Cavalry FC Season Thread 2020

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

4 hours ago, BradMack said:

I know people in Calgary will wish he stayed, but this is huge for the league...

People who don't understand the game tend to prefer watching forwards that run around like headless chickens chasing lost causes. Malonga added something extra in quality terms as did Escalante. This transfer to Inner Mongolia still isn't showing up on Transfermarkt, so are we sure it's 100% confirmed?

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

 

[toontownman]

21 minutes ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

 

Wow. That would be massive. Best of luck to him. 

[shermanator]

Ugh, I can't even pop in and give a little insight into the Calgary supporters scene without the parrot showing up immediately after and saying something stupid.  

[Ed_S]

So most supporters will be happy to see their top goalscorer gone because he didn't show enough love after the games?? Yeesh.

[shermanator]

You should read the entirety of my post regarding Malonga, rather than cherry pick one piece of the reasoning. He did not want to be in Calgary. This was evident not only in his play on the pitch but in how he conducted himself off the pitch at club events and the aforementioned way he interacted with supporters.

His goals will be missed, but his goals are also very replaceable. All but one of them were headed efforts in the box, scrambles in front of goal, or penalties. I would argue Minatel was a much more reliable and versatile attacker over the course of the fall season.

[deschamp86]

11 minutes ago, shermanator said:

You should read the entirety of my post regarding Malonga, rather than cherry pick one piece of the reasoning. He did not want to be in Calgary. This was evident not only in his play on the pitch but in how he conducted himself off the pitch at club events and the aforementioned way he interacted with supporters.

His goals will be missed, but his goals are also very replaceable. All but one of them were headed efforts in the box, scrambles in front of goal, or penalties. I would argue Minatel was a much more reliable and versatile attacker over the course of the fall season.

I have a feeling Cordova will be better for you guys as well

[Unnamed Trialist]

23 hours ago, shermanator said:

Actually, most supporters in Calgary will be happy to see Malonga go. We're very excited for the addition of Cordova and to see Pepple get an extended run of games.

Yes, Malonga was second in the league in goals, but he rarely gave any effort on the pitch, and not once even looked at the supporters after a game. If he put in the effort of Jordan Brown he would have won the Golden Boot by a large margin. And he single handedly cost us the finals with his botched chances in the second leg.

I know he was very homesick over the course of the season with his family back in Europe. The one game where his family was in Calgary, he scored two, had another incorrectly ruled off for offside, and hit the bar.

I simply do not believe that most supporters "will be happy" (not even "would") to see the leading scorer go. And then, to justify yourself, you come up with a load of nitpicking BS, and this puritanical business of effort on the pitch: maybe if he had been running around making you happy he would not have had the energy to score all those goals. 

This stuff about him "single-handely costing you the finals" is a ridiculous insult and ignores how Cavalry, as a team, unperformed and was outcoached in both legs. You are insulting the intelligence of all the fans who watched the games, apart from ignoring that Forge beat Cavalry fairly.

Try not to mix your personal obsessions and speak for everyone, who you do not know and are not in touch with, you do a lousy job at this overstated superfan business and it's pretentious.

PS. I wrote this without reading other comments after, I saw it and reacted. I am sad to see how dishonest you are being about that obviously slanted and false post you made. You are basically arguing that a player who does not suck up to a fan like you will be slandered. What a loser mentality that is.

Edited January 23, 2020 by Unnamed Trialist

[Obinna]

I for one am excited about Cordova. He scored a lot of goals in the Peruvian second division. I see he did so most recently with Juan Aurich, which was surprising as I never knew they got relegated. I thought they were a solid first division club. I now see though that their history is hmm...complicated. they went through some restructuring in the recent past, it seems. Regardless, they have a current Panamanian international on their books and have won Copa Peru in 2007, so for Cavalry to get one of their top strikers is quite an achievement. I am sure he will make up for the loss of Malonga, if he indeed leaves Calgary.

[Big_M]

rarely gave an effort, never looked at supporters..oh boy 🤦‍♂️

[Obinna]

If we put the Malonga off field stuff aside, can we all agree that his goals will be missed? Can we also agree that his goals can be replaced? Let's not get bogged down by a player who seems to be on his way out anyway. 

More importantly for Cavalry is a lack of creativity, in my humble opinion. They did a great job not making mistakes and taking advantage of those who did. That is the good news. The bad news is they lack a player who can find creative solutions when the game calls for it.

This is where Escalante would be a miss. He was the one player who could craft something up from the flank and make things happen. Pasquotti created chances in his own way, but the club needs another lock pick, not a jack hammer.

The easy solution is to find a no. 10, but the way this team plays I think it is better to get another Escalante type, possibly an attacking winger who can drift inside and create, if needed.

[shermanator]

39 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I simply do not believe that most supporters "will be happy" (not even "would") to see the leading scorer go. And then, to justify yourself, you come up with a load of nitpicking BS, and this puritanical business of effort on the pitch: maybe if he had been running around making you happy he would not have had the energy to score all those goals. 

This stuff about him "single-handely costing you the finals" is a ridiculous insult and ignores how Cavalry, as a team, unperformed and was outcoached in both legs. You are insulting the intelligence of all the fans who watched the games, apart from ignoring that Forge beat Cavalry fairly.

Try not to mix your personal obsessions and speak for everyone, who you do not know and are not in touch with, you do a lousy job at this overstated superfan business and it's pretentious.

PS. I wrote this without reading other comments after, I saw it and reacted. I am sad to see how dishonest you are being about that obviously slanted and false post you made. You are basically arguing that a player who does not suck up to a fan like you will be slandered. What a loser mentality that is.

You're cute when you pretend to be outraged. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

7 minutes ago, shermanator said:

You're cute when you pretend to be outraged. 

You just sound butt hurt because Malonga did not play your petty superfan game.

Edited January 23, 2020 by Unnamed Trialist

[Obinna]

Hey hey fellas...take it outside!

[Ruffian]

2 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Hey hey fellas...take it outside!

Or get a room!

[Obinna]

I read an article on CanPL the other day regarding Bustos. It was suggesting the best course of action for him and one suggestion was that he should join Cavalry.

Now, I am not saying I think such a thing would happen, but that is the sort of player Cavalry need. Fast, quick, direct, yet able to cut inside and create chances for himself and his team.

[shermanator]

38 minutes ago, Ruffian said:

Or get a room!

An evening of being lectured by an art critic on how my cock isn't Spanish enough. Sounds fun!

[shermanator]

39 minutes ago, Obinna said:

I read an article on CanPL the other day regarding Bustos. It was suggesting the best course of action for him and one suggestion was that he should join Cavalry.

Now, I am not saying I think such a thing would happen, but that is the sort of player Cavalry need. Fast, quick, direct, yet able to cut inside and create chances for himself and his team.

I'll try and contribute something to this thread before going away for a few more months, forgetting why I hate this board, and coming back.

Attacking mid is not something that is lacking right now on this squad. Camargo (particularly in the Spring) and Minatel (when Camargo was injured in the Fall) both excelled in a #10 role for large stretches of the season. Pepple can play there as well and Adekugbe in a pinch, although I don't believe he has playing at attacking mid since 2015 with Foothills.

What this team is desperately needing are wingers and full backs. Escalante is all but gone. Pasquotti is rumoured to be going elsewhere. Serban and Northover are coming off ACL tears. Hamilton needs another year of seasoning. Fakunle is not up to the standards of the CPL. Mavila has not been signed, although I imagine there is a mutual interest in his return. I'm sure most of these players will be back, but there is still a fairly large hole in the squad there.

I don't think Bustos would really add much to the Cavalry squad that isn't already there. When he's on his game, he's one of the best offensive talents in the league. When he's not, he might as well be watching the game on TV. His inconsistencies from game to game diminish any return you get on the offensive side. It's why despite having the talent to make a better league such as MLS, he has not.

In addition, there is the cost. Bustos is going to command top dollar in the CPL. Cavalry not only are not willing to spend that kind of money on a single player (they did not have a single player in the top 10 in salaries last year), but they have many players who excelled and will want a raise, which will inevitably lead to some of these players leaving the club. Signing Bustos would hamstring Cavalry's ability to address their needs out wide, while taking far too large a salary than he is worth, at least in my opinion.

[Obinna]

22 minutes ago, shermanator said:

I'll try and contribute something to this thread before going away for a few more months, forgetting why I hate this board, and coming back.

Attacking mid is not something that is lacking right now on this squad. Camargo (particularly in the Spring) and Minatel (when Camargo was injured in the Fall) both excelled in a #10 role for large stretches of the season. Pepple can play there as well and Adekugbe in a pinch, although I don't believe he has playing at attacking mid since 2015 with Foothills.

What this team is desperately needing are wingers and full backs. Escalante is all but gone. Pasquotti is rumoured to be going elsewhere. Serban and Northover are coming off ACL tears. Hamilton needs another year of seasoning. Fakunle is not up to the standards of the CPL. Mavila has not been signed, although I imagine there is a mutual interest in his return. I'm sure most of these players will be back, but there is still a fairly large hole in the squad there.

I don't think Bustos would really add much to the Cavalry squad that isn't already there. When he's on his game, he's one of the best offensive talents in the league. When he's not, he might as well be watching the game on TV. His inconsistencies from game to game diminish any return you get on the offensive side. It's why despite having the talent to make a better league such as MLS, he has not.

In addition, there is the cost. Bustos is going to command top dollar in the CPL. Cavalry not only are not willing to spend that kind of money on a single player (they did not have a single player in the top 10 in salaries last year), but they have many players who excelled and will want a raise, which will inevitably lead to some of these players leaving the club. Signing Bustos would hamstring Cavalry's ability to address their needs out wide, while taking far too large a salary than he is worth, at least in my opinion.

First of all, I definitely agree the teams needs wingers for all the reasons you lay out. Same goes for the full backs.

I also agree the team does not need a no. 10 type attacking midfielder. The midfield balance in the centre works and I don't think Cavalry need to tinker with that.

What the team needs though is another creative winger. Creating chances is a big issue for this team. Too many times last year I was hoping a chance would come from a Pasquotti throw or a mistake from the other team. The real danger man was Escalante, because he was cleaver and could find solutions.

The team needs more of that from the flank, wouldn't you say? 

Secondly, to be clear, I wasn't advocating specifically for Bustos. I don't think he'd want to come to Calgary at the moment anyways and in my opinion his aspirations should be higher than CPL, so if I was him I would stay at home until I could step up a level (outside the league).

And since I was not saying we should sign Bustos, this is just an aside, but I do respectfully disagree on your analysis of him. For me he is a wide player who can cut inside when playing inverted. This is the type of player we need out wide, which is why I name-dropped him to begin with.

Again, I am not saying we need Marco specifically and do see the same potential issues as you do regarding salary, team chemistry, etc.

The wide playmaker I believe this team needs can probably be found in Latin America. For sure the team needs another playmaker though, aside from Carmargo, who did very well at times, and even though he did well, still the team was missing that reliable chance creator who could unlock a defense.

Basically I want another Escalante, except better with a little more tenadancy to cut inside and create.

I get your disdain for this board, but it really is a beautiful time to be a national team fan, with Davies killing it at Bayern and David excelling with Gent, not to mention we are adding more exciting young players like Byrm and Bassong.

[toontownman]

45 minutes ago, shermanator said:

before going away for a few more months

Got a nice holiday break to recharge before CPL starts up  

47 minutes ago, shermanator said:

What this team is desperately needing are wingers and full backs.

Definitely, although there is much up in the air with Adekugbe potentially staying in Norway and Buscher not resigned yet CM (not AM) might need work. Agree that Bustos would be needed at most other clubs though. 

[Bison44]

1 hour ago, shermanator said:

In addition, there is the cost. Bustos is going to command top dollar in the CPL. Cavalry not only are not willing to spend that kind of money on a single player (they did not have a single player in the top 10 in salaries last year), but they have many players who excelled and will want a raise, which will inevitably lead to some of these players leaving the club. Signing Bustos would hamstring Cavalry's ability to address their needs out wide, while taking far too large a salary than he is worth, at least in my opinion.

Not trying to be a dick.....Buuttt...where did you find any info on salaries??  I havnt seen anything specific, always vague ranges based on guesses.  I agree Bustous would take a chunk of cap space and I think maybe thats why he hasnt signed anywhere just yet.  

[shermanator]

1 hour ago, Obinna said:

I get your disdain for this board, but it really is a beautiful time to be a national team fan, with Davies killing it at Bayern and David excelling with Gent, not to mention we are adding more exciting young players like Byrm and Bassong.

Agreed on that front. I would argue interest in the national team has never been higher in Calgary, at least since I have been following them. You can also get rational conversation on the national team, and Cavalry, in many more places now. There's more Cavalry talk on CalgaryPuck then there ever will be here.

1 hour ago, toontownman said:

Definitely, although there is much up in the air with Adekugbe potentially staying in Norway and Buscher not resigned yet CM (not AM) might need work. Agree that Bustos would be needed at most other clubs though. 

If Adekugbe does end up at Valerenga than I agree centre mid will need work. Based on who is signed right now, I think the spine of the team looks pretty strong. They still only have 12 players announced, so lots of roster space for depth in these areas.

25 minutes ago, Bison44 said:

Not trying to be a dick.....Buuttt...where did you find any info on salaries??  I havnt seen anything specific, always vague ranges based on guesses.  I agree Bustous would take a chunk of cap space and I think maybe thats why he hasnt signed anywhere just yet.  

When you build the supporters scene from scratch in a CPL city, you can get more information than is publicly available. This came directly from someone at the club in conversation during our supporters event before the second leg. Sometimes when the pints flow, the information flows as well. Cavalry are definitely keeping things tightlipped this offseason though. I genuinely have no idea who will be on this team in 3 months. And I am totally fine with that. 

Speaking of, that event was a tremendous success. Chatting with David Clanachan, Paul Beirne, Bob Young, Tom Fath, Derek Martin, Ben Fisk, Andi Petrillo, and supporters from all over the country made me think this league is in good hands. Chatting with Kurt Larson was less fun, although I must give him credit for offering to combine our event and the OneSoccer panel early on. Chatting with Gareth Wheeler I would not recommend.

Edited January 23, 2020 by shermanator

[Bison44]

 

28 minutes ago, shermanator said:

Speaking of, that event was a tremendous success. Chatting with David Clanachan, Paul Beirne, Bob Young, Tom Fath, Derek Martin, Ben Fisk, Andi Petrillo, and supporters from all over the country made me think this league is in good hands. Chatting with Kurt Larson was less fun, although I must give him credit for offering to combine our event and the OneSoccer panel early on. Chatting with Gareth Wheeler I would not recommend.

Wheeler is the same in person as he is on the broadcasts??  Seems like he is permanently over caffeinated 

[toontownman]

33 minutes ago, Bison44 said:

 

Wheeler is the same in person as he is on the broadcasts??  Seems like he is permanently over opinionated. 

 

[Ed_S]

5 hours ago, shermanator said:

You should read the entirety of my post regarding Malonga, rather than cherry pick one piece of the reasoning. He did not want to be in Calgary. This was evident not only in his play on the pitch but in how he conducted himself off the pitch at club events and the aforementioned way he interacted with supporters.

His goals will be missed, but his goals are also very replaceable. All but one of them were headed efforts in the box, scrambles in front of goal, or penalties. I would argue Minatel was a much more reliable and versatile attacker over the course of the fall season.

I've been on this board and its predecessors for a long time and have been a supporter of local clubs since the Calgary Storm days. You take me to task because I don't buy your 'most supporters don't want him back' comment? Get off your high horse man. I read the entirety of your post and stand by the fact that he scored the most goals on the club and that won't be easy to replace.