The team is likely worse than last season but has more potential long-term.
2017 Roster Discussion
- Thread starter NYCFCfan
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You think? Discuss.
Johnson, Matarrita, Chanot, Callens, Gomez(my only real bold prediction) will be the defense. Pirlo, Ring, and Macnamara as the midfield, with the front line being Moralez, Villa, and Harrison.
Only position in that formation I don't like really is TMac
Amazing how this board has soured on T-Mac.
I for one am partlysurprised he is still on the roster. I know that PV is a big fan of his work ethic, but I thought they might try and move him for GAM/TAM other assets over the winter.
I for one am partlysurprised he is still on the roster. I know that PV is a big fan of his work ethic, but I thought they might try and move him for GAM/TAM other assets over the winter.
I think we should be better and fairly significantly. I was actually just thinking earlier today about how much stronger a squad we project to have, and how surprising our point total really should have been in retrospect. I mean, we had 1.5 people who could score, no midfield play to speak of, poor defending (probably at least partially due to our skipping the midfield part of having a team), and poor goalkeeping.
Based solely on the respective players' records, we look to be much better. Still have a glaring gap in midfield, but we have some new and different options to fill it.
I think we have more potential this season but also more question marks. We knew that Lampard would get goals when he was on the field. He did.
My concern is that we are now Watford or West Ham - lots of new and interesting parts. One proven goal scorer. Lots of promising question marks. But how do they all fit?
My concern is that we are now Watford or West Ham - lots of new and interesting parts. One proven goal scorer. Lots of promising question marks. But how do they all fit?
Honestly, I'm really not concerned about the fit. Vieria came up with the idea to use Iraola as a Dmid, and saved our season in the process. Vieria was also unafraid to try the WM and actually had Pirlo defend on occasion, Honestly, we're lucky to have him. And due to his work last season I have no concerns about Vieria figuring out how to make everything fit together... eventually.
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I haven't really soured on T-Mac. He just disappears too much. His ability is undeniable, but will always be hindered by physical limitations. I don't like him at CAM or LW really. I'd be totally cool though if he came on as like a 60 minute sub every game. As much as a super sub as you can have in MLS.
Ratings by position, looking at potential ceiling compared to last year:
ST [=]: Maybe some Villa regression, but more rest with Okoli rather than a dog-housed Mullins behind him
W/AM [=]: Moralez and a full year of Harrison should make up for Lampard's loss
M/DM [=]: Pirlo is Pirlo, and half season of Iraola can hopefully be replaced by Ring/Herrera/Sands.
FB [=]: Matarrita developing, and Allen/Chanot/Gomez should be an improvement over Hernandez
CB [+]: I liked what I saw from Callens a lot, and we have a full season of Chanot
GK [+]: Either a little better or a lot better
Plus the potential for a summer DP.
We were +5 GD last year. Throwing out our best and worst performance, we were +7 GD. This year, we could be in the +6-10 range. That is usually good for 2nd or 3rd, sometimes 1st, sometimes 4th or 5th. Seems about right. Making the playoffs is the minimum acceptable performance for this team each and every year.
I agree entirely, and feel quite scared that we are putting that much faith in Sands, but the kid has surely impressed so far.
I feel like this is the first season where PV gets to manage a roster he has helped to construct. Last season, he was still managing a motley roster he mostly inherited, and he also had his share of lessons learned. Even with that, he still guided the team to a respectable finish (although, I honestly think that, notwithstanding wins and points, we only played a handful of great games last season). I agree that with the various additions, we should play much more effective soccer, even with some roster misses. And PV should also do much better having learned from some rookie blips. We should have a better team, but results are fickle and luck is key, so I still expect a ride.
Don't be scared, be excited!
As much as Glen Crooks is a mouthpiece for the front office, his choice in reporting style provides him job security and provides us with rather nice exclusive interviews.
I don't think we really unpacked this article enough in relation to Sands.
http://sbisoccer.com/2017/02/16-year-old-sands-impresses-vieira-villa-in-first-nycfc-appearance
More specifically this part.
“He’s proven he can play with the first team,” said Reyna, whose son Gio plays with Sands on the NYCFC U-16s. “But we haven’t yet discussed that with him or his parents. It’s one of the first discussions we’ll have when we get back from Tucson. We have to speak to his parents about the possibility of signing but we are not even there yet. We’ll take it slow with him and see how he does the rest of pre-season.”
That was prior to his showing in Wednesday night’s exhibition match.
“We still have a few weeks to make a decision, but he’s a special talent that we have in our football club,” said Vieira. “We don’t want to give him more time if he’s ready. There would be no reason not to have him with us.”
To me that sounds like the team has already come to the conclusion that hes capable and should be played. The only hangups might be his parents. Its basically a done deal except for the paperwork.
Or to put it another way, buy the damn jersey so you've got it when hes playing in the EPL.
Maxi is here to do what Viera expected Mendoza to do, but couldn't.
NYCFC also gave up 16 (!!!) set piece goals last year, tied for worst in MLS history. 5 against RBNJ alone. If they regress to the mean, that is a huge improvement right there.
You'd think if Sands was committed enough to go to IMG that he'd be ready and willing to sign a professional contract. I mean, would you really send your kid to a boarding school in Florida for soccer and then insist that they go to college?
Agreed, but here's the dirty secret that you know but don't want to say: he's not going to be a super sub for us. He lacks the pace to get in behind or stretch a back line and the athleticism to defend a lead. The best use case for him is if we're playing someone who's sitting very deep. Then, he can be a big help breaking them down, as he's got a good distance shot, some nice touches around the box, and a little creativity. And just importantly, they won't be pressuring him 45 yards from goal because that's when he's just deadly to us. It's suicidal on our part to let him have the ball in the middle of the park if the other team isn't entirely sitting with 25 yards of their own goal.
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