He likely won't be starting this year in front of Mosquera, but maybe in 5 or 6 years hell be in contention. It's great though to at least have some teenage centerbacks as pros.
Fortunately they eventually rightfully ruled it Gomez's goal. Although Bsptiste certainly should have cleared it.
by being composed on the ball. Doesn't have to take people on, but having the skill to do so gives him the confidence to keep his head up and find people. Or, the ability to move the ball a little, that much more quickly, to change the passing angles. And, the confidence to do that, too.
Surprisingly disorganized display from Philly. Both Philly and Portland were rather shambolic in the first half playing boom the ball. Portland settled into a decent counter play in the second. Philly was a mess not being able to keep the ball on the deck or engage in coherent play. Adu - 26 for 31 passing with a key pass and a through ball and 2 tackles won; pretty damn good considering the Union gave him nothing to work with. Sheanon Williams-aggressive defending at fullback. None of the goals came from his side. Should be with the U-23s in Sarkodie's spot.
Of the 4 teams--LA, RSL, Philly, and Portland-- I've watched thus far, RSL is light years ahead in terms of playing modern football. 81 completed passes a game is what Pirlo does in Serie A. Kreiss has his boys ballin on another level.
I was surprised last night watching Baptiste in person. A few understandable mistakes on his reads, but overall an above average performance. Nice instincts on when to step up and cut off plays versus dropping off and playing safe. Physically dominant. One to watch. Adu was pretty good. He completed a lot of passes, but Philly did not give him a lot of great options off the ball so few were dangerous. Not sure what Nowak is thinking with the group of players he is bringing together. I expect a lot of noise in the midfield from Philly but am unsure from where Nowak expects attacking opportunities to come.
I completely agree, he is the best American rb in mls under 23. Sarkodie didnt make the bench for Houston. I think it will be interesting to see what Novak will do once Adu leaves for olympic related events. I think Danny Mwanga has to really prove himself now. Jack McInerney is also a kid who could have a bright season if he gets a little more playing time rather than just sub minutes. He will take shots, something Philly did not really do last night.
Good to hear that Adu had a good game. I think Philly is going to really miss Letoux. I think Nowak makes some strange decisions in that midfield.
Roger Torres should be getting more playing time with the Olympic absences unless he's also going. Don't know what the situation is with Colombian U23s.
Ridiculous pass indded. Wow. All he had to do was chip it over the keeper. Guy was stranded in no man's land. Epic fail by Ching.
He was so, so much better than when I saw him last month in preseason, and the last couple of years in college. His best moments were a couple of dead-on accurate, 20-yard one-time outlets to Jewsbury and Chara. That was a skill he'd never even shown hints of. Philly looked a mess, like a bunch of guys afraid to make a mistake. And they didn't do a good job of adjusting to how deep Alhassan and Alexander (later Nagbe) dropped to pick up the ball, which meant Portland's wide midfielders always had a running start. Lopez, in particular, was brutalized. Re: MacMath, I said it last year and I'll say it again this year: His hands are garbage. Positionally he's usually pretty good, and he's a great reflex-action shot-stopper, but he just can't hold onto the ball. I wouldn't be at all shocked at another Seitz situation.
It's very early, but I'd have to agree. I was SHOCKED at how composed he was. During the NBC broadcast Martino agreed saying he looked like a veteran out there. I know the scoreline from that Dallas game doesn't flatter him, but he wasn't at fault for either of those goals. In fact he saved their bacon from what could/should have been a blowout. I think Backe was right. I think they found another Ream-like steal in the draft.
No one ever said they have no idea how to draft. They usually trade away most of their draft picks for what usually turns out being close to nothing. They also fail to use some of their early round picks like Corey Hertzog. Their real problem is bringing in foreign players. I can't think of a single foreign player besides Henry and Lindpere that is on the roster now that they did a good job with.
5 or 6 years? If you expect him to be a bencher for THAT long, it's pretty safe to assume that you don't think he has much potential.
They used him well last season. This season, they kind of forgot to make sure he renewed his visa. Not great.
Is he really even on the roster? I can't even keep up with this visa situation. The last I heard, they were still unsure about his visa.
These two are washed up. They both have talent, so its not a horrible move by Soler and Backe, but you can clearly tell that they are on the downside of their career's.