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thoward18

Member Since 15 Sep 2010
Offline Last Active Aug 31 2022 11:38 AM

#1417196 Metro - Montreal Game Thread

Posted by thoward18 on 31 August 2022 - 11:08 AM

Something I'd really like Struber to weed out is the cheap yellow cards. It's one thing to make a tactical foul or be a bit too physical while trying to press. It's another to get them for time wasting, getting baited into confrontations after whistles, or general stupidity. We've had way too much of that shit this season.




#1417185 Academy kid leaves for Dortmund

Posted by thoward18 on 31 August 2022 - 10:06 AM

exactly - Jordan Sancho went from Man City to BVB 2

 

like said earlier - maintain good relationships and maybe the kid Duncan's it later.

Yeah and along similar lines, let's also discuss this: If you lock a kid into an agreement and 6 months later he finds out Dortmund wants him but his hands are tied, it's going to create a stink, you're going to have an unhappy kid and parents, and future families are going to be hesitant to join the academy and may instead opt for an IMG or another MLS team that doesn't hold its players hostage. The occasional top talent going to Europe isn't a reason to fuck up a system that for the most part works.




#1417151 Academy kid leaves for Dortmund

Posted by thoward18 on 30 August 2022 - 04:44 PM

This is not a genius idea that I created. There are professional teams in EPL,and La Liga that pay their academy players either in the form of a wage or school/traveling costs. These academies are very competitive and kids as young as 9 join them. These same clubs also require their youth players to sign a youth player pre-agreement contracts so that if they leave to a bigger club, the smaller club can get compensated.
 

We essentially do the same thing in terms of travel and schooling. We have no pre-agreement mechanism in MLS. If you want to yell at Don Garber and demand he find a way to enable it then go for it. McCafferty's/Hamlett's/Schneider's hands are tied in that regard. We do get the solidarity payment. Again, you have to either believe that every MLS team is extremely dumb and not making such an obvious decision or you have to believe that what you're suggesting is not feasible and/or poorly thought out. I I know which one I think it is.




#1417129 Academy kid leaves for Dortmund

Posted by thoward18 on 30 August 2022 - 11:58 AM

I guess my point is that we shouldn't be waiting for a euro team to offer a contract. If the kid has potential to be a MLS player, they should sign him before Dortmund knew abt him
 

You realize this isn't a video game and these kids/parents have self-awareness and autonomy, right? They'll at minimum hear through the grapevine that big Euro clubs are showing up at games and asking the coaches questions. RB can make an offer and the kid's family can easily say, "we want to wait 6-18 months to see what's out there." An offer from a top club like Dortmund isn't going to come out of nowhere. 

 

And anyway, a top talent leaving for Dortmund is losing the battle but winning the war. It's a massive success story and major selling point for recruiting kids deciding on an American academy to join. 




#1417095 Some people are pessemistic

Posted by thoward18 on 29 August 2022 - 04:10 PM

Not sure how you guys don't get bored of making the same "we're not signing anyone" joke 500 times per week. It's like Spongebob ripping his pants.




#1417029 Where do we finish?

Posted by thoward18 on 28 August 2022 - 11:55 AM

Phily just won 6:0 for the second game in a row, and had 7:0 and 6:0 wins previously. I mean...

We bitch about spending (and it should be better) but our payroll is basically on par with theirs. They play a very similar style and their Sporting Director, Ernst Tanner, is a Red Bull Salzburg alumni. It's proof of two things.

 

1. This system and philosophy can work but it takes time.

2. A lot of this team was built 2-4 seasons ago. Wagner, Glesnes, Elliott, Martinez, and Mbaizo are some. And then a lot of recent acquisitons were paid for and then some because of Aaronson, Przybylko, and Mckenzie the biggest. Point being that Hamlett absolutely fucked us and we're still playing catchup. 




#1416884 Wasted(?) draft picks

Posted by thoward18 on 26 August 2022 - 05:36 PM

The guy is 6ft 8in. Is there a height thats too big for professional soccer? I dont know, but starring for Navy is not the same as being good enough for D1 professional soccer. He had better be really fast, strong, and coordinated or top strikers will be turning him all day. Personally, I think his height is a disadvantage and Im very curious to see how he develops. Didnt we have a 6-8 defender from Harvard in the organization a few years back?

Our two best CBs went to UC Riverside and Hofstra...




#1416865 Hamlett is in so far over his head

Posted by thoward18 on 26 August 2022 - 10:38 AM

That one is quite up to interpretation. I think they handled that situation horribly. 

We sold him for $1.5M and used a loanee as a half-year bridge to Tolkin. Lawrence was sold back to MLS for $600k after just 16 appearances and has become a mediocre MLS defender. I don't know what else you want. It's a rare instance of this club managiing to pull off the Salzburg model. I wish we diid it 3-4 times per season. 




#1416801 Schneider press conference

Posted by thoward18 on 25 August 2022 - 12:52 PM

I really appreciate his hard work, but this is the most RB brown-nosing article I think I've read in some time...

Red Bulls head of sport role finds new context as Jochen Schneider lands in New York - Once A Metro

 

All of the roster issues are because Jesse Marsch took too much power and then left... 

 

I know his continued access requires it, but come on... The roster currently has open spots, there are clear needs, and we have the lowest payroll. Get some guys in before Sept. 2, Schneider! It's tough as you just started, but fill out the roster!    

 I mean is this wrong? We had what is essentially a US soccer management prodigy pulling all the strings, and when he left Armas and Hamlett were caught with their pants down. Does anyone deny this?

 

The only part the annoys me is the "nobody will be happy unless it's Messi" paragraph. There are definitely a handful of those, but for the most part we just want to club to use 3 DP spots and not fuck up a transfer window with 0 impact additions at a point when the team is on the cusp of contending for two trophies.




#1416798 Long will be a free agent

Posted by thoward18 on 25 August 2022 - 12:41 PM

Sounds like he's going to listen to what is out there and he'd be an idiot not to. No doubt he'll get interest from Europe, but it's one thing to get it from some schmuck Championship versus a team that offers a truly appealing agenda. I can still see him deciding to stay.

 

If this ends with him at Everton, a Championship team pushing for promotion, or like a Europa League team in Belgium/Netherlands you can't fault anyone involved. We'll have gotten 150 appearances out of him until he turned 30. That's a hell of a stint. I'll have my pitchfork out for management if this ends with him at like Atlanta United. 




#1416760 Elias Manoel on loan

Posted by thoward18 on 24 August 2022 - 02:45 PM

I hope this works out. Obviously so he can help this season but also so we can activate the purchase option in December and have one fewer offseason headache.




#1416726 Winter transfer window

Posted by thoward18 on 23 August 2022 - 01:14 PM

You lost me at Klimala sold for $2m.  3 extra zeros in that figure.

$2,000,000.000




#1416661 Schneider press conference

Posted by thoward18 on 22 August 2022 - 11:24 AM

Definitely not saying this is an organization problem or intent, just the best approach for Scheider from a personal responsibility/job safety perspective. Blame any faults/bad performance/early playoff exit on the previous regime; give yourself the most time to make your stamp and claim credit for future success while using a lower benchmark as proof for overperformance and springboard for future career successs ("I got here right after our worst result, and just before our second worst result... clearly not my fault. Scouting unit needs an overhaul. Just wait until I fix everything and we sign better players in a few months").

You can also refer for different iterations of this to Thelwell's tenure here (and his LinkedIn bio for his NYRB period). Or Struber's taking over for his first game here (losing hardly his fault, all upside if we win, etc).

This is not just NYRB or Schneider, or soccer; can apply to any senior role in business, politics, etc. Not conspiratorial at all, though maybe a bit cynical.

He's practically a career Red Bull employee and was hired like 8 minutes ago. Pretty sure he doesn't need to spin narratives for the sake of job security.




#1416645 Schneider press conference

Posted by thoward18 on 22 August 2022 - 09:05 AM

From Schneider's perspective it makes perfect sense to wait. Claim you didn't have enough time to make meaningful signings, blame the likely playoff exit on the previous regime, then start fresh next season. The approach buys you some extra time and a ready-made excuse for any bad results this season.

I promise you reputable executives in Europe aren't coming to MLS to do fuck-all beyond sit around and launder excuses for a megacorporation. This is the conspiracy bullshit you guys need to let go of. The transfer window was shit because they fucked up. Not because of some master plan to deceive the fanbase.




#1416642 2022 Summer Transfer Window

Posted by thoward18 on 22 August 2022 - 08:55 AM

This
If there is an interview ores conf in the future I would like to hear this asked
There are 4 RB teams - you would think with that combined scouting power they would be brining plays out of the woodwork but that only seems to happen for RBL and RBs
Other teams in mls dont seem to have problem with it based on multiple past windows. Some teams like Austin Charlotte Miami have barely existed for 4 years

I agree our scouting has been pretty shit recently but I don't really agree that other teams "don't have a problem." There have been so many awful signings. Atlanta at this point clearly were fortunate to land the guys they did early on. Miami? Come on. LAFC have been trash. Etc.