Seeing what has happened with Shaff … it makes you sick in multiple ways. It's not just the obvious fact that he was sent away for two bags of balls…
Shaff has exciting potential, today, but he is not “young” and clearly has holes in his game that need fixing. It raises tons of questions about his TFC Academy and reserves years. Did he get the right training here?
What could Shaff have become if he had been picked out early, like Davies was?
"There are some people who might have better technique than me, and some may be fitter than me, but the main thing is tactics. With most players, tactics are missing. You can divide tactics into insight, trust, and daring." - Johan Cruyff
Also - speaking of Shaff, check out the top 25 jerseys sold…
https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/lione...erseys-in-2024
"There are some people who might have better technique than me, and some may be fitter than me, but the main thing is tactics. With most players, tactics are missing. You can divide tactics into insight, trust, and daring." - Johan Cruyff
I sometimes feel like I'm taking crazy pills watching our club.Originally Posted by ensco
I don't know how his upside wasn't glaringly obvious to football professionals. I really don't. I was fucking apoplectic when we let him go, and I'm only mildly less annoyed now.
To me, certain players just stand out, because they have undeniable drive. They will compete and win no matter what. They wont' always be perfect, but they offer something elite.
I suspect, on limited viewing, that Charlie Staniland could be another one. I'll admit right away I've only see him play three times. But the way that kid pings a pass and covers ground aggressively, he's a wrecker in the making, a number six who can shut guys down and link back-to-front.
Perhaps in England, where technique is sort of par-for-the-course, they have 20 kids like him at Sheffield United, and so he's expendable at 22. But IN THIS LEAGUE WE DON'T.
If we don't start seeing him get first-team chances soon, I'm going to get nervous.
I think Batiz is another kid who, along with the speed, has the fight. I'm not sure how decision-strong he is, whether his read is good enough to do more. But again, if we don't start seeing him for the first team occasionally, I'll get nervous.
Like Luka Gavran, they're both still in need of polishing and experience, but the fundamental will to win and, speed and technique are there, so....
agree with this except for the batiz bit.
he's not a kid, he's 25.
I think as long as we're riding and dying with Osorio & Coello in midfield then Staniland isn't getting a shot.
We are definitely not riding and dying with Coello - from about week 3 Herdman has made it well known he's not the starter if all are around.
Ah, that makes a little more sense then. Still, he has excellent speed and some decent technique. If they're not sure he's got the read at 25, I'm not sure why they keep him. Use the spot on a kid with a first-team future.
Who else is playing midfield that's not around though? Not Laryea. Osorio, Longstaff, and Flores are penciled in but Herman's next option always Kosi, which is proven to be pointless.
Herdman, like Bob, can say whatever he wants in his pressers but until any of this talk transpires on the pitch then it's just talk. As of now, we're riding and dying with Coello and unless we make room and bring up Staniland or sign someone in July, that's not changing this season.
The closest thing we have had to a full lineup was week 1 against Cinci when we had all of Richie, Insigne, Berne, Oso & Prince on the pitch to start. Longstaff wasn't here yet.
Coello doesn't start in that midfield if everybody else is in.
the similarities this year to the 2019 season are striking:
both seasons started strong, followed by slump, then a rebound, then a summer slump (we went 8 games winless in 2019 at one point).
we had 23 points after 19 games in 2019, 24 points this time around.
what we did to turn it around the last 18 games that year was sign 2 starters who gave us a big boost (gonzalez, benezet), and got healthier (jozy and a couple others back).
should try to use that as a blueprint for 2nd half of year. a big CB signing and another stirker could have a similar impact imo.
doubt we could go as far as the east is a lot stronger this year, but could still have a playoff run.
No Petretta starting or on the bench also not on the injury report.
Benched or transfered ?
Check out this tweet at https://x.com/NeilMDavidson/status/1804675204481790442
Going to be a Dad
Herdman was seething with his matador defense on Nashville's winning goal. Being one of the higher paid Bradley disasters, we can only hope someone anyone will take him.
Two CBs, atleast one CM, a striker and some more attacking depth need to be obtained in the next two windows.
I'd say a decent playmaker CM is a necessity almost more then the CB's.
But certainly a striker - Owusu doesn't create space for Insigne or Berne. He doesn't run the channels.
We now go to Atlanta to face a team that has a win and two draws in three games under its interim coach...so its gonna be a second game facing an interim coach after the loss to Nashville...at least 7 players out for this one including Coello which Herdman said is probably out 3-4 weeks...Pearlman should be back but doesnt seem in the plans just like his compatriot Mailula...if we lose this one Atlanta goes ahead of us and maybe also Orlando so we would fall to 9th or 10th with a bunch of teams having games in hand...New England has won 4 straight and is 5 points away with 3 games in hand...no one is actually really far...the last place team is Chicago which is 6 points away but has a game in hand
26 first team players
7 out
2 not in the plans
17 left including 2 goalkeepers
15 outfield players considered for the Atlanta game for 10 starting spots
He doesnt like starting Franklin Mabika Rutty Thompson Kerr
So the starting 11 looks clear unless there are more absences
Gavran Petretta Gomis Long Rosted Bernardeschi Flores Longstaff Insigne Etienne Owusu
Bench Ranjitsingh Franklin Mabika Rutty Thompson Kerr Pearlman Mailula
They need to start better considering international call-ups when roster building. As a Canadian team we’re always going to be partially impacted. Add on a bunch of guys from smaller nations and it instantly becomes a problem.
We need to start looking at being ruthless this winter, I've said it from day one. We need to look at this roster and think how many championship teams would take a player at their salary hit. If they wouldn't, we need to cut them. And that'll be some uncomfortable cuts that some won't like.
And our biggest priority remains a number nine for me, though there's room all over. We will be rudderless until we find one.
I am also of the opinion they need to clean house with a lot of folks. Too many don't have the mentality or are just shell shocked from the past couple seasons and won't be able to turn it around without a change of scenery.
Kosi Thompson
Mabika
Kerr
Mailula
Rosted
Petretta
All need to go. Mailua should be gone this summer window as he's just a waste of a roster spot and money. Guy has a higher salary then Longstaff and Long.
Owusu should be a backup striker off the bench.
Coello should be off the bench and on a short leash.
Need a solid #9, 2 more CB's, and a midfielder who can move the ball between defense and offense.
The only way we see a flurry of changes this summer is if Hernandez and Manning feel so insecure in their jobs they throw everything against the wall to survive (and the board doesn’t otherwise have the shackles on). Not sure it’s in our long term interest to try and cover all the ground at once. I think we should be targeting 2-3 moves and getting all of those absolutely right as opposed to doing everything wholesale.
The thought of Manning scrambling to make moves to save his job is a scary thought. Would set us back at least another year or two because you just know the moves would be stupid. And expensive.
In a perfect world this winter we would see Thompson, Mabika, Kerr, Mailula, Rosted, Petretta all leave (maybe Coello too), a legit #9 signed, Insigne bought out, and Manning + Hernandez sacked. But nearly none of that will happen so the best we can hope for is us to slide in our expected way and have another freeze on ticket prices forced upon the bean counters at MLSE for 2025.
agree, bringing in 2-3 players as long as 2 of them are starters would go a long way.
it looks bad right now but those are the ebbs and flows of the season.
Canada and USA have good chances of advancing to the quarterfinals of Copa America and in that case Johnson Laryea Osorio would miss the MLS games vs Orlando and Columbus...if they advance to the semis they miss the Canadian Championship semi final first leg vs Forge and if they advance to the final they miss the MLS game vs Philly...secondary transfer window opens July 18th so after all this...a window which looks like will be quiet for us...Austin and Columbus which we will face in September have been active...Austin has already announced 3 international players including a Ligue 1 player and Columbus is getting Aziel Jackson from St Louis and an attacking midfielder who was a starter in Ligue 2
So if those two nations advance and more players get hurt or suspended in the Atlanta game we could be going to the Orlando and Columbus games with less than 18 first team players
Batiz Dumitru and Staniland signed their maximum 4 short term loans
That kill pass on David goal though...
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/concacafedgar/status/1805778021074256033?s=46&t=QCj77Rko3FuYmZi4M44QFg
Unfortunately I think we are about to have a really bad run.
Those home losses to Chicago and Nashville were must win games. We're now in a big hole.
I could see us going the whole stretch without a win (Forge game the exception).
Not sure why people think we will do nothing in this coming window when Hernandez & Herdman have indicated something will be done and that roster reconstruction is going to be ongoing until likely the end of the summer 2025 window.
e.g.
I'm wondering if we might see that "sure fire starter" we were going to get but didn't get across the line due to his current team wanting a fee.
Oh, and if we don't make the playoffs, Herdman & Hernandez will be around still but a lot of players will not be.
Last edited by OgtheDim; 06-26-2024 at 07:06 AM.
hernandez and herdman have indicated repeatedly we will be active this window, very odd to see people saying we won't do anything.
They say a lot of things. Need to see it before I believe it. Not sure how we have cap space for activity and pretty sure nobody is taking our bad contracts on our hands.
we let hedges, blessing, etc go for GAM + cap relief and havent had huge outlays (longstaff+long+ flores+ spicer+ gomis together is smaller cap hit than hedges salary alone, before you account for Gam we got for him).
pretty sure we got **some** relief for akinola/ diomande things too.
plus servania will likely have suitors in this league when he's healthy. wouldn't be surprised if they sold one of franklin/ jmr too.
also, getting guys for half a year isn't expensive, especially as we will have likely have a ton of possible moves to make in winter.
i'd be shocked if either rosted/ petretta are here next year. you don't pay those wages for utility guys.
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