in my opinion Gaven was not playing well in those 10 games, nor did he play well for much of the previous season. Dependable 7/10 guy usually, last season 5-6 /10
It's not like we had a solid defense with Marshall back there last season, much less a consistent and gelled back line.. Parkhurst is a replacement for Marshall. It has been stated by Berhalter that he intends to play Parkhurst centrally. He may play RB, but after the WC, the intention is CB, therefore he's a replacement. Add to that, giving him a consistent pairing at CB will also be beneficial. So, replacing Marshall won't be that difficult, especially when you consider the fact that Marshall was not all that good last season. Gaven for all intents and purposes was gone all season last year. We didn't have him for the meat of the season and therefore, the more apt question would really be who plays RW. The replacement for Gaven was Oduro and it happened last season.
Parkhurst is also such a significant improvement over anyone that played either right or left back for us last year that it automatically makes the CB position easier for whomever plays it. Guys getting toasted out wide and pulling Marshall and/or his partner outside was a significant issue last season. Parkhurst is unlikely to have that problem anywhere near as often. I think Williams is set to have a breakout season. He's got size and strength, a decent touch on the ball and from his preseason statements feels that Gregg has confidence in him and is looking to make the most of that. He's faster than Marshall but not much smaller. He's shown a knack for set piece play both offensively and defensively. No, he's not the defensive beast in the air that Marshall was (and was all of last year IMHO, despite some other lapses in his game in 2013), but he's pretty good. I feel our backline is the least of our worries.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...yer-too-many-toronto-fc-part-ways-matias-laba Yes please. Don;t know what it would take but I would take him in a heartbeat
Wow, who do we cajole or bribe to get dibs on Laba?... Young and talented, exactly what Id want in a Forward signing!
I'd like the guy but it really depends on what they want for him. I'd rather find a forward or a dynamic winger as a second DP.
While I partially agree with you I think this upgrades are weakest position (whoever is next to trapp) and gives us a CM tandem that could be the best in the league in a year or two.
I don't know that he's the best fit for what we need right now, but he's talented and versatile. I would take him if it was a possibility.
Don't take anything from it, he played CM all year last year. Apparently they signed some Brad dude to play in his spot this year, so he got tested at RB.
That's the key. If Berhalter does nothing at all, but accomlishes this, it will be a successful year to rebuilding this team to where they were from 08-10'. That was RW's big failing, imo. Everybody kept pointing to the offense and their favorite silver bullet lineup/formation of the day fantasy, but in 6 years RW never put out the same backline from the year before and in the really bad years not from game to game even. Marshall suffered the most for it. The closest RW got was '09 (Brunner) and '10 (Iro). But even then, he changed up on the partnership the next year, then both players were gone the next year after lossing their starting position. And it's not just the backline either, there wasn't a consistant central midfield pairing either. Even more so from '11-'13, when Carroll was traded away. Here's some fun with stats; from '08-'10, which I consider to be successful years with 2 SS, MLS Cup, a USOC final, and finishing within top 2 in conference each year, the Crew averaged 44GF and 34GA. From '11-'13 they averaged 43GF and 45GA. From '11-'13 the top 3 teams in the East averaged 49GF and 38GA. That's 12 goals +/- that changes everything. You can take it for what you will, but I think it shows two things; the offensive doesn't have to improve all that much to be contenders and the constant backline/CM changes ruined the team. With that in mind, maybe Berhalter is on the right track. He has the makings for a really solid young backline for years to come and Parkhurst adds the bit of experience needed. The Crew upgraded the GK positon from Gruenbaum, who was a good shot stopper but a terrible overall GK who was often injuried. Trapp is special and I think he's only going to get better if he stays healthy. I'd like to see Berhalter develop Anor as his CM partner as he was the only one that played there last year that supported both offense and defense, but I don't think Berhalter sees him there. If Berhalter can maintain the offensive production from the last three years, maybe get Arrieta going or add another offensive threat and add a few more to GF column, and get the GAs back to 08-10 levels, the Crew have a good shot.
Hey, a Myshap sighting! Welcome back Robert. In 2008-2010 we had a central defender who was MLS defender of the year twice. Although he's still in MLS, he's playing elsewhere now. Meanwhile we're hoping the light comes on for Josh Williams in his 5th MLS season and someone from among Wahl, Gehrig, George, Slogic, or Barson steps up. I think the overall talent level in the league is probably higher now than 5 years ago so getting back to a goal a game allowed will be tough.
I agree with that to a point. It will be difficult, but that's where they have to be with this roster and I think the talent is there for it. The one thing working in our favor is putting together a good defensive unit is the one thing Berhalter can hang his hat on from his last job. I'm fairly high on Williams, Barson, and Weit and hopeful that Francis or Sweat works out, not having seen more then highlights. I'm not sure its something that can be done in one year though. Although I don't share the opinion that Berhalter is going to use Parkhurst anywhere but in the middle no matter what Parkhurst has said about an agreement. And Parkhurst is a defender of the year level central defender in MLS.
Hopefully this is true. If Parkhurst is in the middle, then Barson is wide right. If Parkhurst is out wide, then either Wahl or Gehrig are in the middle, which is easily the bigger downgrade.
Bingo! People hyperventilated about offense under Bob because there were many stretches where they just looked like they had no idea what they were doing. In terms of numbers, the complaints were largely unwarranted. But people were so distracted by the offense that most of them forgot to notice the defense couldn't defend a plate of fries. Which was ultimately what got Bob fired -- his responsible team wasn't responsible.
I'd like to see a comparison of goals from the run of play vs PKs and how our numbers compared to the league. Almost sounds like the Crew have been the proverbial bilnd squirrel.
I've mentioned it before but the Crew scored the same number of goals as Seattle last year, despite the Sounders having 3 DPs. Our problem was we kept running guys like Williams and Wahl out in defense so we conceded a lot of goals. Gruenebaum had a lot of great saves in 2011 but not so many in 12 and 13.
Regarding last year's team, I suppose it is worth noting that a team is a lot more likely to concede goals if they never have the ball. There were plenty of defensive mistakes, but I guess that's to be expected when you're always defending.
Dispatch piece on where Parkhurst will play. Nothing new in it. http://www.dispatch.com/content/sto...khursts-best-interests-with-crews-tricky.html
That was not the sole problem. Wahl is bad. Williams, while not great, is still not a bad player. I've said this before, but his issue has been the consistency of the position he played. CB to LB to CB to RB... This year he'll be at a consistent position, barring injury and it will be a lot easier for him to be accountable or held accountable for a higher standard of play.