near the top of my most favorite moments at the RioT. This game was insane In hindsight, this might have been one of the most talented teams we've had. A midfield that had Mathis/Williams, Dema, Beckerman, and Morales with Johnson off the bench with Findley... Yeah, that team (08-09) was really good
And yet not a lick of speed to be found in that midfield (with the exception of Johnson off the bench). I agree, this was RSL's best midfield ever. But it makes me wonder why we're suddenly clamoring for a speedy midfield.
Vision makes up for speed speed tends to be cheaper than vision You think we're going to have players fill the shoes of Williams and Mathis suddenly? Also, our outside backs at that time (especially Joy) loved to go forward. We're missing that a ton in our current squad
Because we don't have a forward line of Yura and Findley who both had speed to burn. If we are playing with a target forward (Sabo) we really need a middie or two who can fly past a high line enough times a game that the other team drops back and leaves room in the midfield.
I believe this thread is for photos, no? Take your chit-chat somewhere else. For those who say soccer isn't a contact sport:
Exactly my point. RSL should be going after a speedy striker, not a speedy midfielder as some have advocated. Midfielders only need to know that you can pass the ball faster than anyone can dribble it. There's not a lot of "kick and chase" for a midfielder (unless you are a true winger, but RSL doesn't play with any of those). In Kreis' system, what you really need is middies who are technical and have good vision, as 15-32 pointed out above. If the new forward(s) don't have pace, then I will be disappointed. If the mids don't have pace, I can live with that.
And if neither the forwards nor middies have pace, you have a team that is completely toothless in attack and gets shut out at home in the biggest games...
Again, exactly my point. Why are some folks getting bent out of shape that the mids aren't fast? We don't even know who the strikers (where speed matters) are. If you're looking for an area to fret over where there's a lack of speed, fret over the back line. RSL may have the slowest back 4 in MLS next year. Thankfully they are all masterful in their positioning (with the possible exception of Beltran, who also is the fastest of the 4) so they can overcome it a bit, but I think RSL runs a very real risk of getting torched by the Dane Richards of the world.
We know who one of our forwards is though - Sabo - and we know he isn't fast. The thing we had going with Findley and Yura (and Espy) was you had 2 guys up top that could kill you with their speed. Not just one working off of a target. With both Yura and Findley (and Espy) teams had to play their entire backline deeper than they would like. Either of our strikers could get in behind them with just a little chipped ball or well timed through ball. With just one speedy striker (assuming we get one and that Sabo is with him) then you will have teams that double down on the speedy guy while still being able to use one or two guys to shut down the midfield and Sabo. We need a speedy midfielder if we are going to use a target forward. You have to have more than just one guy (see last season with Espy) running off of him to be really successful. So, yeah, we actually do need some speed in the middle. Our setup, with Sabo, dictates that
Don't hate me for posting this, but it makes me laugh. This was taken during the 09 MLS Cup, but I see it as after we won.
A little nostalgia from season one: Who the... View from the Loyalists row one. I wish this showed better exactly how EMPTY RES looked during these games. EMPTY. My newborn twins with the boys at a public appearance
I believe this was from the last game of the season. It was really windy and the streamers went everywhere. It was awesome!
he's just trying to cover up all of the parts he kisses prior to taking a pk It's amazing how much I love that guy in a US kit but loathe him in an LAG one