Dagnabbit, was totally going to go the whole Taylor Swift route but you beat me to it! LOL
David Lee Departs NYCFC for SKC
- Thread starter twsj91
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It's a possibility. I mentioned that last night in this thread myself. The sporting department at City has been thoroughly revamped, and just last week they had another big meeting to discuss further restructuring. Lee might not have heard what he was hoping to hear.
But my trusty Occam's Razor tells me it has less to do with the palace intrigue at CFG than David simply getting an offer he couldn't refuse. Big fish in a small pond rather than the other way around. And the blues and BBQ in Kansas City are awesome.
Maybe he thought it would it would be easier to get tickets for the World Cup tixs in Kansas City if he worked for the local soccer team than it will be for MetLife.
The first test of is CFG slow or was David Lee slow will be how quickly they find a successor. Will we have someone before the end of the season to allow them to start lining up moves before camp or will this be dragged out and used as an excuse for limited roster moves pre-camp and in the first window?
Dragged out. When does NYCFC do anything timely?
If there was another team in MLS that was extremely successful, I couldn't think of a less offensive team than SKC. That being said, I still can't make sense of this move by them. Lee was handed access to one of the most advanced scouting systems in the world. His biggest successes came from signing CFG sister club talents. He whiffed on so many bad external purchases.
This feels like the Oakland A's signing Brian Cashman or the Miami Marlins signing Carlos Mendoza. Just seems like such a terrible fit.
I can't imagine his successes will be hard to replace.
This feels like the Oakland A's signing Brian Cashman or the Miami Marlins signing Carlos Mendoza. Just seems like such a terrible fit.
I can't imagine his successes will be hard to replace.
ZYanksRule
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A few really interesting quotes from David Lee in this MLS piece. Feels like the first time we've heard him speak honestly about this type of stuff.
www.mlssoccer.com
Why David Lee left NYCFC for “something special” at Sporting KC | MLSSoccer.com
As he leaves New York City FC this week to become Sporting Kansas City’s new chief soccer officer, David Lee expects to field an inevitable question, particularly from proud inhabitants of “the greatest city on earth, the center of the universe,” as author Ellen R. Shapiro once described Gotham and
www.mlssoccer.com
Marito
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Are those stats correct? I saw the same thing about total points written about the Union recently, and we missed the playoffs last season, while the hated NJ team had that 15 year streak, so they have been in the playoffs 10 times since 2015. Unless they are calculating it including 2025. In that case we would be tied at 9. I mean, I am glad that we are up there with the leaders in both categories but I am not sure we are alone at the top.
It has to include this year as part of the 10, which helps NYCFC 2 ways: it adds a no-playoff year to RB, and excludes our very low 2015 point total.
According to ASA, NYC has 523 points from 2016 to now. Seattle and the Union have 515 and RB is next at 492. Of course, a 10 year total handicaps more recent expansion teams.
If you go by points per game, SD is on top at 1.82 in its first year. If you exclude that as way too small a sample the best is LAFC at 1.73 over 8 years. We're next at a 1.59, followed closely by the same teams as in the total: Seattle, the Union and RB, all 10 year records.
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ZYanksRule
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For all the fan consternation, much of it fair, we have been a very consistently good team in MLS for virtually our entire existence. Most MLS teams have down years, for us to have only one bad season since 2016 is a major feather in David Lee's cap.
Exactly. We've been consistently good for a decade and we're verging on great right now. He deserves fair credit for that.
Great pull quotes above, by the way. They really add to the picture.
Sims often points to similar stats, and I don’t want to take the success for granted, it’s great to watch your team be consistently competitive. But over the years, since the Cup win, have we ever truly been in the conversation with the top MLS Cup or Shield contenders?
I don’t think it’s fair to measure success solely by trophies; winning one can be fickle, but it’s worth noting that despite all the “success” they like to cite with this stat, there hasn’t been a single season since the Cup win where NYCFC was viewed as one of the league’s elite teams.
They’re essentially bragging about being really good at getting a B+, while ignoring the fact that they’ve never put themselves in a realistic position to earn an A+.
Without saying the consternation is or is not justified, I believe it can be explained by the difference between the first half of team history and the second.
Staying with the last 10 years (ie excluding 2015):
2016-2020 PPG 1.70. Second only to LAFC, who only played 3 of the years).
2021-2025 PPG 1.50. Seven teams have done better excluding San Diego.
Top 8 is still quite good, but that's a significant fall off.
If you include 2015, then 2015-2020 (six years) is 1.59.
No matter how you break it down, the last 5 years have not been as good as the early years. On the plus side, this is the best regular season of the last 5. I also think the fan perception is affected by the fact that this year did not seem to be all that good until about 75% through. After Game 21 the PPG was below 1.50, and it did not approach 1.7 until Game 28.
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ZYanksRule
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I think we were in that position every year from probably 2019-2022, if not even earlier. Yes, I count 2022 because despite the coaching change we went to the conference final.
I think in the years since then there are reasonable reasons to complain about roster construction, but generally speaking we have been building towards what we are now, which is a team that has a legitimate chance to make a run. And I think our Cup window will truly open starting next year if it isn't open already.
Lee took over in 2021, so the years filled with roster complaints are essentially his tenure once the Claudio foundation moved on.
Describing that period as “building toward something” feels overly generous given the amount of roster churn. Over four years, Lee cycled through a string of failed acquisitions before finally landing on the current roster, one that’s very good in moments but still extremely shallow and deeply flawed.
Rebuilds aren’t necessary in MLS, and taking four years to reach this point was a waste. Lee squandered multiple seasons of a strong backline and midfield while floundering to piece together even a competent attack.
As far as a cup window next year, it's possible. Historically, good things happen for NYCFC the season after the GM leaves. It will all depend on the club's ability to keep the majority of the core together, move quickly to replace any key players that do depart, and hit on the first try on player additions to enhance the roster and fill any holes left by departing players. All things Lee was terrible at, so fingers crossed that the new GM is better.
ZYanksRule
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Yes, all of that is true. It's why there are legitimate reasons for our frustration. But show me the team that has had more overall success than us since 2016. Overall, we have been one of the most fortunate fanbases in this league for almost our entire history. 2015 sucked. 2023 sucked. We've had a few other seasons that have been mediocre by our lofty standards, but generally speaking we have been a damn good franchise. And Lee, for his warts and mistakes and missteps and delays, gets credit for that.
We are frustrated because we expect more for the biggest media market in the country, and we should expect more. But ask the Yankees what it's like to have those expectations. NYCFC has been a team for 10 years, won a championship, made another conference final, and been in the playoffs almost every year. Things could be a lot worse.
For me the issue with Lee is that what wasn't great about him (at least from what we can tell) didn't have to be bad - speed of action. The old advice to fail fast. Lee did not fail fast. His failures were excruciatingly slow. Too many windows where moves were postponed. Too many seasons without the max number of key players (DP/U22), including right now.
I can deal with a swing and miss. But I hate not swinging.
And for the team with more overall success, and the team I wish we would emulate, LAFC. All those stats mgarbowski pulled above - as soon as LAFC qualifies for the 10 year conversation, their success level will be well ahead of ours.
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