That whole wad is called TAM and needed to be used on a single player for this season because those funds expire at the end of the year. We didn't use it last year so needs to be used this year.
This is a good signing filling a need the whole team and management has been talking about.
Ensco, you are on to something here, but I think it will be Cooper, we will see. It's also interesting, because assuming the former Belgian player of the year is a catch, it could signal that in this moment, with Giovinco, we are a preferred destination for players who cannot quite make the real big time: a very good team with a chance to win, great stars, in a city your family will be welcomed.Originally Posted by ensco
He's at least the third marquee player we've gotten over the last two offseason's who've explicitly said they took pay cuts to come here. Bodes well for the future. Management is doing a bang up job for sure.
Last edited by molenshtain; 02-21-2017 at 01:12 AM.
Is he better than Mista?
That's disturbing.
We all get the single player part. Summer window is the much more obvious time to do this given (i) how we finished last year (ie lack of urgency), (ii) risk to chemistry, and (ii) bigger pool of available players.
Re the need, we will see. I thought mgmt was running a misdirection. Guess not.
Last edited by ensco; 02-21-2017 at 06:50 AM.
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
The guy mentioned in his video he came to Toronto 2 years ago - so they were serious about him then and it didn't work out because, well who really knows. This also means Vasquez knows a bit more what he is getting into.
I'd still like to know who they almost got a few weeks ago and didn't due to the transfer fee involved.
The biggest issue last season? The fact that Altidore, Giovinco and Bradley combined to miss almost 30 games.
Scoring wasn't an issue. Defending wasn't an issue. Guys, are we just searching for things to question at this point?
It didn't work out because 1) TFC didn't want to meet Brugg's huge transfer fee and 2) Vazquez was deciding between new adventures in Russia, Mexico or the U.S.
I don't think so. We were a good but not dominant team. That magical run blinded us a bit. Montreal had us beaten, twice.
A lot of the comfort derives from the idea that we dominated Seattle, which I think is a false narrative. They weren't that good, and they played a game designed for minus 10 degrees on the road.
If Mauro Diaz doesn't get hurt, and the MLS final was in Dallas, we would have been big underdogs.
Last edited by ensco; 02-21-2017 at 09:18 AM.
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
Define "dominant" in a league constructed on parity, and where the rules strictly prohibit domination.
I'd argue (outside of 60 minutes in Montreal), that Toronto FC put on one of the most dominating playoff runs in MLS history, outshooting teams 2-to-1 over six playoff games and almost outscoring the entire Western Conference.
Toronto FC lost just three times at home, and were dealing with a ton of injuries to important players.
If domination is what you seek, look elsewhere. MLS teams are never going to win more than half their games.
Again, though, people ignore the fact that TFC was playing at far below full strength for roughly 1/3 of the season. Furthermore, the games Giovinco, Bradley and Altidore missed were mostly during the middle- and final-thirds of the campaign. In other words, the home games in which you'd expect TFC to pick up points.
It's why TFC drew eight times at home. They were missing key players in many of their home games due to international duty and nagging injuries.
And, well, that's just MLS! Teams get streaky.
Last edited by KurtLarSUN; 02-21-2017 at 09:25 AM.
Ensco is getting at a the games where we couldn't open up the defence, like when we lost to ten man Montreal, Kansas City, Vancouver, Red Bulls and 9 man San Jose. It's a reasonable concern. Maybe this guy is part of the solution to that problem and if so terrific. The loss to Seattle was to a bunkering team ( on the day ) too.
Sure. Breaking teams down is difficult when they're putting 11 behind the ball and selling out.
But don't be completely fooled by that narrative. Toronto FC also collected a ton of points against bunkering teams that had no answer.
Plus, look and see which players were missing during those games you mentioned.
Dominant is one of the top two teams in the league. We are a top 5 team.
Disagree re playoff run. That goal scoring margin is from the rout at Yankee Stadium. We didn't dominate the first NYCFC game or the second leg against Montreal.
Re the DPs missing games, that is inarguably true, but it not "solvable" via roster construction. When you put 80% of your payroll into 15% of your players, you will not be able to solve for the problem of one of those massive players missing games, no matter who else you sign.
Last edited by ensco; 02-21-2017 at 09:31 AM.
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
So, the goal-scoring margin had nothing to do with the fact TFC scored multiple goals in every game leading up to MLS Cup? Your obsession with "dominating" playoff games is a bit bizarre. And so is the way you define it. Toronto FC didn't dominate a series in which they won 7-0 on aggregate? You do realize they beat a rival, in the playoffs, 7-5 on aggregate, right?
And just to poke another hole in your "TFC wasn't 'dominant'" theory: Even if you take away the 5-0 rout at New York City, TFC still scored 12 goals during its playoff run, which is an average of 2.4 per game. That's an unbelievable scoring rate for a playoff run of five games.
Were they dominant? That depends on how you define it. But in terms of MLS playoff runs in recent memory, scoring 17 goals and outshooting teams 2-to-1 over six playoff games (not to mention arguably the most lopsided MLS Cup in history) is pretty darn dominant.
As Duane Rollins tweeted, Vasquez playing for Barca is the same thing as Floro having been Real Madrid manager. It doesn't mean anything until he performs.
I'd say this is a reasonable assertion. The club has said they expect more teams to sit back on us this year and force us to try and break them down. We can decry anti-football, but we still have to deal with it all the same. As you said, this signing likely tries to address that problem.
Based on form I think we finished the year as the strongest team in MLS (finals excepted). That said, I think the season is long and it's difficult for anyone to stay on top for a prolonged period of time. I'll be interested to see how some of the other teams start the season given the usual offseason churn.
Listen. I have no complaints about the playoffs! :-)
But I surely can't be the only person who was thinking we were in trouble scoreless after 80 minutes against NYC. Re Montreal, not sure what to say, we played all but 15 minutes of the 180 minutes from behind.
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
That's why Mavinga is going to be a huge addition. People forget Hagglund looked like a pylon multiple times during that Montreal series. Guys a monster in the air but, has trouble defending one on one. All that i'm hearing from pre season is that Mavinga is turning heads. That, coupled with a guy that can break a game open if Altidore or Giovinco can't, or when teams bunker and you need that little magic to score, TFC has no holes other then a backup RB. All i'm saying is if that ball dropped to Vasquez instead of Osario in the final (people forget this chance, open shot from the middle of the box) we might have a star on our jerseys coming into this year.
I've blocked out most of that game's chances except for the one header by Altidore and the miss in the first two minutes
If we had scored then....
I'm really starting to think that a big reason a lot of players want to come to MLS now is just the base professionalism of the clubs/organizations as compared to other parts of the world.
He spends most of the video talking about how people are helping him and his family get settled in the city, something that maybe we take for granted MLSE doing for their players, but something that maybe doesn't happen much in other parts of the world.
Also the fact that Canada – and Toronto specifically – is really being showcased and lauded on the world stage now as a great place, I can also see players with kids really wanting to come here just for that reason.
ive looked. Most of those games had the DPs playing although Gio was injured in the Red Bull game.
Guessing (hoping) the club didn't want to sign a player who couldn't contribute immediately. The MLS schedule gives him some time to recover.
this video says . I wish I didn't chase the dollars in mexico and should have picked Toronto all along. but 2 years ago TFC is not the same as current TFC.
Exactly
Considering Bez signed Seba thinking he was an attacking midfielder, I'd say Vazquez's "mistake" was all of our gains.
Check out this tweet at [URL]https://twitter.com/henrikloenne/status/834052078502891522[/URL]
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/henrikloenne/status/834052826720509953
http://www.transfermarkt.com/mads-al.../spieler/48805
He's a defensive mid. That makes zero sense. I think they might have looked at him to bring him in, but not instead of Vasquez.
Giovinco declined an offer from China: he said ‘no’ to Beijing
http://gianlucadimarzio.com/en/giovi...-no-to-beijing
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/KurtLarSUN/status/834206203928596480
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/KurtLarSUN/status/834148339096498176
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