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Old Enough to Drink and Superdraft - MLS 2017

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    Originally posted by jefe View Post
    ... And Sunil's not running for reelection to head the USSF.
    Hope Solo puts her hand up.

    https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...cer-presidency

    Comment


      Originally posted by Hugh Fatbastard View Post
      Eventually, perhaps. The ownership hasn't changed, but they've managed to bollocks things up until now.

      Those are some begrudged congratulations.
      Really? You want bells on them?

      Best team overall on the season, no question, no doubt, any other result would've been an injustice.

      Comment


        So with the Wolfpack, the Argos and TFC having won their respective leagues, Toronto is suddenly, briefly, Master of All The Football Codes. Give us an Aussie Rules team and we'd win that too.

        Comment


          You have three, and two of them contested the most recent AFL Ontario Grand Final

          On the other hand, the Varsity Blues haven't had a winning season this century

          Comment


            Trade window opened for 4 hours today before the expansion draft so people could purge as they liked.

            DCU acquired Frederic Brillant from NYCFC for allocation $ and a international slot next year, and another international slot went to Portland for Darren Mattocks.

            LAFC sent Dallas $500K of allocation money and the first slot on the allocation ranking for Walker Zimmerman, and an international slot to Atlanta for a4th round draft pick.

            Vancouver sent NE Revs drafts picks for Kei Kamara.

            SKC traded people and picks to Atlanta for people and picks, specifically the retired Kenwyne Jones. so the can protect everyone they want for the expansion draft.

            Houston gets Arturo Alvarez from Chicago for a 2019 draft pick.

            Minnesota brings back the coach's kid from Orlando for a 2019 draft pick.

            Comment


              Kei Kamara! He's about 150 years old isn't he? Caps are definitely investing in youth.

              Comment


                I have to get one thing off my chest re: this season and then I will shut up about it.

                Here's what burns Toronto about the "you guys bought the championship" thing. It's not that it's false, exactly. It's just miles short of the truth.

                Lots of teams try to buy championships. And generally speaking what that means is you have a few superstars and a balance of hangers on. It usually means you have a few egos. And it rarely feels particularly organic. And there's no question TFC spent big.

                But as earlier iterations of TFC show, that approach is difficult to make work in a league like MLS. The 2014 team, the "bloody big deal" fiasco with Defoe and Gilberto, was really not very good at all. What wins championships are deep teams (which in most leagues including MLS means your academy has to be working well). And our 18th player was better than most teams' 11th player. TFC was that fucking deep. It's how we gutted out the Cdn championship and those ludicrous periods with 8 games in 4 weeks. Rotation, rotation, rotation. And sometimes you barely noticed.

                Still, you might say, depth is just another indicator of financial strength. And fair enough - that and an extremely canny GM, I guess. But even then, that doesn't explain this team and this season. What does explain it is simple: hard work.

                You go back across the 43 games they played this season, and they did not dog it once. They stank the joint out on a couple of occasions, but there was never a moment in any single game when you thought they weren't trying their hardest. This was the most driven and most relentless team I have ever seen in any sport. Bradley, among others, keeps coming back to a Monday morning meeting after the 2016 final where the players all agreed they had to get back to the exact same place. They had to get to the final and they had to win the final. At home. In front of the fans. And the only way to ensure that is what happened was to win the supporters' shield. And you saw it in their play every day. The whole season was about getting back to Saturday night.

                And when they got their chance, they played out of their skins. I have tried my best to forget the 2016 final, but I know Saturday was nothing like it. They frustrated us last year. We couldn't move the ball properly, and though they didn't make any changes, we didn't make many either. Saturday was different. Partly, it was because Dempsey was in the lineup and he was fucking terrible. Refused to track back, gave Bradley unbelievable amounts of time on the ball. But mostly, we just played miles better. Harder. Never gave them a moment to settle. It was brilliant.

                Yeah, everyone in Toronto likes the flattery when players talk about the City. About how they love the fans, love the city, how it feels like home, etc. But I mean all athletes do that. Maybe these guys mean something different by it, but who knows. It's nice to hear anyway. Same with how they talk about each other, how they'd die in the trenches for one another, etc. Sure, whatever.

                But what every single person who saw this team play this season knows is they worked like dogs for this championship. This treble. In our shirt, our colours.

                We don't love this team because of the championship. We love them because they act like a team with no egos, no whiny rants (ok, there's Seba but at this point it's becoming a self-aware comedy Italian act). We love them because of the blood sweat and tears. We love them because - and this is too rare in modern sports - they act they way we wish our better selves to be.

                And they got rewarded for it. We got rewarded for it.

                How insanely great is that?

                Comment


                  Originally posted by Anton Gramscescu View Post
                  You go back across the 43 games they played this season, and they did not dog it once.
                  Originally posted by Anton Gramscescu View Post
                  But what every single person who saw this team play this season knows is they worked like dogs for this championship.
                  Make your mind up...

                  Oh, and, rather more importantly, congratulations!

                  Comment


                    Heh. I guess "dog" does have varying connotations.

                    Comment


                      Originally posted by Anton Gramscescu View Post
                      I have to get one thing off my chest re: this season and then I will shut up about it.

                      Here's what burns Toronto about the "you guys bought the championship" thing. It's not that it's false, exactly. It's just miles short of the truth.

                      Lots of teams try to buy championships. And generally speaking what that means is you have a few superstars and a balance of hangers on. It usually means you have a few egos. And it rarely feels particularly organic. And there's no question TFC spent big.

                      But as earlier iterations of TFC show, that approach is difficult to make work in a league like MLS. The 2014 team, the "bloody big deal" fiasco with Defoe and Gilberto, was really not very good at all. What wins championships are deep teams (which in most leagues including MLS means your academy has to be working well). And our 18th player was better than most teams' 11th player. TFC was that fucking deep. It's how we gutted out the Cdn championship and those ludicrous periods with 8 games in 4 weeks. Rotation, rotation, rotation. And sometimes you barely noticed.

                      Still, you might say, depth is just another indicator of financial strength. And fair enough - that and an extremely canny GM, I guess. But even then, that doesn't explain this team and this season. What does explain it is simple: hard work.

                      You go back across the 43 games they played this season, and they did not dog it once. They stank the joint out on a couple of occasions, but there was never a moment in any single game when you thought they weren't trying their hardest. This was the most driven and most relentless team I have ever seen in any sport. Bradley, among others, keeps coming back to a Monday morning meeting after the 2016 final where the players all agreed they had to get back to the exact same place. They had to get to the final and they had to win the final. At home. In front of the fans. And the only way to ensure that is what happened was to win the supporters' shield. And you saw it in their play every day. The whole season was about getting back to Saturday night.

                      And when they got their chance, they played out of their skins. I have tried my best to forget the 2016 final, but I know Saturday was nothing like it. They frustrated us last year. We couldn't move the ball properly, and though they didn't make any changes, we didn't make many either. Saturday was different. Partly, it was because Dempsey was in the lineup and he was fucking terrible. Refused to track back, gave Bradley unbelievable amounts of time on the ball. But mostly, we just played miles better. Harder. Never gave them a moment to settle. It was brilliant.

                      Yeah, everyone in Toronto likes the flattery when players talk about the City. About how they love the fans, love the city, how it feels like home, etc. But I mean all athletes do that. Maybe these guys mean something different by it, but who knows. It's nice to hear anyway. Same with how they talk about each other, how they'd die in the trenches for one another, etc. Sure, whatever.

                      But what every single person who saw this team play this season knows is they worked like dogs for this championship. This treble. In our shirt, our colours.

                      We don't love this team because of the championship. We love them because they act like a team with no egos, no whiny rants (ok, there's Seba but at this point it's becoming a self-aware comedy Italian act). We love them because of the blood sweat and tears. We love them because - and this is too rare in modern sports - they act they way we wish our better selves to be.

                      And they got rewarded for it. We got rewarded for it.

                      How insanely great is that?
                      Have you fully thought out how this is going to change you as a person and change your overall view of life? I think it might.

                      Comment


                        I thought having one my teams win a trophy for the first time ever would make me more relaxed. However, at the moment, I think it might make me more uncompromising about my standards. I;m not sure this is a good thing.

                        Comment


                          This is the team you care about the most, though, right?

                          Toronto is too big, and TFC too niche relatively, for it to transform the city's view of itself, which is already pretty high. It won't be like what the Steelers did to Pittsburgh in the 70s or what the Red Sox did for Boston in 2004.

                          I suppose that the Leafs ever winning again might make a bigger dent, but I don't think it would be for the better, unless they could do it in such a way - as those Red Sox did or the Steelers did - that made everyone in the region feel welcome and part of it. TFC appears to have done that, so maybe the organization overall will learn something from that that it can apply to hockey.

                          Comment


                            What the actual fuck?

                            LAFC pick up Tyler Miller (Seattle), Latif Blessing (KC), Marco Urena (SJ), Jukka Raitala (Columbus) and Raheem Edwards (TFC) in the expansion draft then turn around and trade the last two for Montreal's Laurent Ciman. This makes zero sense. I mean Christ, if LA wanted a 32 year-old CB so badly, they could've just picked Drew Moor, who is *significantly* more mobile than Ciman.

                            Jesus, IMFC made out like bandits on this.

                            Comment


                              They had this prearranged with Montreal, apparently. Also looks like LAFC are going to trade for Sacha Kljestan. Montreal meanwhile are lining up an Argentine defender for $2M.

                              Atlanta signed 2 more people from Newell's to their reserves and are looking to trade for Darlington Nagbe.

                              Oscar Boniek Garcia re-signed with Houston.

                              Portland hired Giovanni Savarese to be their new head coach.

                              Sporks are making a DP out of midfielder from Belgium.

                              Comment


                                Originally posted by jefe View Post
                                Sporks are making a DP out of midfielder from Belgium.
                                I've seen hardcore Euro-porn sites with significantly less explicit teasers than that.

                                Comment


                                  Montreal fans seemingly v. bitter about this trade. Also, can't imagine Ciman's happy - the main reason he came to MLS was to be in Montreal, which happens to be a big centre for autism treatment - for his kid.

                                  Comment


                                    Toronto's president (or whatever Bill Manning is) says that he wants safe standing in the south end by 2020 at the latest and the extra seats put in in the north end for MLS Cup will be permanent. And your owners are buying the double blue.

                                    Atlanta brings in a left back from Venezuela and sends $1.65M in allocation dollars and an international slot to Portland for Darlington Nagbe and someone else. And resigned Jeff Larentowicz.

                                    Alajualense wants to bring Johan Venegas and Wayoln Francis back to Costa Rica.

                                    NYCFC signs a Swedish defender from Malmo.

                                    Columbus trades for Jon Kempin from LAG.

                                    Maxim Crepeau asked Impact management to be traded.

                                    Comment


                                      Originally posted by jefe View Post
                                      And your owners are buying the double blue.
                                      That'll cost them. Unless they up TFC's prices and throw in free Argos tickets.
                                      Last edited by Amor de Cosmos; 14-12-2017, 05:39.

                                      Comment


                                        Toronto's president (or whatever Bill Manning is) says that he wants safe standing in the south end by 2020 at the latest and the extra seats put in in the north end for MLS Cup will be permanent.
                                        In practice it's standing there now. He just means he's going to rip the seats out. (Most of the stadium was standing on Saturday: I didn't sit down once and it was glorious).

                                        Comment


                                          Originally posted by jefe View Post
                                          Alajualense wants to bring Johan Venegas and Waylon Francis back to Costa Rica.
                                          Which is now half less likely, because Columbus traded Francis to Seattle for $50K of allocation money.

                                          LAG trades Jack McBean to Colorado for a 4th round draft pick.

                                          Khiry Shelton traded from NYCFC to SKC for Saad Abdul-Salaam.

                                          Galaxy add a Norwegian international defender.

                                          LAFC's 2nd DP is Diego Rossi from Penarol; their 3rd looks to be coming in from Sporting Lisbon, Francisco Geraldes.

                                          Comment


                                            Jack McBean? Seriously? Surely that's a brand of rugged outdoor wear, based in Minnesota. Or the main character in a kids' book from the 1950s. Better that than a player traded for a fourth-round draft pick. Like being the last one in the playground selection pool when both teams are equal. "You can have him." "Nah, it's alright, you can have him" "Nah..."

                                            Comment


                                              CCL Champions League knockout draw happened: Seattle v Santa Tecla of El Salvador; RBNY v Olimpia, Dallas v Tauro, and Toronto v Colorado.
                                              David Bingham's rights traded from SJ to the Galaxy for $2ooK of allocation money. San Jose are also signing a guy with 14 goals in the Swedish league so far this season.
                                              RJ Allen traded to Orlando, and Orlando re-signed Dillon Powers.
                                              Home openers come out officially tomorrow, probably, but a couple have leaked. DCU opens at Orlando March 3, and is home to Houston on the 17th. Where exactly is still up for grabs. Then one at "home" sometime in April, with 9 more road games before opeing Audi Field. They asked if they could play all their home games at the new stadium but got shot down. LAFC opens at Seattle and their home opener is also against Seattle April 29th.

                                              Comment


                                                Have you thought about the name for next year's thread yet?

                                                Comment


                                                  "Jack and the McBeanstalk: Giant Steps for MLS in 2018"

                                                  Comment


                                                    Lost in Austin?

                                                    Comment

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