Yeah, last night was ugly. That said, all things considered I think they've done a decent job building this team to this point, particularly considering the challenge of starting a brand new club with pandemic restrictions. But we need to get better. Warning: long post incoming.
As far as how to acquire players you've got players out of contract, trades (for players or allocation money), and the draft (very hit or miss), as well as the potential to buy out a player's contract which is actually pretty common. So lots of avenues there.
***undez, Stuver, Ring, Besler, Lima, Kolmanic, and Gaines among others were great pieces of business (and Stuver was an absolute steal). Djitte looks like he's going to be an outstanding acquisition and may be a legit star in the making, and Driussi showed that this club is willing to spend and he's quickly becoming one of the better players in the league.
Dominguez and Pochettino are two very different cases IMO. Dominguez is a true DP making around 1.5m and he's not worth that IMO. I don't know what the club thinks of him or if there will be any opportunity to move him or restructure his contract, but he's not playing to that level for me. Pochettino, on the other hand, is barely a DP per his salary at 640k and I believe his previous contract buyout is the main reason for his DP status (DPs count as a 612,500 salary cap hit no matter what they're paid). His contract can be bought down under DP status with TAM (Targeted Allocation Money) and IMO he's got enough potential to be kept on the roster at that price.
So all that said, what is this team lacking and what do we need? The biggest need for me is an all star caliber center back. Besler has been a great one but he's at the point in his career where he's lost a step while Cascante and Romana show promise but also have their shockers at times. Let's spend big and bring in a proven physical center back who can lead the back line and be a force on defense, then look at maybe another young athletic center back or fullback with potential that needs that leadership.
In the attack we've got speed but really lack anyone who's willing to go at defenders 1v1 with pace and skill (with Gaines, Driussi, Pereira, and Pochettino the only ones close). I'd like to see at least one proven wide attacking midfielder/wing who can help push the attack and play off of Djitte and Driussi. We need someone who can put some fear into opposing defenses, but Dominguez has been very hit or miss and while I love ***undez that's not his best position. Gaines would be great to try in one of those wide spots.
For next season I'd love to see something like:
