TFC 2023 player in-season roster discussion

[jloome]

Also, and it pains me to say this… Ayo isn’t the answer. He just has never recovered that burst he had before the injury, and without it, he can’t do what he needs to do.

I feel bad for him, but we are at, or very near, the end of the line.

15 goals in 68 league appearances. Sound familiar?

Jordan Hamilton: 15 goals in 66 appearances.
Tosaint Ricketts: 16 goals in 66 appearances.

Maicon Santos, who was hardly an offensive powerhouse, had 14 in 40. Victor Vazquez, primarily a hole player setting up the strikers, had 18 in 66.

In All appearances, Ayo has 18 goals in 76 appearances.

Chad Barrett, who, as we may recall, was a fighter but often could not hit water if he fell out of a boat, had 21 in 78.

Those numbers suggest that he is not going to be our leading striker anytime soon.

[ag futbol]

I do wish him success in his career but I have never seen anything from Akinola (even before the injury) to suggest he’ll be a MLS starting level striker.

And I still don’t understand why we didn’t keep Russell-Rowe. He could be a good player in this league with a bit more experience.

[los sonadores]

I do wish him success in his career but I have never seen anything from Akinola (even before the injury) to suggest he’ll be a MLS starting level striker.

And I still don’t understand why we didn’t keep Russell-Rowe. He could be a good player in this league with a bit more experience.

We make some strange youth decisions. I’ve never felt like we have had a reliable and top rate coaching and assessment structure. I wish I knew how we could achieve this but I don’t have the knowledge. It seems these things have to be solidly independent of the first team even when compatible principles/style is being taught. Perhaps other know more about this issue. Vanney’s tenure seems to have produced more real prospects but only now that he’s gone.

Ayo but for a few down south covid moments has never looked ready. We should probably move him for much needed cap relief while he still has good US youth cred.

[los sonadores]

Interesting to compare our use and possible use of our DP, young DP and under 22 situation with the other teams. If we sign a big DP striker we lose the ability to sign two under 22s. Perhaps we should find a striker under 1.7 million, move Ayo and make it three new under 22s. Unless it’s going all out for a big-ish ticket striker. Problem with that is that we’re going to need the depth for the long haul.

https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/easte...ve-flexibility

[SenorDingDong]

Interesting note.

After the first 6 games in the 2017 season.. we had the exact same record as we do this season...

[Canary10]

Hmm, Teemu Pukki is available…Great striker, in our price range and sounds like he might be up for an adventure overseas.

Oh wait, on £1.3M. Maybe not our price range.

[los sonadores]

Hmm, Teemu Pukki is available…Great striker, in our price range and sounds like he might be up for an adventure overseas.

Oh wait, on £1.3M. Maybe not our price range.

I suspect we could in the summer if we weren’t intending to use the under 22 initiative.

For what it’s worth Richie is on roughly the same money, maybe a touch less.

[los sonadores]

Agreed. Think we'll look like a different team with him back.

An alternative way of looking at our start is that we haven't lost in 5 games without one of the top players in the league. I think if we keep picking up points now, even draws, we'll be in a good position. These next 4 games will tell a lot.

Also, we’ve all written off Diomande but Bradley hasn’t. If he can get fit and function effectively that gives us, along with Insigne, a brilliant winger and a striker who is capable of good movement and goals. That would make things a hell of a lot easier.

[OgtheDim]

People in here write off ANYBODY injured 2 weeks

Seba

Insigne

Oso


I'm sure if Berna got injured, they'd write him off....

[RealG-TFC]

Diomande had 23 appearances since leaving LAFC in 2020 across 4 different clubs, in three different leagues. He was always an even bigger reclamation project than Ayo. He came to us an indisputable write off.

[OgtheDim]

Diomande had 23 appearances since leaving LAFC in 2020 across 4 different clubs, in three different leagues. He was always an even bigger reclamation project than Ayo. He came to us an indisputable write off.

Possibly yes

But every injured player is written off on this board as a mistake that needs to be corrected

Every single damned one

[Ultra & Proud]

Possibly yes

But every injured player is written off on this board as a mistake that needs to be corrected

Every single damned one

Problem is when a player gets injured people automatically think he is the new Jozy. Doesn't matter if the player has no injury history like Insigne or even if the player is under 30, he still "approaching 30".

Too many people seem like they want our better, high priced players to fail so they have an excuse to go after the FO for blowing money. A lot of times that seems more important than the team and those players playing really well because those some people vanish if we're on a good streak. Says enough about some of our supporter culture here.

My own example; I once upon a long time ago started the Vanney Deathwatch Thread. I wanted him out. I brought up any and all evidence that he had no clue on how to organize a defense. But he turned it around and I ate my words and I was glad to do it because we were winning. More people on that side of the fence currently should want to be proven wrong.

[MikeForbes]

Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/TorontoFC/status/1644037252803346432?s=20

[MDH]

Coello signed today. I'm happy for him,and wish him the best, hope he succeeds. I'm not hugely impressed overall though. We're TFC, were suppose to buy teams. The idea the addition to our team is a guy already signed to TFC 2 tells me we have no useful scouting network. Who've we signed, 2 known MLS players (Hedges and SJ), and old player (Victor) and an Ex BB player (diomande). Rosted and Peralta look decent enough but it seems to me this team has a deep lack of imagination, or internal ambition. Again I hope the kids does well cause I like winning. I'm 0% a play the kids guy tho. Play the kids in the CPL.

[OgtheDim]

Lol

And here I was coming on here to say the Alonso deal might be the most important move this team makes this year.....

[jloome]

Diomande had 23 appearances since leaving LAFC in 2020 across 4 different clubs, in three different leagues. He was always an even bigger reclamation project than Ayo. He came to us an indisputable write off.

Perception based on stats possibly (possibly! hopefully!), not reality. He was playing in the Middle East, where reporting and even stat gathering for games is quite poor. At one point, in Seba's first year there, Transfermarkt had him on zero appearances and they were halfway through both their season and an Asian Champions Cup run in whcih he a) apparently played as a central midfielder and b) was team MVP. Not a word of it anywhere online other than a vague reference he himself made about playing different positions while there.

So I don't assume Diomande's numbers from Qatar and Saudi mean anything. He might have done great, he might have done poorly, they might (as they often do, to accomodatre foreigners) have played him out of position. We wouldn't necessarily hear about it.

The comeback in Scandinavia is more concerning because it might indicate a repeating injury, as opposed to just burn out or age.

His issue when he left, allegedly, was substance abuse. He was a devout Muslim and went to LA for two years, and then ... substance abuse problems. And then despite scoring buckets of goals in MLS, he goes to a devout Muslim country to play.

I think his issues were personality and addiction based. Consequently, they likely had little to do with his playing time there, or with post-Mid east injuries.

He's old enough that he may just be crocked, too easily injured, too slow on the turn etc. But after that goal he scored in pre-season, it seems obvious why Bradley thought it worth the effort: strong, fast, talented striker, for a low cap hit.

If he recovers from the injury, I think he'll be slotted right back into the starting lineup... because he's the only striker who's shows competence at this level on our roster.

[jloome]

Coello signed today. I'm happy for him,and wish him the best, hope he succeeds. I'm not hugely impressed overall though. We're TFC, were suppose to buy teams. The idea the addition to our team is a guy already signed to TFC 2 tells me we have no useful scouting network. Who've we signed, 2 known MLS players (Hedges and SJ), and old player (Victor) and an Ex BB player (diomande). Rosted and Peralta look decent enough but it seems to me this team has a deep lack of imagination, or internal ambition. Again I hope the kids does well cause I like winning. I'm 0% a play the kids guy tho. Play the kids in the CPL.

Brandon Servania was a pretty good signing without prior connections. That was probably the scouting team.

And someone scouted Coello in college in the first place to tell us he was worth it. Whoever it was, based on what I've seen so far, deserves a fucking raise. I think he'll be the most important signing this year.

Edit:

Lol

And here I was coming on here to say the Alonso deal might be the most important move this team makes this year.....

Annnnnd... you beat me to it.

Looks a pretty good future replacement of MB.

[MDH]

Brandon Servania was a pretty good signing without prior connections. That was probably the scouting team.

And someone scouted Coello in college in the first place to tell us he was worth it. Whoever it was, based on what I've seen so far, deserves a fucking raise. I think he'll be the most important signing this year.

Edit:


Annnnnd... you beat me to it.

Looks a pretty good future replacement of MB.

That's fair, Servania has looked great. I hope Coello does great and will be cheering that result. I don't expect much from this though. Depth is good.

[jloome]

Hmm, Teemu Pukki is available…Great striker, in our price range and sounds like he might be up for an adventure overseas.

Oh wait, on £1.3M. Maybe not our price range.

He's a 15-20 goal scorer in MLS consistently, I would think. He requires some service, but we have that. They'd shell $2.5M for him, wouldn't they?

[Canary10]

He's a 15-20 goal scorer in MLS consistently, I would think. He requires some service, but we have that. They'd shell $2.5M for him, wouldn't they?

I would do it. He'd be a reasonably priced DP and I agree, with Berna and Insigne feeding him he'd score 15-20. I'd love to see it.

[ag futbol]

Really great to see Coello signed. The midfield really just ticked with him on the field. Hope he keeps it up!

[FiveThreeTwo]

Really happy we got Alonso signed. There's something about his play the minute he's come on past two games that has made the midfield look calmer and tbh in a bit more control.

Hope he can continue to show it and it isn't just a flash in the pan- but his poise on the ball, vision, positioning and just quality of pass so far have been real good for a TFC 2 player with limited time at this level. Might be a bit too soon to say this, but for some midfielders when you watch them it just appears to them that time and pressure is a non factor- time stands still, and they can move into space, get their head up see the options and make the pass forward or wherever that needs to progress the play without a care about the opposition around them. It's still has to be proven time and time again in the mls level of pace/pressure (as well as his ability to really win duels in the midfield) but everytime alonso was around the ball, that vibe of calmness emited from him. Hope he can keep it up, adapt and push MAK or MB for more minutes- we seem to really need that control and patience in the midfield... and optically from the academies/TFC perspective be good to have a homegrown player success story come in and be able to stick and grow.

[jloome]

Reverytime alonso was around the ball, that vibe of calmness emited from him.

I got that too, really seemed ready. Have to imagine the childhood pedigree means he reads the game pretty well. He knew exactly how much time he had, he knew exactly where he was going with the ball before it got to him.

[los sonadores]

I got that too, really seemed ready. Have to imagine the childhood pedigree means he reads the game pretty well. He knew exactly how much time he had, he knew exactly where he was going with the ball before it got to him.

He was in a La Liga academy first team at 17 so childhood pedigree and also well beyond.

[los sonadores]

Perception based on stats possibly (possibly! hopefully!), not reality. He was playing in the Middle East, where reporting and even stat gathering for games is quite poor. At one point, in Seba's first year there, Transfermarkt had him on zero appearances and they were halfway through both their season and an Asian Champions Cup run in whcih he a) apparently played as a central midfielder and b) was team MVP. Not a word of it anywhere online other than a vague reference he himself made about playing different positions while there.

So I don't assume Diomande's numbers from Qatar and Saudi mean anything. He might have done great, he might have done poorly, they might (as they often do, to accomodatre foreigners) have played him out of position. We wouldn't necessarily hear about it.

The comeback in Scandinavia is more concerning because it might indicate a repeating injury, as opposed to just burn out or age.

His issue when he left, allegedly, was substance abuse. He was a devout Muslim and went to LA for two years, and then ... substance abuse problems. And then despite scoring buckets of goals in MLS, he goes to a devout Muslim country to play.

I think his issues were personality and addiction based. Consequently, they likely had little to do with his playing time there, or with post-Mid east injuries.

He's old enough that he may just be crocked, too easily injured, too slow on the turn etc. But after that goal he scored in pre-season, it seems obvious why Bradley thought it worth the effort: strong, fast, talented striker, for a low cap hit.

If he recovers from the injury, I think he'll be slotted right back into the starting lineup... because he's the only striker who's shows competence at this level on our roster.

There were also a couple of goals called back where he looked to have a much more highly developed feel for goal than any other striker we have. If he can become fit (whatever that entails) no question he’s starting.

[ensco]

I think we should get Fede and Bernie this proven Serie A goal scorer for the second half of 2021. Just to give us something to waste 8000 pages on

https://football-italia.net/ibrahimo...summer-report/

[NK Toronto]

I think we should get Fede and Bernie this proven Serie A goal scorer for the second half of 2021. Just to give us something to waste 8000 pages on

https://football-italia.net/ibrahimo...summer-report/

Well he meets Manning's two criteria for a DP: Plays in Serie A; and No transfer fee.

[OgtheDim]

Isn't he playing for Richmond FC?

[jloome]

Isn't he playing for Richmond FC?

You think he watched that and thought "but... why did they not just call Zlatan Zlatan?"

[Canary10]

You think he watched that and thought "but... why did they not just call Zlatan Zlatan?"

Someone should go through and name the real life players the characters are based on. Here’s another: Jamie Tart = Jack Grealish.