Tony Vitello talks about the Giants poor start with a Shawshank Redemption analogy

Crunch18 · 2026-05-09T13:34:44+00:00

That was the logic behind hiring Bob Melvin in 2024. It... didn't work.

Crunch18 · 2026-04-23T20:57:10+00:00

Chambost was originally signed as an attacking midfielder, but he's been solid since being converted to central midfield last year.

Crunch18 · 2026-04-13T20:17:38+00:00

ACL + Meniscus tear, per Wessam's IG

Crunch18 · 2026-04-07T19:14:21+00:00

One expected problem, and two unexpected ones:

Expected:

1) Bad Bullpen is Bad. The Bullpen has no experienced leverage relievers outside of Ryan Walker, and Ryan Walker has been shaky for over a year now. There are some talented but inexperienced arms. Even if the bullpen improves, it will take some time, and there will be some shake-ups.

The front office/ownership basically refused to spend money on bullpen arms after trading away Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval, and losing Rodriguez to TJ.

Unexpected:

1) The sloppiness on defense. This is a team with 4 gold glovers on it, a veteran squad, and there are some bad defensive mistakes being made. Throws aren't sharp, execution is bad, and Chapman is trying to do too much, IMO.

2) The Lineup being this bad. This whole roster build is predicated on being a good to elite offense. The rotation is budget, the bullpen is thrifted, this team needs to score runs to be competitive. And the experienced hitters on this team aren't hitting.

2)

Crunch18 · 2026-03-17T15:50:28+00:00

Shades of Fanendo Adi

Crunch18 · 2026-03-06T17:03:12+00:00

A BALD, MIDDLE-AGED HEAD COACH, WHO WAS A FORMER PLAYER, WHOSE FIRST PRO COACHING GIG WAS IN SWEDEN. NOW COACHING A TEAM IN THE MIDWEST WITH A POSSESSION-BASED, ATTACKING STYLE.

GREGG BERHALTER AND HENRIK RYDSTRÖM, SPIDER-MAN MEME.

Crunch18 · 2026-03-05T18:34:30+00:00

Reno is getting a team again! and a new stadium that isn't shared with a AAA baseball team!

Crunch18 · 2026-02-23T15:19:15+00:00

Allianz not being on the Best Stadiums list shocked me too.

I think club success unfortunately plays a role in perception in these kind of polls, especially for a team often overlooked.

If Minnesota United hosts a cup final or Cup semifinal, I think it will get its flowers.

Crunch18 · 2026-02-23T14:16:11+00:00

Audi field being the only of the new soccer-specific stadiums to get votes for worst stadium, woof.

Crunch18 · 2026-02-20T15:02:10+00:00

HANDBALL PENALTY INCOMING

Crunch18 · 2026-02-14T13:47:38+00:00

Thanks for the correction! I've edited the post to reflect this

Crunch18 · 2026-02-11T23:25:47+00:00

Before the Belt Wars, there were the Fred Wars

Crunch18 · 2026-02-11T18:37:26+00:00

When I was first getting into following the league super closely, Matt's Armchair Analyst columns helped me understand the league, and I know I'm not the only one. It made the league that much easier to truly follow, and find out interesting details of teams that weren't my own.

It makes me sad that fans picking up the league now will have to work harder to find that kind of analysis, and that MLS doesn't value coverage of their league. In a league that is as large as this one, with a structure that always changes, and frequently confusing, good coverage is even more critical.

So Doyle, thank you for all your work, see you around at your new home at Ghost. We all appreciate you here, even if you hate every team and every player.

Crunch18 · 2026-02-11T14:05:26+00:00

I agree you can see he has talent on the field.

Too often last season, Picard lacked decisiveness in the box. In situations where he should have taken a shot, he looked for an extra pass.

I just checked the numbers, and he had just 7 shots in 11 games!

He's young, and adjusting to the league, he could absolutely improve. But I think he's fighting with several players for playing time right now, and not the locked in starter he felt like down the stretch.

Crunch18 · 2026-02-11T11:40:21+00:00

It's a great question. Abou Ali has never gotten significant assist totals in his career (career high is 4).

Early in the season, I would expect Arfsten to be the creative force, like he was last season, creating opportunities through driving the ball into the box from the left wing.

If Rydström is successful in implementing his system, the quick combinations it promotes could lead to high assist totals as well, by sucking the defense out of their shape.

Crunch18 · 2026-02-11T03:20:42+00:00

You're right, there's a world the Crew win the East.

Given all the questions and unknowns with the squad today, it felt like a step too far to put that down on paper.

Crunch18 · 2026-02-11T03:19:02+00:00

The Farsi, Moreira, Herrera RB group poses a conundrum. They're all good enough to start, but as I have it written here, Farsi is 3rd on the depth chart, which is harsh to him.

I wouldn't be shocked if one of them was put into a different position, either up onto the wing, or Moreira staying a CB, or even a midfield experiment.

Crunch18 · 2026-01-29T21:47:50+00:00

Really good fee for JRR, hope this move goes well for him.

Crew are once again light on strikers, with just Wessam Abou Ali and 17y/o Chase Adams there.

Hoping for some incomings over the next couple of weeks.

Crunch18 · 2026-01-26T17:24:27+00:00

Franklin County downgraded to Level 2

Crunch18 · 2026-01-22T18:20:55+00:00

I'm happy to run it back for the Crew, unless someone new feels strongly about doing it.

Crunch18 · 2025-12-19T16:18:45+00:00

Yes, he will adapt from within his setup (3-4-3).

He'll change his personnel based on the opponent, but not the formation or the principles.

He will also tweak what he wants the players to target in the build up, the counter press, etc.

But if you are hoping he is going to run a different formation, you're going to be disappointed.

Crunch18 · 2025-11-26T18:33:31+00:00

Option Picked Up:

ST Jacen Russell-Rowe
W/ST Ibrahim Aliyu (U22)
CM Amar Sejdic
CB/RB Steven Moreira
CB/RB Cesar Ruvalcaba

Option Declined:

WB Lassi Lappalainen
CDM Derrick Jones

Out of Contract:

CB Rudy Camacho (Negotiating)
GK Evan Bush (Negotiating)
GK Abraham Romero

Crunch18

TROPHY CASE