Still in shock!
Still in shock!
“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
Also known as LA FORMICA ATOMICA "the Atomic Ant"! He'll tear this league apart!! Good signing!
I am gittery in excitement! Went out to dinner with friends and came home to this huge news.
But I am also really anxious, considering what happened after media claims that Forlan had signed. Don't play with my heart like this!
I love this nickname , might even consider putting Atomic Ant on a jersey.
Remember The Man, The Legend, The Goal 5-12-07 and All That #9 Left On The Pitch, Thanks For The Memories !!!
Well no tweet of welcome from a soon to be former staffer is probably a good thing.
Seriously, I would trust this info. If you watch how the news about Defoe to Sunderland went down locally among the beat reporters, that's what happened here tonight. With Defoe, it was Wheeler who got the local confirmation (after a UK report). Here, Molinaro did a LOT of digging today to get this, and everything followed.
I feel good for Molinaro as he was an hour behind on the confirmation on Defoe - this one he broke, and this is a bigger story.
We are spoiled in this city now for TFC and soccer reporters. No other city in in North America has the amount of people working MLS as here.
we have sucked for 8 yrs....but we never lack for news
John Molinaro @JohnMolinaro 13m13 minutes ago Also important: Giovinco is pronounced Joe-vin-coh. NOT Gee-oh-vin-coh. 3 syllables. NOT 4.
Reading this trade made me spit-take my Brio.
If TFC can get a top-flight CB and a winger upgrade, then they probably will have had the best off-season of all the MLS clubs. Then again, they had the best off-season last year and look how that ended up...
I go with pro and con here.
Pro: good age and this offseason has me more optimistic than last year's hype.
Con: $7m? For a league that could face a strike based on the nickels and dimes it pays the bulk of the players, the wages at TFC for 3 players (4 if Gilberto sticks around)... Just wow. Fuel for the union ?
TFC will have an interesting locker room to manage once again. Hopefully the personalities mix.
“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
Just WOW
Can we keep Gilberto too please?!?
With three guys making 5-7M, TFC will have a $22M payroll or similar, which would be 4x MLS average and make them an average team in Brazil.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...lion-year.html
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
Giovinco goal vs Milan 6/10/13, ball goes through the back of the net.
Yes. I suspect we'd finish last in Brazil.
These salaries are unreal. We have become a Russian team.
When was the last time a serious Italian player at a big team left Italy at age 28 or younger for a club that wasn't a superclub (eg Cassano to Real Madrid doesn't count)? I remember Toto Schillaci went to Japan but I looked it up, he was 30 when he did that.
Last edited by ensco; 01-17-2015 at 11:48 PM.
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
Can any Juve or Serie A fan comment on Giovinco's reputation in terms of his mentality. I am automatically wary now that we might have Defoe's problem come up later in the season.
Massive signing for the organization on and off the pitch. The probability of selling out a 30,000 seat renovated BMO Field just increased dramatically, as this move will definitely capture the attention of thousands of Serie A supporters in this city that haven't given TFC or MLS a sniff. Better yet, Giovinco is not just a name; he is still in his prime, and fills a massive void on the roster.
It's a shame that he likely won't be available until July though. Our schedule is going to be brutal to start the season, and by the time he joins the club, we might be in a difficult position in the standings with only a dozen games left. Hopefully, our squad depth will be bolstered enough before the season opener to enable us to stay within range of a playoff spot until then.
As for the prospects of retaining Gilberto beyond July, I would be shocked if Leiweke and Bez didn't have the inside track on the potential for a 4th DP slot to be added in the next CBA. My guess is it will be a domestic DP slot with no age restrictions, and with Bradley and Altidore in the fold, we'll be fine. If that is not the case, or Gilberto doesn't live up to expectations for the first few months of the season, there is always the option of loaning him to a club outside the league. I don't think that management wants another Laba situation on the horizon.
Last edited by ManUtd4ever; 01-17-2015 at 11:49 PM.
“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 have no doubt that this will help sell a ton of tickets but i wonder what type of crowd will fill the stands. Will the Serie A fans become TFC fans or will sections of BMO field be Azzurri blue or Juve colours. Great signing that fills a huge need but this also feels like a bit of a desperation signing too to fill the stands by appealing to a community that has felt snubbed.
With the January transfer window open, know he has already agreed to a contract bringing in July, would you expect Juventus to really play hard ball regarding a transfer fee to get him early and in time for the start of the MLS season?
Remember The Man, The Legend, The Goal 5-12-07 and All That #9 Left On The Pitch, Thanks For The Memories !!!
I believe it's definitely not a coincidence that MLSE targeted a well known player in Serie A and the Italian national team program. However, this is not just a marketing ploy. It fills a glaring void on the roster, and Giovinco has several prime years ahead of him. This is not a comparable scenario to Montreal signing Nesta.
As for the jerseys in the stands, it doesn't matter if it attracts new blood to the stadium. If TFC manages to finally get it's act together the next few years, the seeds will be sown for a new generation of supporters, and that can only benefit the organization in the long run.
I was thinking about this as well. If the reports are accurate that we are paying a multi million dollar transfer fee, why would Juventus insist on having him stay for the balance of the Serie A schedule to languish on the bench?
Our contract offer obviously blew other interested clubs out of the water, so it stands to reason that we could have acquired him for free to join our club in July.
http://www.futhead.com/15/players/14...tian-giovinco/
I have no idea how he'll play in real life for us but he'll be a blast to use on Fifa.
Wheeler and Molinaro have both reported that the July arrival date has not been confirmed, so fingers crossed...
EDIT: It appears as though the signing is confirmed, but the transfer fee is not official yet. If Juventus accepts a transfer fee, then Giovinco should be available for the pre-season. If not, he will report in July and Juventus will not receive any compensation.
Last edited by ManUtd4ever; 01-18-2015 at 01:40 AM.