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Could you ask Chris' parents to please urge him to do the right thing and turn down any future USMNT call ups?

Excellent posts and comments today. Moy. Good point: UD's transfers have been on the team and in their coach's "system" for a year now - advantage UD though Old Guy correctly points out the others must still get used to playing with them and them with the others. I recall of prior Billikens who sat out a year and there being talk about them being "rusty"... Also, their transfers have prior D1 experience - not coming straight out of high school , though, 72 makes good comment about sometimes it being easier for youngsters learning rather than partially seasoned guys (transfers) needing to "re-learn". RM did not like JUCOs and transfers... Other teams are returning quite abit and their new guys simply need to not mess things up - and that's true. And as 3 Star provides in his good summary of prior stats and figures, past performance sometimes does indicated future performance. Do not disagree with any of these points. Again, though, Spoon showed us year in and year out how talented guys can gel when they are well coached and play as a team. Honestly, I think bad personalities (Gordon) hindered our team and either a distracted (due to family issues) or a defiant (me first) Isabell also prevented our team from coming together last year. I guess where I am coming from is this: I promised not to talk about the program's setback from 2 years ago - and trying to abide by that. With that said, 2 years ago our team was diverse and our players complemented each other. We had old and young, experience and young energy, skill and raw talent, we had interior and perimeter shooting, we had a returning PG with experience and new youngster PG with unlimited potential. Not only was that season ruined but last season was diverse. Last week, Frank C asked CF on the podcast/radio interview if Yuri Thatch, Goodwin and French could play together at the same time b/c of the lack of shooting. CF responded - yes - but then pointed out that Thatch is better this year and also that our team will also use Jimerson, Perkins and Weaver to help shoot. These past 2 years, we could have really used perimeter shooting - but we lacked it. In fact, we played a lineup very similar to Frank's comment this year of Thatch, Goodwin, French, Foreman and a poor shooting Isabell for most of last year - and yet we still played OK. In the OOC when teams did not scout us as much and played us man to man, we had alot of success. When our rivals scouted us, packed the lane and played zone against us, we struggled a lot. Then, it sure seemed that when Isabell's shots fell, team's guarded him and us on the perimeter and also allowed our "non-shooters" of Goodwin, French, Foreman and Thatch to operate -- and we sure did. Am I putting too much pressure on this year's team? I don't think so. Instead, I am pointing out that Goodwin, French and Thatch might really be far better than their peers at the top of the A10 when they are defended honestly - as opposed to a packed-in lane with zones. If Weaver, Perkins and Jimerson hit from the perimeter, if Thatch, Goodwin and French attack the basket and if Yuri develops into a D1 playmaker, then I think we will towards the top of the A10.

On the plus side our new guys, mostly, are young and wide open to learning from the coaches and the vets. Transfers may have some embedded habits or thoughts that need to be deleted. Of course, that might have occurred during their year of ineligibility. Will UD hit the ground running, hard to say? We didn't last year when we thought we were loaded. As stated before, hopefully this squad starts finding their groove in mid January and by A10 tourney time are capable of upsetting some folks.

I thought we had a reasonable shot at being among the leaders in the A10 this year, if we landed a starting quality big and guard, grad transfers. Now it isn't impossible, but a lot of things have to go out way. French and Goodwin need to improve shooting range and FTs. Thatch can't have a sophomore slump and must also improve his shooting. Perkins needs to have a big year. Bell needs to play significant minutes. At least 2 of our freshman need to be impact freshman. Coach Ford will need to figure out who is making the grade and the combinations that work by conference play. With so many new players and freshmen, we are going to see a lot of players getting lost at times, on both ends of the floor. Will we press, and run, it depends on who excells and how well we shoot as a team. If Hargrove is getting a lot of minutes, we are probably running. Our returning 3 experienced players need to stay healthy, an injury especially to French, would be devastating. A lot of things need to go right.

I admit to liking the name Steamers, but that may be more of a sentimental thing, as I grew up going to Steamers games as a kid. Still, they had a cool logo and color scheme. On the downside, it conjures up the term "Cleveland steamer."

I may have seen that or another tweet and read it incorrectly. And I couldn't agree more. The bootleg Euro cosplay names have to go. Sporting KC, Real Salt Lake, Fussball Club Cincinnati. MLS is never going to be anything but a cheap second-rate league if they keep these garbage names going.

Just go by St Louis at first and let a nickname develop organically. It isn't like FC is a nickname for teams in the EPL. Using FC for US professional soccer teams is pretty lame. Should we all start referring to the Cardinals as the St. Louis Cardinals BC or St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Club? The official business name of the Cardinals for years was The St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Club, but we never added that onto what we actually called them. Just come out with a good looking kit and color scheme. Let the fans start rallying around something the first few years and then the owners can go with that if they like it. Plus, then everyone will buy new team merch.

You make good points. Don’t understand why you need to be an ahole about it.