Originally Posted by
jloome
I agree in these cases, they both have potential. It could take awhile, as they're both very green, but waiting until age 28 or 29 to blossom from backup to starter isn't uncommon in MLS. It's part-and-parcel of the U.S.' weird development system.
I will say, however, that these guys aren't the problem. They cost us next to nothing. The problem is that we can't scout and recognize talent that can immediately contribute. We sign players based on history and rep, not what they've done lately. I have a hard time believing there was any real investigation of either Perquis or Kantari, just as I have a hard time believing Steven Caldwell really had a career-ending injury, and not a huge bust up over being dumped for Bradley.
This team takes two steps back, one step forward. They still run it like a corporate venture, not a club, and it's still being done in by "smartest guy in the room" syndrome when it comes to signing players, because you can see from the general background of their various flops that they had "hunches" they could "reclaim" guys who'd been at a higher level: Perquis, Findley, Kantari, Moore, Altidore.... all guys who have absolutely flopped at the top level. And that to me suggests a pattern fo looking for "experienced diamonds in the rough". They generally don't exist in football. By the time a guy has pissed the bed with 90% of the various club supporters he's played in front of, the pattern is set. Robbie Findley is not going to become a six-goal, ten assist winger for us. So why was he even here, let alone starting, at that money? Smartest guy in the room syndrome, ignoring the common practise in favor of "magic" with his former U.S. teammates. Just because a guy might once have had the potential or even the talent (see: ROBERT, Laurent), does not mean he still has the heart, fight or speed of decision making.
It's myopic. I half think Bez is just insulating himself by leaving these decisions to Vanney, as he has personal connections from his PLAYING days with ALL of our flops. But what does that say about either of the? ANd why did either man (they were both professional defenders, for fuck's sake) think either Bendik or Konopka was starting material?
I mean, these aren't difficult calls. THese aren't even 20/20 hindsight calls, as pretty much all of these issues were raised before the season started. Even when Gomez was signed, to sit on the bench for considerable wage, people immediately noted the defensive priority.
If the obivous decisions are being ignored, then we are being run by tinkerers who are relying on their own egos, and that means we're not going to see a real improvement until we have an experienced GM and coach.
Time will tell, as usual.