Sgt. Largent
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Seattle Sounders 2016 season thread
- Thread starter SeatownJay
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Sgt. Largent
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Smurf":d00h8w1m said:
Yep, I read that last night.
Hell, I'd rather see Gomez up top than Valdez at this point. Gomez is a far more complete forward. Maybe he doesn't have a full 90 in him anymore, but neither does Valdez.
Uncle Si
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Going to go a little negative here... more for devil's advocacy and furthering the discussion than anything else.
Retread player signed for depth. Can't see this solving Seattle's problems, only changing the name of it.
I don't know enough about S2, but there isn't any young player worth promoting?
Seattle is 0-3 and can't manufacture goals. They are dangerous, albeit inconsistent and have relied on set pieces to make games interesting. They've now added a 33 year old former international player whom I imagine is going to have some expectations.
This move only works if a. Valdez starts scoring. 2. Gomez scores early and often.
Anything other than those two scenarios is going to cause player management issues.
Retread player signed for depth. Can't see this solving Seattle's problems, only changing the name of it.
I don't know enough about S2, but there isn't any young player worth promoting?
Seattle is 0-3 and can't manufacture goals. They are dangerous, albeit inconsistent and have relied on set pieces to make games interesting. They've now added a 33 year old former international player whom I imagine is going to have some expectations.
This move only works if a. Valdez starts scoring. 2. Gomez scores early and often.
Anything other than those two scenarios is going to cause player management issues.
Sgt. Largent
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Uncle Si":2xlp80p5 said:
I don't think anyone inside our outside the club thinks Gomez is the answer.
But he does give the team an experience forward that'll hopefully give them some solid minutes until they can find their mid DP. Gotta try to shake things up somehow, and until the DP process is over, which could take a while I'm fine with seeing if Gomez can spark the offense. Like I said, what's there to lose? It's not like he'd disrupt this amazing roll we're on or the chemistry...............it's all garbage right now.
My hope is that Gomez is more a more successful center forward than Valdez, and we dump his ass and save 1.2M.
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SeatownJay
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I consider Gomez to be insurance for when we lose Dempsey & Morris during the Copa America this Summer, provided the US gets out of the group stage.
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SeatownJay":9gf8e3k8 said:
For sure, depth.............and when Valdez gets hurt. Cause there are three things you can count on in life.
1. Death
2. Taxes
3. Nelson Valdez missing significant time due to injuries
Uncle Si
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SeatownJay":22vx280g said:
Morris will be an Olympian I believe, should they make it. Not sure he could do both. Good for him in many regards. Gets to lead an American squad in big competition. However, his primary competition for "America's next (first?) great striker" is Bobby Wood, is on the USMNT qualifier roster and has had his name linked with a summer move to some bigger European clubs.
Shaping up to be a banner year (pun intended) for the Sounders.
I'm not knocking Gomez here either. He is what he is. I'm seriously questioning Seattle's FO and touchline management. Treading water would be an improvement to this sinking raft.
And this goes without mentioning that one bitter rival has already won an MLS Cup and another has beaten you this year. (I just mentioned it)
Uncle Si":245z8nqm said:
The thing about the Gomez signing is he literally doesn't cost anything. Toronto is paying his salary through August, and then we only have a few more spoon fulls to hand him.
Our youth talent you're speaking of has been promoted. The likes of Darwin Jones, Oalex Anderson and Aaron Kovar have are the youth promotes getting time with the first team. Other than that, there's Andy Craven and Victor Mansaray (18 year old) on first team contracts who play with S2 at the moment.
hawkfan68
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Valdez was fine when he had Oba on top with him. Nelson Valdez is not the problem. IMO, Dempsey is the bigger issue. I'd hoped that the Sounders would have moved away from Dempsey rather than Oba Martins. Age has caught up with Dempsey and he doesn't have impact on games consistently as he used to. He's just not the threat he once used to be. I like Dempsey and he's had a tremendous career but it's time to move on from him.
Sgt. Largent
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Uglier than making out with Larry King, but we'll take it.
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SeatownJay
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Here's the lineup for today's match. I'm curious to see how Morris up top with Dempsey underneath works out.
[tweet]https://twitter.com/SoundersFC/status/719238623225188352[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/SoundersFC/status/719238623225188352[/tweet]
hawkfan68
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Seeing Aaron Kovar play makes me wish Andy Rose was still a Sounder (that's not a good thing). Kovar is absolutely horrible. Jones is the worst defender I have seen in a Sounder uniform. This team has zero threats up front, opposing teams know it. Gomez comes in and the play immediately improves upfront. He should have been in there from the start and not subbed in at the 80th minute. There are more terrible players on this team than there are good ones. If there aren't any changes, it's looking like the first Sounders team to miss the playoffs since they joined the MLS.
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SeatownJay
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Seattle absolutely stole a point they didn't deserve today. Is it just me or has Ozzie gone from being the heart of the team to being a liability in the past year?
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SeatownJay":1hfrikm5 said:
Ozzie played well the first couple of matches, but yes it seems like his age and wear and tear with the reckless abandon in which he plays is catching up to him.
IMO this club is in big trouble, and I blame Lagerwey. He made the decision to sell Oba and put his faith in a brittle old target forward in Valdez and an unproven college player for our offensive production...........and Morris isn't even starting anymore, and of course Valdez is hurt. Cause that's what Valdez does.
The Sounders have gone from a fun offensively dynamic club to watch with great interplay between Dempsey and Oba, to a hot mess of a club that doesn't even know who's doing what half the time.
Here is my stance on things:
-Oba chose to leave. Lagerway didn't shove him out the door.
-The team was built around Oba...and he left. We need a new identity.
-That identity cannot be Clint Dempsey going man-mode every game.
-This is NOT a full roster, and talent is still on its way in.
-The 4231 the Sounders deployed against Houston was not horrible. It's a work in progress.
-Play improved because of the movement off the ball when the subs were made.
-Gomez is not faster, stronger, or better than Morris...but he is more experienced. He knew that the center forward not only has to hold up play when asked to do so, but also run the channels in behind the LB and RB towards the corner. That type of movement is what opens up the space for Dempsey (or whoever is CAM) to get forward, and inbetween the stretched CB's.
-Anderson is electric. He is fast, shows bit of skill....and is a complete and utter wild card. Some touches are world class, others leave you scratching your head. He offers a completely different type of attacking player than Kovar does (who is playing as an inverted winger). Kovar is most dangerous cutting in on his left, something Beasley figured out fairly early on. Beasley ended up showing Kovar the end line on a few occasions, one of which Kovar send in an absolute scrubber of a cross.
-Different players bring different qualities. The game is fluid, and so is player form. Joevin Jones was arguably our best player the first 2 games of the season, but recently the ball hasn't bounced his way. He will recover. Form is temporary.
-Andy Rose and Aaron Kovar are two completely different types of players and comparing them to each other is a massive disservice to both of them. Sure, you could argue which would be a better tactical fit in the formation we are using...both have their merits and downfalls.
-This is MLS. Doesn't matter how you start, only how you finish (see Timbers, Portland). If we still look like a "hot mess of a club" after 2 months, then maybe I'll be concerned.....Maybe.
-Oba chose to leave. Lagerway didn't shove him out the door.
-The team was built around Oba...and he left. We need a new identity.
-That identity cannot be Clint Dempsey going man-mode every game.
-This is NOT a full roster, and talent is still on its way in.
-The 4231 the Sounders deployed against Houston was not horrible. It's a work in progress.
-Play improved because of the movement off the ball when the subs were made.
-Gomez is not faster, stronger, or better than Morris...but he is more experienced. He knew that the center forward not only has to hold up play when asked to do so, but also run the channels in behind the LB and RB towards the corner. That type of movement is what opens up the space for Dempsey (or whoever is CAM) to get forward, and inbetween the stretched CB's.
-Anderson is electric. He is fast, shows bit of skill....and is a complete and utter wild card. Some touches are world class, others leave you scratching your head. He offers a completely different type of attacking player than Kovar does (who is playing as an inverted winger). Kovar is most dangerous cutting in on his left, something Beasley figured out fairly early on. Beasley ended up showing Kovar the end line on a few occasions, one of which Kovar send in an absolute scrubber of a cross.
-Different players bring different qualities. The game is fluid, and so is player form. Joevin Jones was arguably our best player the first 2 games of the season, but recently the ball hasn't bounced his way. He will recover. Form is temporary.
-Andy Rose and Aaron Kovar are two completely different types of players and comparing them to each other is a massive disservice to both of them. Sure, you could argue which would be a better tactical fit in the formation we are using...both have their merits and downfalls.
-This is MLS. Doesn't matter how you start, only how you finish (see Timbers, Portland). If we still look like a "hot mess of a club" after 2 months, then maybe I'll be concerned.....Maybe.
Sgt. Largent
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I didn't say Lagerwey shoved Oba out the door.
But the fact is Oba was under contract, and we didn't have to sell him, especially for the small amount we got for him.
But IMO Lagerwey IS culpable for thinking the combo of Valdez and Morris would pick up the offensive slack and not ruin the good thing we had going with Clint and Oba.
You're right Smurf, the season is young and there's more talent coming. So I'm not panicking, just stating that I've been very disappointed in what I've seen so far.
But the fact is Oba was under contract, and we didn't have to sell him, especially for the small amount we got for him.
But IMO Lagerwey IS culpable for thinking the combo of Valdez and Morris would pick up the offensive slack and not ruin the good thing we had going with Clint and Oba.
You're right Smurf, the season is young and there's more talent coming. So I'm not panicking, just stating that I've been very disappointed in what I've seen so far.
Sgt. Largent":9blxomod said:
The Sounders have set a precedent of treating its players well...that includes moving players who are still under contract if they wish to leave.
In every circumstance Oba leaving under contract is better than Oba leaving out of contract. Selling Oba was not only the correct move, it was the only move.
Lagerway, to my knowledge, does not believe Valdez and Morris will pick up the slack of Clint and Oba's magic....Both we're purchased to be accessories to the Damage Clint and Oba could inflict. They are not replacements, but rather, they are tools meant to be used in collaboration. Valdez playing next to Oba, is a better player than Valdez playing next to Dempsey. Morris, would purely be an option off the bench early in the season.
The entire pre-season was spent working on incorporating the team into a new 433 formation, with the focal point being Oba...and since Oba has moved on, we have to learn a new style to play...
...somewhere Si is going on about how players should know to play most positions in a variety of systems, but for me, it takes time to build chemistry in certain systems...especially with a rash of young players.
hawkfan68
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What's the status of Erik Friberg...isn't he due to be back soon?
