great overview of the shitshow known as the Chicago Fire and rumors of a possible sale. From what I can tell, the Fire are even more of a non-entity in Chicago than the Revs are in Boston. That's a problem in such a huge market. Chicago's relatively new GM Nelson Rodriguez was previously employed in MLS HQ; I've seen (possibly baseless) speculation that he was hired to help clean up the mess in advance of a possible sale. Time will tell. The Fire need a new owner more badly than even the Revs.
- SJ signed Swedish-Eritrean striker Henok Goitom. Looking at his resume, he had a solid goalscoring record in Sweden before what looks like an unsuccessful half-season stint in La Liga with Getafe. He turns 32 next month. Color me unimpressed.
- NYRB's Connor Lade will miss the rest of the season with an ACL tear. They are having terrible luck with defensive injuries, with Gideon Baah also out for the season and Damien Perrinelle constantly hurt. Kemar Lawrence will need to discover his 2015 form at LB.
- RSL re-signed Chris Schuler, who had been on a USL contract since the past winter. He's a good CB when healthy, which isn't all that often.
- Philly dipped into their academy again to sign CB Auston Trusty. Trusty has been playing for Bethlehem Steel on an amateur basis this season and won a starting job quickly. Now he goes straight from amateur status to an MLS deal, bypassing a commitment to UNC. Good news - if he's doing well at the USL level, no need to waste any time in the NCAA. 16 of the 21 players on the 2015 U17 WC team are now pros, which is a real deviation from old U17 teams who had more guys who topped out in the NCAA or who went pro after four years of college soccer.
- MLS is talking about raising the expansion fee for the next round from the $110m that LAFC paid to $200m.
- A great overview of the shitshow known as the Chicago Fire and rumors of a possible sale. From what I can tell, the Fire are even more of a non-entity in Chicago than the Revs are in Boston. That's a problem in such a huge market. Chicago's relatively new GM Nelson Rodriguez was previously employed in MLS HQ; I've seen (possibly baseless) speculation that he was hired to help clean up the mess in advance of a possible sale. Time will tell. The Fire need a new owner more badly than even the Revs.
- SJ signed Swedish-Eritrean striker Henok Goitom. Looking at his resume, he had a solid goalscoring record in Sweden before what looks like an unsuccessful half-season stint in La Liga with Getafe. He turns 32 next month. Color me unimpressed.
- NYRB's Connor Lade will miss the rest of the season with an ACL tear. They are having terrible luck with defensive injuries, with Gideon Baah also out for the season and Damien Perrinelle constantly hurt. Kemar Lawrence will need to discover his 2015 form at LB.
- RSL re-signed Chris Schuler, who had been on a USL contract since the past winter. He's a good CB when healthy, which isn't all that often.
- Philly dipped into their academy again to sign CB Auston Trusty. Trusty has been playing for Bethlehem Steel on an amateur basis this season and won a starting job quickly. Now he goes straight from amateur status to an MLS deal, bypassing a commitment to UNC. Good news - if he's doing well at the USL level, no need to waste any time in the NCAA. 16 of the 21 players on the 2015 U17 WC team are now pros, which is a real deviation from old U17 teams who had more guys who topped out in the NCAA or who went pro after four years of college soccer.
- MLS is talking about raising the expansion fee for the next round from the $110m that LAFC paid to $200m.
Thanks for that article, TB, and it's scary to think that if the Jones draw had gone the other way, bloggers may be writing the same things about the Revolution right now. (Also, I doubt MLS will get $200 million, but it never hurts to ask.)
The Revs signed Cody Cropper. He's out of contract after a stint with MK Dons and previously had been with Southampton and Ipswich Town.
Big, athletic keeper who was a U20 starter for the US at the 2013 WC. For youth national teams, he was the sort of guy who would be good for an epic save and a cringe-worthy gaffe in most games. He's worth a shot; Cropper would be good in the event that he became more consistent and Bobby Shuttleworth is one of the weaker starting GKs in this league.
Big, athletic keeper who was a U20 starter for the US at the 2013 WC. For youth national teams, he was the sort of guy who would be good for an epic save and a cringe-worthy gaffe in most games. He's worth a shot; Cropper would be good in the event that he became more consistent and Bobby Shuttleworth is one of the weaker starting GKs in this league.
I have a vague feeling that "Cody Cropper is to USMNT goalkeeper prospects as the Revs are to MLS franchises" is a pretty good analogy, so this move seems apt in that sense.
I don't know. Judging by his receding hairline at such a young age, he is on a Keller/Friedel type trajectory.
Brian Straus lays down a whole bunch of expansion news.
Cliff notes:
Cliff notes:
- Minnesota's entry into the league next season will be made 100% official tomorrow. No word on whether they will be Minnesota United still or something else. Still working on getting a tax abatement for their stadium before beginning construction; they will play at the University of Minnesota in 2017 and possibly 2018
- LAFC is looking good for 2018, but the Miami Beckhams are moving as slowly as ever
- Sacramento, St. Louis, and Detroit are the front-runners for the next round. San Diego, San Antonio, Cincinnati, Phoenix, and Charlotte have also been mentioned.
So the league ultimately let Minnesota United keep their name. Their logo has only been tweaked very slightly. While the general retreat to boring Euro-poseur names is a little eye-rolling, I like this one because they've grown considerably as a club in the NASL under this moniker and these colors. Continuity makes sense here.
It expands the new color palette in the league, too. There are a lot of red or blue teams in MLS. Atlanta United's color scheme isn't terrible in isolation, but it looks like they are doing the MetroStars Retro Tour or something.
Not that it really matters; they just announced more than 22k season tickets sold. Atlanta is going to be a Seattle-sized behemoth off the field.
The Revs are so pathetic right now. The front office has shamefully failed to make any desperately-needed defensive reinforcements before the transfer window closed. There are still about three weeks in which teams can sign free agents, so I expect we'll see the Revs bring in some crappy, scrapheap European center back who couldn't find a club this fall.
As much as the FO sucks, Jay Heaps is doing nothing with a decent collection of talent. This isn't a world-beating roster, but I think there's enough quality to say that the Revs are clearly underperforming. Another home loss on Saturday, this time to lowly Columbus. In the last two home games, that's zero goals scored, six goals allowed, and zero points.
Chicago beat Montreal on the road this weekend, which was their first road win since July 2014. This, sadly, put an end to the era in which they still hadn't won a road game more recently than Chivas USA.
I saw some of the Philly-Toronto game, which was far, far more entertaining than the Revs game -- naturally. I have to say, since coming back from injury, Jozy is looking better than he's looked in a while. Maybe he's entering one of those rare periods where his hamstring is 100% and he's focused.
As much as the FO sucks, Jay Heaps is doing nothing with a decent collection of talent. This isn't a world-beating roster, but I think there's enough quality to say that the Revs are clearly underperforming. Another home loss on Saturday, this time to lowly Columbus. In the last two home games, that's zero goals scored, six goals allowed, and zero points.
Chicago beat Montreal on the road this weekend, which was their first road win since July 2014. This, sadly, put an end to the era in which they still hadn't won a road game more recently than Chivas USA.
I saw some of the Philly-Toronto game, which was far, far more entertaining than the Revs game -- naturally. I have to say, since coming back from injury, Jozy is looking better than he's looked in a while. Maybe he's entering one of those rare periods where his hamstring is 100% and he's focused.
It's amazing how one key player can make such a big difference. Seattle has some quality forwards and some quality midfielders, but had zero playmaking ability until Lodeiro arrived. He fills such a huge need and allows other players to focus on what they do best. Cristian Roldan has been a beast since Lodeiro arrived. Lodeiro, Roldan, and Morris will form a nice core that the Sounders can add to this winter when they get the chance to jettison some of their older players, especially the useless Nelson Valdez.
He has some sort of trans-Atlantic accent that he acquired after so many years in England. It is very strange indeed.
The Revs are lucky there isn't pro/rel because they would be at great risk of going Full Wigan.
Even cheaping out by not signing Jones, which kinda made sense at the time, has become a 100% Revs move thanks to the combination of Colorado making it look bad in hindsight plus not really replacing him either positionally at all or in terms of DPs except almost by accident with the Kamara thing.
The decision to let Jones go is almost a distraction from the rest of the front office's incompetence. Jones has played only 8 games for the Rapids and will likely even miss the game against the Revs due to World Cup qualifiers. They even made a decent attempt to replace him with another DP, who captained his team in Europa League, but he immediately severed his ACL after signing, because Revs fans can't have nice things. I'm not going to hold that decision against Burns and company.
Still, signing Xavier Kouassi points to the deeper issues with this team. The only international signings of any impact have played for either Sion or Sporting, with whom they have an agreement. It's obvious there is no budget for international scouting. Any player revealed to have been on the Revs discovery list (e.g. Lletget, Horton, Cropper) have all been in the youth national team picture.
Jay Heaps needs to go. I've never seen a manager with so little tactical flexibility. In my section we take bets on what minute Daigo will be substituted in. What kills me is that in moments of desperation, such as playing 4-3-3 when down big against LA or when the brought on Aguedelo to play with Kei against Columbus, they've shown signs of life, but Heaps will always start the next game in his over exposed 4-2-3-1. This team is not equipped to win MLS Cup, but there is enough talent to limp into the playoffs. Nguyen and JoGo were stars on a team that went to the final, but now look pedestrian or worse.
I already renewed my tickets for next year. I'm a sucker.
Still, signing Xavier Kouassi points to the deeper issues with this team. The only international signings of any impact have played for either Sion or Sporting, with whom they have an agreement. It's obvious there is no budget for international scouting. Any player revealed to have been on the Revs discovery list (e.g. Lletget, Horton, Cropper) have all been in the youth national team picture.
Jay Heaps needs to go. I've never seen a manager with so little tactical flexibility. In my section we take bets on what minute Daigo will be substituted in. What kills me is that in moments of desperation, such as playing 4-3-3 when down big against LA or when the brought on Aguedelo to play with Kei against Columbus, they've shown signs of life, but Heaps will always start the next game in his over exposed 4-2-3-1. This team is not equipped to win MLS Cup, but there is enough talent to limp into the playoffs. Nguyen and JoGo were stars on a team that went to the final, but now look pedestrian or worse.
I already renewed my tickets for next year. I'm a sucker.
Yeah, the Revs have limited themselves in their ability to acquire players such that they are dependent on dumpster diving and opportunistic acquisitions like Kamara and Jones. Even though the Revs are legitimately pretty good at dumpster diving and rehabbing careers, you just can't build a coherent team that way because the team is only able to react to whatever small handful of decent MLS players are available at any time. There's also never going to be a Jones situation again, so there's no chance in getting a high-end talent like Lodeiro, Giovinco, Piatti, Valeri, et al. The result is the 2016 Revs - a team of ill-fitting parts, with a manager who is completely incapable of MacGyvering a solution.
The Kobayashi bet is hilarious, @Domer. I'm a particular fan of Heaps' classic move when Rowe starts at CM, where he subs Kobayashi for Fagundez or Bunbury and pushes Rowe upfield. Bold and aggressive!!
Big road win for Toronto tonight, putting them on top of the East. With six of their last eight games at home, they are legitimate Supporters Shield contenders. They are really clicking right now, especially with Jozy finding his mojo post-injury. He scored the winner, his fifth in six games.
The Revs are in a defensive crisis (well, moreso than usual) with Gonçalves, McCrary, and Smith injured and Woodberry suspended. They're going with a CB pairing of Farrell and Watson tonight in SJ, with Rowe playing RB. Says a lot about Barnes and Sambinha, who are both on the bench.
The Revs are in a defensive crisis (well, moreso than usual) with Gonçalves, McCrary, and Smith injured and Woodberry suspended. They're going with a CB pairing of Farrell and Watson tonight in SJ, with Rowe playing RB. Says a lot about Barnes and Sambinha, who are both on the bench.
Lodeiro scores the equalizer in the 94th minute to get a big road point for the Sounders. They are just one point behind Portland now, with the teams playing this weekend.
Seattle appeared to have tied the game in the 80th or so, but a ball that looked over the line was not given a goal. A point is awesome, though.
Seattle appeared to have tied the game in the 80th or so, but a ball that looked over the line was not given a goal. A point is awesome, though.
Another loss for the Revs, who have one point from the last six games. Zero goals in the last four games. The playoffs are really slipping away now. DC thumped Chicago 6-2 (hat trick from ex-Revs forward Patrick Mullins), which opened up a five point gap between the Revs and the last playoff spot. DC also have a game in hand and the Revs would have to pass Orlando, too.
It's all about the USOC now, but it's hard to see the anemic Revs offense doing much on the road against a team like Dallas. Stranger things have happened in a one-off, though.
Colorado and Toronto lost this weekend, which puts Dallas in pole position for the Supporters Shield again. However, I think they may have a tough time holding on to the best record in the league since they are still in the USOC and the CCL and they have to deal with the lack of top-end quality and depth that comes with Fabian Castillo's abrupt departure.
Big Portland-Seattle game coming up. The Sounders have resuscitated their season (unbeaten in five since firing Sigi) and a win would vault them back into a playoff position. No Dempsey for the foreseeable future, though.
It's all about the USOC now, but it's hard to see the anemic Revs offense doing much on the road against a team like Dallas. Stranger things have happened in a one-off, though.
Colorado and Toronto lost this weekend, which puts Dallas in pole position for the Supporters Shield again. However, I think they may have a tough time holding on to the best record in the league since they are still in the USOC and the CCL and they have to deal with the lack of top-end quality and depth that comes with Fabian Castillo's abrupt departure.
Big Portland-Seattle game coming up. The Sounders have resuscitated their season (unbeaten in five since firing Sigi) and a win would vault them back into a playoff position. No Dempsey for the foreseeable future, though.
Oguchi Onyewu is training with the Revs. He hasn't played since February 2015 to my knowledge.
Whatever happened to Will Packwood? Best I can tell he's still unattached, but he'd be worth another look- their defense is in shambles.
Whatever happened to Will Packwood? Best I can tell he's still unattached, but he'd be worth another look- their defense is in shambles.
It says a lot that people consider defense the greatest weakness of a team that has gone six hours without scoring… and it says even more that I agree.
Nobody knows what happened to Packwood. The Revs passed on him and he hasn't been heard from since. You'd think he'd pursue a NASL or USL deal at this point. There were rumors that his leg break had rendered him disqualifyingly slow. I don't know if that's true, but it would explain the lack of interest in him.
If the Revs are going to sign a desperate out-of-contract American defender, I'd prefer they go after Shane O'Neill. He's not broken down and may still have some upside. His career got weird over the last year or two with the bizarre sign-and-loan deal in Cyprus, but it's not too late to straighten it out.
Nigel DeJong is DeGone from MLS.
http://www.espnfc.com/story/2941295/galatasaray-complete-nigel-de-jong-signing-from-la-galaxy
http://www.espnfc.com/story/2941295/galatasaray-complete-nigel-de-jong-signing-from-la-galaxy
Bantz:
Lots of changes for the Galaxy right now. De Jong is gone to Turkey, Zardes is out for the season with a broken metatarsal, Gerrard and Van Damme are out for a few weeks. And they haven't even been playing well to begin with - they're winless in seven.
Zardes is a big loss not because he's their most talented player, but because he plays a key role in piecing together a hodgepodge of players who don't fit well together.
Various news items:
- LAFC broke ground on their stadium a couple of weeks ago. It's on the site of the LA Sports Arena and they're hoping to be done by early 2018.
- San Jose fired GM John Doyle after nearly nine years on the job. He's been their GM for the entire "neo-Quakes" era, since they returned after the old Quakes moved to Houston. During that period, they've made the playoffs twice in eight years, which is pathetic given how easy it is to make the playoffs in MLS. They are on the bubble again this year.
- Sebastian Giovinco is out for a month, which is tough for Toronto's Supporters Shield hopes.
- The Revs waived Sambinha, which leaves them particularly thin at CB (which is why they are trialing fossils like Onyewu). Not a surprise, as Heaps clearly rated him below even non-CBs. They have a lot of empty & wasted roster spots...
- LAFC broke ground on their stadium a couple of weeks ago. It's on the site of the LA Sports Arena and they're hoping to be done by early 2018.
- San Jose fired GM John Doyle after nearly nine years on the job. He's been their GM for the entire "neo-Quakes" era, since they returned after the old Quakes moved to Houston. During that period, they've made the playoffs twice in eight years, which is pathetic given how easy it is to make the playoffs in MLS. They are on the bubble again this year.
- Sebastian Giovinco is out for a month, which is tough for Toronto's Supporters Shield hopes.
- The Revs waived Sambinha, which leaves them particularly thin at CB (which is why they are trialing fossils like Onyewu). Not a surprise, as Heaps clearly rated him below even non-CBs. They have a lot of empty & wasted roster spots...
Wow. The Galaxy just confirmed.
I wonder where he is, fitness-wise. There's not much time left in the season.
I wonder where he is, fitness-wise. There's not much time left in the season.
In other news, Dallas signed another academy whiz kid. Paxton Pomykal is a 16 year old midfielder who has been getting an increasing amount of buzz and is now considered one of the better American '99s out there. They'll be pleased to get his signature after losing Weston McKennie to Schalke.
Dallas is an assembly line of midfield prospects:
1992: Victor Ulloa
1995: Kellyn Acosta
1996: Emerson Hyndman
1998: Weston McKennie, Alejandro Zendejas
1999: Paxton Pomykal
Next up is Jesus Ferreira '00, David's kid, who hopefully will get US citizenship soon.
Dallas is an assembly line of midfield prospects:
1992: Victor Ulloa
1995: Kellyn Acosta
1996: Emerson Hyndman
1998: Weston McKennie, Alejandro Zendejas
1999: Paxton Pomykal
Next up is Jesus Ferreira '00, David's kid, who hopefully will get US citizenship soon.
I candidly always have loved to hate Landycakes (at the club level at least), so I hope he comes back and trips all over himself.
Released after making zero appearances, big shock. What a stupid waste of roster space and money.
- Cubo Torres has been loaned out to Cruz Azul. He's been an enormous bust for Houston.
- RSL signed attacking midfielder Ricardo Velazco to a homegrown contract. Velazco left Louisville early to sign with RSL's USL team 1.5 years ago and he's done well enough to earn a step up to MLS.
- Houston signed Kevin Garcia, a CB/LB from their USL team in the Rio Grande Valley.
The Revs went crazy last night. They beat NYCFC 3-1, but they could easily have scored six goals if they finished a little better. Agudelo was in great form, aside from some finishing close calls that could have netted him more than the one goal he did score. The 4-4-2 diamond was successful last night. Fagundez and Nguyen scored and were dynamic all night. Caldwell and Koffie bossed the midfield. Koffie did pick up a stupid yellow that will force him to miss the trip to Montreal, a big blow that may subject us with a Daigo Kobayashi start.
NYCFC has had a significantly better season than New England, but man they were terrible yesterday. Their midfield was completely non-existent and their defensive distribution was basically a major chance creator for the Revs. I've long doubted whether a three-man midfield that includes both Pirlo and Lampard could hold up defensively over the course of a grueling season. NYCFC is a lock for the playoffs, but they'll need to play a lot better if they want to go anywhere.
The Revs really need DC and especially Orlando to lose today. They are a point behind Orlando despite having played two more games. Making up a seven point "magic number" gap won't be easy and likely won't happen -- especially if OCSC picks up points on the road.
Next up is a rare chance for silverware in the US Open Cup final in Dallas on Tuesday. Dallas is a superior team, will be playing at home after a weekend home game, and Oscar Pareja rested a few key players last night. Heaps fielded a first-choice XI last night (can't afford to drop any home points), so this feels like a long-shot for the Revs. The best hope is that the good form of the last two games carries over.
NYCFC has had a significantly better season than New England, but man they were terrible yesterday. Their midfield was completely non-existent and their defensive distribution was basically a major chance creator for the Revs. I've long doubted whether a three-man midfield that includes both Pirlo and Lampard could hold up defensively over the course of a grueling season. NYCFC is a lock for the playoffs, but they'll need to play a lot better if they want to go anywhere.
The Revs really need DC and especially Orlando to lose today. They are a point behind Orlando despite having played two more games. Making up a seven point "magic number" gap won't be easy and likely won't happen -- especially if OCSC picks up points on the road.
Next up is a rare chance for silverware in the US Open Cup final in Dallas on Tuesday. Dallas is a superior team, will be playing at home after a weekend home game, and Oscar Pareja rested a few key players last night. Heaps fielded a first-choice XI last night (can't afford to drop any home points), so this feels like a long-shot for the Revs. The best hope is that the good form of the last two games carries over.
103rd USOC final tonight and it's on ESPN2.
Dallas is the better team, but the Revs are finally in decent form.
Dallas is the better team, but the Revs are finally in decent form.
I would speculate that it is for TV reasons. In the era of soccer-on-TV, the USOC final has usually been on either GolTV or the old Fox Sports World / Fox Soccer Channel. This year, ESPN2 picked up both the final and the semifinal, which is the best TV exposure the tournament has ever gotten. I think the USOC organizers would be happy to schedule the final for whatever timeslot ESPN wants.
I am generally with Steve Nicol on how much I care about the Open Cup, but since the Revs are going nowhere this year even if they make the playoffs, this is all we've got. Strange things can happen in MLS, go Revs!
Man, 2-1 Dallas. Hedges with the header from Mauro Diaz, the most underappreciated player in MLS.
That was coming. Dallas has been controlling play for a while now. Koffie is playing hurt and it's like being with 10 men. It's particularly brutal because he's key to this new 4-4-2 diamond.
That was coming. Dallas has been controlling play for a while now. Koffie is playing hurt and it's like being with 10 men. It's particularly brutal because he's key to this new 4-4-2 diamond.
Now Kamara is on for Koffie. Nguyen shifts from second forward to the tip of the diamond, Rowe to the side of the diamond, and Caldwell to the base. Caldwell already has a yellow and isn't as athletic as Koffie. The Kamara/Agudelo pairing also isn't as complementary as the Agudelo/Nguyen partnership.
Not good...
Not good...
Damn, now Watson comes off in first half stoppage time because of injury. Tierney is a better player, but there's very little tactical flexibility going forward at this point with two subs burned in the first half.
Farrell fouls Barrios on the break, then Gonçalves fouls Hedges in the box on the ensuing FK by Diaz.
Diaz converts the PK, with Knighton barely missing the save. 3-1. Good night.
Diaz converts the PK, with Knighton barely missing the save. 3-1. Good night.
Can Heaps, bring in Petke, build around Kouassi and Kamara, use the extra allocation money to bring in a competent center back, and see what we can do next year.
Looks like we just witnessed the last meaningful moment of Revolution soccer this year. I don't want to hear about the playoffs.
At least the Revs had the decency to ensure that I got an extra 30 mins of sleep tonight.
Taylor Twellman just decided to announce his scoop that Carlos Ruiz is planning a return to Dallas. What a weird week for MLS.