Already rebuilding in MLS
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Dec 14, 2015) US Soccer Players – MLS Cup may have ended just eight days ago, but that doesn’t mean teams – especially the ones who did poorly in 2015 – aren’t focused on rebuilding for next year. MLS preseason and the knockout round of the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League are just two months away. Several teams are already amping up their rebuilding efforts so that they can get a chance to do what the Portland Timbers did this fall. Win the MLS Cup.
New this offseason is an increase in targeted allocation money and the first ever use of free agency. Both are in place to expand roster depth. That’s key across the league, but expect a good number of teams to hit the market in the coming weeks. Four teams in particular – Los Angeles, DC United, Orlando City FC and New York City FC – are already looking to rebuild and get an early start on 2016. MLS has parity, of course, but that doesn’t mean all teams will spend equally.
The LA Galaxy, one of the most-successful teams in MLS history, had a 2015 to forget. After looking like the odds-on favorites to repeat, the team nose-dived down the stretch. The situation never improved from there. Finishing in 5th-place, the Galaxy lost to the Seattle Sounders in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs. It was an unexpected early start to the offseason for Bruce Arena and his defending MLS Cup champions.
Just days after the MLS Cup Final, the Galaxy announced it was declining the contract options for eight of its players, including starting goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts and strikers Edson Buddle and Alan Gordon. Ricketts, who returned to the Galaxy from Orlando City FC, failed to deliver when it mattered most. He gave up 21 goals in 12 games, a big reason why the team wasn’t competitive in the latter half of the season.
The Galaxy is also pinning its hopes on the many players it already has under contract. That means having Steven Gerrard fresh at the start of the season. Another high-profile DP signing, Mexican international Giovanni dos Santos, joined the team in the summer and saw his form lag down the stretch. He will also need to raise his game for LA to succeed.
Galaxy president Chris Klein told the club’s official site, “There are challenges with roster limitations in our league, so we just have to work on it step by step. Bruce is working through that right now, and we’re confident that we’re going to have a good group back next year.”
The Galaxy has a quicker turnaround time than most teams. The team is in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, where it faces defending champions Club America of Mexico on February 23. Indeed, the Champions League – and MLS’s March through December schedule – puts American teams at a disadvantage. It’s one the Galaxy will have to overcome if its wants to advance further into the tournament.
Another team that finds itself in a similar situation is DC United. They also resume Champions League play on February 23 against Mexico’s Queretaro after a sub-par 2015 MLS season. A new logo and a future soccer-specific stadium isn’t enough to overcome what went wrong this past year. The team finished fourth in the Eastern Conference, defeated New England Revolution in the first round of the playoffs, and lost to rivals the New York Red Bulls in the semifinal round.
In a way, the team beat initial expectations. DC United is what commonly referred to as a team in transition this offseason. They released ten players and traded veteran attacking midfielder Chris Pontius to the Philadelphia Union. Replacing Pontius is Lamar Neagle from the Seattle Sounders.
Neagle is the perfect player for coach Ben Olsen and his 4-4-2 formation. He brings pace and an ability to stretch opposing defenses that can only help DC in the long run.
“We were able to secure a deal for him, and we’re pumped about it,” Olsen told Goal.com. “Obviously Chris (Pontius) was leaving and we needed a guy that could stretch the defense, jump out on the scoresheet and fits who we are. I think he checks all those boxes.”
Meanwhile, the league’s two expansion clubs both failed to make the postseason. Orlando and NYCFC proved they could both sign big names and draw fans. The next step is the postseason, with both realizing that needs to happen sooner than later.
For Orlando City, the changes start at the top. General Manager Paul McDonough moves on. For the players on the field, there has been no end of season break.
In November, while many MLS teams were playing in the postseason, Orlando City traveled to Brazil to take on famed side Flamengo in a friendly. Orlando’s investor/operator is Brazilian Flavio Augusto da Silva and they have Brazilian star Kaka on their roster. Taking advantage of its Brazilian connection, Orlando became the first American club to play at the famed Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, site of last year’s World Cup final. Although Flamengo won 1-0 on November 15 (Kaka missed the game because of National Team duty), several young players got a chance to test themselves against one of the best clubs in South America.
While Orlando City looks to bulk up its roster, NYCFC will need to go beyond spending money to fix the problem. As MLS proved this year, Designated Players with a great past don’t always get the job done. Having Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo on the squad may sell shirts and draw fans, but won’t necessarily win games. The team fired coach Jason Kreis, a man who has proven he can develop talent and win games in MLS. The club replaced him with Patrick Vieira.
While the ex-France international won on the field, he has no experience coaching a pro team. Add to that the complex, multi-layered way American soccer is set up – scouting ahead of the SuperDraft, signing Homegrown players and dealing with a salary cap – and Vieira has a big learning curve to overcome in a very short amount of time. How he does will be crucial for the team.
Vieira may do what most suspect – treat NYCFC as Manchester City’s minor league club. Since the English giants are paying the bills, it seems only natural that Man City academy stars be loaned out to help shore up a roster that really needs rebuilding. However, padding the team out with even more players unfamiliar with the rigors of MLS is no formula for success.
NYCFC defeated Puerto Rico’s National Team 2-1 on the road this past Friday in Bayamon in a friendly where striker Kwadwo Poku scored the winner in stoppage time. Poku was one of the few bright spots for NYCFC this season. He is likely to feature prominently in Vieria’s future lineups. He isn’t enough to make up for the talent gap that exists between NYCFC and its rivals the New York Red Bulls. What moves the team makes over the next two months will prove critical for any long-term success in 2016.
Clemente Lisi is a New York-based writer. Contact him at: CAL4477@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/ClementeLisi.
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