When you have a SJ back line that's a foot taller than our attackers, putting the corner to feet makes more sense than floating it for the fifth consecutive defensive header out for a corner. Not that we did anything with our feet. That was another problem though, we keep floating crosses in to Sanchez and Torres, neither of whom can actually get to the ball in the air.
Sanchez is making most of the crosses, and Torres barely plays at all. The real problem is we have a fat lazy sack of crap for a target man. When was the last time Buddle got on the end of a cross with his head?
So first live game of year for me and I could of choose better. Always thought Wondo was a smart tactical player but between last year and this game I am done with his crying to Refs. Sat on West side this one to try and avoid weather... Really just got us better hearing on Wondo's constant F bombs towards Ref and Rapids. Piermayer is still working on chemistry with team and not many RBs are going to lock down that really quick Djo guy. Why does Buddle end up everywhere in final third but in front of goal? Sanchez is just not going to beat many CBs for headers in there alone. No clue what is going on with Torres but he needs to get minutes over Buddle, if we are going to continue to start 2 up top.
I agree Torres should be getting more time over Buddle. Maybe Pablo has good memories of Buddle performing well back in the day when he played against him. Buddle certainly seems to bring a whole lot less to his game now than he did before his Rapid's tenure (leaving out the impact on his game/style of league improvement over the years). When Torres has been in the game for longer stretches this season he seems to perform better.
Overall it was uninspired play. Serna entered and the Rapids won four corners within minutes. I know players can't give that kind of effort over 90 minutes, but the kid brings badly needed energy. Sanchez seemed to run out of gas a little in the second half, but it would be fun to see the two of them together for more of a game. I know it's not great soccer, but if Brown is going to play big minutes, you have to kick a couple balls over the top to him. Hoping he has a first good touch on a ball is just that...hope. Find a way to use his speed or find another striker. Torres actually has skills, but like everyone else, I have no idea what is going on. Hopefully PM will figure out a way for him to contribute to the team, because the team is going to need him before the season ends.
Jason and I were talking about that during the game. There was one play where everyone was near the half line, plenty of room for brown to outrun the defenders and get a shot on goal. I am not saying it is the best option for every play, but why not do it a few times a game. Keep the defense on their feet and maybe poach a goal or two.... Call it Cummings v2. rod.
It's basic soccer. You have to pose a threat here to keep a team honest or they will compress the midfield with a very high line. The Rapids are never going to be effective if they have to thread passes through tight spaces in a compressed, crowded midfield. Is it not great soccer because it's "supposed" to be done with a through ball along the ground rather than a pass that gets some air? The only people would care would never give a crap about the Rapids anyway.
I wonder if he is a bit content with his new salary? Is it all guaranteed? Of course, to be fair, there are some youngsters that will kill to get a shot. He may be doing fine, but being over-shadowed by others who are leaving everything on the practice field. I could see Pablo or Drew pulling him aside and letting him know how MLS and the Rapids work - practice matters. (Insert Iverson rant on practice here). rod.
I can see point of poor practicing but from last year there is only one other guy on Rapids who can match his technical ability and that is Sanchez. Heck we played Buddle last year when he looked like a Michelin man commercial out there. Buddle may be practicing well but the guy needs a leash to stay in center of field and not take himself out of the attack in final third like he does, they needs to count as much as poor practicing. Rapids don't have much clue in final third other than Sanchez or Serna's all hustle. Torres should be getting at least 20-30 mins as sub and not the last guy tossed out there.
It would be interesting to know what exactly "not performing in practice" means exactly. I would hope that performing in the actual games would be more important. So far no one is really getting it done (finishing wise.) I don't agree with the folks who don't think Piermayr is a quality RB. Being beat a couple times by someone as crafty as Djalo is not unexpected. Check out his sweet highlight clip from last weeks SJ game chipping a ball over a defender. http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/ma...thquakes-vs-columbus-crew/details/video/43746 Thomas got the best of him on other plays which was some good defending. Also, he has a wicked cross that I wish we could take advantage of. After watching several of our free kicks going wayward I was wishing he could have taken them. Maybe you guys can talk me down about my lack of enthusiasm for Klute's play. Chalk it up to him just getting back from injury or something. For me there was just one day last year towards the end that something changed. He stopped dribbling and attempting to take defenders on he looked timid. Saturday he was coming towards me the whole first half with acres of space behind the defender to attack and he never once attempted to get to the line for a low or high cross.
I don't know how any of the forwards could have done anything with the crap passing and service that was provided. Seemed like every ball was too heavy, too light or behind the runner to slow down play. Even Sanchez couldn't breathe life into the game, had to be one of the worst matches I've seen in the last year....unwatchable, and particularly bad if you record both and watch the Avs first.
I've been thinking about these four as the midfield unit for a couple of matches. My only question is how would it work. The answer: diamond midfield. Mari holds the fort down at the base of the diamond. His sole responsibilities are protecting the back line, maintaining shape, and being the outlet that gets the attack in motion. Sanchez and Serna occupy the sides and Powers is the pseudo #10 at the top of the diamond. Sanchez and Serna are pinched in slightly were they can receive passes and cut inside which can create all kinds of match up issues with their speed and excellent ball control. If you want to expand the big picture the width is supplied by Klute and Piermayr bombing up the flanks. They will have acres of space to overlap. Powers at the top of the diamond plays a pivotal role in dictating the attack. He can be the link man to Serna and/or Sanchez or be the guy looking for seams to thread passes to the strikes --- preferable Brown and Torres. Either way the ball needs to be flowing through Powers for the diamond to be successful. Yes, the diamond is a little heavier on the attacking side of the ball, however, it does, if properly used, allow you to press a little higher up the pitch which will alleviate some pressure on Jose Mari.
Piermayr is doing well defensively and when he does get forward he is putting in dangerous crosses. During the first half though he was being very timid. The majority of the time when he received the ball he quickly played it sideways or backwards. He also was hardly crossing the half-line to get up into the attack. At one point when he was in front of me, he had the opportunity to push up the line but didn't and Powers gave him an earful because he was clearly being far too conservative.
Our whole approach is too conservative... Minutes go by as O'Neil and Moor pass to one another then out wide then back in the middle it is sickening to watch the lack of urgency going forward. I don't like that we seemingly have 3 defensive or box to box midfielders on the field at the same time either. I saw a different game apparently and thought Piermayr had several good crosses along with plenty of offensive moves up the field.
The highlight of the game for me was seeing Atiba on a different team....so glad we got rid of that player.
Yeah, it's been doing that since Sat night. It's throwing the wrong URL in there when you click on "old Matchcenter": http://www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/auto match title/ Substituting what looks like it should be the proper URL doesn't seem to work: http://www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2014-04-19-COL-v-SJ/recap
And he got carded. I thought Harris did well in the 1st half. The Earthquakes showed better combo play than the Rapids. One guy would receive a ball, and without delay, there'd be a runner. Harris participated in a couple of those. He's better at the header knockdown than any of our current forwards, which is sad. Talking about Harris reminds me: Chavez didn't make the 18.
One of the worst matches you've seen in the last year? Are you flipping mad??? I know this forum is mostly a bunch of Debbie Downers, but WTF??? Seriously, guys this was a 0-0 draw not a blowout. The season is only 6 games young, and we have the best point total ever at this point in the season. Relax. San Jose turtled the match - playing with a deep back line, and clogging the box (sometimes with as many as 10 players in there) to make sure they would not lose. The Rapids dominated possession, owned the mid, and locked down their defense. This comes after running a diamond mid for only the second game this year. Moreover, three of the diamond positions were dynamic: Powers, LaBrocca, and Sanchez. They rotated and swapped with each other constantly without failing defensively. Not many teams have players with focus and awareness to institute that style of play. I'll grant the offense is still anemic and the Rapids need to have a more anticipatory pace to get the ball up field more quickly. As much as I'd love to see a ton of goals, however, the foundation of a good team is still a solid defense. (Did you forget about the last two-years' defenses?) Ultimately, I think the midfielders will become more confident pushing forward as they get comfortable with the new formation, and it will help the strikers in the long run.
Not a Debbie Downer … just annoyed given how important points are at the end of the season when positioning within or getting into the play offs. Two points left on the table at home against the worst team in the league (so far) is a missed opportunity. However, if you had asked me at the start of the season how many points I would've thought we'd have, no way I would've expected 11 points with the schedule the Rapids opened with. Also, I would've expected a sophomore slump from Powers and wouldn't have expected anything from Serna. Therefore, very happy with season so far.
So in our last 4 games, Buddle, Brown, and Torres have combined for a grand total of 4 shots on goal. Brown had one in Vancouver, Buddle had one against KC and two (including the goal) in Toronto. Watts had as many shots on goal yesterday as Brown and Torres combined in the last 4 games.
Actually, Buddle was in position for most of crosses and other long ball into the box. I did not replay the entire game, but the MLS Live condensed version showed lots of long balls and crosses, and Buddle was in the box for all of them. On the ball to Sanchez, Buddle was outside the far post, in position to get to a ball hit to the far post. Sanchez was running across the goal towards the near post. The ball was hit low but had to be lower. Height was not an issue, quickness to open space was needed, and Sanchez was not at a disadvantage. As to Torres, Buddle has played 90+ minutes two weeks in a row and the next game is on turf. If Torres does not start we know that he has is a real problem with PM. While watching the condensed version, it was clear that were many crosses, corners etc into the box (good news) and not one was at all dangerous (bad news). From TV coverage. it looked like the balls were poorly hit, but then again it could be that we are not making timely and coordinated runs to put people in open space. Maybe it's the quality of SJ's CBs. At any rate, we need a lot of work on this part of the game b/c we created the oppurtunities. Also no more short corners.
Um, no he wasn't. Maybe the times that he wasn't didn't make the highlights, but my biggest frustration with Buddle is that he far too often makes the good play near middle of the pitch to possess the ball and get it wide, but when he turns he just jogs slowly rather than running at pace to make himself a target. He gives, but forgets to go. Also, on the occasions that he does find him self near the box, rather than going in to fight for the initial ball he "hangs back" hoping it will sneak through so he can hit it on the volley, which it doesn't. With his size he should be fighting the CBs for that initial ball in. If he had just half the work rate of Sanchez, he would be phenomenal. My guess is Mwanga finally called him out on not trying hard enough. Sure it sounds silly coming from Mwanga, but somebody needs to do it. If it wasn't about that, then somebody needs to do something to light a fire under him and get his effort level up.