Mista...?

[mastermixer]

Does anyone know what the story was with him not on the bench last night? Even if he had a knock you think you would see him on the bench watching the game but I checked again on the replay this morning and couldnt see him. I find it strange none of the press asked Preki about this last night either...

[Lucky Strike]

^Maybe they were afraid he'd take their microphone and beat them with it after seeing Preki take on the cameraman.

In all seriousness though - the injury may not be major but if there wasn't going to play him anyway out of fear of aggravating it or he wasn't going to be effective at all, he might as well put someone else on the bench. Not too worried about this one.

[Oldtimer]

If he's not back for DC, I'd expect something more sinister, and that he's cut from the team.

[Lucky Strike]

A little off-topic, but speaking of getting cut, I wonder how people would feel if Mista was brought back at like 200K next year...

[mastermixer]

He's had some good flashes, but I haven't seen enough out of him to bring him back even at 200k. Santos seems to be just as productive up front for half the price.

[wzhxvy]

This smells once again...this dude is making 900K this year...its not some slug...

He came in very quietly (no fuss, no press conference, no big deal), which tells me they were worried about the deal shortly after they signed it...and it feels like

[flambe]

He came in very quietly (no fuss, no press conference, no big deal)

Yeah, what gives with that?

[Ossington Mental Youth]

id take him back at the same price but not at a guaranteed contract

[jloome]

id take him back at the same price but not at a guaranteed contract

Aren't they all guaranteed under the new CBA?

[Ossington Mental Youth]

for some reason i think it still (non guaranteed) only applies to a few, can anyone clarify?

[Wagner]

Mista not playing saddens me...because it means OBW is getting more playing time.

[Fort York Redcoat]

^Yeah play Mista till the end of the season or whenever his outrageous contract is. See if he can earn some of it FFS.

[bgnewf]

This smells once again...this dude is making 900K this year...its not some slug...

He came in very quietly (no fuss, no press conference, no big deal), which tells me they were worried about the deal shortly after they signed it...and it feels like

Mista was the only example in the history of designated player signings in Major League Soccer, where a DP signing was not announced as such.

In every other single case ever the league took it upon themselves to hype the DP status of new players, but not in this case.

[cincy]

Yeah, what gives with that?

Even Doneil Henry got a presser.

[Oldtimer]

for some reason i think it still (non guaranteed) only applies to a few, can anyone clarify?

Only players who've played for several years in MLS are automatically given guaranteed contracts under the new CBA.

[MKR]

Mista is the best player this team has. you can see it in pretty much every regard. first touch, vision, sense of teammates, making smart decisions, etc.

We should all hope he is back with the team ASAP if we expect this team to make the playoffs.

Honestly, the stuff that goes behind the scenes in the past few seasons is totally head scratching. Especially going back to the Dichio saga. then there's players being brought in and quickly run out. Honestly, the way this team has been managed in its short history is nothing short of a joke. and that's not just on Mo. It's on everyone including the coaches because they have a hand in it one way or another.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

Only players who've played for several years in MLS are automatically given guaranteed contracts under the new CBA.

yeah thought it was something like that

[menefreghista]

Has the media followed up on Mista's injury? Or are we going on a Luke Wileman tweet only as info?

[Roogsy]

Mista is the best player this team has. you can see it in pretty much every regard. first touch, vision, sense of teammates, making smart decisions, etc.

We should all hope he is back with the team ASAP if we expect this team to make the playoffs.


3 years ago I would agree with you. But this guy is not fit, he is slower than molasses (he has always been slow but with age he has gotten slower) and he isn't as motivated. His pedigree and accomplishments are certainly more impressive than everyone else on the team, but calling him the best player this team has is not something I can agree with in any way. If we want players with great history why don't we just sign Pele to a DP contract.

[mastermixer]

Has the media followed up on Mista's injury? Or are we going on a Luke Wileman tweet only as info?

That's what worries me... we get barret and santos updates at every media scrum but nothing has been said about our second highest paid player and so called "DP". A little odd.

[menefreghista]

3 years ago I would agree with you. But this guy is not fit, he is slower than molasses (he has always been slow but with age he has gotten slower) and he isn't as motivated. His pedigree and accomplishments are certainly more impressive than everyone else on the team, but calling him the best player this team has is not something I can agree with in any way. If we want players with great history why don't we just sign Pele to a DP contract.

Agreed.

If anything, Mista is the new Laurent Robert.

[reggie]

Has the media followed up on Mista's injury? Or are we going on a Luke Wileman tweet only as info?

the media...they cover TFC???
:picard:

[bgnewf]

the media...they cover TFC???
:picard:

A good friend of mine that sits in the press box for every TFC home game told me that this season the number of journalists in the press box is usually no more than seven or eight. That is down from 25+ in season one.

TFC does not accredit bloggers for the most part, only ink stained wretches. And the majority of people in the box are often employed by either the visiting club or by MLS itself so they can write copy for mlssoccer.com

[Pachuco]

3 years ago I would agree with you. But this guy is not fit, he is slower than molasses (he has always been slow but with age he has gotten slower) and he isn't as motivated. His pedigree and accomplishments are certainly more impressive than everyone else on the team, but calling him the best player this team has is not something I can agree with in any way. If we want players with great history why don't we just sign Pele to a DP contract.

You said that in a very calm manner. If I had to respond to that post it wouldn't look as calm and collected as you :)

[Dbl_D]

^Maybe they were afraid he'd take their microphone and beat them with it after seeing Preki take on the cameraman.

In all seriousness though - the injury may not be major but if there wasn't going to play him anyway out of fear of aggravating it or he wasn't going to be effective at all, he might as well put someone else on the bench. Not too worried about this one.

plus there are plenty of matches with CCL coming up over the next weeks would rather see him playing those than injured

[Pachuco]

At 200K maybe. Haven't seen enough yet to be able to put a price tag on him. One thing I know is for sure he's probably the worst DP signing this year.

[MKR]

3 years ago I would agree with you. But this guy is not fit, he is slower than molasses (he has always been slow but with age he has gotten slower) and he isn't as motivated. His pedigree and accomplishments are certainly more impressive than everyone else on the team, but calling him the best player this team has is not something I can agree with in any way. If we want players with great history why don't we just sign Pele to a DP contract.

nah he's still got it in him to succeed in the MLS and has been our best, however unfortunate that may be. During the Cruz Azul game he was the best player on the pitch. In other games at least he has had a hand in our attack and been dangerous which is a whole lot better than nothing.

I'm not saying that he's perfect, but sadly he's the best (or OK one of the better) that we have now. It's possible that he's going to Laurent Robert category and that would be truly unfortunate, but it would only emphasize how shambolic the state of this team is.

[J .]

Mista has been a disappointment. I thought his skill would pair up nicely, but he is disappointing me on many levels. Including having to see White play, and Ill use the word "play" loosely, he's sort of just there.

I would not take Mista back, there are other options available in MLS and I would prefer some of that money goes to resigning Cann and Attakora.

Bigger problems, even if we did bring him back, we have no service from the wide positions. Every game it is the same, the opposing team clogs the middle of the field, forces the play wide and we cannot capitalize upon the space. Its been a problem Ive been harping on since day one. When Andy Welsh or Ricketts are one of your better wide players, thats horrible, I'll lump the hardworking but ineffective Peterson in with them.

Until we force teams to cover their flanks, they will just stifle our attack in the middle of the park.

[Roogsy]

"Best" implies impact. I haven't seen an impact from him other than maybe in 1 or 2 goals. He has shown glimpses yes. Flashes here and there of his obvious skill level and his past glory. But he has not brought anything to us that I can consider "consistent". I suppose this disagreement is simply one opinion vs another differing opinion but at the end of the day, the results on the board are what count for me. For a million bucks (in MLS) I expect more.

[Pachuco]

nah he's still got it in him to succeed in the MLS and has been our best, however unfortunate that may be. During the Cruz Azul game he was the best player on the pitch. In other games at least he has had a hand in our attack and been dangerous which is a whole lot better than nothing.

I'm not saying that he's perfect, but sadly he's the best (or OK one of the better) that we have now. It's possible that he's going to Laurent Robert category and that would be truly unfortunate, but it would only emphasize how shambolic the state of this team is.

So Mista has been better for TFC then Dero? or Frei? or Cann? or Nana? or Barrett? or Maicon?

How did you come up with that assessment? I'm honestly curious.

[MKR]

For a million bucks (in MLS) I expect more.
for the amount of money us saps dish out to this team we should all expect a hell of a lot more. heh.

[Hessanfefer]

3 years ago I would agree with you. But this guy is not fit, he is slower than molasses (he has always been slow but with age he has gotten slower) and he isn't as motivated. His pedigree and accomplishments are certainly more impressive than everyone else on the team, but calling him the best player this team has is not something I can agree with in any way. If we want players with great history why don't we just sign Pele to a DP contract.


Best player on the team!? :frown2: Drop him and.......:idea:I know sign Eusebio instead! :crazy:

[C.Ronaldo]

Hi, My name is Mista.

When I get the ball as a midfielder, I can pass to Obrien white so easily.

I dont even have to try that hard because when i look up, I see a sea of options.


Wake up people, not even Messi could produce much surrounded by shit forwards.

[TFCREDNWHITE]

Mista can only play with Maicon Santos or Chad Barrett....preferably


----Mista----Maicon----

-------DeRo----------

LaBrocca(sucks)---Peterson(sucks)---

-----DeGuzman------

[TFCREDNWHITE]

Hi, My name is Mista.

When I get the ball as a midfielder, I can pass to Obrien white so easily.

I dont even have to try that hard because when i look up, I see a sea of options.


Wake up people, not even Messi could produce much surrounded by shit forwards.


+1 True

[TFCREDNWHITE]

Mista is not the problem...

Currently the problem is with LaBrocca/Peterson and Saric

Mainly Labrocca and Peterson....They suck and don't know how to play with DeRo/JDG/Maicon and Mista!

[jloome]

Mista's a good player. He's not fast, but he's not slow as molasses, just slower than he needs to be. He seems as fast as White, accelerating anyway. At pace, White is actually quite fast.

His first touch is excellent, his passing is excellent, his shots (all three or so of them) have been on target. He creates space. So far, in the short time he's been on the pitch, he's looked like a good player surrounded by a lot of crap players.

Getting rid of him instead of working it out would be a mistake. He is overpaid, but he has a lot of potential to help the club.

[jloome]

Mista is the best player this team has. you can see it in pretty much every regard. first touch, vision, sense of teammates, making smart decisions, etc.

We should all hope he is back with the team ASAP if we expect this team to make the playoffs.

Honestly, the stuff that goes behind the scenes in the past few seasons is totally head scratching. Especially going back to the Dichio saga. then there's players being brought in and quickly run out. Honestly, the way this team has been managed in its short history is nothing short of a joke. and that's not just on Mo. It's on everyone including the coaches because they have a hand in it one way or another.

Agreed. People here can't differentiate between a guy playing badly and a guy looking bad because of those surrounding him.

[Pookie]

Question of the Day:

If there is indeed a "rift" that kept him from the bench, does Gareth Wheeler get an apology?

[ManUtd4ever]

Although he is overpaid, I agree that Mista still has the potential to bolster the inept offense of TFC the rest of the way. It is beyond frustrating that we cannot get an honest answer from anyone in the organization regarding his ridiculous lack of playing time, especially since the controversy surrounding the NYRB match...

[Oldtimer]

Mista has a lot of the intangibles that we saw with Pablo Vitti, though at a higher level.

Flashes of brilliance, beautiful possession-oriented style, but in the end not a game changer. Though characterized as a target man, I'd take a fit DD over him any day, especially in this rough-and-tumble league.

[Oldtimer]

Agreed. People here can't differentiate between a guy playing badly and a guy looking bad because of those surrounding him.

I'm actually amazed at the comments sometimes.

I'm beginning to think that people here don't understand possession football, but only the direct method that's traditional in England and in the US and Canada.

[MKR]

Mista has a lot of the intangibles that we saw with Pablo Vitti, though at a higher level.

Flashes of brilliance, beautiful possession-oriented style, but in the end not a game changer. Though characterized as a target man, I'd take a fit DD over him any day, especially in this rough-and-tumble league.

What do you mean not a game changer? Pretty much every game i have seen him play he has made the team better and has made his teammates look better. That's an accomplishment and is more than i can say for the majority of the team including a dude that makes even more money.

Sadly no one on our roster is a game changer. can't think of one person in all honesty.

[Pookie]

^ I took my U9 team down to a game earlier this year. I thought about asking them to watch the movement of players off the ball and how they create space for their teammates. I opted to keep my mouth shut as I don't want them to learn that standing still is a tactic used at the "higher levels."

[MKR]

Though characterized as a target man, I'd take a fit DD over him any day, especially in this rough-and-tumble league.
oh and for the record i would take a tired and old Danny Dichio on this team any day of the week, but the higher ups sqaushed that notion when they gave him the boot. t-f-c clap clap calp.

[P-NUTZ]

Generally the average MLS player on every team is...well, AVERAGE at best.

Sure JDG and Mista do play better with full support from Saric/Dero/Barrett on the field because of the quality those players can consistantly bring. But why do all of the above also play better with Maicon (a relative freebie) on the field? Because he is an average MLS PLAYER who is much better than the average MLS player.

The MLS is full of PETERSONS/IBRAHIMS/WHITES/GALAS etc...but our average players are worse than many other teams average players. And a high level player of ours, like Mista, is proving less effective than the equivalent high level player on those other teams.

Face it, these above four mentioned average players (and Garcia) should not be starters, and fortunate to be a sub in any pro soccer league. But we cannot afford to have them here taking up a spot. Our depth with AVERAGE MLS PLAYERS is terrible. Our star/most talented players should be making those around them better regardless, kicking ass, and excelling because of how generally poor the average MLS player/team is. And then when JDG brainfarts, Mista gets tired and awkward, Barrett injured and Dero burned out - you can still win if there's enough quality AVERAGE MLS PLAYERS on the squad to bail them out once in a while.

Mista is not doing enough, and in such a case - i would rather have 2 Maicons, Labroccas. Caans or Gargans any day. And, in this league probably win more games being better at being average than the rest or the turds out there.

P.

[Darlofletch]

Mista's had some good moments, but he hasn't been great. We really shouldn't be playing him as a forward. he doesn't have the power or pace to be able to make chances for himself or others if he's leading the line with defenders able to concentrate on him. He's looked best when he's been able to come from deep, playing in the hole. For me, ideally we'd have Barrett and Santos up front, then Mista can play behind them and take advantage of the space they create, which is how he's loked dangerous, that's how he scored against cruz azul, and he's set up chances for others as well.

problem is De Ro's probably most effective there as well. so either de ro gets shunted off to the wing, or one of them goes up front where neither of them are at their most effective, or we go with the two of them there and hope they figure out a way to make it work, which would probably make us even more of a "screw the wings, we're going through the middle again" thean we already are.

So in effect our dp striker isn't good enough to be a striker, and instead has created our very own lampard/gerrard conundrum. excellent.

and yes, why haven't we heard anything yet, where's everyone's anonymous inside sources gone when we need them?

[Pachuco]

Generally the average MLS player on every team is...well, AVERAGE at best.

Sure JDG and Mista do play better with full support from Saric/Dero/Barrett on the field because of the quality those players can consistantly bring. But why do all of the above also play better with Maicon (a relative freebie) on the field? Because he is an average MLS PLAYER who is much better than the average MLS player.

The MLS is full of PETERSONS/IBRAHIMS/WHITES/GALAS etc...but our average players are worse than many other teams average players. And a high level player of ours, like Mista, is proving less effective than the equivalent high level player on those other teams.

Face it, these above four mentioned average players (and Garcia) should not be starters, and fortunate to be a sub in any pro soccer league. But we cannot afford to have them here taking up a spot. Our depth with AVERAGE MLS PLAYERS is terrible. Our star/most talented players should be making those around them better regardless, kicking ass, and excelling because of how generally poor the average MLS player/team is. And then when JDG brainfarts, Mista gets tired and awkward, Barrett injured and Dero burned out - you can still win if there's enough quality AVERAGE MLS PLAYERS on the squad to bail them out once in a while.

Mista is not doing enough, and in such a case - i would rather have 2 Maicons, Labroccas. Caans or Gargans any day. And, in this league probably win more games being better at being average than the rest or the turds out there.

P.

THIS - I completely agree with. You make a really good point about how Maicon can perform with the same guys around him and even makes the rest of the guys better. That's the kind of player we need on this team.

[menefreghista]

Anyone get the TFC official email about tomorrow's game? Not a single mention of Mista's mysterious injury from the TFC Ministry of Propaganda. But they did let me know that Usanov is suspended, Saric returns from suspension, Santos returned against Chicago and Barrett is close.

So what is the deal? How can so little be said about our 2nd highest paid player?

[RPB_RED_NATION_RPB]

Need A Big Banner!!





FREE MISTA!

[wzhxvy]

Mista is too old to get on the team bus. Thats whats coming next.

Or he returned to Spain to attend to personal matters.

Same BS. They are probably trying to figure out what to say, and not wanting to create a distraction before a big game.

Btw, if you listen to the TFC broadcast, Forrest was hinting at something by always saying "TFC is short of players"...and by extension how could they afford to not have Mista...

[menefreghista]

Its like the TFC Propaganda Department has been reading this thread. :D

http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2010/09/saturday-decision-strikers

“They both trained this morning,” said coach Preki. “We will just have to see if there are any reactions. Mista has been having trouble with his leg and I will have to talk with the trainers and see how both players feel. I will need to see if they can give us something and what that something is.”


Btw, if you listen to the TFC broadcast, Forrest was hinting at something by always saying "TFC is short of players"...and by extension how could they afford to not have Mista...

I just checked the game report and we did dress a full bench (7 subs). Although only one of them was a real offensive threat (Santos).

[razor787]

When someone says "best player" in my eyes, it NEVER means best on the team. You cannot compare the success of a striker to the success of a goalkeeper or defender. The "best player" thing to me means "best (or most skilled) in his position"

In that case, the mista argument is both true and false. He is the most skilled in his position, but his success is not the best. Maicon and Barrett are both more successful for the team thus far. To me, that puts mista at the same level as both Chad and maicon

[habstfc]

I think Mista has played fairly well. To be fair to the guy how many games has he played, or more importantly how many minutes has he played. Let's face it, the whole team has been pretty shit offensively.

[TFCREDNWHITE]

Mista's a good player. He's not fast, but he's not slow as molasses, just slower than he needs to be. He seems as fast as White, accelerating anyway. At pace, White is actually quite fast.

His first touch is excellent, his passing is excellent, his shots (all three or so of them) have been on target. He creates space. So far, in the short time he's been on the pitch, he's looked like a good player surrounded by a lot of crap players.

Getting rid of him instead of working it out would be a mistake. He is overpaid, but he has a lot of potential to help the club.

Absolutely correct sir! He is surrounded by crap. Nick Labrocca and Peterson need to be desperately upgraded! Because those two cannot hold the ball, or create something it screws with JDG and DeRo/Mista/Maicon, there by not allowing the midfield to function properly! They create these holes that others on the team need to compensate for.....

[torontocelt]

Labrocca aint as bad as Peterson, he is capable at times and then at other times his passing is abysmal. Labrocca is a decent MLS squad player, Peterson on the other hand is lucky to have a job in football as a player.

[scooter]

-------barrett-----maicon------
-------------mista-------------
dero----guz--------nane----gargan
----harden-----cann----attakora
--------------frei----------------

discuss

[Oldtimer]

-------barrett-----maicon------
-------------mista-------------
dero----guz--------nane----gargan
----harden-----cann----attakora
--------------frei----------------

discuss

Can't argue with that line-up.

[torontocelt]

Can't argue with that line-up.

Well you can start by playing DeRo as a wing back?

Wing backs have the most demanding position on the pitch as they have to cover the most ground. When you are playing a back three they have to come back and help out and when on the attack they have to be high up the pitch to provide width. I do not think having DeRo stuck out as a left wing back is a good idea, he would never score as much goals and I dont think defensively he would be the best either.

I am unsure about Gargan going forward, he doesn't have a lot of pace and I dont think he would be able to beat his man although he would be decent defensively. I could see him playing as right back but not as a right wing back.

I am also unsure about Nane in the defensive midfielder role with De Guz. He has only played six games and he gives away a lot of silly balls. Players in that position need to be able to retain the ball and he has not proven to me that he can do this as of yet on a high enough %.

Also Mista is not fit from what I can see and he would have a lot of ground to cover in the hole. Ideally you want a guy who can join the attack and fall back to help the midfield, someone who have a bit of energy and good vision to see a pass and make late runs. Mista have the vision to pick a pass which is great but he is lacking in fitness from what I have seen so he may struggle to cover back and harass the other team when we do not have the ball. In saying that playing in the hole is his best position I think as he does not have the pace for a striker and is not a poacher.

Lastly a back three can be quite unstable when up against diagonal balls and players with good movement. For a team who has the most shots against them in the league this formation may not help although if it worked and we were more attacking then we might not have the ball in our half as much which would ease pressure on the defense.

In conclusion any formation is difficult when you have players who are not the best as there is usually too many weak links and you can only cover for so much.

[TFCREDNWHITE]

-------barrett-----maicon------
-------------mista-------------
dero----guz--------nane----gargan
----harden-----cann----attakora
--------------frei----------------

discuss


Nice! I actually like this line-up!

[canadian_bhoy]

Hey Soul Sista
Where the fuck is Mista!

[Heart of Stone]

If he needs a job he'll be back next season... he likes to ride his bike around downtown Toronto...

[Pookie]

Hey Soul Sista
Where the fuck is Mista!
Did he really go, zero?
The way you don't move ain't good, you know!
Hey Soul Sista
I didn't see a single thing you can do... tonight

[Pachuco]

Did he really go, zero?
The way you don't move ain't good, you know!
Hey Soul Sista
I didn't see a single thing you can do... tonight

Actually I thought he was quite good at detecting how bad his right foot is that he'd rather give the ball back to the other team then take a shot from the top of the 18.