I'm torn on this. I love Richie and he's proven in this league and this team. It's just how much do you want to spend on a RB. In a cap league, it's what makes me uncertain. Richie's probably going to take up 1-1.5 million of cap space in salary+fees. I'd rather spend that amount on a proven striker. Instead we're spending that same amount on a mishmash of below average and/or unproven strikers.
Uncapped league, this is a no-brainer. Cap league, it's all about the right players, in the right spots, for the right price. We just have too many wrong players, in the wrong spots, for the wrong price.
Last edited by rydermike; 02-23-2024 at 10:19 AM. Reason: typo
Richie coming back is fantastic. I'm so happy about this. Now I have some hope.
This is true, but you have to understand cynicism, too. I doubt there was any thought into strategy, impact or how this works with our overall roster construction and gameplan, I doubt Manning went beyond 'nice fan service' in his thought process. There is a hell of alot of history to frame that
However, that doesn't make it a 'bad' signing at all. Depending on our cap and xam situation, I also like it, but we've spent years making signings like this with no care for overall strategy and it's turned us into the worst team in MLS, so I also get why people are cynical. I'll fully judge this when I see what else they turn up with. If this is our only signing we spend money on, it's really not a good use of high spend, and not addressing our core needs. If we do strenghten elsewhere, I like it. He, no doubt, improves the team significantly it's just in a salary cap league that alone doesn't always make it a good signing. So, lots of moving parts, and cynicism is not an insane reaction to this even if I don't fully share it
He's proven, he was our best player during his last two stints with us, he knows Herdman's system, he's well-liked and we need wide speed desperately.
People are seriously overthinking this. With the amount of GAM we have in reserve this has basically no contract impact on us.
And they're probably not going to sign another striker until we've shed some players somehow, and/or given later arrivals like Owusu and Mailula a chance to prove themselves as having some value.
All that can be true and it can also be true that if we had a choice betweeen him and a striker and chose him, that was a bad move (Sounds like it's more we've maxed out the body count there?). I think people are reasonable to overthink a move that fits a pattern of making us the worst assembled roster in MLS history, even if I also think the move is good. This doesn't scream 'lessons learned' to me, even if, again, in this particular case, it might actually be the right move
IMO, this is a big, big W. Richie the RB is great (and somehow was their best attacker at times), Richie the RWB will be a force. Him providing the width will allow Berna to play more centrally and closer to Insigne, which is what this team needs.
Considering the mess the roster is this seems like a win, at least he cares. Welcome back Richie!
It will help the offense immediately. As long as people stay healthy, defence is better as well. Question is if you play 3-4-3 makes Bernie a better winger right away but if he gets whiny can you replace him with some of the new faster forwards. Biggest if will now be the striker connection, going to be so important and we need to put away the sitters we missed last year
Last edited by Bushmancan; 02-23-2024 at 10:45 AM.
Yep this isn't like bringing back someone like Mavinga or even Victor last year.
He's 29 and I agree with Jloome was easily our best player the last 2 seasons when he was here. I'm excited that I imagine he is going to be able to get forward a lot more under the new system.
It's a good move. Money desn't matter in this case. We have zero legitimate playmakers on our team. Absolutely none. By adding Richie we now have one. We may not have a real striker, real wingers, or a real AM so this is the best we can do with our current roster and our lack of international spots.
Also in the giant scheme of things; we ended up net positive on the transfer and return so that'll please the board and I forsee roster changes in the summer so paying players like Richie just over $1M won't matter much. Plus he offers 5x more than Bernardeschi & Insigne at 1/20th the cost. Even Osorio brings less than half of what Laryea does week in and week out.
Richie is a great signing, I'm really glad he's back!
So what's our lineup? Striker position still totally up for grabs
--------Insigne - Ayo - Berna -------
JMR / Spicer - Osorio - Debi - Richie
------Petretta -- Long --- ONeil -------
I am over the moon about this.
He is an MLS XI caliber player.
He belongs here.
What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.
It was only 15 months ago that Richie absolutely owned Yannick Carrasco.
What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.
‐---------------insigne-----ayo---------
‐---------------------berna---------------
Petretta------osorio--coelo-----lareya
----------------------debi----------------------
----franklin------long---------O'Neil------
----‐------------Johnson-----‐------------
I would love to see a proven striker be signed to the team but it looks like we are certainly focusing on our defensive corps. also maybe also another midfielder
I love Richie, but considering how poorly he was able to connect with Berna... I don't love this move.
But, in Herdman we trust.
I dont blame you. I would have been way more excited about a player somewhere else on the field rather than Richies return. And I fear of the club falling into the same old traps that have held us back.
BUT
Dude is a top player at his position in MLS. I can take some silver lining in that regard.
grain of salt, but transfermarkt has laryea value at 2.5 mill euros.
getting him for 750K USD as a non DP seems like an absolute steal.