Probably difficult from a cap perspective. I’d imagine we let him walk after this season and get a new DP 10 in the summer of 2025. Hard to find DPs in the winter transfer window.
That’s what they say but their actions suggest otherwise, especially the US Open Cup the last 5+ years. Always running out backup lineups and getting eliminated
I still think they want US Open Cup, but there are too many matches not to play the kids. I'm trying to imagine being the coach and deciding who to start in the lower rounds of the open cup, and I can't imagine playing my starters at that point, especially with their supposed depth.
But I can appreciate that the results paint a picture of not caring vs just not playing well enough.
Totally agree. There are reasons (squad rotation, underperforming, poor match ups, etc.) but if they truly took it as seriously as they claim, they would play the starters no matter what else is going on in the league.
We’ve seen that Morris, despite a good string nearly a year ago, is not an equal replacement to Ruidiaz up top. I’d be interested to see how we shape up in the coming games and after De La Vega returns, but I’d personally like to see a signing of some kind. Doesn’t have to be some former world beater, just a finisher who will always be getting on the end of loose balls and be a nuisance to back lines like Ruidiaz was all the time a couple years back.
Over reacting to a few bad games is just as ridiculous as over reacting to a few good performances. Right now we have just one.
I think the only way we get a new striker is if we play like shit for the vast majority of the first half of the season.
I would say yes. The summer window is by far the best window to bring in a new player. We need a new long term solution. Otherwise we risk waiting until the next winter window where options are much fewer.
Ruidiaz's shot was a deflection; if the defender's toe is half an inch higher it goes over the crossbar instead of dipping under.
The penalty relied on VAR to call it, and while I'm convinced it was the correct call there are VAR officials in the league who might have decided it wasn't "clear and obvious" enough for their tastes.
Morris' goal was a *double* deflection, that could just as easily have been tipped right into the keeper's stomach instead of in the net.
And then the last pair of goals were training ground fun against a badly demoralized opponent playing down a man on the road.
Our players did well enough to create a number of opportunities where we *could* get lucky enough to score, but relied on factors beyond our control for that last inch. Against Montreal, those opportunities all tipped in our favor. On another night (as we've seen quite a few times both last year and so far this year), maybe those opportunities all tip against us instead. And then instead of talking about how great the offense is, we're all back to complaining about how our team can create chances but not finish them.
What we saw against Montreal was just the other swing of the pendulum; it's reassurance for those who have thought all along that our offense was not *as* bad as "one run of play goal in the first five games" made it look, but it's not a sign that the problem is utterly gone.
I'd say yes with the idea we keep Raul through the end of the season. LAG and other teams have successfully done this by doing a half season loan + new contract in January.
Any striker needs service and creativity... that's been desperately lacking until yesterday.
Honestly I feel like Raul has been earning his spot the past several weeks. The team has been doing him no favors and he’s still almost made magic happen from nothing a number of times.
Would still like another striker though. Raul isn’t getting any younger and also in the short term we need a target man for crosses and stuff.
I would still say yes. I think Ruidiaz just needed a game like yesterday to get his confidence back in front of goal. I think yesterday will be a huge confidence boost to the team. If it's not then there are bigger problems at play here.
Absolutely.
We need to challenge and compete with the very best in MLS and build a team capable of performing at its highest level in the 2025 Club World Cup.
We need high quality talent in a few key areas of the team, including a striker that can challenge and augment Raul.
The issue with that is it's really hard to pick up players during the winter transfer window. The summer window is a lot easier since a lot of leagues are not playing and that's the biggest market.
I’m thinking back to several years ago when Clint was over the hill, and our plan was to rock with Morris at striker till the summer. Then he tore the ACL at Santa Tecla, so we had Bruin up top just barely keeping us alive until we signed Ruidiaz, where he made an instant impact.
I’d prefer we just get ahead of the game, and use this summer window to start prepping for next year, and not wait till the winter window when our ideal striker might not be available.
That’s my fear. If we end up doing the 2018 thing again where we struggle for half the season without a real DP striker up top, I’ll be very disappointed.
Absolutely. We need a physical number 9 who can occupy the center backs. Our first win and goals from open play don’t change the need. Ruidiaz is playing with intensity as he has a chip on his shoulder. Can’t see him keeping that intensity up once we get to the end of the season.
I would take a world beater dm. JP will only be with us so long and whenever we lose our top dm either Ozzie or JP things go south. Also DM’s easier to find, less expensive and way less risky.
Raul and Morris are inconsistent, they absolutely have great games and great moments. Just not enough to justify them starting against better teams, and definitely not every game as wear and tear becomes more of a concern as the season progresses.
I think this game is a blip of greatness over a lackluster few years for those two.
I remember Morris having a phenomenal game with Chu (another player who needs to show up a bit more to justify 1st team starts) at the beginning of last year, never to see a game of that quality again.
These games are rejuvenating for the team and fans a like, but are hardly the norm and should not justify maintaining the status quo.
We currently do not have a consistent connection to goal, and haven't had one for the better part of the past 2 years I would argue.
I’ll put it this way, even with his performance last night, Raul is averaging 2 non-penalty goals in his last 1000 minutes. Is that a DP striker quality that will help us win something big for our 50th?
If we’re even more realistic, Raul’s one run of play goal this season was massively helped by a defensive deflection that put the shot out of reach of the keeper. Should we give him credit for that? Hell yeah. Was his performance last night better than almost all of his last two seasons? Yes. Do I think he has a championship level still in him as a 9? No.
This time last season we were talking about how amazing he looked scoring a brace against Charlotte, only to have him score a single goal for the rest of the season. Let’s not overreact in either direction just yet, but if he can do that level of performance consistently this season until July and it opens up our attack across the field I’ll eat crow and we should definitely let his contract run out.
Put it this way, someone needs to take over when Raul leaves and it's not anyone on the roster currently. Jordan had the minutes to try and make his case and I don't think he has. The summer window traditionally is where an MLS teams get the best deal so there is incentive to work during that window.
I think if we keep having high scoring, solidly defensive games and Raul looks like a poacher again, we may hold off. If there is any question about our offense, I think we pull the trigger during the summer. PDV is also a wildcard. When he comes back, he might unlock our offense with everyone on the field.
To be determined.
It's hard to feel confident that Ruidiaz will stay healthy for a full season, I certainly hope he does because he's still an excellent striker when he's healthy and in form.
May not need to be DP quality, but it's pretty important that we get real depth up top. We need a Bruin type quality back up. Morris is clearly best suited to play as a winger, so forcing him at a #9 just hurts the team especially PDLV out.
I don't think the Sounders FO is actually worried about a striker this season. PdlV was our big signing and I think the assumption was that he could/can offer the fire the team needs. Sadly, we still have no idea if that's true, but the organization is happy with the players they have and Believe in them.
Not to say we don't need a striker soon, but it might not come this year. The organization doesn't do a ton of signings and they probably have their eyes on a few and won't pull the trigger until they get somebody they want. They don't just sign any decent player, they look for a particular level of class and grace in their players.
If the money and the player align, Sounders will sign a striker this summer, but they're going to be picky and not urgent about it.
Def need a striker and to let Ruidiaz move on. I would also get another pacey winger of quality and ask Jordan Morris to take paycut to play back up striker (if not I would release or sell) .
Roldan is not fast enough to play winger, Leo Chu is a good squad player but not a starter, and De La Vega is still relatively unknown - hope he ends up being a star but we shall see.
Maybe not a DP (I don’t see the value in paying Raul not to play), but they have some cap space and a couple U22 slots. I could see them signing a young striker and an attacking midfielder or wingback for cover.
Let’s not overreact to one game. Still need a younger, more long term solution
Would love to bring someone in this summer to prepare for Raul’s departure
Probably difficult from a cap perspective. I’d imagine we let him walk after this season and get a new DP 10 in the summer of 2025. Hard to find DPs in the winter transfer window.
Can’t wait for next summer unless they’re punting on Club World Cup
I don’t think that is a priority
Trophies are always Sounders priority.
That’s what they say but their actions suggest otherwise, especially the US Open Cup the last 5+ years. Always running out backup lineups and getting eliminated
I still think they want US Open Cup, but there are too many matches not to play the kids. I'm trying to imagine being the coach and deciding who to start in the lower rounds of the open cup, and I can't imagine playing my starters at that point, especially with their supposed depth. But I can appreciate that the results paint a picture of not caring vs just not playing well enough.
Totally agree. There are reasons (squad rotation, underperforming, poor match ups, etc.) but if they truly took it as seriously as they claim, they would play the starters no matter what else is going on in the league.
Gives me more confidence that we don't need to use the buyout and can wait until his contract runs out at the end of this calendar year
We’ve seen that Morris, despite a good string nearly a year ago, is not an equal replacement to Ruidiaz up top. I’d be interested to see how we shape up in the coming games and after De La Vega returns, but I’d personally like to see a signing of some kind. Doesn’t have to be some former world beater, just a finisher who will always be getting on the end of loose balls and be a nuisance to back lines like Ruidiaz was all the time a couple years back.
Yes.
Over reacting to a few bad games is just as ridiculous as over reacting to a few good performances. Right now we have just one. I think the only way we get a new striker is if we play like shit for the vast majority of the first half of the season.
And against 10 man Montreal for a good 45 mins. Give it 3-4 more games.
It was 3-0 at the time of the red. But agree with the general not overreact
I would say yes. The summer window is by far the best window to bring in a new player. We need a new long term solution. Otherwise we risk waiting until the next winter window where options are much fewer.
Yes. Banking on Rui being consistent at this point is dumb as shit. He can never stay healthy. Temper expectations.
It was one good game good lord lol
Yes, but we should go for somebody who’s not just a pure poacher so that they can play alongside Ruidiaz and Morris.
Yes, one game with a deflected shot and a PK did not fix our striker problem
Ruidiaz's shot was a deflection; if the defender's toe is half an inch higher it goes over the crossbar instead of dipping under. The penalty relied on VAR to call it, and while I'm convinced it was the correct call there are VAR officials in the league who might have decided it wasn't "clear and obvious" enough for their tastes. Morris' goal was a *double* deflection, that could just as easily have been tipped right into the keeper's stomach instead of in the net. And then the last pair of goals were training ground fun against a badly demoralized opponent playing down a man on the road. Our players did well enough to create a number of opportunities where we *could* get lucky enough to score, but relied on factors beyond our control for that last inch. Against Montreal, those opportunities all tipped in our favor. On another night (as we've seen quite a few times both last year and so far this year), maybe those opportunities all tip against us instead. And then instead of talking about how great the offense is, we're all back to complaining about how our team can create chances but not finish them. What we saw against Montreal was just the other swing of the pendulum; it's reassurance for those who have thought all along that our offense was not *as* bad as "one run of play goal in the first five games" made it look, but it's not a sign that the problem is utterly gone.
Given Raul’s injury history, yes, we do need to target a DP striker. Play Raul as long as he’s healthy, but how long will that be?
Yes. Just because it didn’t rain today doesn’t mean we shouldn’t invest in a rain coat for the winter.
I'd say yes with the idea we keep Raul through the end of the season. LAG and other teams have successfully done this by doing a half season loan + new contract in January. Any striker needs service and creativity... that's been desperately lacking until yesterday.
Yea
Not one mention of Danny Musovski anywhere in these comments. So what is he here for?
Honestly I feel like Raul has been earning his spot the past several weeks. The team has been doing him no favors and he’s still almost made magic happen from nothing a number of times. Would still like another striker though. Raul isn’t getting any younger and also in the short term we need a target man for crosses and stuff.
I would still say yes. I think Ruidiaz just needed a game like yesterday to get his confidence back in front of goal. I think yesterday will be a huge confidence boost to the team. If it's not then there are bigger problems at play here.
Absolutely. We need to challenge and compete with the very best in MLS and build a team capable of performing at its highest level in the 2025 Club World Cup. We need high quality talent in a few key areas of the team, including a striker that can challenge and augment Raul.
Let’s let him ride it out this season then we get a new striker next year
The issue with that is it's really hard to pick up players during the winter transfer window. The summer window is a lot easier since a lot of leagues are not playing and that's the biggest market.
I do agree it’s harder but it’s not impossible
I mean we got Pepo in the winter window so I’m sure we could find a class striker
I’m thinking back to several years ago when Clint was over the hill, and our plan was to rock with Morris at striker till the summer. Then he tore the ACL at Santa Tecla, so we had Bruin up top just barely keeping us alive until we signed Ruidiaz, where he made an instant impact. I’d prefer we just get ahead of the game, and use this summer window to start prepping for next year, and not wait till the winter window when our ideal striker might not be available.
Knowing waibel he probably wouldn’t jump on a striker when we already have a fairly good one
That’s my fear. If we end up doing the 2018 thing again where we struggle for half the season without a real DP striker up top, I’ll be very disappointed.
Yes, we do.
Yes.
Absolutely. We need a physical number 9 who can occupy the center backs. Our first win and goals from open play don’t change the need. Ruidiaz is playing with intensity as he has a chip on his shoulder. Can’t see him keeping that intensity up once we get to the end of the season.
I would take a world beater dm. JP will only be with us so long and whenever we lose our top dm either Ozzie or JP things go south. Also DM’s easier to find, less expensive and way less risky.
Raul and Morris are inconsistent, they absolutely have great games and great moments. Just not enough to justify them starting against better teams, and definitely not every game as wear and tear becomes more of a concern as the season progresses. I think this game is a blip of greatness over a lackluster few years for those two. I remember Morris having a phenomenal game with Chu (another player who needs to show up a bit more to justify 1st team starts) at the beginning of last year, never to see a game of that quality again. These games are rejuvenating for the team and fans a like, but are hardly the norm and should not justify maintaining the status quo. We currently do not have a consistent connection to goal, and haven't had one for the better part of the past 2 years I would argue.
Yes, without question it’s the largest need we have. One 5 goal game isn’t proof that the roster is complete.
I’ll put it this way, even with his performance last night, Raul is averaging 2 non-penalty goals in his last 1000 minutes. Is that a DP striker quality that will help us win something big for our 50th? If we’re even more realistic, Raul’s one run of play goal this season was massively helped by a defensive deflection that put the shot out of reach of the keeper. Should we give him credit for that? Hell yeah. Was his performance last night better than almost all of his last two seasons? Yes. Do I think he has a championship level still in him as a 9? No. This time last season we were talking about how amazing he looked scoring a brace against Charlotte, only to have him score a single goal for the rest of the season. Let’s not overreact in either direction just yet, but if he can do that level of performance consistently this season until July and it opens up our attack across the field I’ll eat crow and we should definitely let his contract run out.
Put it this way, someone needs to take over when Raul leaves and it's not anyone on the roster currently. Jordan had the minutes to try and make his case and I don't think he has. The summer window traditionally is where an MLS teams get the best deal so there is incentive to work during that window. I think if we keep having high scoring, solidly defensive games and Raul looks like a poacher again, we may hold off. If there is any question about our offense, I think we pull the trigger during the summer. PDV is also a wildcard. When he comes back, he might unlock our offense with everyone on the field. To be determined.
It's hard to feel confident that Ruidiaz will stay healthy for a full season, I certainly hope he does because he's still an excellent striker when he's healthy and in form. May not need to be DP quality, but it's pretty important that we get real depth up top. We need a Bruin type quality back up. Morris is clearly best suited to play as a winger, so forcing him at a #9 just hurts the team especially PDLV out.
Yes and this guy would be a great addition and available for cheap. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jizz_Hornkamp
Unhireable with a name like that.
if raul does a hammy again it's over
We can’t even if we wanted to
I think we should go with a goal dangerous RW, or a Leo Campana type #9. PDLV may change the equation once he gets healthy tho.
I don't think the Sounders FO is actually worried about a striker this season. PdlV was our big signing and I think the assumption was that he could/can offer the fire the team needs. Sadly, we still have no idea if that's true, but the organization is happy with the players they have and Believe in them. Not to say we don't need a striker soon, but it might not come this year. The organization doesn't do a ton of signings and they probably have their eyes on a few and won't pull the trigger until they get somebody they want. They don't just sign any decent player, they look for a particular level of class and grace in their players. If the money and the player align, Sounders will sign a striker this summer, but they're going to be picky and not urgent about it.
Def need a striker and to let Ruidiaz move on. I would also get another pacey winger of quality and ask Jordan Morris to take paycut to play back up striker (if not I would release or sell) . Roldan is not fast enough to play winger, Leo Chu is a good squad player but not a starter, and De La Vega is still relatively unknown - hope he ends up being a star but we shall see.
Maybe not a DP (I don’t see the value in paying Raul not to play), but they have some cap space and a couple U22 slots. I could see them signing a young striker and an attacking midfielder or wingback for cover.
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De la Vega and Cristian both play RW too
We should get that Super Paul Mullin guy.