#MLSisBack - August 1 - Portland (Postgame)

[ZYanksRule]

Anyone else remember when Mitrita scored 3 goals in 20 minutes last year in possibly our most important game of the season that essentially guaranteed us 1st place in the east and a slot in CCL?

I feel like we've decided to completely forget all the good this team has done, because:

1 - We lost a game to Tigres in CCL;
2 - We lost due to a freak red card on the road in our first game and to the eastern conference champion on the road in our second game (both teams have proven to be pretty good); and
3 - We went 2-3 in some slapped together tournament in the middle of a global pandemic when our three losses all came against tournament semi-finalists

And this is all with a new coach.

I understand this wouldn't be acceptable in a "normal" year 3 if Dome was still around, but we're under a new coach, in the middle of a global pandemic, and in possibly the worst part of the country to be in lock-down because we're sitting around in tiny apartments for months on end.

It also didn't allow the signing who was brought in to challenge our weakest position to be integrated into the team.

It's a weird year fellas -- I'm not giving up on this team yet.

You just said everything in one post better than I've tried to say for two weeks. Every word of this.

 

[Annagram]

I feel like we've decided to completely forget all the good this team has done, because:

1 - We lost a game to Tigres in CCL;
2 - We lost due to a freak red card on the road in our first game and to the eastern conference champion on the road in our second game (both teams have proven to be pretty good); and
3 - We went 2-3 in some slapped together tournament in the middle of a global pandemic when our three losses all came against tournament semi-finalists

I don't think the disappointment is based on some bad luck & bad displays this year. It's the long-term plan that doesn't convince (me) the least.

 

[Shwafta]

I don't think the disappointment is based on some bad luck & bad displays this year. It's the long-term plan that doesn't convince (me) the least.

Did you think the same thing last year when we were on that crazy good run? If you did, then fair enough. Just curious if at that time (before Toronto) you thought the long-term plan was lookin' good.

 

[SoupInNYC]

Anyone else remember when Mitrita scored 3 goals in 20 minutes last year in possibly our most important game of the season that essentially guaranteed us 1st place in the east and a slot in CCL?

I feel like we've decided to completely forget all the good this team has done, because:

1 - We lost a game to Tigres in CCL;
2 - We lost due to a freak red card on the road in our first game and to the eastern conference champion on the road in our second game (both teams have proven to be pretty good); and
3 - We went 2-3 in some slapped together tournament in the middle of a global pandemic when our three losses all came against tournament semi-finalists

And this is all with a new coach.

I understand this wouldn't be acceptable in a "normal" year 3 if Dome was still around, but we're under a new coach, in the middle of a global pandemic, and in possibly the worst part of the country to be in lock-down because we're sitting around in tiny apartments for months on end.

It also didn't allow the signing who was brought in to challenge our weakest position to be integrated into the team.

It's a weird year fellas -- I'm not giving up on this team yet.

With the league's top assist man missing a full match, and not being fit to start 3 others and one of the league's most efficient scorers missing a full match and not being fit to start 2 others.

I'll be honest, I'm not sold on Deila yet and am not completely confident that he'll mold this team into a conference title contender yet. Time will tell and I don't think making a complete assessment based on what we have to date would be reasonable at all.

 

[Annagram]

Did you think the same thing last year when we were on that crazy good run? If you did, then fair enough. Just curious if at that time (before Toronto) you thought the long-term plan was lookin' good.

I did. I’ve been questioning the team building for a long time. I think Domè got things right on the pitch but he clearly wasn’t managing the team off-pitch. Fortunately, I should add, otherwise there might have been more eloi amagats in the side.

 

[Shwafta]

I did. I’ve been questioning the team building for a long time. I think Domè got things right on the pitch but he clearly wasn’t managing the team off-pitch. Fortunately, I should add, otherwise there might have been more eloi amagats in the side.

I see. Fair enough, then. I think during the Dome era there were some mishaps - like Amagat. But I think he was just meant to be a temporary signing to tide us through until the end of the season. If I had to guess what went wrong, it was Dome wanting to sign certain talent that was rejected, and was told to sign more Amagat's.

 

[Marito]

Anyone else remember when Mitrita scored 3 goals in 20 minutes last year in possibly our most important game of the season that essentially guaranteed us 1st place in the east and a slot in CCL?

I feel like we've decided to completely forget all the good this team has done, because:

1 - We lost a game to Tigres in CCL;
2 - We lost due to a freak red card on the road in our first game and to the eastern conference champion on the road in our second game (both teams have proven to be pretty good); and
3 - We went 2-3 in some slapped together tournament in the middle of a global pandemic when our three losses all came against tournament semi-finalists

And this is all with a new coach.

I understand this wouldn't be acceptable in a "normal" year 3 if Dome was still around, but we're under a new coach, in the middle of a global pandemic, and in possibly the worst part of the country to be in lock-down because we're sitting around in tiny apartments for months on end.

It also didn't allow the signing who was brought in to challenge our weakest position to be integrated into the team.

It's a weird year fellas -- I'm not giving up on this team yet.

Yes. Mitrita has been lights-out great in exactly 1 game for this club. Probably good in a few more. Mediocre and disappointing in most of the others games. It would have to be a joke to give him a passing grade as a flagship DP. Lots of guys, not only Vela and Pozuelo, have been here for a similar or shorter amount of time and have been 10x more valuable. Bou, Darwin Quintero, Gil, Rossi, et etc etc. Frankly, I don't see him as better than Isi, who is a much cheaper player.

 

[DeGrozz]

Yes. Mitrita has been lights-out great in exactly 1 game for this club. Probably good in a few more. Mediocre and disappointing in most of the others games. It would have to be a joke to give him a passing grade as a flagship DP. Lots of guys, not only Vela and Pozuelo, have been here for a similar or shorter amount of time and have been 10x more valuable. Bou, Darwin Quintero, Gil, Rossi, et etc etc. Frankly, I don't see him as better than Isi, who is a much cheaper player.

That's one way to move the goal posts -- you said that he was a 'dud' and a 'failure'. I don't think anyone said he was a 'flagship DP'. I agree with you on one point though, we could certainly cherry pick the best DPs in the league and say that we'd rather have one of them than him.

That doesn't take away from him being T-12th in league scoring last year or the fact that in over 25% of our games last season he contributed goals/assists that led to wins or ties, that would have otherwise been ties or losses.

 

[VernonJohn]

I can’t believe how differently Stu Holden sees fouls against NYCFC. I’m watching the Portland v Union match I guess due to some masochistic tendency.
I haven’t felt such irritation by a sports announcer since Tim McCarver.
What is his problem with NYCFC?

 

[moogoo]

I can’t believe how differently Stu Holden sees fouls against NYCFC. I’m watching the Portland v Union match I guess due to some masochistic tendency.
I haven’t felt such irritation by a sports announcer since Tim McCarver.
What is his problem with NYCFC?

probably got burned by a girl from NYC ?

 

[Marito]

That's one way to move the goal posts -- you said that he was a 'dud' and a 'failure'. I don't think anyone said he was a 'flagship DP'. I agree with you on one point though, we could certainly cherry pick the best DPs in the league and say that we'd rather have one of them than him.

That doesn't take away from him being T-12th in league scoring last year or the fact that in over 25% of our games last season he contributed goals/assists that led to wins or ties, that would have otherwise been ties or losses.

He cost us a 9M transfer fee, which is the highest we've paid. Maybe he's not a flagship DP because he earns less than 1M in salary, but the transfer fee indicates he was a relatively big bet. I haven't looked at his stats in detail, so maybe he produces more than he has seemed to me, but my eye test indicates he looses the ball more than anybody in the team not named Medina. His successful dribbling percentage doesn't look great but he clearly sees himself as a dribbler. Also, the pool of DPs that I consider better than him is limited because of the fact that they have to be like for like. Then again, there's a lot. Vako, Pedro Santos. And non DPs like Muller or Gerso, Fafa Picault, etc. I am sorry but unless you discount the bottom feeders in MLS I don't see that many starting-caliber wingers compared to whom Mitrita is clearly and consistently above. He also doesn't contribute a lot in defense. Maybe I have an irrational hatred of him, but he's been a clear disappointment in my book.