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Paul Nasta

Member Since 24 Feb 2004
Offline Last Active Today, 04:15 PM

#1444378 USA Post-World Cup Thread

Posted by Paul Nasta on 22 March 2024 - 11:04 AM

It the same story all over again. Gregg sits Reyna, they are losing, Reyna comes in and plays great. Gregg keeps making the same mistakes over and over and over again. How he was selected over Jesse is beyond me.

Or, Gregg is brilliant for not starting Gio and getting the most out of him by bringing him on as a sub.  Certainly, Gregg seems to get more out of Gio than either of his current club coaches.




#1443963 MLS TV moves to Apple

Posted by Paul Nasta on 10 March 2024 - 07:39 AM

I don't remember them showing a good angle on Burke's offside call, or a good angle of the Dallas goal going through our wall.  It's just a question of how much money Apple wants to put into the production, and it looks like they want to show these games on the cheap.  I also don't like the commentator, can they find someone with a little personality and a sense of humor?  Give me more Lloyd Sam, or bring back Shep.




#1443462 Ngoma hurt again

Posted by Paul Nasta on 01 March 2024 - 02:24 PM

The kid is only 18, it's a little harsh, and potentially foolish, to move on from him at this point.




#1443010 The 2023-24 Offseason Thread

Posted by Paul Nasta on 23 February 2024 - 02:06 PM


I see this off-season as a positive one in terms of roster improvement. And it wasn’t addition by subtraction only, either:

 

IN                                OUT

Emil Forsberg         >  Luquinhas

Noah Eile                >  Hassan Ndam

Dennis Gjengaar    >  Omir Fernandez

Aidan O’Connor     >  Matt Nocita

Roald Mitchell        >  Tom Barlow (or Jorge Cabezas)

Davi Alexandre       >  No one

Aidan Stokes          >  No one

 

DEPTH KEPT                RELEASED

Peter Stroud           >  Dru Yearwood 

Curtis Ofori             >  Jayden Reid

Ronald Donkor       >  Steven Sserwadda

I think that, overall, the team is improved.  Forsberg is a big time player, the best signing we've had since Henry or Cahill.  He alone raises the level of the team.  Let's hope he remains healthy, because if we lose him the team looks a lot like last year, if not worse.

 

It's disappointing that they haven't brought in another established attacker, especially with all of the talk of significant investment in the team.  It looks like Morgan is very questionable, and Luquinhas is gone.  [Edit:  forgot about Omir, he's gone too]  So we could have used another attacking option.

 

Vanzeir may come good, Manoel may improve with age/experience, and maybe Mitchell or Hall will contribute.  But that's all hope and crossed fingers.

 

The defense was good last year and comes back pretty much intact.  If anything, it could be better this year with some more experience and the addition of Eile.  If Tolkin goes down, that could change.

 

The team as currently constructed should be a solid playoff team; if they can bring in another attacker either now or in the summer, the ceiling could be raised.




#1442630 The 2023-24 Offseason Thread

Posted by Paul Nasta on 15 February 2024 - 03:53 PM

So investment wise we are at:
Eile: $1mn
Forsberg: $3.5mn
Gjengaar: $2mn
Duncan purchase option: $?

$5mn salary for Forsberg

On paper this is the most theyve spent in a while not saying we know if they spent it well or anything

The salary they are paying Forsberg replaces the salary they would have had to pay him in Leipzig.  And the transfer fee for Forsberg was paid by Red Bull to Red Bull.




#1442534 Dennis Gjengaar signed

Posted by Paul Nasta on 14 February 2024 - 03:16 PM

Dennis Gjengaar | Eliteserien | 2022 - YouTube

So, he doesn't look like a true winger whose heels are on the chalk and who plays crosses in.  He pops up in the channels, and even was pretty central on a couple of those highlights.  Maybe that's a good fit for the 4-2-2-2?




#1442212 Messi plays in MLS

Posted by Paul Nasta on 05 February 2024 - 03:23 PM

Tata said Messi was likely to play, and then he didn't play because of a bad hamstring.

 

https://www.espn.com..._/gameId/697005

 

"Spectators chanted "refund," and the Hong Kong government said match organisers Tatler Asia may face a reduction in funding after Messi stayed on the bench during the match."




#1442045 The 2023-24 Offseason Thread

Posted by Paul Nasta on 01 February 2024 - 04:31 PM

Forsberg cost $3 million, Eile short of $1 million. They spent more on both Klimala and Vanzeir and a similar amount on Luquinhas.

Factoring in Luquinhas sale they are out $2.5 million. Not only have they not made a significant investment, essentially only upgrading on Luquinhas with Forsberg in the starting 11, they havent even invested as much as they have in previous years.

Just a really sad organization run by incompetent individuals and an ownership group that has no interest in what goes on here.

I read that the transfer fee for Forsberg was around $5 million.  His salary is $3 million/year, for 3 years.  But how do you evaluate those numbers when Red Bull is paying the transfer fee to Red Bull, and when they're paying  Forsberg $9 million to play in Harrison instead of 10 million Euros to play in Leipzig.  It's almost like moving Forsberg to RBNY was a cost saving measure, not a significant investment.




#1442036 The 2023-24 Offseason Thread

Posted by Paul Nasta on 01 February 2024 - 03:17 PM

That is correct.  We can sign players from Euro leagues even though their window is closed because it's only the trade window of the receiving team that matters.  In theory it should be better for us trying to get players now because Euro teams are no longer an option for any player that's not happy with their current situation.  MLS is the only game in town for someone who wants to move away. 

On the other hand, teams might be reluctant to offload a player at this point because they can't bring in a replacement.  I guess that wouldn't matter if the guy they want to ship out has no place on their team, and doesn't really need replacing.




#1442032 The 2023-24 Offseason Thread

Posted by Paul Nasta on 01 February 2024 - 02:16 PM

Just watching highlights before the Miami game on Apple TV. We have no skill players. You see goals that other teams are scoring and theres actual link up play and good movement and good touches and insane finishing. Where are we going to get that from?

We might have the insane finishing covered.

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=MylDKMekekk




#1441786 USA Post-World Cup Thread

Posted by Paul Nasta on 24 January 2024 - 11:50 AM

Nah - only now that he doesn't have a paycheck

I haven't heard his name mentioned in connection with any coaching vacancy.  I wonder how much interest there is in him in Europe.  




#1441736 The 2023-24 Offseason Thread

Posted by Paul Nasta on 23 January 2024 - 12:34 PM

Barlow and Fernandez. Besides decimated being a reduction of 10%, minutes and goal scoring wise, you lost huge contributors.  

 

I'm not against getting rid of barlow and letting Omir walk, but if vanzier and Manoel get a knock for 1-2 games (which is going to happen), whats the plan? 

 

Not playing Burke for a preseason match is weird, and very telling for me if that is a recurring event for each game. Is Burke not favored, injured, or has been hit by sudden old age? If he's not in the depth chart, even just as a body, then its worrying. 

 

 

Edit: of course, if there are 2 bonafide starting strikers in bound, then who cares! Just the lack of rumors is worrying. 

I love how we spend the last year complaining about some of the dead wood on the roster, and now we complain that we've gotten rid of the dead wood.  I like Tom Barlow as much as anyone, but he was not a huge contributor, and the team in no way, shape or form has been decimated by losing  him.

 

Yes, I want the team to bring in an attacker with some track record of scoring goals.  It would be great if they brought in a DP striker.  But  you could give all of Barlow's minutes to Mitchell or Hall and the team would be no worse off, and quite possibly better off.  Same if you gave all of Yearwood's minutes to Stroud.

 

Play Harper in Omir's position, and give him the minutes that Omir got, and I bet he at least comes close to Omir's production.




#1441655 USA doesn't schedule games at RBA

Posted by Paul Nasta on 20 January 2024 - 07:49 PM

Hey look another game in Texas, gotta worry about all the Slovaks overtaking RBA.

Doubt many Slovaks would turn up to see Slovenia, no matter where the game was played.

 

What was the temperature in Harrison today?




#1441551 The 2023-24 Offseason Thread

Posted by Paul Nasta on 18 January 2024 - 01:37 PM

Beginning to feel like every other offseason. Only difference is the one big signing came early this year as opposed to late like every other year. Huge disappointment

What big signings have we had over the past few years?  Luquinhas?  Klimala?  Morgan?

 

Forsberg is a different level of signing entirely.  

 

They addressed center back depth with a young guy who already has a lot of pro experience.

 

Yes, they still need to add to the attack, hopefully with an out and out striker, or anyone who can actually score goals (unlike a lot of the strikers we've seen recently).  But if they do nothing else this winter, the Forsberg signing means this hasn't been remotely like any other recent offseason.




#1441159 Random Player Name Thread 2024

Posted by Paul Nasta on 09 January 2024 - 02:58 PM

Xavi Simons name getting bounced around.  Seems redundant to Morgan/Forsberg

The redundancy I think could be worked around, but I'm not sure why he would have any interest in coming to New Jersey at this point.