60 replies to this topic

[67% Class]

In advance of actually seeing the team play, how you grade this offseason? 

 

For me, it's a C or C-.

 

I am assuming:

- Luqs is Marsch Kaku 2.0

- Morgan is as good as people on here think

- Klimala improves in year 2, playing as a consistent lone forward. 

- There is an unknown 2nd forward that makes Barlow 3rd string (Sowe, Archimede, Harper)?

- There's another left back capable player I dont know about.

 

 

Moves can still be made (and likely would) but I was expecting more moves by Thelwell than have occurred. 

 

Who knows, maybe they look killer vs. the quakes and Struber has gotten everything to just click.....

 

[iced1776]

Up to this point I'm somewhere around a B-/C+

Starting lineup is a bit stronger (I love the Luquinhas and Morgan signings) but depth is noticeably worse. I think Thelwell needed a few more signings to really win fans over into believing the team has become title contenders again. Starting CM, backup striker, and backup left back would have gotten an A+ rating from me. Hopefully those are still coming over the next few weeks.

[guanaco20]

I would give it a D, for DON'T Give a FUCK about Winning!!!, first offseason that I have been turned off by the way the Team has been constructed and how the attitude of ownership have had towards building a winning culture.

[Brian.MLS]

Lewis Morgan: A
Luquinhas: B+
Daniel Edelman replacing Sean Davis: D. Anyone that watched Edelman in USL knows the kid needs some strength and conditioning. More skills than Mines, but same downfall at the highest level.
Fabio replaced by Serge Ngoma and Zach Ryan, leaving Barlow as our "next up": F
Duncan replaced with Edwards, Edwards replaced with Long: N/A
Gutman not replaced and Pendant MIA: F. Drop from Gutman to Tolkin is substantial. If Tolkin goes down, welcome to left back Dylan Nealis? Ofori started 3 matches in USL last year and is not ready to step up. Castillo is not an MLS caliber player.
Spending a lot of money to keep Clark, on loan: F
Spending a lot of money to draft Nocita: D (possibly F if he doesn't join the team this year, for that much GAM).
Making a big deal to sign Coronel: F. Shows the sad state the team is in to highlight a player they exercised a purchase option on.
Bringing Edwards back on loan: B+
Signing Jesus Castellano to the first team based on the same agent as a handful of others that are/were here: F
Front office transparency: F

[elf]

Struber has said in the past that in 2022 we will be playing for trophies.

 

Based on that promise, can this team compete for trophies? i dont think so, that is why i give the offseason a D.

 

At GK

We are pretty solid. we are lucky to have 2 guys, Coronel and Meara, who can start in MLS.

 

At Defense

On the wings, I am glad that we got Edwards back but he is currently injured. Dylan Nealis will probably fill this spot temporarily. He was highly regarded coming out of college but has been a bust in MLS. he couldn't find his way in Miami or Nashville. will he fulfill his potential to be an elite outside back in MLS? i dont know.  the potential is there but needs confidence and more experience. As for Tolkin, i am expecting him to have a big year. if we make a run in MLS, he will have a big role and maybe he gets a look by the USMNT. As for tolkin's back up? who knows who that player is. i originally thought it was going to be pendant who could fill the void but rumors have it that he is not with the team. this is a big problem if tolkin needs rest or gets hurt. 

 

On CB, we have a lot of questions. losing Reyes was a big blow. he is our most gifted CB on this team. Long has been out for a year. we have not seen him play. i am keeping expectations low since i am not expecting the same player.  Sean Nealis has weaknesses in his game. he made improvements during the season to hide his lack of speed with better positioning. how will this transition to this season?  We will see. As for Monzon, we dont know what to expect from this guy. has not played at the MLS level and is filled with question marks.

 

I see too many problems with the defensive backline and this offseason didnt address my concerns.

 

Midfield

We lost Davis but we have Amaya, Yearwood and Casseres to fill the void. When i think of ball winners, i felt like we has a lot of redundant pieces in our midfield last year. we needed to add more creativity. Clark is back and i hope to see a few highlight real goals from him. We also reinforced the offensive side of things by adding Morgan and Luquinhas. How will they perform in MLS? one would assume that they will do better than Carmona and Omir who did an okay job last year but still need to take another jump in their development to be considered an MLS starter. i think Carmona will challenge Morgan and Luquinhas for minutes. If Amaya finds his cincy form, we will be in really good shape at midfield

 

Compared to last season, our midfield has improved 

 

Forwards

Our offense will depend on Klimala. if he cant finish, we will not be competitive.  The alternative is Barlow who has been described as a "Defensive forward" because he cant shoot or pass. his main strength is pressing and causing havoc. he needs to find a way to convert this energy into goals. i am not optimistic. As for Ryan and Sowe, i am not expecting much from them they are just kids with very little pro experience. it would be unfair to rely on them to produce for this team. however, if Klimala and Barlow cannot finish, we might see them on the pitch a lot sooner then later. 

 

not finding a reliable goal scorer or back up will be an issue.

[Bjorn The Bear]

B+ for luquinhas and Morgan

D for the rest of the moves

[regulator]

We gained offense and are a wash defensively.

Offense: Luquinhas and Morgan should be high quality players. Of course "wait and see", but these are exactly the types of players we were missing last year in the attack

Defense: Gutman, Duncan, Davis all gone. But bringing Long back who will in theory be playing lights out for a spot on the usmnt roster. Tolkin proved to be a capable left back last year. And jury is still out on Yearwood as a d mid. Has the physical tools to break up attacks, but can be a bit reckless.

Offense moves: A
Defense moves: C-
Overall: B-

[Koko]

So far? Solid D.

They lost some and added some which is about a wash over last year. Keeping the status quo is a C in my book.

BUT they still haven't added real DP's yet despite the obvious need for it. Downgrades from C to D.

[Eleazar]

B-/C+.

 

Like someone else had mentioned here earlier, had they acquired a reserve CF or a CDM or a backup LB, the grade would be significantly higher. 

[TK_RBNY]

C.

If they signed Cubas and a ST to challenge Klimala or provide a legitimate option to play a 2 ST system for time to time it would probably be in the A range.

[ig101]

With Luq D

No Luq F

[RedBullScouse]

Lewis Morgan: A
Luquinhas: B+
Daniel Edelman replacing Sean Davis: D. Anyone that watched Edelman in USL knows the kid needs some strength and conditioning. More skills than Mines, but same downfall at the highest level.
Fabio replaced by Serge Ngoma and Zach Ryan, leaving Barlow as our "next up": F
Duncan replaced with Edwards, Edwards replaced with Long: N/A
Gutman not replaced and Pendant MIA: F. Drop from Gutman to Tolkin is substantial. If Tolkin goes down, welcome to left back Dylan Nealis? Ofori started 3 matches in USL last year and is not ready to step up. Castillo is not an MLS caliber player.
Spending a lot of money to keep Clark, on loan: F
Spending a lot of money to draft Nocita: D (possibly F if he doesn't join the team this year, for that much GAM).
Making a big deal to sign Coronel: F. Shows the sad state the team is in to highlight a player they exercised a purchase option on.
Bringing Edwards back on loan: B+
Signing Jesus Castellano to the first team based on the same agent as a handful of others that are/were here: F
Front office transparency: F

Agree on almost everything except how much of a step down Tolkin is from Gutman.    The step down from Tolkin to Inanimate Carbon Rod is another matter entirely. 

Also, the Clark money was ridiculous, but if we weren't going to spend it elsewhere, its moot.

I'm OK with the Coronel hype.  It's just hype, and I'm really happy to have him under contract instead of another loan, like Clark and Edwards.

[Borats]

Another D offseason for Thelwell. I feel losing Davis was a really bad mistake, which he had plenty of opportunities to avoid. I feel like at best we are down on depth, and at worst the losses we had defensively (Davis, Gutman, Duncan) will not be compensated by likes of Luq and Morgan, while still suffering on depth. Our DPs are pretty underwhelming. Forwards continue to be a problem during Thelwell's entire tenure, even worse than last year with Fabio now gone.

 

I was hoping Thelwell would improve the team, but I don't think this happened. I do like Luq and Morgan and want to see how they do going forward, so for now it is a D. Right now it looks like another tough fight to make the play-offs line, which is not where I was hoping we would be at this point.

[67% Class]

This comment makes me think my C/C- grade was too kind:

 

Struber: "Of course the goal was to hold the group together and add 3,4,5 key players. The transfer window shows me a very difficult picture. We have developed a team from a new        start. Many players from academy & second team... we have to be realistic."

 

Luqs and Morgan are the additions, but Davis was lost. By Stuber's math, 4-6 key player additions was the goal. Still looking fro 2-4 more. 

[Antonius Block]

Seems like Struber would give Thelwell a C or a D.  Need 4 or 5 new players according to Struber, currently have 1 ready to play.