A View from Afar / Commentary

A few thoughts on the Union, MLS, soccer

Five Four thoughts about Philadelphia Union, MLS and American soccer. Ready? Go.

The off-season is just the right length

Many soccer purists claim Major League Soccer’s off-season is too long, but they’re wrong.

No major professional sports league in America and Canada plays as long a season as MLS, where the eight-month regular season spans from the first week of March through the last week in October before being capped by a one-month postseason.

Proponents of a longer season generally point to other nations’ soccer leagues, which generally run the nine months from August through May, but they overlook the elemental fact that those countries basically have no other significant professional sports leagues with which to compete. We have baseball, basketball, football and hockey. It’s OK to take a break from soccer now and again. For those who romanticize how crazy European soccer fans can get about their teams, please recognize that, in many places, it is not mentally healthy.

We needed a break, particularly in Philadelphia.

Would it be nice to have a shorter playoffs so MLS could have a slightly longer regular season, with more teams still in action? Yes. Too many teams make the playoffs, and the playoffs are too contracted. But that’s a column for another day.

Just don’t tell me the off-season is too long. It’s not. Even training camp feels like it came too soon. Is that just Union fatigue? We’ll see.

Junior Lone Star’s alumni on the Union’s radar

First Derrick Jones, and now Anthony Allison.

Allison, a former Junior Lone Star player from Liberia, has been bouncing around Sweden’s lower divisions for a couple years ago. The forward has scored in bunches, but he hasn’t broken through to Sweden’s top division, for one reason or another.

Now he is in training camp with Philadelphia Union.

Talk about undervalued assets. He has produced three seasons of 19 goals or more in Sweden’s lower divisions. Is that his ceiling? Not likely. A guy who scores that often can certainly play at a higher level.

Is MLS a level too high? We won’t know till someone gives him a shot. Credit to the Union for doing it. Whether he ends up making the Union squad or playing with Bethlehem Steel FC in USL, it’s a chance worth taking on a local guy who has shown a nose for the net.

Throwing athletes at the problem

With Fernando Aristeguieta now officially not returning to Philadelphia Union, the club is down to one pure target forward: C.J. Sapong. Rookie Fabian Herbers is listed as a striker/attacking midfielder, and Sebastien Le Toux has demonstrated he can certainly play as a second striker, which is probably his best role. But for a team expected to play a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1, the lack of a proven backup to Sapong is a major gap.

In the attacking midfield and winger roles, however, the Union are stockpiling talent. And that’s a nice move.

Chris Pontius, Walter Restrepo and Herbers have all arrived in recent months, while Leo Fernandes has returned from a successful loan with bigger things expected of him. Add Tranquillo Barnetta, Eric Ayuk and Le Toux to the mix, and the Union now go seven deep at those three attacking midfield positions (provided that Herbers slots in there, rather than as a center forward).

This was a team lacking in dynamism last year, but they now have a wealth of new attacking options.

Now they just have to find someone to spell Sapong.

Still time, but …

The Union still have time to add new players to the roster, but they are now likely to run into the same problem they have faced three years in a row: Incorporating players into the lineup late in training camp.

This has caused problems for the Union each of the last three years. In 2014, Vincent Nogueira, Maurice Edu and Cristian Maidana all arrived in January. Now, this wasn’t unreasonable — most had a full training camp — but the result was that John Hackworth spent several months trying to figure out how to play them together in midfield. By the time he got it right, he was fired. Last year, Jim Curtin had a similar issue with the late arrivals of Steven Vitoria and Fernando Aristeguieta, and it was a few months before he sorted out the fact that C.J. Sapong and Richie Marquez deserved to start over the other two.

How will it play out this year? We’ll see. Chances are that the Union already have all their likely starters on board, with the possible exception of left back, where an upgrade remains necessary. But without that new addition in place yet, any evaluation of that role is likely to be delayed in much the same fashion as the last two years.

87 Comments

  1. If we have all our starters on board, we may as well start scouting the top 3 picks in next year’s draft. In the biggest upset of the offseason, the second worst team in the MLS has somehow managed to make themselves worse. It feels like training camp came too soon because this team is literally not ready to compete this year and it feels like we should have two or three major guys in camp. But we don’t. Same Old Union. WSSM. Earnie – please do something to earn the trust so many seem to have in you already.

    • Do you think we’re worse, simply based on the fact that we have a smaller roster? Or do you think we shipped out quality talent? If so, who?
      .
      At worst, we’re the same. I’m not arguing more than that at this point, but the sky is not falling.

      • So basically it seems to come down to how you feel about Maidana. As I considered Maidana to be one of our best players, I see him as a huge, unreplaced loss. We also lost Nando, who, while not great, also remains completely unreplaced. I think Lahoud will be missed as well, again, not because he’s good, but because we didn’t replace him, and something is still better than nothing. I have no love for Pontius (who hasn’t been good or healthy in years) and the rest of the guys we brought in can be at best qualified as unknown.
        .
        I mean, if we’re the same, we’re still a last place team, right? We needed *significant* improvement just to compete for a playoff spot, much less a title. Do you see a significantly improved roster?

      • I didn’t say I saw a significantly improved roster, just not one that significantly worse, either.
        .
        I loved Chaco. But for all of his brilliance, he also disappeared for long stretches, and offered little on the defensive end. Everyone has the strengths and weaknesses. In my mind, Barnetta will be a viable replacement, just without the highlight reel moments.
        .
        I wanted to like Nando, but what did he offer when he was on the field? He contributed next to nothing, aside from giving CJ the occasional break. That role can be replaced at 1/4 of the cost (at most).
        .
        Lahoud was and is one my favorites. But his position is too crowded. That’s Mo and Nogs, with Carroll as a sub/spot-starter. Remember, Mike’s on loan. We can bring him back next year after BC moves to the bench wearing a suit.
        .
        We have added dynamic players, even if they are unknown at this level. But Restrepo and Fernandes both promise to add MUCH more than Wenger did, which is a net positive for the entire offensive flow.
        .
        Again, I’m not calling us giant-killers right now. But this is a team with more clearly defined roles, and without the drama that surrounded the team last year.
        .
        Be skeptical. That’s perfectly acceptable. But don’t judge this team on the past. There’s a new chef in the kitchen. Wait for dinner.

      • +1. Well said.

      • I’m judging this team on the same criteria I always do.
        .
        -Bring in clear roster improvements that make us a playoff contender. Failed so far.
        .
        -Have full team in camp so that we are not trying to integrate players and get them up to fitness after the season has already started. Failed.
        .
        I’ll hold off judgment as to whether we have “more clearly defined roles”, but I don’t see it yet (it’s certainly nothing coming from anything Curt or Earnie have said).
        .
        Ultimately, I’m constantly judging this team, and I’m judging it on the same criteria as always. And they’re failing in the same ways they always do. It’s not a matter of skepticism or patience. I simply see no reason to give them a pass on pulling the same BS as always simply because there’s a different face at the top. I hope the Union make me change my tune, but I’m not going to change it until they give me a reason to.

      • .
        Know what has my interest…
        .
        will you be the guy in three years after losing in MLS Cup who says..
        .
        “See this team still can’t get it right… or same old Union”
        .
        I can’t wait to see what direction you take… – -genuinely…your view has me intrigued.

      • It’s almost like you think I’m just pure negative energy, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I WANT to be positive. I WANT to have something to cheer for. I’m just not going to get myself hyped over yet another year of a shitty team. Why bother.

      • I don’t think anyone is advocating they get a pass. It’s a shame that we have to be relegated to having a normal off season, but because of the chaos that usually occurs, we are viewing it as progress. Are they better, not yet. But they aren’t worse. There is a plan, for the first time in EVER… there are players being brought in to perform in specific roles, instead of throwing $250K at a striker who couldn’t stay healthy (Nando).
        .
        Would you be more happy with Chaco still here? Dishing out the occasional assist, and then getting pulled off in the 60th min because he’s exhausted?! Or Wenger, who so desperately needed a change of scenery, it was sad.
        .
        My point is, while you claim they have failed at not getting better immediately, you surely can realize this was almost a complete tear down and rebuild… not a simple add a piece or two. Itis happening. It takes time. Stay with it. I’d rather finish in 7-8 place this year and know we have direction than skirt in the playoffs with the same old crap.

      • They’ve brought in Pontius…and then brought in two other wingers (Restrepo and Fernandes). They brought in Anderson to I guess move Edu back in to the midfield to reform the Nog-Edu pairing that worked so poorly in the first place Edu got moved to the back line? I honestly haven’t seen the logic or “specific roles” for these moves. I would certainly be more happy if Maidana was still here. Reminds me so much of Bobby Abreu – great player who got a bad rep because he didn’t always look like he was giving full effort. Still boggles my mind that people didn’t think he was great.
        .
        I would be much happier if it looked like a complete tear down and rebuild. But Curtin is still here, and he should have been first to go if that was the case. In fact, Maidana is the only guy to really go. The rest of the guys we shipped off were just backups at this point. And where’s the rebuild? The fact that we had three first round draft picks and brought in some other young guys? We just shuffled the depth, that’s all. The only thing that’s been built is a facade to hide the fact that nothing’s really changed.

      • You lost me at the Abreu argument. Bobby was one of the all-time greats at putting up hollow stats. He’d go 5-for-5 in a 15-2 blowout, and then go 1-for-5 with 4 K’s in a 1-1 game where he needed just to get on damn base.
        .
        I understand your trepidation, and I understand your arguments. But referencing Abreu hurts your stance.

      • 282/.392/.418 in the postseason. .305/.420/.501 in high leverage ABs. You literally couldn’t be more wrong and/or blinded by subjective hatred. Take off those blinders, maybe you’ll get to see the Union clearly too.

      • I disagree about comparing Maidana to Abreu but for the opposite reasons everyone else is saying. Abreu was a GREAT player. Honestly based on his stats he’s pretty much Hall of Fame worthy. He also was a complete 5 tool player. Maidana isn’t even a great player is a young league. He does one thing well which is get assists, otherwise he is a negative player in ever sense.

      • The Maidana and Abreu comparison is quite comical. They would have great games then total non contributors in others. Both were really bad defensively (Abreu was horrendous). Imo to be a GREAT baseball player you have to have somewhat of a glove.

        I’ll take Jason Werth any day.

      • Bobby Abreu was an excellent player for a rather small window… problem was he was a me player, a defensive liability and was unable to LIFT those players around him to higher levels of play.
        .
        We bandy about the word great in this culture with the same rid-uncu-lousness we bandy about the word awesome.
        .
        To be awesome is to be awe-inspiring, not a burger from Five Guys… likewise to be great is to be Great…not very good.
        .
        …it is a word reserved for the best… pure and simply Bobby Abreu was a very good player and that is even subjectively open to argument…… just like wether or not the Union have improved holistically in the short term, mid term and long term…
        .
        The good news… we will all be sitting shotgun to see… I know I will be the first to say this is not right and is still a clusterfuck.. I just want the nay-sayers around here to have the integrity to check back in when and if this becomes a franchise be can be proud of.

      • +1
        .
        Chaco was one of my favorite players, but in all honesty, he disappointed FAR more than he excelled. He played 90 mins only a couple of times in two full seasons, wasn’t exactly a hustler, and folded like a cheap suit if he was being played physically.
        .
        Based on Adam’s logic, the U are worse and, of course everyone else MUST have improved…(Oooh! Maybe with a splash of magic cash that makes any team “aaaaall better”!)
        .
        So, I guess the U will DEFINITELY be finishing lower than 18th?
        Put some money on it…?
        I’ll be MORE than happy to take the over on that.

      • Uh…Yeah…Bobby Abreu??? Well, without meaning to (I’m sure) you actually just made a very good comparison for Maidana. Congratulations. Unfortunately, that doesn’t look too good for Maidana.
        .
        NOW that I understand where you’re coming from Adam, Im going to post signs for others warning them not to go there, (they could fall off a “logic cliff” and fracture their credibility).
        .
        BTW, all said in good fun.

  2. James Lockerbie says:

    Thanks, Dan

    Yes, there is time for new signings and it would be reassuring if they were able to bring on another striker and a LB would be nice.

    I am very excited about giving young players a chance to shine especially if they’re from our system.

  3. still time, but … still time. no feeling this is the same old Union/WSSM. let it play out. I would imagine the roster will be continually changing over for quite a bit. i just looked up the various transfer windows and beyond its boggling dates, I assume it means we can sign a player from another league/federation during our window – in other words, incoming regulation. plus all the loan shenanigans. my eye doctor told me when my eyes get tired to look off into the sky/space without focusing on anything and it would rest and rehabilitate them. I continue to look at the Union that way and may start to focus on them again in a roster sense (while still attending and watching matches) next fall.

    also, re the waterfront development (i may be crossing the streams here), it is decidedly not for the club. its for the investors and the city (residents/workers) … and the value of the stadium, club facilities, etc. while it may “enhance” going to the games a bit, that misses the point, imho.

  4. As far as depth goes I agree whole heartedly that we need another out and out striker to spell C.J.. However, my biggest depth concern is that we have zero quality depth behind Nogueira and Mo in the center of the midfield. Those two are going to have to cover about 7 miles of ground per game in a true 4-3-3. Mo coming off surgery and Nogs perpetually banged up? We need a striker and a left back but also a quality box to box midfielder. Perry Kitchen is still unsigned right?

  5. I agree with all of this. And I notice that right now the Union have only 1 Designated Player, Edu, at what seems to be a relatively low salary for a DP.

    I applaud all of Earnie’s moves so far, and I know the MLS policies for DPs are very murky, but it seems like a big market team like Philly should have room for one more well paid DP on the roster. Shouldn’t we?

    • There’s been rumblings that the team is planning to use the $1M (roughly) that they were going to spend on Bedoya. It is expected to go towards a DP Striker, but the team (rightly so) isn’t saying anything about it, directly.
      .
      Give it a couple of weeks, when the MLS International Transfer window opens (2/18) and let’s see what they do.

  6. I couldn’t agree less about the offseason comments you make in the article’s opening statements, but this comes as no surprise…except for hockey… for the most part our league is an underpinning for our national team… and quite simply our league players do not play enough especially considering it is still built pin part with college players…. I see a rebuttal article in the works…
    .
    …argue all you want otherwise about mental health and days off and breaks for our other sports to occupy our attention… there are many many many activities people in the rest of the world partake in beyond futbol… rugby, cricket… climbing the Eiger…winter activities et al.
    .
    I need a stronger argument then the one laid out.

    • I could be on board with keeping the regular season as is if there were more substantial tournaments to play in. Something to keep the team together and playing during the long downtime.

    • Ok, El P. I disagree on two points–first only because of reality, not the sentiment!
      Winter is winter. This year happens to be mild(thanks, Phil!) but that’s this year. Last year, not so much. And without a dome, unlikely they could stretch too much further into November or begin earlier.
      Switch to southern states maybe after more expansion(come on, Beckham!) but at most that gives you 2 weeks.
      And to your second point, no, I don’t want our league or any league(EPL, etc) to be mere underpinning of national team. I want MLS to be like EPL and La Liga and other European leagues–independent of USMNT, and totally for enjoyment,just like NFL or MLS or NHL.
      To be honest, this is other discussion, but I see World Cup more like an all-star game–fun to see superstars on same field but know they aren’t giving more than say 70%(Messi) because they won’t risk their multi-million dollar contracts getting hurt. Hopefully it evolves into something like Olympics pre-1984 where you see best of young players or those making under 6 figures–because hungry, youth are far better repesentation of any national system and far more entertaining.
      Sorry for the rant but just my opinion. Feel free to fire away, completely understood that I am in minority.
      UnionGoal

      • Noted comments….. but if you see the World Cup as an ALL Star type ensemble then we are on far opposite sides of the table. You think those guys aren’t giving their all and think they view the WC or Copa as a entertaining spectacle I cannot help change your worldview….
        .
        Second I don’t want to play the game in the dead of winter either — but I’ve argued for an apertura – clausura to frame the season around which can easily solve the international schedule problem.
        .
        And yes the other professional leagues certainly are the underpinning of national teams… name one German/Italian/Dutch/Spanish national player who is not on a UEFA or CONMEBOL or dare say MLS professional club roster.

    • That’s fair. It’s not the strongest argument above, I’ll agree. I ran out of steam and got bored with the idea, so what was originally going to be a column focused on that topic alone became one section of one of my Five Thoughts columns. (Except I ran out of steam there too, and it became Four Thoughts.)

      I think in the ideal scenario, you’re adding two weeks to the regular season and making the playoffs shorter. I think bodies need time to recover. And I think the MLS regular season is not significantly shorter than European seasons. I can probably make a stronger argument, but … eh. 😉

    • Old Soccer Coach says:

      MLS Spans a continent, a continent that dwarfs Europe, which is culturally separate from Asia, but not so much geographically..
      .
      It takes 37 minutes to get from Man U to Anfield and, presumably, vice versa, and that is in a, presumed, luxury coach bus.
      .
      What are the travel times from Montreal to Los Angeles and Vancouver to Orlando? Remember those fiasco games at the end of the 1994 World Cup group stage? European soccer had not yet begun to experience the intricacies of time zone shifts on a regular basis. What are the major complaints of aging European stars when they first start playing here? Among them is travel time.
      .
      There is need for adjustment from North America towards best practices of more advanced leagues; there is need for the adjustment of a tiny continent to the realities of massive geographic distance and climatological diversity. Every time I drove from Philly to SW Ohio to see my father when he was still alive, n eight hours I travelled as far as Napoleon Bonaparte’s Grand Armee from the Polich border to Moscow from June to September, or Napoleon himself by coach in two weeks from that same Polish border back to Paris after the disaster. Europe is geographically small; North America is not Asia, but North America is huge compared to Europe. Paris to Moscow is comparable to Philly to St. Louis or New York to Chicago.

  7. I repeat, Patience, Young Grasshopper.
    It’s pre-season–there are 19 other teams coming out of hibernation, facing similar challenges that we are.
    They will have quality players that don’t fit their system or just overall wrong chemistry for that team but may be perfect fits for us. Then you have international players looking for change of scenery, etc.
    Earnie is stocking for two teams, and although challenging this five seconds, that still is much better situation than last year.
    Dan–to repeat OSC’s question yesterday–how exactly does the USL partnership work with regards to contracts and movement. Can players flow back and forth between teams easily? Baseball thrives on minor league system, getting young players minutes, allowing veteran players time to emerge from slump, rehab assignments, etc.
    Can Union do that, too? If so, that would be terrific. Not sure about the details which is why I ask.

    As for everyone fretting, EPL is especially fun this year because of Jamie Vardy and great reminder of why we all LOVE sports–it is very unpredictable.
    UnionGoal

    • I’m going to see if I can come back with a good answer to that USL question in my column next week.

      And yes, the Leicester phenomenon is awesome. 🙂

      • the Leicester City phenomenon is awesome and also the greatest argument for pro/rel that can be made…
        .
        anybody who thinks MLS structure is the best solution and then says WOW! how cool is what’s happening in the BPL is arguing with forked tongue.

      • Old Soccer Coach says:

        Looking forward to what you find out about USL – MLS in season movement, Dan, thanks!

  8. An extra striker is more than just depth or resting Sapong. You need the scoring threats off the bench to bring into the game in the 70th minute when we are inevitably down by a goal or 2. The role Conor Casey, or even Hoppenot, filled previously.

  9. Dan, you say that they are “stockpiling depth at the attacking midfield positions”, but I think what you actually mean is “stockpiling depth on the wing” — Pontius, Le Toux, Ayuk, Restrepo, and Fernandes are all wingers. Who is there to spell Barnetta as CAM? I love Pontius as a player, but I don’t think that’s his role. Le Toux and Ayuk are simply not CAMs at all, and Fernandes did poorly in that role last go-round (he’s really a winger). I get the impression that Restrepo is really a winger too. We need a backup for Tranquillo or we’re going to be in trouble when he gets injured or suspended or tired.

    • I think the expectation is that Fernandes spells Barnetta in the middle.

      • Agree on Leo in the middle. At this point the only spots where we do not have depth without shuffling other starters is ST, #8, LB, and 4th CB. Hopefully 1 or 2 of those spots are actually filled with a new starter.

      • Leo was operating in the middle for nearly the whole 9v9 stretch during the Open Training.
        .
        he ghosted wide a few times but more often then not was in the left central channel.

      • Old Soccer Coach says:

        I second the observation.

      • Lucky Striker says:

        A. gets an “A”.

        Really starting to sound like formation change to 4-1-3-2.

        CJ needs another option to help. Lord; they need more help for Mo than Creavalle or Carroll.

        Washington makes the cut you’re looking at another LCB. If he doesn’t add another LB candidate to push Fab.

      • Old Soccer Coach says:

        My reading of Adam Cann’s informed speculation suggests a 4-1-3-1-1 where the flank players will exhaust themselves and require occasional support from central channel players, and the back four are going to have to be really really good.

    • Yeah, what John said.

      Initially, I wrote this as exactly what you say, stockpiling depth on the wings, but Fernandes will likely play CAM and a bit on the wings.

  10. just to be a stickler, isnt this only 4 thoughts not 5?

    some good points in there. thanks for posting.

  11. we don’t need a left back we’ve got fabinho

  12. Old Soccer Coach says:

    I would be quite interest to hear evaluations of the following idea from others who attended the open practice and watched the 9 v 9 exercise , without the obvious and older first teasers, sav.e Conceicao, that occurred at the end.
    .
    I “felt” something when I was observing the back line of – L to R – Washington, Tribett, Yaro, and Rosenberry playing in front of McCarthy. In other words my conscious mind cannot identify exactly what it was, but something was there. That unit felt coordinated, there was a cohesiveness. It flashed into my mind that I might be looking at BSFC’s starting back line, especially early in the season when there are no simultaneous games that prohibitively constrict the flow of players between the two clubs, if flow is possible.
    .
    I think BSFC because Tribett was the LCB not Conceicao. I am clear that By MLS rules rosters would have to be alter d for Tribett to play for the first team at this point.
    .
    What did others see and sense?

    • Considering it was a very early preseason practice and the main LB was still just arriving from a land afar… Anderson was in complete control of the back…. defensively the shape was good…coordinated movement a sense of calm.
      .
      I saw some invention…too many crosses but an attempt to work the middle of the field.

  13. I’m not sure how there is so much hope for this year. My hope lies in ES and in the future and hopefully watching players like Restrapo/Yaro/Rosenberry/Marquez grow and develop. There will not be much success this year however. Our “adding attacking talent” is Leo, Restrapo and Pontius? We know better than that.
    .
    Honestly, I think ES will make the team better over time, I believe. My biggest fear really is Curtin.

    • Most people, when realistic, aren’t talking about this year. We’re looking at the team as an Expansion Franchise, due to the deep and devastating damage done by Sak and Nowak.
      .
      When viewed through that perspective, this becomes a 2-3 year outlook. If you can adjust the expectations to fit that timeline, you can see movement towards improvement.
      .
      It would be nice to be Cup contenders this year. But that’s not realistic. Make smart, long term moves. At this time, that’s what they seem to be doing.

      • Section 114 (Formerly) says:

        It would be nice to sign a single piece outside of the draft that I believe will be a part of this team when we could potentially compete for a title in 2018. So far this winter: ZILCH.
        .
        I want Earnie to succeed. I need Earnie to succeed. But in his first few months we’ve added a broken down winger, some mid-level retreads, and an extra draft pick. Meh.
        .
        The guys in camp who have played a professional game and meet that test? Blake, Marquez, Sapong, Barnetta, Fernandes, and maybe Ayuk. That’s it.
        .
        P.S. Earnie, please make me eat these words.

      • Do Edu, Nogueira, and Le Toux not count?

      • Section 114 (Formerly) says:

        By 2018, LeToux should be a broadcaster, and Nogs likely will be home in France.
        .
        As for Edu, well, I’m not convinced he’s worth his salary at all, and certainly not as a partner for Nogueira. I expect he’s going to be a misfit here and move on, or the team has to be completely rebuilt around him.

      • Edu and Nogueira are certainly young enough to still be a factor in 2018. It really all comes down to fit within the prescribed system, both individually, and as a partnership. They’re both clearly talented enough and still in their prime.

  14. My fear with this team is no longer the players on the team it will be what it is. It is the utter lack of players to take over positions if injuries occur. Injuries mean major style overhauls at this point. You can not and will not play the same style with a midfield of Barnetta Nogs and Edu. If you have to throw in the likes of Carroll, Crevalle, Fernandes it just doesn’t work. Sapong as we saw last year clearly can’t play every minute taking him out means a style change cause no one on this team can hold up the ball the way he does. Pontius or Le Toux go down who is cutting inside with the ball. Ayuk and Restrepo as far as I know both head wide with the ball any chance they get. While there may be multiple players at multiple positions the styles of play are drastically different. I mean just think the difference between Rosenberry and Gaddis. Gaddis 1v1 defender with speed. Rosenberry attacking threat good on the ball. Marquez big athletic with speed and good positionally (haven’t seen the ball to much at his feet). Yaro small quick agility with good foot skills, but positionally at this level will need work. There are to many varying styles of play and it needs massive changes from the players typical styles to actually work.

    • Attack: Definitely need another ST unless we are getting away from the target man type. I think winger depth is ok personally.
      .
      Midfield: I think Carroll or Creavalle can fake the #6 for a while. Leo can play the #10. Barnetta can play the #10 and the #8. Would love a solid #8 depth piece.
      .
      Defense: CB is what it is, wouldn’t mind a 4th string type. LB and RB have rookie depth, would really like to see us add either someone who can backup both spots or really a new starter at LB.
      .
      If we can see this surely the team does too. I have faith at this point that they will bring in players to fill these gaps (unless they are higher on the draft picks playing earlier than we are). That said, depth is a MLS wide issue. I guess that’s the nature of the salary cap.

      • The issue though is those players aren’t there and there is a month left. To many style changes I feel.

    • Honestly though, this team is not worse than it was last year. One good signing at striker could completely tilt the team’s fortunes from last year. It’s not great that the whole roster was not set before camp started, but I expect a much clearer picture and a fuller roster in the next few weeks. It will be better. Probably not a great deal better, but I think it will be significant improvement.

      • I never said the team wasn’t better just that there are going to have to be lots of style changes if injuries occur which doesn’t go along with keeping a plan on the field.

  15. What we really need in MLS is pro/rel. 😉

  16. I’m moving this down as a full level comment because I think that one reached its edge up there and it’s just easier to start anew.
    .
    Suddenly, I understand why I don’t seem to agree with anybody on here. I like facts and logic and reality and don’t make arbitrary and subjective declarations with no basis in reality. By every measure, Bobby Abreu was a fantastic player for many years. From 1998 to 2009, he was 8th in fWAR, and had multiple seasons over 5 wins a season. B-R’s Fan EloRater has Abreu as the 113th best hitter ever, just ahead of guys like Rod Carew and Enos Slaughter. Much like with A-Rod, arguments regarding his “clutchness” simply do not stand up to the scrutiny of the stats (his high leverage, RISP, and postseason numbers are all very good).
    .
    So I have come to two conclusions. Some people here absolutely hate actual stats and facts and prefer to substitute their own reality that doesn’t actually exist, then get disappointed when fiction never materializes as reality. There’s also a very specific reason some people don’t like guys like “Maidana” and “Abreu”. Implication intended. Saw this shit all too often with Eagles fans over the past few years. Tired of it.
    .
    Shoot on me all you want. I’m going to take a step back and stop posting here until either the Union make an actual move of note or the season starts and there’s new things to discuss instead of just rehashing the same arguments over and over. This has simply ceased to be productive discussion.

    • so long. fair well. auf wiedersehen. good bye.
      .
      .
      Check back, Adam.

    • Adam,
      .
      As a chemist, I share your love of facts, logic, and data. However, after even reading “The Numbers Game” and “Soccernomics” I believe that soccer is the least understood from a statistical standpoint when compared to any other major sport. Because of this, soccer cannot yet (and maybe never) be discussed in a purely unbiased, data-driven manner. But that is part of the beauty of it.
      .
      Baseball, basketball, etc. are all easier to quantify and therefore most opinions coalesce once the numbers are hashed out. In soccer, how do you quantify the positioning of a single player in relation to their teammates with respect to the defensive strategy employed by the coaching staff? How do you measure an intelligent run by a player that opened up the space that led to a goal? How do you measure the difficulty of a pass? Simply based on the position on the field that it was made and not considering any movement?
      .
      While we may have differing opinions but this is the internet – there is no such thing as “winning an argument”. It is the discussion itself about the sport that makes it so interesting.
      .
      Looking forward to having you return to the discussion.

      • Speaking of intelligent runs how ’bout the intelligent run Pulisic made across the box against Ingolstadt which opened the channel that Aubameyang slipped into before scoring BVB second gol….
        .
        yeah…I second your point.

      • That was the example I had in mind posing that question.
        .
        I’m riding with a smile on that Pulisic Hype Train you mentioned the other day.

    • I can always admit when I’m wrong. Let me preface this by saying my opinion has been skewed by the local narrative of Abreu’s career. And considering all the articles I found, I was not alone.
      .
      I blame WIP. 😉
      .
      That said…my mea culpa comes with stats. Adam, enjoy! (My bad!)
      .
      http://cybermetric.blogspot.com/2012/06/bobby-abreu-have-good-numbers-in-clutch.html
      .
      http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2005/12/is-bobby-abreu.html

  17. My comment response to Dan Walsh above is an important one and worth its own spot in the thread so I’m moving it ….
    .
    right below Adam who is choosing not to engage for awhile….who despite making many many excellent points along the way is unwilling to concede any points made by anyone else on this page regarding our discussion…..so therefore WE must all be wrong for lacking objective tactical understanding or don’t recognize that numbers and stats tell the whole story…
    .
    nevermind that there is quantifiable and qualitative evidence in any argument
    .
    .
    .
    but I digress…
    .
    .
    .
    “The Leicester City phenomenon is awesome and also the greatest argument for pro/rel that can be made…
    .
    anybody who thinks MLS structure is the best solution and then says WOW! how cool is what’s happening in the BPL is arguing with a forked tongue.”

  18. Section 114 (Formerly) says:

    Things that don’t belong on a phillysocccerpage board:
    .
    1) discussion of Phillies/Eagles/Sixers/Flyers, even Bobby Abreu.
    .
    2) discussion of pro/rel. If there was pro/rel the last few years, right now the Union would be a PDL team. Plus, you are repeating yourself for the 18th time. ENOUGH!
    .
    3) Links to Nick Sakiewicz/Peter Nowak hentai, even if it features Porfiro Lopez’s hair.
    .
    Everything else is fair game. Simple rules to live by.

  19. Has anyone watched Anthony Allison in preseason, and, if so, how does he look?

    • Old Soccer Coach says:

      Cannot comment because at the time of the open practice I had no idea who he was, and was more focused on the first four draft picks in any case. Sorry..
      .
      We will all hope that the Union FO will pull the live streaming rabbit out of the hat for the Jacksonville game Saturday night at 6. Then we will have more observed data.

      • Thanks, OSC. From DW’s description, this is the kind of “diamond in the rough” that Union must find until it has more capital to invest in DPs for in-demand positions like striker. Here’s to hoping.

  20. Old Soccer Coach says:

    I respond to Adam S., as a history person not an actual scientist.
    .
    I have always understood that one of the responsibilities of scientific observation was to realize when you have reached the limit of what your observational data allows you to conclude.
    .
    For me, unless there is some unanticipated new news, the next batch of observational data will be available Saturday evening, should we be so lucky as to discover a live stream of the Jacksonville event scheduled for 6 PM.
    .
    The other observation I will offer from the remnants of my academic background comes from the movement among historians to create a subset of the discipline called World History. There is an AP exam in World History now. One of the overt skills called for is understanding the intricacies of using comparison as an intellectual tool..
    .
    Comparison as a serious intellectual tool is difficult, because as you increase or decrease the level of detail under consideration, you affect the validity of the argument. In the final analysis, if you included enough detail, no comparison is valid, similarities are voided by the detailed characteristics that give each item its definition, its uniqueness. With amusement, using an analogy to make my point, consider observing slides under a microscope that has several different lenses or objectives As I think I remember they are called. At lower power, I.e., wider field and less detail thinks look similar which then become differentiated as you narrow the field and increase the magnification.
    .
    The comparison of Abreu to Maidana moves from valid to invalid as the level of detail increases, I strongly suspect. In both cases, however, evaluators felt that something intangible was missing. Abreu’s body of work in Major League Baseball is complete; Maidana’s in MLS is clearly incomplete.
    .
    Maidana’s departure from the Union in my judgment turns on at least two characteristics, as I have read and listened to Curt and Earnie. One of those two set forth the parameter of being able to play for 90 minutes game after game after game. Another characteristic drawn more indirectly from the SD and the coach, via Adam Cann reinforced by my own game observations, is his vacating the center of the pitch defensively. He seemed to improve his athleticism this past season, so what we saw was what we were going to get on that score.

  21. I say stop micro-managing and over thinking the off season. Saks is GONE!!! Mr. Sugarman stepped up and did what he should have done years ago. We have a PROVEN new 1st time ever Sports director who is making educated acquisitions for the best available players possible, and is not done with his first year purchases yet. We all are a bit shell shocked after watching our team flounder and self destruct repeatedly, but if you want a breath of fresh air, go watch our new kid ‘Herbie’ strike a ball. We have NEVER had a young player strike a ball so pure… This kid is the real deal… (there I stuck my neck out) chop it off if you like, but watching ES making his moves is sooooooo much better than what we had, I say no comparisons are valid until we see results ‘or not’… Go watch Herbie place the ball over the wall, under the bar, beyond the keepers reach and into the side panel.. it’s a beautiful thing! UNION-UNION-UNION-UNION!!! Founding Member-STH Section 127

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