2017 General MLS Transfer Rumors

Oh shit. That guy can play a little.
Feels like the Galaxy have the potential to have a very good starting 11, assuming this happens. TBD whether the two big imports are good, how much JJ can play, etc., but looks like a strong team.

Rowe
Rogers--Steres--JVD--Cole
Joao Pedro -- Jones
Allessandrini--Gio--Lletget
Zardes​
 
Yup. Signings like this give me hope that MLS can crack the market with more Atomic Ant like signings from Europe. Prime-ish top tier players with some bump in the road in Europe willing to make the move here for good money, a cool experience, and the opportunity to be the man.
It makes me wish we had a proven difference maker in a creative attacking role.
 


With Marseille finally securing the return of Payet and also bringing in a young promising attacking midfielder Morgan Sanson from Montepellier they could afford to let him go (They also have Remy Cabella, Maxime Lopez and Florian Thauvin all at either winger or attacking mid). That being said while he never quite fully hit the heights at the Velodrome I'd expect with his age, speed, and ball skills he should be able to excel against MLS defenses. I'd have taken him for us without too much hesitation other than the D and D mid being more our pressing concern.
 
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I didn't see Atlanta is signing Carlos Carmona. He's a box to box mid that would have been good on our squad.

Another good South American Serie A player they have signed. I thought MLS teams couldn't sign European players...:neutral:
 
Atlanta will be an exciting team to watch this year. It'll be interesting to see if Tata can fit all the pieces together. If there's one coach in our league that can do it, it'll be him.

Regardless of how Atlanta performs this season, Atlanta has set a really good example for our league in team-building.
 
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Armchair Analyst: Be excited for Atlanta United, but keep perspective

I know Doyle is held in low esteem here, and with some reason, but this article is worth reading mostly because one of the comparisons he makes is to NYC and our heavy reliance on internationals, many of whom have been busts. I don't think his argument holds up as you can easily distinguish their acquisitions from our history, even when viewing both prospectively. But it is still an interesting read.
 
Armchair Analyst: Be excited for Atlanta United, but keep perspective

I know Doyle is held in low esteem here, and with some reason, but this article is worth reading mostly because one of the comparisons he makes is to NYC and our heavy reliance on internationals, many of whom have been busts. I don't think his argument holds up as you can easily distinguish their acquisitions from our history, even when viewing both prospectively. But it is still an interesting read.
I'm not even going to read it considering his prophecy last year that he guaranteed NYCFC wouldn't make the playoffs and then half-heartedly walked it back. He likes to indulge in his own hot takes. I'm surprised he hasn't written an article about how he guarantees there will be only one winner of MLS Cup next year.
 
Armchair Analyst: Be excited for Atlanta United, but keep perspective

I know Doyle is held in low esteem here, and with some reason, but this article is worth reading mostly because one of the comparisons he makes is to NYC and our heavy reliance on internationals, many of whom have been busts. I don't think his argument holds up as you can easily distinguish their acquisitions from our history, even when viewing both prospectively. But it is still an interesting read.

I thought the most interesting thing in this is the discussion regarding distorted perceptions about the relative strength of leagues relative to MLS, which leads to unrealistic expectations about the impact that players coming from those leagues will make. He specifically contends that MLS is a lot closer to the Argentinian league than fans tend to expect, which results disappointment when those guys don't come and light MLS on fire. I actually enjoy reading his stuff, but will acknowledge that that narrative certainly serves his generally pro-American player, pro-MLS view. It is, however, something to think about as fans of a team that is clearly one of the more heavily weighted towards foreign players in th league.

The foreign players that get brought in to MLS are almost always names nobody has heard of (which we all tend acknowledge pretty much any time we are all debating one of these guys), but they also, for the most part, come from leagues that none, or nearly none, of us watch. Which is, I guess, why I really have no idea how we are going to do this year.
 
This is a good point, and it is worth keeping in mind for our own signings so far this season. The best two of these were guys that were solid players, but not spectacular, in the Spanish and German second divisions.

Do we think their second divisions are better than MLS? I personally doubt it, but I can't say I've seen any games in either. What I suspect is that the best MLS players are better than what you get in those leagues and the worse MLS starters are below their grade. What this means for how these guys will fare in MLS is open to interpretation. My own guess is that they can be solid starters here, but probably not all-star game quality.
 
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