P/I/P: KC @ Revs, 8/4

Does anybody have the attendance figure for the Milan game? The Rev crowd looked sparse. (box score for Rev game was 17, 952... not exactly a success for the Milan game I'd say)

The bottom line is .... with only a few exceptions, we have a bargain basement team. It really doesn't matter what formation we play or if this one or that one starts.... the over all skill level is simply not good enough to do any better than we currently are doing. I also think we're better than we were last year BUT until we start signing better players.... not Central American bargains or lower level German league castoffs....we will not be competitive

That being said, I will not spend the time or money to watch soccer of this quality

 

An issue I thinks is adding to our poor showings: this team is soft and doesn't seem to be able to play through the physicality other teams are using. MLS is a physical league but this roster wants to play a more technical style and it's not happening because they are allowing themselves to be pushed around and MLS Refs are allowing the rough play. We need a Danny Hernandez or Ivan McKinley type who will let other teams know if they are they are going to play the ultr physical style they are going to be roughed up

 

So pretty much the $40 parking price tag scared off the regulars (note attendance in the Fort). These regulars were replaced with an equal number of rubes who were duped into paying above price for a practice match and the Revs attendance number did not benefit at all.

Friends of mine bought $10 tickets to this match on Stub Hub. What a disaster.

 

When I took a walk around the end of the AC Milan match looked in the stadium and saw what was there and knew it would be no more than 18-20000.

 

No thank you. Benny and Lee both want to tuck in and you're not going to get the width you need from Tierney and Alston (see all season). Rowe is not ready for the role that you're assigning him and has shown his most success as a late attacking sub.

Why? Barnes was one of the few bright spots in this one. He battled Bunbury throughout the second half, constantly had to cover for an out of position Tierney and was probably the tidiest passer out of the back. Also, Polak is LB, so they aren't in competition for the CB depth chart (where Polak should be seeing some time over CT at this point).

For me, Sene was VERY existent - he was the guy dropping way too deep to pick up the ball in the midfield only to consistently turn it over in the middle of the pitch. He was non-existent in the first half because they were playing boot ball and he wants the ball played to his feet.

This team is WAY too easy to defend and is regressing as the season goes on.

 

I'd put it around 75%-25% on Simms. McCarthy should've commited a tactical foul for a yellow but Simms put him in a lose-lose spot, where he gambled and took a big loss. And, yes, Benny was fouled before any of this happened.

Yes, he really should've buried that open header but he was by far the better man up top. Sure his first touch was stone-like all game but he held the ball up, drew fouls and put himself in a position for chances, which is A LOT more than Sene did.

 

I agree with this, I get he missed a sitter but I don't really understand the hate for Imbongo. He looked far more active and involved then Sene and did well holding the ball up and turning, drawing a foul almost every time. Assuming his finishing won't always be as awful as it was last night, I thought it was a fairly promising night for him.

 

Personally, I'm afraid that in Imbongo we've found the African Brettschneider -- a guy who does a lot of good stuff, and is often right where you want him, but just lacking that bit of quality that makes the difference between the great and the also-rans. On the plus side, he got fouled a lot (though it has to be said, for the Revs that doesn't really translate into anything useful).

This game makes me a little afraid that the Revs have settled into a pattern of tactical and personnel experimentation, which doesn't bode well for entertainment value for the rest of the season.

 

Your friends still paid too much. What a pair of sorry-ass games.

 

Unless Sene plays himself off the field, I suspect we won't see many more starts from Imbongo. Seems more likely that he's competing with Brettschneider for the third forward spot right now.
Isn't Imbongo more of a "project" according to the front office?

 

$40 parking = crowd suppression. Brilliant.

Got a bigger than normal group together for this one. Got there around 3pm. Most headed in with 20 minutes left in the Italio-Honduran practice game. Hard to take what Heaps & Company put on display in the second game.

6 wins in 22 games played.

Time to give Heaps & Burns another promotion?

 

I'd like to see Imbongo, Bengtson, and Sene start the rest of the season up top. Play a 4-3-3 with Simms, Feilhaber, and Nguyen in the midfield. Give Rowe the occasional start or first guy off the bench and try to find some chemistry/stability for next season.

 

I recall something Doc wrote early in the season when we were all more optimistic. He said that we wouldn't really know what we had until the final third of the season. Well, the results are coming in and it doesn't look promising. People are debating formations and tactics, but maybe these guys are just not that good? Sene is wilting as the season progresses. Maybe this is the most games he's ever played in one stretch in his career? What the hell happened to Benny, he's not completing passes. Shalrie's playing ability went over a cliff this year. That didn't help. The defense can't defend balls in the air. Reis is rapidly approaching the end of his career.

The remainder of the season should be spent settling Bengtson into the team and getting more minutes to our young prospects. I want to see Polak. Rowe should be starting. Imbongo should get a lengthy run-out. He's a big guy and can handle the physical play. Teams are beating us up.

 

Take Ryan Guy for example. He's a decent utility player. Better than Boggs. But, he's a finished product. What's the point of starting him now?

We all know what Tierney brings to the table. Not good enough. Maybe Polak isn't the answer. But let's find out.

 

This was a real low point game. So...we still have more of the season left, but for those of you at the beginning of the season that were defending the front office's moves - how do you feel now?

I agree that getting some value and trading Shalrie was the right thing to do. What was NOT the right thing to do was to get enough players to fill that leadership void and increase the quality of the team relative to the rest of the league.

We were route 1 ball all over again, befuddled under pressure and a classic defensive mistake (Steve McCarthy again) that gave up a goal. I like McCarthy's potential, but it was his goal again. Saw the comments on Simms vs. McCarthy's blame...Simms may have created the opportunity for McCarthy to fail in, but he failed, he overcommitted far up the field and got burned...never should have done that.

We seem to have a lot of individually skilled players that just don't work well together through the midfield. And Jay's love of Ryan Guy is very confusing to me.

 

Just a note. I think we played so direct because KC wanted to and imposed their game on us. A well executed 4-3-3 completely overwhelmed our midfield. We played direct because that's the game KC wanted. They were without their most skilled player(s), and they knew they could win the game with physicality.

Heaps got out coached big time. We needed another man in the midfield. This one is on him.

 

Growing up in Toledo in the 70's, I didn't think anything could top the limp, lifeless Detroit and Cleveland sports teams from that era.

I was wrong.

 

My take:

Imbongo did fine. He drew I think 7 or 8 fouls in good position for free kicks. He missed a sitting header, but not horribly so. Was physical and moving through people. I guess he's a better Brettschneider but aside from his golazo BB has looked horrible trying to finish. Imbongo atleast has gotten his shots towards frame. BB would have had the ball hit his face and then handled it.

Nguyen was invisible. Not close to his usual self and I blame the formation. I think Heaps is messing with things too much now, and nobody knows where or how to play.

Benny did well. Ive been hard on him but you pro benny guys are right. Again he sets up someone with a great chance and the result is not there.

Sene ineffective. Heaps needs to find a good role for him. He's not good defensively so I don't think playing him as a wing is appropriate other than when trailing.

Tierney was regular Tierney. Kamara is great Tierney is not, but I didn't see a hell of a lot of chances.

Barnes can't play man man D well at all, but he has great recovery speed and athleticism.

Maca could have gotten infront of that ball by jumping, chesting it whatever, but that's a tough spot to be put in. Great finish by Bunbry

Reis played fine, that breakway wasn't going to be stopped despite the poor initial angle by Bunbry. Reis made the rgith choice to charge but TB didn't get flustered and finished like he's supposed to have been doing.

Lechner, I don't get his removal. I know he's not as fit or fast as Guy, but Lechner seems to be one of the few players who can play a quality cross.

Guy i'm sure was moved to RB to be a RWB and move up and down the field which Lechner couldn't have done for 45 more minutes. Didn't really impress.

Simms, good game. Oh yeah except for than one little part.

Cardenas, did well to shake things up when he came on. I too thought he should have passed to Imbongo instead of Sene, but I don't think you can blame that on the end result.

Fagundez. Stupid sub by Heaps. It was clear the revs needed a presence in the box (what was wrong with Imbongo?) and putting your smallest player in their was dumb. I know he's had a way of getting on the end of things before, but that was ALWAYS with another better target player in their. To put Fagundez on as the only ST when you are trailing and relying on long crosses is very poor coaching.

Ref. Poor decisions. Didn't cost us the game. Maybe it's because I watched to BRA vs HON game earlier but man, know when to yellow card. It seemed like everything was just a foul to him. Some things that should have been let go weren't and other things that should have been cautions weren't. Imbongo got fouled many times with no persistent infringement calls (its doesn't have to be persistent by the same player remember) An SKC got the confidence to just beat up the revs whenever they wanted. Julio Caesar particularly was a wrecking crew and allowed to get away with it.

The end results is we lost to a better team, whom we gifted a goal. It should have been another 0-0 game except for our mistake. Who would have thought these two teams, both more exciting rosters and styles, would STILL play boring games every year. Remember to never alter your plans to see SKC vs Revs, you will end up sad you missed your nieces youth game.

 

That's the thing.

After playing 32 games, and winning maybe a handful, how excited should we be about squeaking in under the playoff wire, after a season load of what we witnessed last night?

Would anyone be surprised, again, if they do make the playoffs, and only 6,112 people attend?

 

I put the blame on Benny. He gets a throw in straight to his foot and it pops up to his chin and he gets depossesed. I noticed that happening all night, first touches bouncing straight up. Frustrating.

 

Ya blame Benny when guys like Tierney, Barnes, and McCarthy are booting it up to nobody constantly before Benny can even get a touch in

 

Did anyone else think the field was more bouncy than usual (possibly creating a direct game)?Simple short touch passes were popping up off the pitch like popcorn. I know it's Gillette, but last night it looked twice as bad as it normally does.

 

Agreed. I'm barely hanging on now.