No it wasn't because we didn't win the title. The goal is championship or bust and the team wasn't good enough.
I'd argue that "Playoff Champion or Bust" is a very North American point of view.
What's more meaningful? A trophy won based on a series of single elimination matches, or a trophy won over the course of 34 games played over the course of six months?
There's a reason why the Premier League title is considered far more prestigious than the FA Cup.
It's because the Krafts cheaped out on the roster outside of the Designated Players and Arena was unhappy that the Krafts didn't commit fully to overhauling the team.
I'm not sure there's much evidence to support this.
Now this team is going to get stripped barren as already seen with Tajon Buchanan going to Club Brugge in Belgium. Buksa is probably going to get scooped up by a desperate team on the verge of relegation in the top 5 leagues, that goes double for Carles Gil, and Turner is probably going to draw interest from some smaller European league. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if one our depth players in DeJuan Jones gets an offer from a small European team out of the blue and the Krafts sell him for pocket money and use it to buy a new boat to sail on Martha's Vineyard.
As you said, Buchanan is already gone. Big loss, but the club has money to spend to replace him.
Buksa is under contract for another year, but it wouldn't shock me in the least if he's sold to a club in Europe, and I know there's been some interest among a couple of Premier League clubs. He'd also be a big loss, but if he moves, they should get another nice transfer fee for him.
Carles Gil just signed a contract extension. I'd be shocked if he moves on.
It wouldn't shock me if Matt Turner moves to Europe, but I'd be pretty surprised if it was to a team in Switzerland or Austria. In my mind, he's every bit the goalkeeper Zack Steffen is, and Steffen's good enough to play for a number of clubs in Europe's Top Five Leagues. I think it's likely that he spends another season in New England, and looks to move to Europe after the World Cup.
DeJuan Jones also just signed a contract extension, but he's been linked to some mid-table teams in the Bundesliga. Wouldn't shock me if he moved on, although I think you're underselling him as a "depth player" -- he just finished 5th in MLS Defender of the Year voting.
