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MLS 2016

Bad owner, bad coach and they have pretty much gotten rid of all their best players.

New owner (real estate tycoon) took over and lost Jason Kries (who wanted to stay) because he disrespected him with a low ball offer for a new contract and then he and a curious hire for a coach started to dismantle the team.

I have commented on this several times over the past six months or so and unfortunately its starting to happen as I knew it would.


RR, what's up with RSL? They don't seem to be as dominant lately.
 
SKC with a horrible win over Dallas last week may wake them up. Feilhaber has looked, quite honestly, horrible for most the year. And when Benny doesn't get forward and attack, SKC is barely a playoff team.

BUT! There's light at the end of the tunnel. They have the players to defend. The problem is Vermes. He will play a 4-3-3 high press until he dies. But with no attacking threat coming wide, Dwyer is not a holding force up top. The loss of Nemeth was the worst possible move SKC will make for some time. Without him, they are truly listless in the attacking 1/3.

Here's hoping we figure things out. Davis is probably the key to the rest of the season. He's the only cog that can make a difference pushing forward. We already know what Dwyer is capable of.....poaching. We know Zusi can't create 1v1. So if Vermes leaves Davis on the bench and starts anyone else, SKC is generally in a world of hurt. Davis is 34 years old, by the way.
 



RSL being in third place in the West at the mid way point is a bit if a surprise to me. Nowhere near the team they were under Kries. The fact the rapids are on top of the table is a shocker. KC and Seattle have tanked. What the heck is wrong with them?
 
RSL being in third place in the West at the mid way point is a bit if a surprise to me. Nowhere near the team they were under Kries. The fact the rapids are on top of the table is a shocker. KC and Seattle have tanked. What the heck is wrong with them?

I can sum up SKC pretty quickly.

1. They have no width attacking
2. They have no individual creativity minus Benny, but he's been off
3. They have no business playing a high press 4-4-3
4. They have several on their roster who are simply low-end players and add nothing

You combine that with (as I noted very early this year) definite system wide improved play in the MLS........and you get mid to low table results. Teams are upgrading all over the league and SKC has been stagnant. They let their only creative attacker leave in the offseason from a team that already had difficulty scoring goals. For all the talk about MLS being a retirement league for old European players, it's the infusion of those experienced pros that has led to SKC's inability to keep pace, both directly and indirectly. Whether good or bad, the MLS was in need of the professionalism and experience from players who have succeeded at the highest level. That's how far behind we were/are. Case example #1 is Drogba. Highly ineffective and prodding his last year at Chelsea, he made Montreal a contender immediately. Case #2: Watch Gerrard in LA. That midfield is rarely disorganized. And they create better than any other team right now. It's not his play directly that made the difference, but how he elevated the game of all those around him.
 
I can sum up SKC pretty quickly.

1. They have no width attacking
2. They have no individual creativity minus Benny, but he's been off
3. They have no business playing a high press 4-4-3
4. They have several on their roster who are simply low-end players and add nothing

You combine that with (as I noted very early this year) definite system wide improved play in the MLS........and you get mid to low table results. Teams are upgrading all over the league and SKC has been stagnant. They let their only creative attacker leave in the offseason from a team that already had difficulty scoring goals. For all the talk about MLS being a retirement league for old European players, it's the infusion of those experienced pros that has led to SKC's inability to keep pace, both directly and indirectly. Whether good or bad, the MLS was in need of the professionalism and experience from players who have succeeded at the highest level. That's how far behind we were/are. Case example #1 is Drogba. Highly ineffective and prodding his last year at Chelsea, he made Montreal a contender immediately. Case #2: Watch Gerrard in LA. That midfield is rarely disorganized. And they create better than any other team right now. It's not his play directly that made the difference, but how he elevated the game of all those around him.

Very nice analysis.
 
SKC dismantled NYCFC tonight.

I honestly have no clue what SKC will do the rest of the way. They are a complete unknown to me and I watch most games. They looked top-tier tonight. 2 weeks ago I was hoping they could put it together and just make the playoffs. The team that played tonight was something I had not expected.
 



SKC dismantled NYCFC tonight.

I honestly have no clue what SKC will do the rest of the way. They are a complete unknown to me and I watch most games. They looked top-tier tonight. 2 weeks ago I was hoping they could put it together and just make the playoffs. The team that played tonight was something I had not expected.

NYC played there third game in 7 days. Little to no rotation. It showed.
 
SKC dismantled NYCFC tonight.

I honestly have no clue what SKC will do the rest of the way. They are a complete unknown to me and I watch most games. They looked top-tier tonight. 2 weeks ago I was hoping they could put it together and just make the playoffs. The team that played tonight was something I had not expected.

It was fantastic to finally watch such a quality match played by the whole squad, aside from the one major defensive lapse, and to be the side in control from start to finish. It was definitely a surprise performance with three of our regular starters out and it'll definitely be interesting to see how Vermes chooses to go forward.
 
Sigi out in Seattle after 8 years...

Perhaps Gulati is pulling strings behind the scenes to get him in line to take over USNMT? :Stirthepot:

Heh, a guy can dream right?
 



Really interesting season at the midpoint.

Alot of transitioning of teams. I think many teams are now seeing the positives of the more experienced player rather than the more athletic player. Pirlo took heat over his comment about "too much running" in the MLS, but he was 100% correct. It only my opinion, but it's like the powers-that-be at most clubs assigned potential/value based on athleticism and not skill. And nowhere was it more evident than the All-Star game v. Arsenal. I was almost crying with joy seeing MLS players controlling midfield. Was it against Arsenal's best? No, but I haven't seen that ability from anything MLS-related. If those are the players redefining the league, then we are in good shape. And if that's how MLS is finally starting to play, that means our young soccer nation will follow suit. When I was 12 years old, watching MISL games, as the only viewing option, was all I had to look up to. When kids' only experiences are with poor coaching and mimicking arena leagues, what can really be expected? US-Soccer is going to explode in the next 20 years. The issue will be, can we construct a system to consistently create world-class players. They aren't grown on trees. They are made.
 
Really interesting season at the midpoint.

Alot of transitioning of teams. I think many teams are now seeing the positives of the more experienced player rather than the more athletic player. Pirlo took heat over his comment about "too much running" in the MLS, but he was 100% correct. It only my opinion, but it's like the powers-that-be at most clubs assigned potential/value based on athleticism and not skill. And nowhere was it more evident than the All-Star game v. Arsenal. I was almost crying with joy seeing MLS players controlling midfield. Was it against Arsenal's best? No, but I haven't seen that ability from anything MLS-related. If those are the players redefining the league, then we are in good shape. And if that's how MLS is finally starting to play, that means our young soccer nation will follow suit. When I was 12 years old, watching MISL games, as the only viewing option, was all I had to look up to. When kids' only experiences are with poor coaching and mimicking arena leagues, what can really be expected? US-Soccer is going to explode in the next 20 years. The issue will be, can we construct a system to consistently create world-class players. They aren't grown on trees. They are made.

Hate to beat dead horse but you need the right coach and structure in US Soccer to do it. We do not have that right now.

As for the All-Star Game MLS is in mid-season form and the visiting teams each year are in preseason using it as a scrimmage to judge where they are at but other than that iI agree with you. AS we both know to many people read to much into the All-Star Game.

Very good post and I agree fully.
 

MLS plan for 28 teams by 2020? Is this a good thing?

Normally, I'd say absolutely not. But with the USA covering many more square miles than other leagues, are they looking to go more West/East separation to cut travel? Otherwise, I can't see many positives. Arena has already stated more teams will not necessarily mean more opportunities for American players.
 

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