Mennah to FC Cincy

Kekuta Manneh will be joining FC Cincinnati for the 2019 season. He will be a key piece that fills one of the holes for an expansion side trying desperately to find its footing.

After the recent injury to Jimmy McLaughlin, FCC was certainly looking for a midfielder. Menneh fits that bill. There are questions around him, however. After jumping on the scene with Vancouver as a teen (6 goals and 4 assists in just 767 minutes), he drifted a little bit into the land of anonymous MLS land. Not because he isn't talented, but more because he was playing for a team that gets zero recognition.

Vancouver plays out west, on turf, and hasn't been able to find its place in MLS. I tend to think their strong connection to their NASL past makes MLS a little hesitant to feature them in anything. Combine that with the fact that they are a Canadian team and you get a team where good players might go unnoticed (save for Alphonso Davies going to Bayern, come to think of it, Manneh's talent in his early days might have put Vancouver on the radar and brought Bayern out to look at Davies).

Mennah, at one point in 2013, was seen as the next big thing in MLS. 2014 and 2015 gave him more minutes to work with but the team sucked and his production dropped to somewhere around "good MLS starter range."

Year: Mins (G+A p90)
2013: 764 (0.94)
2014: 1198 (0.45)
2015: 2424 (0.48)
2016: 1139 (0.55)

With his production consistent, it is easy to see why Gregg Berhalter and the Columbus Crew picked him up in 2017. He went on to put away 4 goals and assist on another three in just 838 minutes (0.75 G+A p90).

I think Manneh wanted to dip his toes into international waters for a while and Berhalter made that happen. He ended up down with CF Pachuca in Mexico, but he didn't break into the 18. From there he went to FC St. Gallen 1879 of the Swiss 1st Division, where he played as a sub.

The lesson we have learned here is that LigaMX and the Swiss Super League are competitive levels that are slightly ahead of MLS. Manneh was not able to do much in his time there. However! Back in MLS, he should be able to knock back a handful of goals and assists for FC Cincy.

As of this moment, we are not sure how much Columbus got from FCC for owning his "rights," but I imagine it wasn't a whole lot.

Ultimately, Manneh brings experience and an attacking presence to FC Cincy, but it doesn't get them anywhere close to playoff level.

Here's an updated look at the teams I've evaluated:


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		Player Ratings (avg)		TransferMarkt Value (000)
	Team	Starters	Bench	Starters	Bench
1	NYC	70.5	64.6	$ 16,303	$ 4,470
2	ATL	70.4	66.7	$ 49,014	$ 14,484
3	DCU	69.7	56.6	$ 21,934	$ 2,990
4	NYR	69.7	64.9	$ 20,192	$ 3,745
5	TFC	69.7	65.4	$ 18,061	$ 3,502
6	MIN	69.6	57.1	$ 13,800	$ 4,470
7	MTL	69.6	65.2	$ 13,410	$ 4,876
9	CLB	69.3	66.2	$ 24,671	$ 4,180
9	NER	69.1	65.6	$ 13,955	$ 5,811
10	FCC	68.7	64.3	$ 12,326	$ 4,790
11	PHI	68.2	56.5	$ 9,933	$ 5,529
12	CHI	67.8	63.7	$ 17,022	$ 3,955
13	ORL	67.2	62.2	$ 10,365	$ 3,309

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Brek Shea, All Around the World

Brek Shea is on the move again, this time to Atlanta to play for last year's MLS Cup winning side. I think people forget just how much of an impact Shea made during his 2010 and 2011 seasons for FC Dallas as a 20-year-old. More than his goal + assist rate was just how much of a force of nature he was on the pitch. He played like a feral animal. Some of his runs were end to end, bouncing off opposing players and the ground alike. He is a type of a player that I hadn't seen following MLS up to that point and still haven't seen since.

Shea has an artist's soul and a Texan mentality wrapped in an athletic build. It's an odd combination that I think has led to his somewhat bizarre career. I think the openness of MLS played to his ability, but once he graduated to England he, and we, found that you can't just be a blunt solo instrument and be able to get playing time.

There was an air of "I've made it" once he got there. I remember he was injured when he came in, gained weight and never really got back into shape. Even after loans to Barnsley and Birmingham City. He didn't seem to care to learn the trade, either. He just wanted to play his way.

He was seen as somewhat of damaged goods when he was brought back to MLS via Orlando City. I think he spent the first couple seasons there just trying to get back into it, physically and mentally. Working against him at the time (besides the dysfunction of Orlando City) was his size. In MLS 6'3" shouts HE CAN PLAY ANYWHERE, so he was moved all over the pitch. Last year alone he managed to start in seven(!) different positions.

It sounds like Atlanta is planning on deploying him at Left Back, which is unfortunate. But again, his size means that many only look at that. I don't think he is a particularly good defender, but set piece defending I guess?

Going back to when he was running wild in Dallas would be how I deployed him. If that means coming off the bench as a sub when you need a goal or two, or dropping him in there against bad defensive teams and just telling him to make shit happen. At his peak in 2011, you felt like every time he got the ball he was going to create a chance.

Brek turns 29 at the end of the month. His career is more interesting than most and I still think he has a little to offer.

Just not from the back.

Revs Sign an Impressive Player

Today, the New England Revolution signed Spanish player Carles Gil from Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna. Frank Dell’Apa of the Boston Globe is reporting that the Revs paid $2 million for the player and will pay him another $2 million this year to play for the long-trying-to-keep-up side.

Gil is a good player who has had significant time with Aston Villa and Valencia, so the only hanging questions might be; how will he like playing in Foxboro? How will he like the surface? What about travel?

The Revs don't have another player of his pedigree on the squad. Nor do they have any other Spanish speaking European player. These are things to look at, it's important in a player finding their footing. It is possible that Gil is laser-focused on making a name for himself, but will he stick it out after a few bad losses and a late night game to Vancouver? We'll see.

What isn't in question is that he is a quality player and not one you see often in New England.

Technical Director Michael Burns says "he's a No. 10, an attacking playmaker." This means that Diego Fagundez is out of a job. At least in that role. I'm thinking they might move him out to a right mid role, or... right off the roster.

We'll have to see. Revs are in the state of change. Kelyn Rowe is gone. Lee Nguyen is long gone.

This does help their starting XI, but it doesn't get them to anything close to the top. If he assimilates to MLS things, it just moves the Revs up from out of the playoffs to more... playoff-like.

		Player Ratings (avg)		TransferMarkt Value (000)
	Team	Starters	Bench	Starters	Bench
1	TFC	70.5	65.4	$ 25,027	$ 3,502
2	NYC	70.5	64.6	$ 16,303	$ 4,470
3	ATL	70.4	66.7	$ 49,014	$ 14,484
4	DCU	69.7	56.6	$ 21,934	$ 2,990
5	NYR	69.7	64.9	$ 20,192	$ 3,745
6	MIN	69.6	57.1	$ 13,800	$ 4,470
7	MTL	69.6	65.2	$ 13,410	$ 4,876
9	CLB	69.3	66.2	$ 24,671	$ 4,180
9	NER	69.1	65.6	$ 13,955	$ 5,811
10	PHI	68.2	56.5	$ 9,933	$ 5,529
11	FCC	68.1	64.3	$ 11,420	$ 4,790
12	CHI	67.8	63.7	$ 17,022	$ 3,955
13	ORL	67.2	62.2	$ 10,365	$ 3,309

If they can manage to keep Fagundez, this team looks alright in making the playoffs.

Minnesota United: A Quick Look, Opara

After giving up more goals than any other MLS team over the last two seasons, Minnesota United added a needed piece to their team yesterday in Ike Opara.

Opara is a decent center-back who has spent the last six seasons working his way into a starting role with Sporting KC. While not a game-changing player, he does add some stability to an otherwise shaky back four.

In order to acquire Opara, Minnesota had to give up about a million in MLS Allocation $. While it's still a little early to say exactly what allocation money is worth, I think if you need a position filled... you need a position filled.

Another quality defensive player was recently added as well, Romain Métanire (Stade Reims, France), who appears to be filling a right-back role. On top of that, they picked up Osvaldo Alonso (CDM) from Seattle this year.

These moves fill huge holes, but I'm not sure it's enough as I think a lot of this comes down to the way the team plays. You can't just through players at a problem and expect it to be fixed. That said, I do think this gets them off the mat and into the middle of the pack if they stay healthy (starting XI is old with only 2 players under the age of 28).

Here is how they stack up against the teams in the East that have been evaluated:

		Player Ratings (avg)		TransferMarkt Value (000)
	Team	Starters	Bench	Starters	Bench
1	ATL	71.0	66.7	$ 66,429	$ 14,484
2	TFC	70.5	65.4	$ 25,027	$ 3,502
3	NYC	70.5	64.6	$ 16,303	$ 4,470
4	DCU	69.7	56.6	$ 21,934	$ 2,990
5	NYR	69.7	64.9	$ 20,192	$ 3,745
6	MIN	69.6	57.1	$ 13,800	$ 4,470
7	MTL	69.6	65.2	$ 13,410	$ 4,876
9	CLB	69.3	66.2	$ 24,671	$ 4,180
9	NER	68.7	64.5	$ 13,278	$ 5,115
10	PHI	68.2	56.5	$ 9,933	$ 5,529
11	FCC	68.1	64.3	$ 11,420	$ 4,790
12	CHI	67.8	63.7	$ 17,022	$ 3,955
13	ORL	67.2	62.2	$ 10,365	$ 3,309

You'll notice that their bench is still suspect and they have average value in their starting XI.

Preseason Look: Montreal Impact

Last up for my Eastern Conference 2019 MLS preseason preview is the Montreal Impact. A team that comes in as the last team out of the MLS Cup 2018 Playoffs. Montreal has become a team of missing parts and outstanding performers. Ignacio Piatti is the type of player that will keep this team in any game. His talent is at the top of MLS.

What's unfortunate for the Impact this offseason is the right-hand side of the midfield. There's nothing there. I was struggling to fill out their starting eleven. Ken Krolicki and Jeisson Vargas don't appear to have enough to fill this critical hole.

Montreal is a tough sell for players with options, which I think leads to the uneven results we see from this team over the years. They seem to have the talent identification down. It's just getting them in and motivated.

		Player Ratings (avg)		TransferMarkt Value (000)
	Team	Starters	Bench	Starters	Bench
1	ATL	70.9	65.9	$ 52,497	$ 6,067
2	TFC	70.5	65.7	$ 25,027	$ 4,315
3	NYC	70.5	64.6	$ 16,303	$ 4,470
4	DCU	69.7	56.6	$ 21,934	$ 2,990
5	NYR	69.7	64.9	$ 20,192	$ 3,745
6	MTL	69.6	65.2	$ 13,410	$ 4,876
7	CLB	69.3	66.2	$ 24,671	$ 4,180
8	NER	68.7	64.5	$ 13,278	$ 5,115
9	PHI	68.2	56.5	$ 9,933	$ 5,529
10	CHI	67.8	63.7	$ 17,022	$ 3,955
11	FCC	67.5	64.7	$ 11,014	$ 4,383
12	ORL	67.2	62.2	$ 10,365	$ 3,309

Montreal's backline is pretty okay. At second glance, talent is all over this team. They just have to fix a couple spots in the midfield.

Rating	Name	Position	FM19	FIFA	WS
77	Ignacio Piatti	Left Winger	75	80	77
73	Saphir Taider	Central Midfield	73	76	70
72	Bacary Sagna	Right-Back	72	74	71
71	Samuel Piette	Defensive Midfield	71	71	69
71	Maximiliano Urruti	Centre-Forward	71	73	71
69	Víctor Cabrera	Centre-Back	69	68	71
68	Evan Bush	Goalkeeper	65	70	68
68	Zakaria Diallo	Centre-Back	71	68	63
67	Rudy Camacho	Centre-Back	67	68	65
67	Mike Azira	Defensive Midfield	64	70	67
67	Daniel Lovitz	Left-Back	66	67	69
67	Jukka Raitala	Left-Back	67	68	66
65	Jeisson Vargas	Left Winger	65	67	65
65	Quincy Amarikwa	Centre-Forward	67	65	65
65	Anthony Jackson-Hamel	Centre-Forward	69	65	63
63	Ken Krolicki	Right-Mid	62	63	63
63	Clément Diop	Goalkeeper	60	63	65
62	Harry Novillo	Left Winger	62	69	61
61	Michael Petrasso	Right-Back	61	61	63
61	Shamit Shome	Central Midfield	61	58	62
58	Thomas Meilleur-Giguere	Centre-Back	64	58
58	James Pantemis	Goalkeeper	59	58
55	Mathieu Choinière	Central Midfield	55	60
54	Jason Beaulieu	Goalkeeper	58	54
0	Daniel Kinumbe	Left-Back	51
0	Clement Bayiha	Right-Back	51
0	Amar Sejdic	Midfielder

A competitive team, this will be - but also middle of the pack, will they be.