A thread for all your Matias Laba speculation.
So the latest topics seem to be his relative effectiveness and the possibility of a restructured contract to circumvent the cap.
In any case, lets help clean up the transfer rumours thread!
A thread for all your Matias Laba speculation.
So the latest topics seem to be his relative effectiveness and the possibility of a restructured contract to circumvent the cap.
In any case, lets help clean up the transfer rumours thread!
But, doesn't the Laba talk precisely fall under the category of "player moves/speculation/rumours"? I don't mean to be a smart ass or anything but its not like it is wildly off-topic in its current thread, nor are there really any other topics to talk about that the Laba stuff is clouding. Just my 0.02.
So say March 1 comes, and per the rules, Laba has to be let go. He goes on waivers.
If Laba goes through the waiver draft without being claimed ... he is then a free agent ... but would he then be "sanitized" of his DP status?
The scenario I'm wondering about: what if TFC gave everyone in the league something as long as they all agree to pass. Example: say TFC simply agree to give up our top allocation spot (ie agree to not use it in 2014 or some such) as long as everyone in the league agrees to pass on Laba in the waiver draft....then TFC re-signs him.
They'd effectively have used the allocation spot on Laba....
Last edited by ensco; 02-13-2014 at 08:01 PM.
"There are some people who might have better technique than me, and some may be fitter than me, but the main thing is tactics. With most players, tactics are missing. You can divide tactics into insight, trust, and daring." - Johan Cruyff
I thought about that too. Or maybe Tim B could make the case that since Laba is a young DP and counts towards the cap for $168k less than a mature DP, maybe we could be afforded that gap in further allocation money. If so, would that be enough to make paying down his salary feasible?
And RealG-TFC, I suspect you're right. But the conversation seemed to take a life of its own - going into player comparisons, individual stats, the validity of those stats and roster rules at large. It seemed like a good candidate for a breakaway topic.
Last edited by MartinUtd; 02-13-2014 at 08:27 PM.
agreed, getting to the 190th page of a thread on a smartphone was not fun!
I've renamed the thread to note that it will be the one and only collected area for specific discussion about Laba. Ordinarily I'd merge this with the Off-Season thread, but I suppose he's important enough to merit a separate thread - much like Defoe and Bradley were when they came in.
However, I've also reported the thread so the other mods can weigh in on whether they agree with this stance, so things may change.
- Scott
“Heroism breaks its heart, and idealism its back, on the intransigence of the credulous and the mediocre, manipulated by the cynical and the corrupt.” ~Christopher Hitchens
This is TFC asking the league for a favour, A'la The Galaxy.
If the league wants Defoe to be successful for them, TFC needs that supporting cast. I think Laba is a big part of that. He's more than just depth for Bradley. He can be deployed to fill gaps elsewhere if support is needed for Defoe.
"There are some people who might have better technique than me, and some may be fitter than me, but the main thing is tactics. With most players, tactics are missing. You can divide tactics into insight, trust, and daring." - Johan Cruyff
If we haven't done anything with him by March 1st we could loan him to Wilmington until whatever course of action we choose comes to fruition (not saying he'd be playing there, only to get around the deadline temporarily).
^So, if someone starts a thread on say, Joe Bendik, it will get merged?
^mista was a dp!
Urruti was not.
Lalas is on our side
Alexi Lalas @AlexiLalas
MLS is better with Laba at #TFC. Play "for the good of the league" card. RT @WittyNameHere88 What would you do in this situation? #AskAlexi
They see me postin', they moderatin'
a ha ha heh he hoo.. ha
“Years have gone by and I’ve finally learned to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good football.
I go about the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums I plead: ‘A pretty move, for the love of God.’
And when good football happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I don’t give a damn which team or country performs it.”
-Eduardo Galeano
I hope we can find a way to have the guy stick with the team but I have seen some mention that we want the MLS to change the rules to allow him to remain on the team.
Personally I won't support that (asking to have the rules changed outright), we should be working within the rules to keep Laba, if we cant then I expect TFC to be creative and find a way to loan him inside the MLS or outside while still remaining a future option for us.
Road Trips: July 7 2007 Chicago, July 22nd 2007 Columbus, August 11 2007 NY, October 13 2007 LA, March 29 2008 Columbus, May 24th 2008 DC, May 26 2008 Montreal, June 28th 2008 NE, March 7-11-14 2009 Charleston, March 28 2009 Columbus, April 10 2010 New England, May 12 2010 Montreal, April 7 2012 Montreal, March 16 2013 Montreal , June 3 2014 Montreal, March 14 2015 Columbus
Twitter: @RPBPhil
Yeah I hope they don't make a special one off concession from the league for us to have him on the team as much as I want him. I can't see an 'across the board' rule changes happening weeks before the season though either. Big changes like that would have had to come after the end of last season to give teams time to prepare their teams properly with the new rules. Hoping for something creative from Tim B though...
MLS has amended league guideline in the past to accommodate large market clubs in their quest to attract marquee players and raise the profile of the league. If a similar scenario plays out that allows us to keep Laba on the roster this season, I won't lose a second of sleep over it.
We shouldn't be penalized for the remarkable off season management has orchestrated.
See, this is my thinking, as well.
The league is in it's relative infancy and, as such, is evolving at a fairly fast rate, with the rules changed to suit. What drives those changes are the various unique situations that arise, as their solutions will sometimes influence/necessitate a change in the rules. If the league, more or less, expedites a change or two, that, in the near future, they planned on introducing, anyway, I, too, wouldn't be at all bothered, especially given the aforementioned context.
Even a country's own laws, right as they may seem, now, may, after "x" amount of time, no longer make sense, in some cases, seen as archaic/barbaric.
I just think with the offseason we have had, we shouldn't be lobbying for a major rule shift. Do everything to keep him, yes. Find creative loopholes in the process - yes. But to cry about adding a fourth DP slot? No thanks.
I am okay with the MLS doing us a solid like they did with Seattle last year and let us renegotiate a contract or whatever. We are already becoming 'That Team' I just don't want to be *cheating* the rules. We spent a lot of money, money a lot of other clubs don't have. So far I don't think we have done much more than that.
Last edited by Phil; 02-14-2014 at 10:03 AM.
Road Trips: July 7 2007 Chicago, July 22nd 2007 Columbus, August 11 2007 NY, October 13 2007 LA, March 29 2008 Columbus, May 24th 2008 DC, May 26 2008 Montreal, June 28th 2008 NE, March 7-11-14 2009 Charleston, March 28 2009 Columbus, April 10 2010 New England, May 12 2010 Montreal, April 7 2012 Montreal, March 16 2013 Montreal , June 3 2014 Montreal, March 14 2015 Columbus
Twitter: @RPBPhil
This is an amusing sentence.
Reminds me of the scene in Sideways, where the guy is being criticized for fooling around on his fiancee the week before he's supposed to get married, and the guy says, with more sincerity and entitlement than words can convey: "You don't understand my plight".
"There are some people who might have better technique than me, and some may be fitter than me, but the main thing is tactics. With most players, tactics are missing. You can divide tactics into insight, trust, and daring." - Johan Cruyff
^ Ha ha. Very true.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/articl...-will-fall-und
Thought the timing of this unknown, unheard of rule today is interesting to say the least - never heard of it, and neither had the writer for MLS, nor would the MLS comment on it. Maybe I'm reaching here but would be interesting if this was a rule we could use to fit Laba in.
from that article
"González not requiring the DP tag would ensure that Montreal retain the required breathing space to sign a third Designated Player in the summer."
sounds pretty close to our Laba situation lol
We'd probably need the full written rule to understand if Laba could apply.
Although I would bet Tim B has already looked at this, he's the MLS guy remember? I'd be surprised if he didn't already look into this.