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Shout out to Luchi Gonzalez for notching his first win as manager of a professional soccer team. And it's always fun to beat the Galaxy, and it was a fun game to watch with a great crowd, great weather, and a stunning goal from Acosta.

With all the youth he is sending onto the field (through the first two games he has played two 18 year olds) its going to be a wild ride but the future is bright.

Congratulations Luchi!

If only they had invested in a top tier striker, they would really be a contender. All the other pieces are there.

Going to have to do it by committee. I like the makeup of our group with the youth of Ferreira, the height of Badji, speed of Barrios and the experience of Ondrasek, but I don't expect any of them to get to 15 goals, hoping we get 2 to 10. The budget just isn't there for a sure-winner striker.

Barrios is a winger, and with his size he gets worn down as the season goes along in the league. Ferreira isn't ready yet, and I don't think he is a transcendent talent anyway. Badji works when the game is wide open, but doesn't create goals for others, doesn't score in tight spaces or against good defenses. Ondrasek is the exact opposite - a pure finisher who will put chances away in front of goal, but you need more than that. The budget is there, they just aren't willing to "pony up".

They have a guy who played for the U19 at 16, and now plays for the USL team, he could be that special talent. But I think he will get sold before he ever plays a minute for FCD, just like the other prospects.

Maybe they will get Mueller as part of the Bayern relationship now that he has been kicked off the German national team.

JasonB wrote:Barrios is a winger, and with his size he gets worn down as the season goes along in the league. Ferreira isn't ready yet, and I don't think he is a transcendent talent anyway. Badji works when the game is wide open, but doesn't create goals for others, doesn't score in tight spaces or against good defenses. Ondrasek is the exact opposite - a pure finisher who will put chances away in front of goal, but you need more than that. The budget is there, they just aren't willing to "pony up".

They have a guy who played for the U19 at 16, and now plays for the USL team, he could be that special talent. But I think he will get sold before he ever plays a minute for FCD, just like the other prospects.

Maybe they will get Mueller as part of the Bayern relationship now that he has been kicked off the German national team.

Fair points in many ways. I think its definitely true that Barrios should not be the primary focus and largely for the reasons you say. Ferreira should be a good bench replacement, but I think that Badji and Ondrasek are both good components to have if the service from the midfield and out wide improves. Pomykal is the only player really aggressively getting forward, I would like to see more of Acosta and some more development for Aranguiz (who has the best touch and range of all of them). I hope Pepi is a star, he has certainly been lighting it up thus far but if he proves to be the star we hope he is, then he will likely go overseas and when he does I hope we are paid a bunch for him. That model is the future of FCD, just need to fix the rules so we can actually benefit from it. Until then, and this is where you are off-base, there is no budget there for a top tier striker.

Mustangsabu wrote:

JasonB wrote:Barrios is a winger, and with his size he gets worn down as the season goes along in the league. Ferreira isn't ready yet, and I don't think he is a transcendent talent anyway. Badji works when the game is wide open, but doesn't create goals for others, doesn't score in tight spaces or against good defenses. Ondrasek is the exact opposite - a pure finisher who will put chances away in front of goal, but you need more than that. The budget is there, they just aren't willing to "pony up".

They have a guy who played for the U19 at 16, and now plays for the USL team, he could be that special talent. But I think he will get sold before he ever plays a minute for FCD, just like the other prospects.

Maybe they will get Mueller as part of the Bayern relationship now that he has been kicked off the German national team.

Fair points in many ways. I think its definitely true that Barrios should not be the primary focus and largely for the reasons you say. Ferreira should be a good bench replacement, but I think that Badji and Ondrasek are both good components to have if the service from the midfield and out wide improves. Pomykal is the only player really aggressively getting forward, I would like to see more of Acosta and some more development for Aranguiz (who has the best touch and range of all of them). I hope Pepi is a star, he has certainly been lighting it up thus far but if he proves to be the star we hope he is, then he will likely go overseas and when he does I hope we are paid a bunch for him. That model is the future of FCD, just need to fix the rules so we can actually benefit from it. Until then, and this is where you are off-base, there is no budget there for a top tier striker.

There is no budget for a top tier striker simply because the Hunts don't enable the budget. They are within the salary cap.

The problem with the FCD model compared to the other MLS clubs is that Pepi will be sold to Bayern before he touches the field for FCD for a small transfer fee (say $1M), and then FCD will get a separate fee later either when Bayern sells him or signs him to a longer term contract. We are years away from happening with him or Richards. And when it does come in, it will be pocketed and the claim will be that it goes to paying for the player development program rather than a star player.

The economics of brining in a star player do not work here. The level of name which would bring a significant impact on attendance and tickets revenue is too high and would not be justified. It’s also important to note that the new club structure is designed to create a supply of young talent that will peak at the FCD first team and we would not likely be selling a player who is not regularly playing for the first team for significant sums. Selling academy players like Richards for $1.5 million is good and necessary business. If and when the club has positive revenue to spend on established striking talent they will. We are a long way from that.


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Mustangsabu wrote:The economics of brining in a star player do not work here. The level of name which would bring a significant impact on attendance and tickets revenue is too high and would not be justified. It’s also important to note that the new club structure is designed to create a supply of young talent that will peak at the FCD first team and we would not likely be selling a player who is not regularly playing for the first team for significant sums. Selling academy players like Richards for $1.5 million is good and necessary business. If and when the club has positive revenue to spend on established striking talent they will. We are a long way from that.


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You are drinking too much of the Hunt's koolaid .

1) The FCD Youth program gets a ton of exposure. Between the partnership with Bayern, the Dallas Cup, and the other international youth cups they play in, they get enough exposure that major talents will never play for FCD. Above average MLS talents like Paxton and Acosta will make their way through the system. But real stars won't - McKinney, Roberts, Pepi.

2) The Hunts are breaking even on FCD when you add in the concerts. Now that DCU has its own stadium and is not a financial drain on the rest of the revenue sharing league, FCD will move more into profitibility. And that doesn't take into account the fact that the value of FCD has gone from $5 Million to way, way over $100 Million.

3) If FCD instead of the Union signs Fabian, you get 5K extra fans per game. If you take a conservative estimate of $30 per head in expenditure, then that is $150K per game and over $2M extra in stadium revenue per season. Which on its own is around what Fabian makes with Philly. Then add the increase in advertising and media revenue on top of that. And FCD would draw more on the road, which in a revenue sharing league brings the bottom line up further.

The economics DO work out. But the Hunts aren't interested in raising the profile of the team or trying to win the league. They just want to develop youth, sell them, and sit on the profits.

Maybe I'm aging faster than I thought, but it seems like it wasn't that long ago Luchi played for us.
Maybe he could be a player/coach?

HorsePower wrote:Maybe I'm aging faster than I thought, but it seems like it wasn't that long ago Luchi played for us.
Maybe he could be a player/coach?

He left SMU in 2001. He’s 38 now....


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JasonB wrote:

Mustangsabu wrote:The economics of brining in a star player do not work here. The level of name which would bring a significant impact on attendance and tickets revenue is too high and would not be justified. It’s also important to note that the new club structure is designed to create a supply of young talent that will peak at the FCD first team and we would not likely be selling a player who is not regularly playing for the first team for significant sums. Selling academy players like Richards for $1.5 million is good and necessary business. If and when the club has positive revenue to spend on established striking talent they will. We are a long way from that.


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You are drinking too much of the Hunt's koolaid .

1) The FCD Youth program gets a ton of exposure. Between the partnership with Bayern, the Dallas Cup, and the other international youth cups they play in, they get enough exposure that major talents will never play for FCD. Above average MLS talents like Paxton and Acosta will make their way through the system. But real stars won't - McKinney, Roberts, Pepi.

2) The Hunts are breaking even on FCD when you add in the concerts. Now that DCU has its own stadium and is not a financial drain on the rest of the revenue sharing league, FCD will move more into profitibility. And that doesn't take into account the fact that the value of FCD has gone from $5 Million to way, way over $100 Million.

3) If FCD instead of the Union signs Fabian, you get 5K extra fans per game. If you take a conservative estimate of $30 per head in expenditure, then that is $150K per game and over $2M extra in stadium revenue per season. Which on its own is around what Fabian makes with Philly. Then add the increase in advertising and media revenue on top of that. And FCD would draw more on the road, which in a revenue sharing league brings the bottom line up further.

The economics DO work out. But the Hunts aren't interested in raising the profile of the team or trying to win the league. They just want to develop youth, sell them, and sit on the profits.

Do you really think Paxton is just an above avg mls talent? At 19 years old hes been the best player on the field in every game this season. The avg age of the midfield for FC Dallas against Colorado was 19 years and 7 months......Cerrillo, Roberts, Canon, Pomykal are providing a young core with great depth.

I agree with alot of what you say but acting like buying DPs is a better route than having the #1 academy in the U.S. is crazy. Bringing in a guy like Gerrard, Ashley Cole, Pirlo is a high risk play (lets not forget about Denilson which worked out so well for FCD).

The sad thing is the FC Dallas team, which is built on youth, (youngest team in the league) is 1 solid up front player away from being realllly good. Get rid of Badji and this team might have a chance.

I don't disagree with the academy approach. I like building a strong academy and believe it could fill coffers and provide a very good foundation for the team, as is clearly the case this season.

My arguement is that game-changing talent is never going to make its way though the academy and into the FCD team. They will be sold off first. I like Paxton, like I said he he will be a good MLS Player. Very Sasha Kljestan, I think, in terms of skill set. He will go off and play in Europe for a while at a mid-table team in a top league or in Belgium. Same with Reggie Cannon. Maybe more upside there (outside backs don't tend to be targeted early for transfer). I think he ends up following the Yedlin route.

But they aren't the game-changing talent that is starting in the Budlesliga at 19 and 20 years old. At Paxton's age, Adams had been starting for RBNY for at least one season. Paxton is not quite at that level of talent. Hopefully I am proven wrong on that one. He has just had plenty exposure with the U-17 and U-20 sides at world cups to garner foreign interest, as well as the exposure with the FCD Youth in the Dallas Cup and other tourneys. So I feel pretty confident we would have been snapped up by now, and he would have seen more playing time with FCD, if he was next level.

What I really have a problem with is the team this year is clearly one striker away, and refusing to pay big money for a stud striker is inexcusable.

I think the jury is out on the striker. Badji is on thin ice, but the service to a true center forward has been a struggle for years and I don’t think ty are quite there yet.

I was really impressed with Ondrasek on Saturday, but he isn’t quite integrated yet.


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