2019 Roster Discussion

What Position Should NYCFC Target For Its Splash Signing?

  • Striker

    Votes: 52 89.7%
  • Midfielder

    Votes: 3 5.2%
  • Defender

    Votes: 3 5.2%

  • Total voters
    58
So this basically guaranteed we’re making a summer move right?
Sign a big name to a bought down contract and then we take the DP hit next year?
 
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So this basically guaranteed we’re making a summer move right?
Sign a big name to a bought down contract and then we take the DP hit next year?

Well. Move Medina for a DP. And then your suggestion. Buy down what would be a DP this season with Jlew $ and use Maxi’s DP spot on him next season. Keep Maxi around as a TAM player. That’s the perfect world.
 
So this basically guaranteed we’re making a summer move right?
Sign a big name to a bought down contract and then we take the DP hit next year?

Doesn’t it depend on if we received GAM or TAM?

If it’s GAM, it goes into the piggy bank and I don’t think it’s used this summer.
 
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Hope so, I think we're one major piece away from being a contender. Hopefully dropping Medina is in the cards and we can spend spend spend.

For some reason I agree with you. But that’s against my better judgement with Dome.

What is that major piece to you and who do they dislodge in the lineup? Assume Maxi, Mitrita and Heber all have to start.
 
Doesn’t it depend on if we received GAM or TAM?

If it’s GAM, it goes into the piggy bank and I don’t think it’s used this summer.

I think that depends who is available and if they think they need that extra DP to put us over the top this season.
 
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I think that depends who is available and if they think they need that extra DP to put us over the top this season.

Understood. But if they received TAM, they have to spend it or lose it. GAM could be set aside for a future need.
 
Understood. But if they received TAM, they have to spend it or lose it. GAM could be set aside for a future need.

GAM could be. But doesn’t have to. Why I wrote it depends on those factors.
 
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Following generous suggestions, I have broken this into paragraphs and posted in the right thread.

Generally speaking, if the world and therefore squad construction were entirely logical, we should respect the hierarchy DP > TAM > cheap, so we should have our obvious and more blatant holes in positions that have been patched up cheaply. Alas our clearest hole is left back, were Sweat fills in for the presumed starter Mata all too often because Mata cannot stay healthy.

OTOH many people argue against spending valuable DP spots on non-attacking positions. So is there any attacking position we would for sure want to upgrade?

Maxi is probably the most talented and consistent player on this team, and the shambles the teams turns into in his absence is proof enough. The chances of striking lightning with a DP like Pozuelo, or Vela, is always slim (see for example Nico Gaitan who has a better resume than those 2 but looks a shell of his former self). So the idea of risking a DP slot to replace the very good (Maxi) for the amazing is a bit too ambitious and can end in waste. Also, it would surely disrupt both the rhythm and the locker room, as one of Maxi pre-eminent characteristics is leadership on the field. He is a high-usage organizer rather than a sporadic assist machine. I remember during his first season, when he was being criticized, defending him by mentioning that I took guts and self-confidence to walk into a new club and basically ask for the keys to the team bus, so to speak.

I would rather replace Ofori with a 15 to 20 million world-class young or youngish #8 DP who can also contribute offensively. Heber I would only supersede if we're getting a super-famous 9 who will also bring butts to the stadium seats. If we're going to continue with 5-3-2 we already have a great winger in ITS who doesn't deserve it but is the odd man out. So no more wingers. We all hope Mitrita will start producing to justify his price tag, and that should make him an automatic and crucial starter.

Sweat deserves to be replaced but the replacement should probably be TAM/GAM especially since Mata also plays 30-40% of the time, and he is a good upgrade and the new formation requires less defensive contributions, which are Mata's weakness.

The truth is we have a good and deep squad. Maybe the biggest weakness is that we have no CAM whatsoever to fill in for Maxi if he gets injured. But his sub should be a cheap or semi-cheap option such as Kenny Saief or Benny Feilhaber. Somebody who knows and understands the position but will not displace nor is being groomed to succeed Maxi. If we want to groom a succesor it would have to be an Academy kid, otherwise when we feel Maxi is declining we should go get a really good and expensive plug-and-play CAM DP.

So despite the dream of getting rid of Medina, if 2 out of 3 DPs chugg along (Mitrita's grade is incomplete yet) I don't see an obvious path to introduce a 3rd one.
 
A few more comments. The league is growing and improving fast, and a breach is opening between elite and 2nd tier. I think we are at the very least 2nd tier. How to catapult up is the question? But we have no precedent to judge by. Not long ago we were crying because of Jack Harrison's departure because he seemed to be clearly our 2nd best attacking player/scorer. I would argue ITS has performed pretty much at the same level since acquired via TAM, and we are not even sure if we can fit him in our regular Starting XI! So we are pushing through developmental phases pretty fast, and that makes the squad cost and talent, when evaluated by position, pretty unbalanced and difficult to predict. Add to that our first regular starter homegrown. We used to field Ethan White, Mikey and others of that caliber in our starting XI, and now we're trying to purge similar players even from the 18.
 
A few more comments. The league is growing and improving fast, and a breach is opening between elite and 2nd tier. I think we are at the very least 2nd tier. How to catapult up is the question? But we have no precedent to judge by. Not long ago we were crying because of Jack Harrison's departure because he seemed to be clearly our 2nd best attacking player/scorer. I would argue ITS has performed pretty much at the same level since acquired via TAM, and we are not even sure if we can fit him in our regular Starting XI! So we are pushing through developmental phases pretty fast, and that makes the squad cost and talent, when evaluated by position, pretty unbalanced and difficult to predict. Add to that our first regular starter homegrown. We used to field Ethan White, Mikey and others of that caliber in our starting XI, and now we're trying to purge similar players even from the 18.
I think a big part of catapulting into the elite is taking advantage of what appears to be a very strong academy class coming through. Having more homegrowns on the roster will give us so much cap room to improve the rest of the squad.

In the short term, a Pozuelo-level / Giovinco-level / Villa-level player who can put the team on his back and do something extraordinary when teams, coaches and systems are evenly matched. Mitri might be that guy but it's too soon to tell. Even there I think we tried to moneyball it a little. No news, but we need to make our DP spots count for more.