Contending in 2018
- Thread starter Fake Jew
- Start date
TAM at $1.5 Million I heard on the radio the other day.
I change the formation and go 4-4-2. I get a Target forward to play next to Villa as a DP player. Say Giroud. And I spend all my TAM on a left sided midfielder that can cross a ball into the box and provide cover defensively.
That’s Pirlo redux. His legs have been gone.
New MLS rule. Every team can sign 3DP + one aging and tactically useless star for jersey sales. The merchandise star doesn’t count against the Cap but also cannot be involved in more than 3 wins all season.
I know the team had a collective brain fart on Tuesday, but the question is for next year - do you blow it up or tweak. To me, players who must be on the roster/in the lineup next year are:
Johnson
Callens
Chanot
Ring
Herrera (if CFG let’s him stay another year)
Harrison (if he doesn’t get sold - good offer you take it)
Villa
Lewis
That’s a potential 8/11 starters coming back. Anybody else could either be upgraded or let go for better depth options. Priorities should be FB and another playmaker/scorer to take load off Villa. Easily doable with DP and TAM - plus could get a ton of GAM selling Mata and/or Harrison.
Johnson
Callens
Chanot
Ring
Herrera (if CFG let’s him stay another year)
Harrison (if he doesn’t get sold - good offer you take it)
Villa
Lewis
That’s a potential 8/11 starters coming back. Anybody else could either be upgraded or let go for better depth options. Priorities should be FB and another playmaker/scorer to take load off Villa. Easily doable with DP and TAM - plus could get a ton of GAM selling Mata and/or Harrison.
Pirlo > Sands
Brillant > Ferraressi
Wallace > Lewis
Lopez > Awuah
I think those are 4 players on their way out. We drastically reduce our Cap charges there. Those moves free up 1 DP Slot and $500k of cap charge and probably another $500k of cap charges between Brillant, Wallace and Lopez. Lewis is GA and he won't have a cap charge next year.
I think those 4 guys are easily replaced. We then need competition at LW, a new RB, a CM that can play 34 matches and depth on the wings.
I believe Herrera is gone. That will be more cap room but we need a starter to replace him.
Brillant > Ferraressi
Wallace > Lewis
Lopez > Awuah
I think those are 4 players on their way out. We drastically reduce our Cap charges there. Those moves free up 1 DP Slot and $500k of cap charge and probably another $500k of cap charges between Brillant, Wallace and Lopez. Lewis is GA and he won't have a cap charge next year.
I think those 4 guys are easily replaced. We then need competition at LW, a new RB, a CM that can play 34 matches and depth on the wings.
I believe Herrera is gone. That will be more cap room but we need a starter to replace him.
You tweak it, don't blow it up. We have a solid core of players returning and limited time with Villa. Cut some of the fat and make some solid additions to shore up starting positions. Some of our current starters move to bench options.
I'd personally like to see us get rid of Pirlo (obviously happening) and TMac (doubt it happens). Some of the other guys that people want to get rid of are often already very cheap and I think can stay (i.e., Lopez, Shelton, Okoli). I'd like to see us offload Brillant's salary, but only if we can grab another quality CB somewhere. I know Ferraressi is coming in, but I'm not completely sold on him until I see some first team MLS minutes. I'd very much like to see us go after another quality CB.
If we were able to grab a 4th quality CB, then I'd love to see a move to 3 at the back. But to just keep things simple, this is what I'd like to see next year for a starting XI and bench.
DP LW---------Villa---------Harrison
------------------Maxi-----------------
-----------Ring----------Herrera--------
Matarrita--Callens--Chanot--TAM RB
-----------------Johnson---------------
Johansen (or new GK), Sands, Ferraresi, Sweat, Wallace, Lewis, New Midfielder (8)
Furthermore, as I typed that all out, if we do stick with a 4-3-3, then I think we can probably get rid of Brillant if we retain Sweat and White. Not big fans of either of them, but they do provide some depth at CB in case we were to see injury/suspension to 2 of the other CBs.
I'd personally like to see us get rid of Pirlo (obviously happening) and TMac (doubt it happens). Some of the other guys that people want to get rid of are often already very cheap and I think can stay (i.e., Lopez, Shelton, Okoli). I'd like to see us offload Brillant's salary, but only if we can grab another quality CB somewhere. I know Ferraressi is coming in, but I'm not completely sold on him until I see some first team MLS minutes. I'd very much like to see us go after another quality CB.
If we were able to grab a 4th quality CB, then I'd love to see a move to 3 at the back. But to just keep things simple, this is what I'd like to see next year for a starting XI and bench.
DP LW---------Villa---------Harrison
------------------Maxi-----------------
-----------Ring----------Herrera--------
Matarrita--Callens--Chanot--TAM RB
-----------------Johnson---------------
Johansen (or new GK), Sands, Ferraresi, Sweat, Wallace, Lewis, New Midfielder (8)
Furthermore, as I typed that all out, if we do stick with a 4-3-3, then I think we can probably get rid of Brillant if we retain Sweat and White. Not big fans of either of them, but they do provide some depth at CB in case we were to see injury/suspension to 2 of the other CBs.
I’m not sure you keep Mata as an LB. Two years in a row now he has made critical defensive errors late in MLS playoff games (the second goal in Toronto’s 2-0 win and Afful’s goal). Maybe you play him higher up the field.
I would say sell him, but his value must have declined as he hasn’t played and/or has played mostly midfield sub since getting hurt. Plays as a WB in CR’s 5 man back line too.
I would say sell him, but his value must have declined as he hasn’t played and/or has played mostly midfield sub since getting hurt. Plays as a WB in CR’s 5 man back line too.
I still think I'd keep him as LB. I sure as hell prefer him there over Sweat and unless there's a great option out there we can grab, I'd keep him there.
Also think about this, before Leg 1 this year, when was the last time he played LB for us? Let alone in a situation where we were chasing a goal with 10 men. Yeah he messed up pretty bad on the Afful goal, but I don't think that and the TFC goal last year (I don't exactly remember this, but I'll take your word for it) is enough to not want him back there.
If Vieira is going to play a 3-5-2 then...
---------------------Villa--------DP---------------------
--Matarrita--Ring--Moralez--Herrera--Harrison---
--------------Callens--Chanot--Ferrarsi---------------
------------------------Johnson--------------------------
---------------------Villa--------DP---------------------
--Matarrita--Ring--Moralez--Herrera--Harrison---
--------------Callens--Chanot--Ferrarsi---------------
------------------------Johnson--------------------------
Matarrita is still the best LB on the roster. He's out of shape and out of form. I think he's here next year, which is different than I thought 6 months ago.
There is no need to blow this thing up. You go into next year with your starting GK, starting CBs, starting LB, two starting midfielders, your starting RW/RM and your starting Striker.
That means you need a LM/LW, a RB and maybe a Striker depending on the formation.
I'm with canchon - we're 3 starters short and go into the offseason with $1.5 Million in TAM and a DP slot. I feel good about this.
There is no need to blow this thing up. You go into next year with your starting GK, starting CBs, starting LB, two starting midfielders, your starting RW/RM and your starting Striker.
That means you need a LM/LW, a RB and maybe a Striker depending on the formation.
I'm with canchon - we're 3 starters short and go into the offseason with $1.5 Million in TAM and a DP slot. I feel good about this.
I like this, I just don't see how Herrera is here next year.
What about...
----------------Villa----------DP---------------
--Matarrita--Moralez--TAM--Harrison-----
---------------------Ring------------------------
----------Callens-Chanot-Ferraressi---------
------------------Johnson----------------------
You play a back 3. All 3 are athletic. Ferraressi is a right sided Callens. Ring cleans up the mess and protects them. He's our engine. You play with 2 #10s as Chelsea and City do. You go spend TAM and hope you can get a Victor Vazquez or Lodeiro type player. You partner Villa with a strike partner. Harrison and Matarrita both have to play defense but they also get forward. I think Harrison can do it.
You know who would fit in perfectly on this team? Olivier Giroud.
Yeah, I don't think the 5 will play in a straight line. It's going to be either a 1-4 or 2-3 in the middle. I see Herrera still with NYCFC. I honestly don't think he's shown enough to make a jump to a European league yet and him learning directly from Vieira which is the like for like position with Herrera is the best thing for his development.
But yes, if he isn't coming back on loan, then a TAM level player.
Marito
Registered
I second that. Blowing up a group that ended the regular season on 2nd place in all MLS is absurd. There's no market to trade Maxi and he can't be bought down with TAM, so unless we cut him and eat his salary (not likely because of bad precedent and sheer cost) he is a DP starter and a key piece. Let's accept that idea and hope he reveals himself to be a better 10 when surrounded by a better cast. I'm not sure what to do with Mata. PV doesn't rate him as a LB, and if Wallace is on his way out we can do better than Mata on LM/LW. If we think there's no market for him my option would be to return him to LB, accept that he'll be better offensively than defensively, and turbocharge that flank as an attacking option with a TAM or DP LM/LW. Other than that, RB is the other weak link, and we need to invest substantial TAM there.
In general, looking at our current starting XI and assuming Mata there instead of Sweat, White/Struna and Wallace are a cut below everybody else, clearly. And we need a scorer bigly. Not a big mystery really.
In terms of bench cuts I would cut Shelton and Okoli, even thought they are inexpensive, and TMac unless he can be traded. Brillant I'm torn about because Chanot is fragile, and Ferraresi doesn't look too promising. I mean, CFG parked him in 2nd division in Uruguay.
Marito
Registered
I don't know why people say with such certainty that Herrera won't be here next year. I like Yangel and he's done pretty well for us, but I don't think he's set the league on fire to such a degree he cannot learn from staying in MLS. I don't think at this point in his development he'll necessarily nail a starter role in any significant league in Europe, nor that CFG is necessarily looking for that exposure so they can sell him and make a quick profit. He's guaranteed a spot here, PV wants him, why would CFG deny that request unless the player himself wants out? Drop him in Eredivisie or Portugal and he may warm the bench mostly, IMHO. I don't know. But he's not like, say, Chucky Lozano who at 21 had clearly outgrown Liga MX. Many guys who seem to be doing great in MLS go to Europe to fairly anonymous careers in lower European leagues.
My first instinct as that those ">" were indicating the traditional greater than/less than nomenclature and I was so confused. Brillant is expensive but an 18 year old Ferraressi seems like a very high risk replacement. Wallace also seems like a reasonable utility player for his cost so I'm not sure why we would dump him. Does Lopez even make enough to be one of the players that hit the cap?
Selling Harrison at this point makes no sense unless the offer is massive, per MLS rules:
A club shall receive the transfer or loan fee revenue (including agent fees and other expenses) from any transaction involving a Generation adidas Player or player acquired via the MLS SuperDraft based on the number of MLS service years:
MLS Service Years Transfer/Loan Fee Revenue to Club
1 year - 1/3
2 years - 1/2
3+ years - 2/3
Source: https://www.mlssoccer.com/league/official-rules/mls-roster-rules-and-regulations
Remember though that he's not ours. CFG will make a business decision that benefits MCFC regarding Herrera. If Marseilles want to spend $5 Million to buy Herrera, that's $5 Million that goes back into Pep's budget. And it's terrific business.
I think Yangel believes he is ready to move up a level, but he is not. He should stay one more year in MLS. Problem is whether CFG overvalues him and wants to give him European pixie dust.
Mata is dying to go to Europe. I think his personal plan was to tear it up this year and move to Europe and now with all the injuries either that won’t happen or his valuation is way down. Remember how distraught he was when getting injured again? It’s because he knows that the injury means one more year until he can get to Europe.
Mata is dying to go to Europe. I think his personal plan was to tear it up this year and move to Europe and now with all the injuries either that won’t happen or his valuation is way down. Remember how distraught he was when getting injured again? It’s because he knows that the injury means one more year until he can get to Europe.
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