I actually, incredibly...BELIEVE in 2014

[backbeat]

i should be pissed - in many ways i am pissed and have been for 7 years

but i do believe we truly have turned a corner

there is a semblance of a nucleus of a team for next year with substantial cap space to spend

add the 3 DPs, Laba, a bona-fide AM and Striker - as well we have the cap space dollars to spend to add significantly to the back line and mids - we could be looking pretty healthy to start the 2014 season

i like the budget control of the new GM and i am willing to give Nelsen another year

now give me free season tickets or a 'suffer' for our faith discount for the pain i've/we're endured the past 7 years and i'm peachy keen to see through the tangibility of 2014 to determine my commitment to 2015 and beyond...

i.e PROVE IT WITH RESULTS

[TFC07]

Yeah, I agree. I feel we got a good young core and few pieces in starting lineup away from contending for a playoff spot next season. We just need better attacking players and healthy roster to make some noise.

[69Chevy396]

Yeah, I agree. I feel we got a good young core and few pieces in starting lineup away from contending for a playoff spot next season. We just need better attacking players and healthy roster to make some noise.

Laba, Osorio, Henry, Dike and Caldwell are the only untouchables. Perhaps Bendik too. This team needs 7 to 10 additional MLS calibre players to compete. We are where we were in year one. Lets see what the team does before the 14 season begins, that will define this current administration.

[TFC07]

Laba, Osorio, Henry, Dike and Caldwell are the only untouchables. Perhaps Bendik too. This team needs 7 to 10 additional MLS calibre players to compete. We are where we were in year one. Lets see what the team does before the 14 season begins, that will define this current administration.

I think Morgan and Rey should be added to your list. Guys like Hall are bench players and cheap to keep on roster. If we get quality attacking players, then we are good enough to sneak into the playoffs next season (assuming we're healthy and get our players on time).

[notthesun]

I think Morgan and Rey should be added to your list. Guys like Hall are bench players and cheap to keep on roster. If we get quality attacking players, then we are good enough to sneak into the playoffs next season (assuming we're healthy and get our players on time).

No way is Morgan an "untouchable". He's been okay at best recently and was horrible to start the year. This is coming from a guy who defended him vehemently before the start of this season. His development has stalled relative to where I thought he'd be by now. I'd gladly trade him if we're bringing in a better LB.

Rey has improved every game since he's arrived and I'll gladly have him back. I think management would as well if his salary isn't a problem.

[TFC07]

No way is Morgan an "untouchable". He's been okay at best recently and was horrible to start the year. This is coming from a guy who defended him vehemently before the start of this season. His development has stalled relative to where I thought he'd be by now. I'd gladly trade him if we're bringing in a better LB.

Rey has improved every game since he's arrived and I'll gladly have him back. I think management would as well if his salary isn't a problem.

Morgan is cheap, young and domestic player. He's good enough to become a solid player in the long haul and I highly doubt we're going spend a lot of money on LB/full back or get very good LB for cheap. I don't see Morgan going anywhere unless we get an offer that we can't refuse.

We got more serious holes on this roster that needs to be addressed.

[Ivy]

He has stepped his game up since Elmer came in.

[Pint]

Here is my take for 2014:

Returning players who start:
Bendik - proved to be a quality starter
Caldwell - veteran leadership on the back end
Laba - our top performer this season IMO and will only get better
Osorio - very good young Canadian who came out of nowhere to earn his spot
Rey - has shown he is a very capable winger in this league, salary may be a little high but with better cap management we should easily be able to afford him

Returning players who have a good shot at keeping starting positions:
Henry - need playing time to mature so not sure sticking him on the bench would be wise. Prone to mistakes which may cost us some point in the short term but his development is necessary for us and for the CMNT
Morgan - picked his game back up once Elmer came in and looks like somebody who need a player nipping at his heels.

Returning players fighting for playing time:
Dike - would be a good #2 striker but if we do add the 2DP ST then should be one of the best off the bench options in the league.
Bekker - torn between a loan or keeping him here next season. Needs playing time
Convey - decent player on too much $$, but if we are to have a "bad contract" still on the books next year we could do much worse than convey coming off the bench or spot starting(Cup games)
Welshmen - needs a loan to hamilton(assuming they get the USL team)
Aparicio - probable loan to hamilton
Wiedeman - solid #4 striker option, plays some cup games and comes in late when it is raining.
Bloom - Has been okay but very small sample size and not sold on his ability, decent depth with potential for more
Hall - Depth player who knows his role when on the pitch. Valuable when the salary is manageable
Russel - See hall... IMO only 1 of the 2 need to be kept
Agbossoumonde - Depth player with potential, hopefully he will be kept and hopefully we will see some growth next year
Elmer - was brought in this year so i guess they see something in him... provides competition for morgan
Konopka - 2nd string goaltender
Roberts - Loan next season again hopefully it is in hamilton.
Lambn - Young, has shown flashs (less this season than last season). Wage is alright but takes up an international spot... could become a domestic soon but if we need an int spot in the short run and can't trade for one i would think Reggie is at the top of the chopping block. I would keep him as a second bench winger but wouldn't be heart broken if he leaves

Players who have a murky future with TFC:
Stefan Frei - good player but has battle injures the past few season and is on too much $$$$. IMO he is as good as gone
Kovermans - contract is up and isn't likely to accept a deal that is low enough to retain his services. only chance he stays is if we fail to land a DP striker
Earnshaw - too much money for the role he would likely play, same as kovermans (only chance he stays is if we fail to land those DP's)
Eckersley - too much $$$, has a chance to be a domestic next year so if he will take a reduced salary he will have a spot but i doubt he takes a big enough cut to stay
Braun - too much money for what he brings, need upgrades at ST which should lead to braun hitting the road.
Richter - lost his back up spot to Bloom... could stay but TFC should look for an upgrade
Thomas - almost forgot about this guy since i don't remember him ever doing anything. if he is cheap he may stay but they obviously don't see too much in him if he hasn't gotten playing time with the recent rosters we have had.

[kodiakTFC]

Here is my take for 2014:

Returning players who start:
Bendik - proved to be a quality starter
Caldwell - veteran leadership on the back end
Laba - our top performer this season IMO and will only get better
Osorio - very good young Canadian who came out of nowhere to earn his spot
Rey - has shown he is a very capable winger in this league, salary may be a little high but with better cap management we should easily be able to afford him

Returning players who have a good shot at keeping starting positions:
Henry - need playing time to mature so not sure sticking him on the bench would be wise. Prone to mistakes which may cost us some point in the short term but his development is necessary for us and for the CMNT
Morgan - picked his game back up once Elmer came in and looks like somebody who need a player nipping at his heels.

Returning players fighting for playing time:
Dike - would be a good #2 striker but if we do add the 2DP ST then should be one of the best off the bench options in the league.
Bekker - torn between a loan or keeping him here next season. Needs playing time
Convey - decent player on too much $$, but if we are to have a "bad contract" still on the books next year we could do much worse than convey coming off the bench or spot starting(Cup games)
Welshmen - needs a loan to hamilton(assuming they get the USL team)
Aparicio - probable loan to hamilton
Wiedeman - solid #4 striker option, plays some cup games and comes in late when it is raining.
Bloom - Has been okay but very small sample size and not sold on his ability, decent depth with potential for more
Hall - Depth player who knows his role when on the pitch. Valuable when the salary is manageable
Russel - See hall... IMO only 1 of the 2 need to be kept
Agbossoumonde - Depth player with potential, hopefully he will be kept and hopefully we will see some growth next year
Elmer - was brought in this year so i guess they see something in him... provides competition for morgan
Konopka - 2nd string goaltender
Roberts - Loan next season again hopefully it is in hamilton.

Players who have a murky future with TFC:
Stefan Frei - good player but has battle injures the past few season and is on too much $$$$. IMO he is as good as gone
Kovermans - contract is up and isn't likely to accept a deal that is low enough to retain his services. only chance he stays is if we fail to land a DP striker
Earnshaw - too much money for the role he would likely play, same as kovermans (only chance he stays is if we fail to land those DP's)
Eckersley - too much $$$, has a chance to be a domestic next year so if he will take a reduced salary he will have a spot but i doubt he takes a big enough cut to stay
Braun - too much money for what he brings, need upgrades at ST which should lead to braun hitting the road.
Richter - lost his back up spot to Bloom... could stay but TFC should look for an upgrade
Thomas - almost forgot about this guy since i don't remember him ever doing anything. if he is cheap he may stay but they obviously don't see too much in him if he hasn't gotten playing time with the recent rosters we have had.

I agree with all of this. Well put.

[Shakes McQueen]

I'd love to do a text string search for "turned a corner" on these boards, and see how many posts come up.

- Scott

[mowe]

Ya good post Pint I agree with most of that.

IMO we need at the minimum 3 starting quality players:
1) Striker - use a DP slot, spend as much money as needed to make sure we get a consistent goal scoring threat
2) Attacking Mid - another DP, this team sorely needs some creativity going forward
3) Centre Back - someone who can start and push Henry to the bench and cover if Caldwell gets injured

The FO needs to hit on those 3 positions and then focus on building depth at fullback and wing. It's not an easy job by any means. But it's time for Nelson and the FO to get to work.

[Pint]

I'm torn on how to use the DP slots.

1. 1 ST and 1 AM: this would mean we move Osorio to the wing where he did play a bit this year but is not his best position.

would leave Striker depth as: DP, Dike, Earnshaw(would need to be brought back), Weedman

or

2. 2 ST and keep the middle of the midfield young while trying to grab a vet winger who is better than convey.

[ag futbol]

I really suspect that Nelsen doesn't believe in playing an attacking mid. We play two box-to-box types at most, but usually one DM and then one box-to-box guy. Really not a fan, it makes the centre of the field too flat and the attack becomes pear shaped.

Pint has the right idea. This is really about who's a starter and who is not. After that it becomes a lot less important. If we actually pick up a few more quality attackers it will help us reveal more about the rest of our team. Right now it's hard to judge things such as the quality of our defence because nobody respects the quality of our attack.

[notthesun]

It sounds like it's gonna be two DP strikers. My guess is one will be a target man and the other will be more comfortable dropping a bit deeper for the ball. We'll play a 4-4-2 with one ST dropping off a bit more and acting as a CF.

[Haddy]

The addition of Elmer was great in that it lit a fire under Morgan. He still spends more time smiling and saying 'come on ref' more than actually running but he's at least won his spot back.

Only problem with that, it's made Elmer an expensive sub.

[Richard]

Here is my take for 2014:

Returning players who start:
Bendik - proved to be a quality starter
Caldwell - veteran leadership on the back end
Laba - our top performer this season IMO and will only get better
Osorio - very good young Canadian who came out of nowhere to earn his spot
Rey - has shown he is a very capable winger in this league, salary may be a little high but with better cap management we should easily be able to afford him

Returning players who have a good shot at keeping starting positions:
Henry - need playing time to mature so not sure sticking him on the bench would be wise. Prone to mistakes which may cost us some point in the short term but his development is necessary for us and for the CMNT
Morgan - picked his game back up once Elmer came in and looks like somebody who need a player nipping at his heels.

Returning players fighting for playing time:
Dike - would be a good #2 striker but if we do add the 2DP ST then should be one of the best off the bench options in the league.
Bekker - torn between a loan or keeping him here next season. Needs playing time
Convey - decent player on too much $$, but if we are to have a "bad contract" still on the books next year we could do much worse than convey coming off the bench or spot starting(Cup games)
Welshmen - needs a loan to hamilton(assuming they get the USL team)
Aparicio - probable loan to hamilton
Wiedeman - solid #4 striker option, plays some cup games and comes in late when it is raining.
Bloom - Has been okay but very small sample size and not sold on his ability, decent depth with potential for more
Hall - Depth player who knows his role when on the pitch. Valuable when the salary is manageable
Russel - See hall... IMO only 1 of the 2 need to be kept
Agbossoumonde - Depth player with potential, hopefully he will be kept and hopefully we will see some growth next year
Elmer - was brought in this year so i guess they see something in him... provides competition for morgan
Konopka - 2nd string goaltender
Roberts - Loan next season again hopefully it is in hamilton.

Players who have a murky future with TFC:
Stefan Frei - good player but has battle injures the past few season and is on too much $$$$. IMO he is as good as gone
Kovermans - contract is up and isn't likely to accept a deal that is low enough to retain his services. only chance he stays is if we fail to land a DP striker
Earnshaw - too much money for the role he would likely play, same as kovermans (only chance he stays is if we fail to land those DP's)
Eckersley - too much $$$, has a chance to be a domestic next year so if he will take a reduced salary he will have a spot but i doubt he takes a big enough cut to stay
Braun - too much money for what he brings, need upgrades at ST which should lead to braun hitting the road.
Richter - lost his back up spot to Bloom... could stay but TFC should look for an upgrade
Thomas - almost forgot about this guy since i don't remember him ever doing anything. if he is cheap he may stay but they obviously don't see too much in him if he hasn't gotten playing time with the recent rosters we have had.

Good list but you missed Reggie Lamb . Who is probably not returning next year.

[Yohan]

Good list but you missed Reggie Lamb . Who is probably not returning next year.

I'd say false. Nelsen rates him and thinks him more as a long term project. Dude is only 21 and makes moneyball wage for his value.

[OgtheDim]

I'd say on the most likely to be removed from the Int spots list, Lambe sits at 4th. Nelsen seems to like his replacement wingers - Lambe and Elmer fit that right now.

[Pint]

Ahh yes Reggie lol forgot about that guy....

I will update my original post to include him.

[OfficeGuy]

Good analysis - very unsure about Henry tho - why the onus on TFC for development for CanMNT - he has not been solid at all all season and has made horrendous mistakes as well


"Henry - need playing time to mature so not sure sticking him on the bench would be wise. Prone to mistakes which may cost us some point in the short term but his development is necessary for us and for the CMNT"

[Pint]

Good analysis - very unsure about Henry tho - why the onus on TFC for development for CanMNT - he has not been solid at all all season and has made horrendous mistakes as well


"Henry - need playing time to mature so not sure sticking him on the bench would be wise. Prone to mistakes which may cost us some point in the short term but his development is necessary for us and for the CMNT"

I figured i may get called on that: it is not our job to develop CMNT players but Henry is a young player with lots of promise and needs playing time. We need to do everything we can to properly develop our young players and if that means not burying them on the depth chart. It does us no good to sit him on the bench IMO, we have a choice loan him out or play him.

[Alonso]

In my opinion if we have 2 Dp's come in the summer transfer window 2014 is doomed as well.

This team makes many mistakes every year like a horror remake of the movie Groundhog Day. IMO these being too much turnover of players from one year to the next, new coach every year, overpaying players in a panic, trading away good domestic prospects, and the créme de la créme: Not having your entire team in place including DP's, bench players and water boys, TO START THE PRE-SEASON.

Granted the coach is staying put, and the overpaying panic buys seems to be sorted out.


But, THIS WHOLE TEAM BETTER BE IN FUCKING PLACE COME THE PRE-SEASON OF NEXT YEAR OR THESE NEW GUYS IN CHARGE ARE JUST AS MORONIC AS THE LAST ONES.

We'll probably be trailing 5 or 6 guys 4 games into the season like every year by the sounds of what is coming out of the new front office and no one will know if they have a starting position and Morgan will be tried as a forward a la Adrian Cann in early 2012 season for the first few games.

[Initial B]

We will not have turned a corner until TFC has a season with more wins than losses. I don't see that happening next year. 2015 is going to be the make-or-break season. If we don't make the playoffs by then, there won't be a 2016 season - season ticket sales will have cratered and there will be too many other US markets that will make better use of the franchise (from MLS's perspective).

[Fort York Redcoat]

We will not have turned a corner until TFC has a season with more wins than losses. I don't see that happening next year. 2015 is going to be the make-or-break season. If we don't make the playoffs by then, there won't be a 2016 season - season ticket sales will have cratered and there will be too many other US markets that will make better use of the franchise (from MLS's perspective).

You need to watch Chivas USA closer. We're not going anywhere.

It may be your tipping point but the team will be here.

[habstfc]

We will not have turned a corner until TFC has a season with more wins than losses. I don't see that happening next year. 2015 is going to be the make-or-break season. If we don't make the playoffs by then, there won't be a 2016 season - season ticket sales will have cratered and there will be too many other US markets that will make better use of the franchise (from MLS's perspective).

I believe we sit about 7th this season in attendance. There will always be a core of 15- 17k that will show up pretty much no matter what.

[Yohan]

I!.......I!
I believe!......... I believe!
I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win!

[Abou Sky]

We will not have turned a corner until TFC has a season with more wins than losses. I don't see that happening next year. 2015 is going to be the make-or-break season. If we don't make the playoffs by then, there won't be a 2016 season - season ticket sales will have cratered and there will be too many other US markets that will make better use of the franchise (from MLS's perspective).

Note, the least points possible to have more wins than losses is 47 (12-11-11)

This year, that is no playoffs, I don't think that is quite enough, I think we actually have to be GOOD instead of not bad.

[trane]

I have no opinion about 2014, there is no concrete reason for optimism, but hope springs eternal, so I chose do hold my pessimism until I see concrete plans for the future. But on the flip side until I see such plans no reason to believe.

[Cashcleaner]

I think Alonso really hit it on the head regarding how prepared the roster will be starting the season. It's so true - we've never had a "complete" team coming into March and that's undoubtedly had an impact on us. I mean, think of all those dropped points from the first half-dozen games or so this year alone - especially the loses to Montreal and Vancouver. Far too often guys are lacing up their boots with so little time after getting signed and flown over. There needs to be more time given over to acclimatize them to the city, the team, and the league.

[Nestease]

I believe we sit about 7th this season in attendance. There will always be a core of 15- 17k that will show up pretty much no matter what.

I wouldn't count on that.