FYI, anyone still bagging on Lade take a look at this replay and Holgersson's absolute howler leading up to the goal. http://gothamist.com/2012/11/09/17_years_no_cups_dc_united_steals_i.php I mean that is f#cking bush league. All he has to do is connect his foot to the ball.
If I am not mistaken, until that miss, Cooper has nettet 100% of his PK chances, not just as a Red Bull, but in his whole MLS career. He's money from the spot. Players should trust that he will score. On the free kick... I REALLY hope Thierry explains that one. WOW. One of the curious soccer decions I have ever seen watching footy.
It is so strange... Almost EVERYTIME I have seen someone has to re-take a kick, they blow it. It would interesting to see the stats on %age of second PK's missed.
I don't think anybody is absolving Holgersson of blame, and originally I said it was 80% on Lade and looking back that was harsh, I'll put it at 50/50. Honestly though, he was a beast the rest of the game and absolutely saved Lade's ass with a miracle tackle on Pontius earlier in the game. And as far as just having to connect his foot to the ball, same could be said about Dax's first and third missed opportunities.
From Robles after the game: “The nice thing from a goalkeeper perspective is now you’re not the only one whose head is going a million miles per hour,” Robles said. “[The kicker is] in a situation where he may have to second guess himself. But regardless, the 'keeper did well.”
Well, I mean this has been par for the course with Hulk right? Few good games here and there, lots of mediocre ones, and then some HUGE gafs that lead to goals. As far as the Pontius tackle? I mean Pontius had him fooled. You might have seen a great tackle, but I saw a lucky "stick the long leg out and pray to God" tackle. But yes, I agree that up to that point Hulk was having a good game. Dax? Hey, at least he actually connected with the ball and made Hamid come up with 1 good save 1 great save. Holgersson looked drunk on that play.
Wayy to much stress being placed on the free kick which had a small chance of going in anyways. Rafa Marquez the worst DP in mls history deserves most of the blame
Agree with this. It's just insult to injury. The fact that Henry didn't take it and MILLER did is...well what more can be said?
Of course it is being over blown. Has Henry even made one of those all season? Not that I could remember. Still, that move so perfectly encapsulates what METRO has been all about. If any 1 play can sum up my 11 or so years with these bozos, it this one. Roy F Miller. Absolutely INCREDIBLE.
Henry put one away against Columbus (I think?), but I think that's the only direct kick we've scored this season. Its not so much that it had a high chance of going in, more that it was a perfect cap to the series of inexplicable decisions made in the last 20 minutes of the game.
Eh, I've always been pretty outspoken in defense of Holgersson, I think he's a player who does the subtle stuff incredibly well but when he makes a mistake, its a doozy. But in the end, a goal is a goal so whether it comes off of a terrible looking botched clearance or something harder to point your finger at like a lost mark or blown trap (as our other defenders are prone to do), that doesn't matter to me. Of course you'd prefer a guy who doesn't make any mistakes at all, but that's not a realistic expectation at this level. I don't think he's a top tier MLS central defender, but I do think he's well above average and is the type of player who would thrive if given a steady back line and an actual professional level right fullback to play with. Franco Panizo put it well earlier today: "Holgersson evolved from a shaky & awkward CB to a solid & awkward CB as the year went on"
My point is that for his salary 190,000 I think we can do better. More importantly is the CB pairing. If he's going to be our clumsy physical back then we need a fast skillful back to partner with him. I have no idea who that could be. Usually you get skillful (Marquez) or fast (Wynne). Rare to have the combination and I do NOT want to spend DP money on a CB unless he's young, proven, and with zero injury history.
His salary is a legit point, its pretty high especially considering we're already spending more than that on another defender (Pearce). Honestly, I never understood why he and Conde didn't click better. Conde is very athletic although not as fast as Wynne, and great with the ball at his feet. Maybe its because Conde couldn't stay on the field for more than a few games in a row? Or that he was too aggressive for a guy like Holgersson who prefers to keep in line and move as a unit?
I'm sorry to intrude, but from an outsider's point of view... Cooper may have statistically been 100%, but last May there was this bit of farcical refereeing that saw him have two penalties in a row saved before his coach tapped him on the shoulder and told him to stop embarrassing himself. When he argued with the coach about it he got traded to y'all. Watch this from about 3:30 if you need some comic relief: I think they overthought it. *Everybody* thought it would be Henry, including DCs defenders. A lefty could, in theory, have a big advantage.
Man u jokers are all over the place with the blame. To me it is very simple. Te major goats of the game tonight are as follows. Henry: just an awful game by him, very bad decisions and the FK the worst of them all. Who cares about angles you take that over anyone else least of all roy miller who is pure garbage and hasn't played consistently this whole year and who just came off the bench. Just awful. His passing was way off the whole night, no fire no drive from him. I lost a lot of love and respect for henry tonight. Not to mention coming in early on coopers first pk goal. Just awful. Dax McCarty: simply because he had three chances tonight to put the Redbulls on top, easy chances and choked. This kid is ok defensively but man he sucks when put in the position to score. He has been doing this type of isht all season long. The only saving grace was the pass to cooper. Rafa: of course need i say more? I know he hates chris pontius and frankly i don't blame him, i dislike the guy a lot too but how many times is he going to put his team in awful positions with his stupidity. Backe: again par for the course. I actually like backe but the fact that this team has not improved in the mid field offensively, i would love to see how much video he shows watches with the team and what his practices are like. How you do not tell henry to take the second pk is beyond me especially considering cooper loves to do that bs stutter step. How do you not take out rafa after the first yellow? Put pearce and holg at cb and bring in solli in the flank. Awful job by backe. I cant wait to never see these guys wearing a rb jersey ever again. Roy miller, rafa, backe, lindpere, and tiaino. ll of these guys have either under performed all year or just plain suck. Good ridddence.
Great way to introduce yourself! He's supposed to be a CDM. His job is to break up plays and distribute. Backe deployed him as a wide mid. Of course he didn't look quite right. And DESPITE the fact that he is a CDM, he managed to get 2 shots on frame. One of which forced a good save from Hamid and resulted in a corner. The other was a fantastic save by Hamid. AND he provided the killer pass that should have been a PK goal. Whay the f#ck more do you want from the guy??? He broke up plays, moved the ball so well we had 18 shots in the match, forced 2 good saves, and provided the game breaking pass that should have been converted. Come on man. Guy has played heroically for a while now. His legs are gone due to wear, tear, and age. I agree he needs to go to the bench or get transferred, but give the man the respect he deserves.
What a sad explanation that was... ROY F MILLER over you, Thierry? Really? I think I know how Kamara did when his 'hero' let him down... Really sad to hear.
I really think I called a Holgersson mistake would cost us big later in the season. I will say he has been getting better as the season went on, but still... Could have had my boy Nesta for that money...Could have... As for Henry saying a left footed person should take it. Why not Lindpere if we need a left footed person to take it?
To be fair, I don't think Montreal fans have been particularly pleased with many of his performances this year either.
I would have like to see Dax put one of these away. He is my MVP for the season, BUT he had some great chances in the one. Put one away, Dax. I bet he would agree. Still, some were tougher than others and none of them gimmes.
Besides, why do we want to build a defense with such an old player? Stop gap, sure maybe, but come on now. Lets build something solid here.