I wouldn’t be shocked if by the end of the season he becomes our best and most important off-season signing. Based on film alone (for what that is worth) his game and skill set excite me more than Medina’s.
[Official] NYCFC signs Ebenezer Ofori
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dummyrun
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This is good context. Still weird that they kicked him to the second division after one game and then loaned him with a buy option while he was supposedly playing well for the B team. I think he looks like a steal but I'm wondering what put Stuttgart off him.
Seven
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I got the impression he didn't know him that well, and so it was more about the principle of bringing in an unproven foreigner instead of a domestic. Problem is, Mikey is only proven in that we proved he shouldn't be on the field much in MLS
I wouldn't put too much weight into the "with a buy option" part of things. MLS will only bring in players on loan if there is a buy option. Perhaps Stuttgart wanted him to get PT, decided MLS was a great spot for him to do so, so they took on the additional administrative burden of loaning him here.
It's not his fault that the draft isn't that important. If it were, he'd have a nice long career in MLS bouncing across the annual tank jobs.
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dummyrun
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The buy option matters because it means Stuttgart wasn't just loaning him for development, they're willing to let him go for good.
This has been my issue with all the podcasts lately. I’m finding it difficult to listen because we discuss things in much more detail here and they do roughly 1/10th of the research before recording.
Look, I get I’m spoiled. Grew up on NYC sports talk radio where the the hosts are experts on what they are discussing. And to be fair, some of these podcasters know much more about the game in general and the players out there than I ever hope to learn. But there have been topics lately where I literally cringe when they try to discuss it; the stadium and CCL come to mind right away. Their facts are wrong to start with and then they argue over it and I just can’t listen.
Haven’t heard this mikey Lopez bit yet, but again it’s probably more of the same. Why not focus the discussion on how he was almost a DP last year and what ifs? You’re probably right that they didn’t even know. And that’s another problem, missing the opportunity for good conversations. Ok, I’ll stop now, but this has been bugging me going on at least the last few months.
May have been the coach not being able to have him in practice in preseason, and not giving him a chance due to having a preferred 11. I think he came in for a few minutes, made a mistake that cost them points, and was on the coach's shitlist from then on out. Sucks being judged based off a few minutes, but some coaches don't offer leeway for players. If he was given a chance I'm sure he would've been fine for Stuttgart, but if a team has just been promoted and will be fighting to stay in the top division, a mistake and dropped points is something the coach can't let go of lightly.
But I'm saying it doesn't matter here, because MLS requires them for all loans. There very well could be a handshake deal in place where they decide not to really use the buy option.
Herrera is loaned here with a buy option, but no chance in hell he is sold to us unless he disappoints.
Agreed. One of the most frustrating things I have with the 2 NYCFC podcasts I listen to is they often get facts wrong. Sometimes its little items that don't really matter, but it still irks me nonetheless. Even if you get it wrong right away, or are unsure - you probably have a computer in front of you, look it up and confirm!!!
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dummyrun
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Oh I see what you're saying. Hard to imagine MLS would let teams contract around their buy option requirement, or else what's the point of requiring it? Intra-CFG loans are a special case because MLS knew what they were signing up for there.
I'm not saying the teams would be contracting around their requirement, hence "handshake agreement"
Seven
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I'm not sure that is true anymore.
As a part of MLS rules, each team is allowed two players on loan with no option to buy, meaning that it is a loan and only a loan and that the player will return back to the original club at the end of the deal. MLS doesn’t want to become a league where players go on loan from bigger teams around the world, essentially becoming a feeder league. So they want as many loan options as possible to become permanent. But they allow for two loans each year, per team, that are loans in the purest meaning of the word.
https://www.metro.us/new-york/red-b...ng-through-mls-rulebook/zsJphi---03ivUxVflpYs
And further more, this is again, one of those things that happens when you loan players to MLS, whether you're looking for player development or to eventually sell a player.
If Stuttgart wanted to get Ofori playing time and wanted to loan him out, I guess they could look elsewhere in Europe, but now you're talking about a team taking on a midfielder on loan midway through the season. Probably not a great way to get him significant playing time as he has to come up to speed midway through the season.
All I'm saying is that because he's loaned here with a buy-option (which we have no idea how much it is), it doesn't mean that Stuttgart doesn't see anything in him
If Stuttgart wanted to get Ofori playing time and wanted to loan him out, I guess they could look elsewhere in Europe, but now you're talking about a team taking on a midfielder on loan midway through the season. Probably not a great way to get him significant playing time as he has to come up to speed midway through the season.
All I'm saying is that because he's loaned here with a buy-option (which we have no idea how much it is), it doesn't mean that Stuttgart doesn't see anything in him
I can’t stand Roberto going on and on about how great Ben Sweat is (Roberto believes Sweat is national team material...). He literally thinks Sweat should start over Matarrita if both are healthy. Come on.
Yeah, I don't really get all the Ben Sweat love.
Like, I realize he completely outperformed expectations. And I do think he'll be a valuable role player this year, but did anyone actually see him play any defense last year at LB? (I say this while also realizing that he played very well in the playoff match against Columbus when he played CB - but IMO that was a great performance by him as opposed to what I would expect out of him)
Marito
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Also, the nosedive Wallace suffered playing with him instead of Matarrita may indicate that Sweat's way of contributing to the offense (slow, some dribbling, short passing) while it looks good on paper and passes the eye test, may not add much to the team's productivity and may even encourage or reinforce some bad habits, whereas Mata's style (faster, stretching the field) brings elements we really really lack and need.
Wasn’t is Sweat who made a pretty ridiculous run in to the box in yesterday’s RSL preseason highlights, beating multiple defenders, and then making an assist-worthy pass? Or was that somebody else.
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