Hi there, hope your respective cars and rooves(sp?) were spared by the unpleasantness.
Recapping D.C. United’s scoreless draw with the San Jose Earthquakes by WaPo.
Wayne Rooney: I cannot stop Birmingham City manager rumours (Telegraph): This apparently popped up as the American owners want to make a splash once they expect their current manager to jump to Rangers. Given the tone in Rooney’s interview with Goff and this after Saturday, would imagine he welcomes it, so FYI and all.
Recapping the United States’ win over Uzbekhistan by WaPo and SSFC.
Bruce Arena will not return to New England Revolution (Blazing Musket): Ah well, unfortunate. WaPo and The Athletic ($) with more.
Luis Rubiales resigns as Spanish soccer president after World Cup kiss (WaPo): RIP Bozo!
Lilley laments despite Dikwa’s double that powers Riverhounds past Loudoun United FC, 3-1 (PSN): Only Bob Lilley would be upset with a performance like that, but that’s why he’s good!
Anyway that’s what I have, go do the fun things that you do on Monday.
DC drew didn’t lose?
Draws at home feel like losses with the way the standings are at the moment.
Fair
Anybody know how long Martin Rodriguez is under contract for? I was poking around to see it I could see, but no dice so far. If he comes back next year, would he be a help? The team doesn’t have a lot in the way of wingers, and maybe having him aim at Benteke would help. But he’s also under contract for $1 million. I would suspect that we could get better bang for that kind of buck. If he has an option for next year, it’s probably getting turned down.
Just trying to find ways to build a stronger team next year. If Rodriguez doesn’t return, that’s four of our top seven highest paid players that will be off the roster next year (Taxi, Rodriguez, Ravel, and Palsson), and just shy of $5 million in guaranteed salary freed up to play around with. Man, I hope we get a competent GM.
That last sentence is very crucial. Doesn’t matter how much money we have to play with if the guys making it now or in the future aren’t any good. I’m not sure about Dajome’s contract situation, but he was on high wages with Vancouver last I knew, and probably wouldn’t be coming back based on his returns.
Dajome is on guaranteed wages of $965,625. Vancouver is responsible for a good chunk of that this year, but next year he’s all ours. I like Dajome’s energy and versatility, but that’s a lot of money for him. As of the last MLSPA announcements, he was the fifth-highest paid player on the team, after the three DPs, and Martin Rodriguez.
Just officially opted out of season tickets. Had them since 2000, this club has killed the joy of going to matches. So long as Kasper and Levien are here, it won’t change, just raging mediocrity with occasional brushes with competent, winning soccer. Not worth the money any more.
I am considering the same. I’ll hit up and occasional game. I seem to have a cryptic auto renewal agreement mentioned on to my email. They sent me a file of “proof” last year, and I couldn’t open it. I just shrugged, being on the fence with Rooney in town, and let it slide. I did agree to stop payments in 2020 (duh) and apparently something in that triggered an unknown period of renewals (truly gross practice by the marketing people, felt most betrayed). I do think it locked in prices, however, whoopy. I’ll open the email when its not 9-11, which gives me enough sour mood.
Let’s see: Gate A closed, making for cluster entrance; not enough chairs to dine in the Eagle Bank Club (we surrendered our seat to a family eating off the floor, one of them was a child who was clearly on chemotherapy. It made me sick to see that. Child Cancer awareness month DCU, get with it). Props for the Wayne bobblehead dolls, a rather cynical moment, as they leave him in limbo. Bruce arena is available, I guess……
Yikes.
On follow-up. I examined my auto-renewal. My ticket prices stayed pretty much the same, if not exactly the same. That would make sense if I had a “locked-in rate over xyz years”. I may go for it and just ride the train until it all expires. I could always sell the Messi game and, at a minimum, break even. If any member of the Commentariat is ever interested in a game, and wants club seating, give me a shout. Great seats. Just a consideration for ya’ll next year.
My tickets went up but not by 30%, if I’m doing my math correctly, they went up by like 14 or 15% but my email also says that the package includes Leagues Cup Group Stage matches which I guess is better than useless friendlies with some Central American team. I don’t know what a Premium Club friendly may end up meaning, but I usually don’t attend the friendlies because they are set in the middle of Summer and I’m only willing to suffer the heat and humidity for a meaningful match or a friendly with big stars. But, I’m looking forward to seeing Messi play in person, he’s the main superstar of the old guard that I have yet to see in person, so I’m looking forward to it. Alba and Busquets I’ve already seen play during a visit to Camp Nou.
The 30-40% Messi tax on next year’s tickets sure goes a long way toward feeling things.
Yep, 31% increase for me and that was the last straw. Among the plethora of gripes I gave my rep this morning was that when Kevin Payne was here and DCU had a sucky season, there was some accountability. After last season, just crickets. He said, we’re in the playoffs right now. I responded, not for long. There was a soul and passion here at one time, Tom Hunt, Jason Levien and Dave Kasper have managed to kill it all.
I am going to have a look at
1) my “contract terms” if they have documentation that I have more year(s) on it
2) If there are more years, if they raise my rates (they typically are frozen if you extend), I will lawyer up to depart.
I got an email to renew, and I will look at it closely tonight.
If I get stuck, and people in the Commentariat want the occasional game in the luxury section, for old times sake, I’d move them at face for a fair chunk of games.
People I have know for years are disgusted by the rate raise of over 30%, and they are strongly considering bailing. Who in soccer god’s name do they think they will put into those seats? Messi addicts from Potomac?
Interesting history tidbit from last night’s route of the NY Giants by the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. Cowboys Kicker Brandon Aubrey became the first ever former USL player to convert a field goal in the NFL.
I think I saw that minimum wage in the NFL is $750,000. So, well done, Aubrey.
No, dear friend, it’s the the Cowboys. Make good choices, people!
KDP makes the bench of the Team of the Matchday for MLS: https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/team-of-the-matchday-inter-miami-portland-timbers-win-big-in-matchday-31
Earthquakes goalie Daniel with 8 saves and defender Rodrigues made the starting XI.
KDP also made the list of impressive young players for the last round: https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/young-players-who-most-impressed-in-matchday-31
To the point that Matt Doyle made a highlights comp of KDP’s line breaking passes. You can see the tweet or x or whatever its now called in the article.
Interesting read in the The Athletic ($) about a transfer of one the USL Championship’s leading scorers to a Danish Superliga side: https://theathletic.com/4856490/2023/09/12/milan-iloski-orange-county-usl/
Things are getting….zesty…in New England. The Athletic reported that one of the things that got Arena canned was an initial report/compliant by Richie Williams. The team held a meeting and point blank asked Williams if this was true. He said that the investigation is closed and he can’t answer. The players then met and then came back and said they were boycotting practice due to the lack of transparency on this issue. Two of the assistants (van den Bergh and I can’t remember the second one) are siding with Arena on this. I’m sure Arena negotiated that the details on the report would remain confidential as a condition of him resigning.
Shalrie Joseph was the other coach, a Revs legend if ever there was one. He and Van Den Bergh have both since been dismissed. Former DCU player Clint Peay is taking over from (other former DCU player) Richie Williams as the interim head coach.
Fitting that the biggest MLS story after Messi is Messy.
Kevin gets an assist on an own goal almost immediately after coming on!