Guys - regular season doesn’t matter. Let the wisdom of kjbert wash over you.
All they cared about was making the playoffs. Still doable.
All they cared about was making the playoffs. Still doable.
2023 Roster and Transfer Discussion Thread
- Thread starter Shwafta
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i don’t completely agree with the philosophy “only the playoffs matter” because seeding does matter to a certain extent, but I do understand getting hot and peaking at the right time is vital.
All of that being said the club overplayed their hand with this “only the playoffs matter”. It’s an uphill battle right now and everything is currently out of our hands. We need help. That’s not a good feeling with ten games left and it shows with clear locker room issues with certain players. Making the playoffs is not out of the realm of possibilities, but I mean this season has been a shit show and should be a lesson that you need a more capable roster to ensure that playoff spot. Retooling completely in July is silly and quite risky. The July window should be a time to add the final piece to the puzzle. Not an overhaul of the roster and hope you scrape into the playoffs then hope for the best.
Making the playoffs is the only thing that matters if you create a team in the summer transfer window capable of winning the Cup.
Otherwise, you spend your entire year setting yourself up for a quick wild card weekend exit or first round embarrassment at TQL.
Otherwise, you spend your entire year setting yourself up for a quick wild card weekend exit or first round embarrassment at TQL.
But then why set yourself up for a midseason mess with an unsettled locker room and disgruntled fans? Theres something to be said about cohesiveness and winning breeds a happier locker room. No one says you need to be in fist place wire to wire, but we are BAD. Right now this team is in shambles and the club got caught with their pants down this offseason and earlier part of the season. Rebuilding year or not they made some obvious mistakes. We've discussed this at length so far on here so no need to go into farther detail. I guess our theories will be tested out the rest of the year. Does March to July actually matter or is the season won after the transfer window closes? Only time will tell...
I think the team decided 2023 would be a retooling year. See what they have through July, then sign pieces that will help not only this season, but especially next year. They want to get in the playoffs this year but understand they are likely going to get knocked out early. I think all of these moves are about positioning themselves for a strong season next year, and whatever they get this season is gravy.
And by the way, if that was the plan -- I'm OK with it. Especially if it works. I wish they would have been a little more honest with us during the process, but if they are able to successfully retool from the Maxi, Johnson, Taty, Callens era into this new era in only one down season, that's a successful reboot.
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I'm ready to agree that finishing near the very top of the tables is not necessary. But doing well is clearly relevant. Here is a list of all the teams to win MLS Cup in the last 10 years while finishing below Fourth Place in their conference:
Here is a list of teams who won after finishing fourth in their conference:
Seattle 2016 0-0 over Toronto via kicks
2021 NYCFC 1-1 over Portland via kicks.
Here is a list of teams who made it to the Cup final and lost after finishing fourth or lower:
2018 Portland (5)
2019 Toronto (4)
2021 Portland (4)
I think the 2016 Sounders season left an inaccurate impression on MLS fans. They started 6W-12L-3T for 21 points after 21 games. They finished 8-2-3 to finish fourth with 48 points. But 48 points won't get you 4th place any more, and the Sounders rode an all-time keeper performance to win MLS Cup. That is not a model that replicates.
Teams who scratch into the last few spots of the playoffs are fodder. They exist to generate more playoff content. It's not impossible one of them wins some day, but there's no basis for sustaining realistic hope on the chance. Right now, the 4th and 5th place teams in the East project to have 54-55 points. If NYCFC finishes with 9 wins and 1 tie it will have 54 points.
Here is a list of teams who won after finishing fourth in their conference:
Seattle 2016 0-0 over Toronto via kicks
2021 NYCFC 1-1 over Portland via kicks.
Here is a list of teams who made it to the Cup final and lost after finishing fourth or lower:
2018 Portland (5)
2019 Toronto (4)
2021 Portland (4)
I think the 2016 Sounders season left an inaccurate impression on MLS fans. They started 6W-12L-3T for 21 points after 21 games. They finished 8-2-3 to finish fourth with 48 points. But 48 points won't get you 4th place any more, and the Sounders rode an all-time keeper performance to win MLS Cup. That is not a model that replicates.
Teams who scratch into the last few spots of the playoffs are fodder. They exist to generate more playoff content. It's not impossible one of them wins some day, but there's no basis for sustaining realistic hope on the chance. Right now, the 4th and 5th place teams in the East project to have 54-55 points. If NYCFC finishes with 9 wins and 1 tie it will have 54 points.
If you put David Lee on truth serum, he'd admit that after Maxi decided to go home and Callens left, the hope was never to win MLS Cup this season. It was unrealistic, we lost too much talent. Getting into the playoffs with this roster would be an accomplishment. Winning a game in the playoffs would make it a successful season with an eye towards returning to true competitiveness next year. Frankly, I believe this is the only rational way to look at the way this season was put together.
I don't buy that they needed a full year to retool. The club announced Maxi's departure on December 23. The first transfer window was open until April 24th. CFG owns 12 clubs and we have been told that CFG has one of the largest scouting networks in the world. Finding an MLS starting caliber #9 is not like finding a needle in a haystack they must have lists of players they could have tried to sign.
I think they fully believed Magno was going to turn into our next star striker. They got overconfident based on their success with Taty and thought they could easily do it again especially considering that Magno was a much higher caliber prospect upon his arrival with the club than Taty. Then the front office moved at their inexplicably slow pace in realizing Magno can't play in the middle and then again with their ploddingly slow player acquisition process and here we are multiple games into the summer window still waiting for the arrival of a #9.
I don't know if it's too many signoffs, or chasing too many players that they have low chances of signing, or just a lack of urgency but there is something fundamentally wrong with our player acquisition process. It should not take this long to get players. Other MLS teams that have roster holes have players lined up the moment windows open this team does everything at the last min and we lost an entire season because of it.
It's funny I haven't seen an opposing MLS fan call us a man city farm team in a while. I think winning the cup helped shut that up. Hopefully no one points out to them that we now only sign players under 23 and possibly being treated very much like a farm team right now by cfg.
It's the life we chose to lead when we decided to follow a AAA affiliate. 
It's the life we chose to lead when we decided to follow a AAA affiliate.
I've thought about this as well. We used to hear it all the time when it wasn't really true and now is at least kind of true and it rarely comes up. I think the U22 initiative is both part of the reason why the strategy changed and part of why people don't make the accusation.
Taty Castellanos’ move from New York City FC to Lazio delayed
Argentine forward Castellanos is eventually expected to put pen to paper on a five-year deal with the Serie A side.
Wonder if this will hold up any potential moves for Frigan/other strikers? Wasn't the rumor that we were waiting on Taty's sale to go through to make bigger acquisitions?
I don’t know but I think there’s decent chance that we sign a second striker at the end of the window who has visa issues and shows up too late to play when MLS resumes on 8/20.Taty Castellanos’ move from New York City FC to Lazio delayed
Argentine forward Castellanos is eventually expected to put pen to paper on a five-year deal with the Serie A side.en.as.com
Wonder if this will hold up any potential moves for Frigan/other strikers? Wasn't the rumor that we were waiting on Taty's sale to go through to make bigger acquisitions?
Because of course.
Both of these players signed after Bakrar did.
Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets take part in first Inter Miami training session | MLSSoccer.com
Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets take part in first Inter Miami training session | MLSSoccer.com
Here is a not necessarily complete list of players registered by MLS clubs during the Secondary summer window, who have already appeared in games for their new clubs. This excludes Americans and Canadians (even if transferred from foreign league) and at least 2 players who previously played in MLS.
Aaron Boupendza, Gabon, Cincinnati
Eugene Ansah, Ghana, Dallas
Teemu Pukki, FInland, Minnesota
This can be done.
It has been 360 days since Taty left, 202 since Heber, and 178 since Alex Callens officially departed. And their replacements aren't in country yet.
Aaron Boupendza, Gabon, Cincinnati
Eugene Ansah, Ghana, Dallas
Teemu Pukki, FInland, Minnesota
This can be done.
It has been 360 days since Taty left, 202 since Heber, and 178 since Alex Callens officially departed. And their replacements aren't in country yet.
Isn't the major difference that all three of these players had transfer agreements in place well in advanced of the July 5 transfer window opening?
Of course. That's how you do it. Or do it in the Winter Window. And so I conclude that either NYCFC was unaware of this one neat trick, or Bakrar was the only player in the entire world who was acceptable and we had no choice but to wait, or even after NYCFC knew the roster was crap, they had zero urgency to getting things done and they consider 2023 a write-off, with playoffs probably still a goal in some aspirational sense, but not necessary.
yea but none of these teams have been spending time and money trying to sign neymar
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