General MLS Discussion
- Thread starter Shwafta
- Start date
This is very cool. We're second from bottom left.
this is a great idea and kinda reminds me of the borough pins we got the one season. it's been awhile since i've gone to games consistently... has the club given season themed freebies like the this or the our borough pins the last couple seasons?
on the flip side...
San Jose Earthquakes name Bruce Arena head coach & sporting director | MLSSoccer.com
The San Jose Earthquakes have named Bruce Arena head coach and sporting director, the club announced Thursday.
www.mlssoccer.com
I was just coming here to post a link to the Curtin story from The Athletic.
Bet San Jose and Chicago wish they can get a do over.
Bet San Jose and Chicago wish they can get a do over.
I think a string of incredible academy productions paired with savvy roster construction led to success that made Curtin look like a much better coach than he actually is. That said I think the Union's lack of spending compared to the rest of the league is starting to catch up with them and unless they are willing to increase their roster spend a different coach isn't going to make any difference. I know their academy is good but there is no way their current rate of prospect generation is sustainable and that is the main thing covering for the lack of spending.
Is it academy? The way I remember it, the recent core was Blake, Glesnes, Gazdag, Elliot, Martinez, Carranza, Bedoya, Wagner, all valuable guys they had gotten at a discount or at a great price. The only academy product was McGlynn, but the fanbase didn't even like him much. Aaronson they sold a while back; Sullivan only getting minutes this season, etc. Maybe more academy products than most but not 100% crucial IMHO. But I am no expert. Maybe I am misremembering
i'm not cushing out, but i wouldn't take curtin if cushing left or got sacked. though i think it would be pretty funny if cushing became our head coach after all his oil money comments.
I would take him sure, but. . . . . . .
--CFG would never hire him.
--Curtin wouldn't want to come here.
--He's going to go to Atlanta and thrive.
In 2022 the Union overperformed xGD by 22.5. It was +10 on offense and +12 on defense, a lot of that no doubt Andre Blake. But no keeper is so good that he can sustain that level year over year. But at the time, Curtin was deemed a genius.
In 2023 they exceeded xG differential by 12. Still huge but also a big drop. +5 offense and +7 defense. Curtin merely a good coach
In 2024 they exceed xGD by 7. Blake played less than half their games. Still almost +6 on offense but merely +1 on defense. Curtin fired.
They have pretty much the same core, including scorers Gazdag, Carranza and Uhre. But those guys are not Messi level and cannot overperform their xG consistently. Coaches have almost no effect on that either. The Union was not as good as appearances in 2022. They're only disappointing in 2024 compared to the unrealistic expectations of 2022.
But to be fair to the people who fired Curtin, the Union defense cratered aside from Blake. xGA went from 39 to 45 to 54. I don't know what that's about Their back line has the same people and none are very old. A defense that stays together should keep getting better absent aging issues.
I have no data to support this hypothesis but maybe the league has shifted from a tactics and/or talent standpoint where having two big lumbering CBs like Elliot and Glesnes isn't as effective as it has been in the past.
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I don't have the exact stat in front of me, but I saw something this year that Philly when Blake was in net had very good results. In the games he didn't play, they were very bad and lost a lot of games. It might have just been that simple.
Atlanta does seem like a great spot for him.
according to the "what this season meant for philly" writeup, philly had a lot of individual mistakes in the back line and goal keeper positions.
Apparently Inter Miami isn’t sold out for tomorrow’s playoff game (with Messi) and seats available for around $100 each.
Wow. Guess the Messi fanatics are getting tired.
Wow. Guess the Messi fanatics are getting tired.
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