Now that he's been "officially" at it for a few weeks, a new thread's in order. I'll say this much right now: eat yer heart out Oscar!
How are yall liking Pablo's coaching so far? I gotta say so far I'm liking it. Definitely not sold out but it seems most of tha team likes playing for him (though maybe not Torres?). He's got us off to our best start in franchise history. He's coached like it was his to lose since day one...staying focused when tha FO was wringing their hands...Not bein afraid to change formations depending on personnel...starting guys who are playing like they wanna start...other than our lack of goals, I like how this season's started. What things can he improve on?
I'm fairly satisfied. I'm not sure where the goals are gonna come from, but I don't think other teams can expect easy goals in Colorado. The team needs some retooling. Buddle's best days are behind him. Brown's looking like a big sophomore slump. I don't know what's up with Torres. None of this is on Pablo, but I hope he's in Bravo's ear about it.
The best start in team history and the back-to-back road victories deserve high praise. He has also been much more controlled on the sidelines than I thought he might be. The offense seems very much a work in progress as he tries to find the best XI, but several questions still remain. I am puzzled by the use (or lack thereof) of Serna, Torres, and Chavez and by the timing of some of the subs, but he has certainly earned IMO the right to experiment with the talent available to him.
I'm not sure why none of this is on Pablo. Buddle, ok, presumably Bravo had the lead in acquiring him with that salary. But a coach has something to do with his players' performance and could affect the other two guys. We've only heard vague 2nd hand statements about Torres, so we don't know what's going on there. It's still early, the team is doing well overall; Pablo still has time to help the strikers work better.
Best start ever after 6 games means that Pablo is (and should be) in good standing. Especially considering the tumultuous offseason. The big challenge now is getting at least one of our big 3 strikers firing on all cylinders.
Yes we've heard Torres is not starting due to how he 'looks' in practice but I see no way Buddle can look so good in practice that it makes up for how he basically just doesn't produce in matches. Swap Torres and Buddle as starters and subs for the next three matches and their combined goal total likely won't suffer -- and we might get the DP we're paying for?
To add on top of our "best ever" start...we haven't exactly had an easy schedule. On paper we've had one of the toughest schedules in the league, and half of our games have been away from home. Let's contrast that to Dallas, who have the best record right now, but have played 5 out of 7 games at home, and only one of their road games was against a good team. The points we have earned now will come in handy down the stretch when we're trying to get into the playoffs. Our striker production is the biggest concern. Our second biggest concern is that we don't seem to have an adequate stand-in when Jose Mari can't play.
Though the schedule does look easier when you see how the other teams on it have started. NY and Portland were the regular season champs of each division last year, but combined they have 10 points in 12 games not against the Rapids. San Jose is awful. But KC and Toronto are top 3 in the East right now and Vancouver is in a playoff spot.
PM is getting better end of game results than I thought he would. That said, he is totally mis-using Brown by playing him outside and I think he has mis-used O'Neill when he puts him at RB.
One thing I like about PM is his approach to building a team. He understands adjustments to the new coach and tactics take time. He's establishing the defense and then working towards offense. It may not be sexy in the short-term, but it should work out in the long run. And, draws with a few poached wins this early in the season are better than losses when it comes to the playoff stretch. In any event it's a much more sound approach than the one that Benedict Arnold instituted 2 years ago.
Good article. I can't quibble with the team's start. I did find Pablo's substitutions v. SJE a bit too slow. Bringing on Serna for LaBrocca at 63' was good. He's been a spark every time he's been on the field. But, then, Torres doesn't come on until 82' and no 3rd sub to push for a goal?
Agree. If you want Torres (or any other player) to have an impact, not just hold down the fort, then you need to give them more than 8-10 minutes on the pitch. I've still seen some good moves from Torres out in games so far so I am sure he can make things happen. Scratching my head on his time in the games when other forwards ain't doing squat. Bring him in earlier and give him a chance.
To be fair to Pablo (and per the rumor that Jason mentioned), Torres may be getting plenty of chances in practice. If others are showing more for the team, then I expect Pablo to do exactly what he is doing. If Pablo is leaving Buddle out there to get his 100th goal, then I have more of an issue. It isn't like Buddle made all of those goals as a Rapid..... rod.
Yes for sure. I'll bet there is plenty of credence to that rumor (Torres not showing in practice) since he is a DP and most would expect him to start. My point was just that Buddle and Brown have not been impressing consistently in the games (Buddle does have a poacher's goal) and since Torres ain't chopped liver, is a DP for a reason, and I'm sure he has something to prove...just get him in earlier is my only complaint. Personal bias perhaps, since I really like his technical skills and I think he can bring more to the game than Buddle and Brown in that regard.
I am not totally disagreeing with you, although I would prefer to have him earn his way on the field. Just because we paid a hefty transfer fee shouldn't make him the automatic starter. Although maybe it should give him the benefit of the doubt and more minutes to prove himself in games. We have a lot of games left, my guess is everything works itself out in the next month. rod
Whats the point of having a DP if he doesn't play? It is total BS that he gets put in with 10 or less minutes into the game. I really can't imagine that he looks that bad in practice unless he just doesn't like Pablo and doesn't try at all. I guess it happens to players all the time, but, it's sad to see someone so young wasting away on the bench. Pisses me off!
Exactly. Some here seem to forget his DP status is a function of his transfer fee, not his salary. I don't expect a player making a base of $250,000 to absolutely start in this league. I'd hope he does, but I wouldn't count on it. If my DP is making nearly 20 times that base, like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clint_Dempsey, that's another thing altogether.
Well, $250K of a ~$3M cap is not chicken feed, but I think most will agreed that Torres showed last year Technical ability greater than all but 1 current player on team. Given the performace to date this year by other forwards, how do you justify not giving him more playing time? I keep going back to us throwing Buddle out early last year when it looks like we just took the burger out of his hand and told him go play outside...
At the risk of repeating myself, this has been my main point. Regarding Torres getting into the games more, his salary is secondary to his already proven ability, especially when comparing him to our other forwards' current form. I'm not talking about starting him, just giving him more in-game time. I don't begrudge Pablo for not giving him a starting spot, I'm sure Torres hasn't earned it. But again, giving him or any player the likes of his skill/level 7-8 minutes to make an impact in the game is asking for poor results.
I would expect a player that a team spend DP money on to start, regardless of if that money was in a transfer fee or salary. Certainly a player that was co-Golden Boot of a confederation championship within the last year should be good enough to start. (Caveat, if the team announced/made it clear that his acquisition was as a young player to build him into a star then I would understand not starting)
Yet Dempsey's goals ($/goal) are cheaper, zero is a nasty denominator making Torres' production thus far cost infinity/goal. We've scored three less goals than we have league points (minus pks makes it worse) so it is pretty clear we need a 'star' striker ... probably not going to be Buddle.