Team looks more dangerous with grella on field. Not saying that Grella is the best thing since Magnum PI. We will still win games with grella in the line up. However, i cant say we will win games with DP, lade or zizzo on defense. They are not as athletic to defend guys 1v1. And they need to be creative with their passing when a team bunkers. For that reason defense is the priority
Did the team look more dangerous against TFC when Mike had a SINGLE successful pass in the opposition's end? We definitely have more possession with Mike, but that's doing nothing for us in terms of scoring goals.
Wiin games with Grella starting? Yes. Win MLS Cup with him starting? Doubtful.
Grella is comparable to Tommy Mac, in terms of quality, salary, and limitations. I hate to compare us to City, but they weren't satisfied with an OK player starting for them. They set out to improve and got Wallace, a quality TAM-level MLS winger that you can win MLS Cup with (in fact Portland did). Tommy Mac is still a big part of their team, giving them solid spot starts and some nice minutes off the bench. That's the player Grella needs to be for us.
Mike is the kind of guy that can win you an MLS Cup if he's used in the right role. That role is NOT as the starting left winger. Watch the first Montreal playoff match. Watch how much space they are giving him and he can't do anything with it. He's crafty though, so it wouldn't be shocking for him to find a goal somewhere when you need it. he just can't be the player you rely on that much.
I hate making this argument against Grella, because he's an incredibly smart player. At the youth level, I'm constantly arguing that intelligence is underrated on the pitch. So many youth soccer coaches worry about speed and kids not making mistakes, not about playing the game correctly. But at the MLS level he's just doesn't give you enough to be a 60'-90' player.