"There is no offseason," RBNY Twitter proudly proclaimed. "We are going to look at everything very hard to make sure now that we don't repeat this season," said Denis Hamlett. "That, I can assure you, and that's something that we've already started on the process." This was said on October 29, nine days after Metro was dumped out of the playoffs. Four months later, with the regular season about to start, it is clear that the offseason has been a failure of colossal proportions.

Let's tally the changes: Metro lost the best goalkeeper and the best striker in team history, Luis Robles and Bradley Wright-Phillips. They lost a starting right back, Michael Murillo. Now, one can say that BWP might never recover to his goalscoring form, and that Murillo was so bad in 2019 that he list his job down the stretch. Fine. Where does that leave us? With pretty much the same team we had a year ago; a team that finished .500 in the regular season and failed to make the playoff quarterfinals for the first time in a decade.

To say the offseason was a failure might be an understatement; Hamlett signed just two players from outside the system: goalkeeper David Jensen, who is supposed to compete with Ryan Meara, and right back Mandelo Egbo, expected to battle Kyle Duncan. The RBNY brass might point to the return of Josh Sims (on a half year loan!) and Florian Valot (if he lasts a full MLS season, that would be his first), but they key word here is "return". While every MLS team has improved from last year's roster, Hamlett stood pat... If you could call it that.

And we obviously can't call it that, for we left off the offseason's biggest loss: that of Kemar Lawrence, not only the best left back in team history, but potentially in MLS history as well. How many times over the last five seasons did Lawrence race down the flanks, to stop an obvious goalscoring chance from developing? With RBNY's high-pressing scheme, it happened day after game. In 2018, Metro's amazing season was thwarted when Kemar was injured in the playoffs. The dropdown to his backups was immense, and now we have no choice but to live with that dropdown. Patrick Seagrist and John Tolkin might prove to be useful players, but they are a draft pick and an academy graduate. Kemar Lawrence they are not.

And then there is the situation up front. Ever since Wright-Phillips ascended to the MLS elite, we entered every season assured that one of the best strikers in the league is on the Metro roster. When BWP faltered last year, so did the team. Where does it leave us in 2020? Brian White is a nice enough player, who scored nine last year... on 12 shots on goal, a unsustainable rate. It is not clear if Tom Barlow is an everyday MLS striker, but at least he hasn't struggled on the USL level, like the $2.5 million dollar man, Mathias Jorgensen. Hamlett had the entire offseason to supplement the group with a signing. He has failed to do so... as he has failed to improve the team at any position.

"There is no offseason" indeed.