37 games started in Houston - 9 goals, 4 assists. That is a goal scoring rate and assist rate that would get you fired in most of the rest of the world.
Despite the goals scored so far - we need at least one of the forwards to pose some aerial threat. Barnes has been able to do that - albeit erringly this season so far... Despite playing a more central / poaching role Bruin does not seem to be able to win those aerial battles. I have been waiting for that improvement for a while now and I just don't know if it will ever become a threat from him. We need that in a hold up / target forward.
Compare that with Bruin who has 28 G and 13 A in 86 starts. That also excludes Bruin's post-season stats where starts 10 games and scores 6 goals with an assist. Barnes has four playoff games started with a goal. The problem is Barnes.
You either go with the better hold-up forward - Sherrod or the quicker - stretch the defense forward in Cummings. Either way --- you don't go with the unproductive Barnes.
I'd like to see Barnes and Cummings paired up top... Barnes is much more creative than Bruin... he also is a threat to shoot from distance, which Bruin has never been. Barnes is a better passer...
Barnes can pass when he gets his head up but his vision is so-so. He misses a lot of obvious passes. Both forwards need to do more. I can't really bag on one without the other. As a unit, its not been good enough. All that said however, this game came down to the red card and not being able to handle it properly. And marking on set pieces has been terrible! Never thought I'd say that about the Dynamo.
I wonder if Bruin is concerned about repetitive head trauma from headers. He really doesn't even try to get his head on any long balls, whether they are goal kicks or punts or just long kicks out of the back. He jumps up, but always pulls his head in when the ball gets close. He is obstructing the opponent more than actually trying to win the ball. I don't at all blame the guy for not wanting to bash his brain around, if that's the case. But for whatever reason, his failure to win headers is especially problematic when the Dynamo play the posession game, passing back to the defenders who bomb long balls forward. Will doesn't really contest those balls, meaning it's an automatic turnover.
Does this include how to raise 4 sons, one now a U.S. Marine, or just the Laws of the Game as regulated by FIFA. I ask because one can be quantified with degrees of error and success depending on what each individual "thinks" as you use. The other is the fuking Law of the Game and is in use as a standard regardless of what anyone "thinks". Simply put, I've heard old athletes try to explain the sport they play and they have a tough time doing it. This was what I was specifically talking about. Eddie spoke of Kenny Cooper's goal scoring hand ball as not deliberate and left it at that this time last year. However, the Laws of the Game speak of "gaining possession" which a player on offense can happen to a player even though in their mind, as an honest player, they did not intend to use the hand but their hand directed the ball over the goal line. Those of us as U.S. National Team fans can tell you, that in the 2002 World Cup, Torestn Frings did not intend to block Greg Berhalter's headed ball from crossing the German goal line but his hand sure did as he was standing the goal line. The ref has to read into the play and declare an "advantage gained", just like at midfield when there is a foul but a better advantage for the attacking team to avoid the stoppage of play. Eddie did not describe this to well and that is all I was saying a la Donovan McNabb an his describing the sport he played as a professional. Here is what FIFA says: There are circumstances when a caution for unsporting behavior is required when a player deliberately handles the ball, e.g. when a player 1-deliberatly handles the ball to prevent an opponent gaining possession 2-attempts to score a goal by deliberately handling the ball Perhaps you should choose your words better Westie.
I'll have to disagree. The tackle happened right below where we were sitting. Looked clean as a whistle. Hard, but clean. When red was shown, we were all in shock. I don't even think it was worth a yellow other than the FC Dallas player embellishing the contact (flying up in the air with both legs tucked in like he was poleaxed). Salazar took the bait hook, line and sinker. What's worse is if that tackle is a red in MLS, and the standard that Salazar applied to that tackle is applied to other tackles similiar in nature and in force across the league, then we're going to see at least one or two reds a match based on the standard that was applied there. Simply put, Salazar got it breathtakingly wrong with producing a straight red for a professional tackle such as the one Horst was sent off for. ...and MLS will look the other way when it comes to disciplining or reprehending a referee for decisions that not only are wrong, but effect the game in such a way to where the outcome has been completely changed. In short, we've got a long long way to go until this league is taken seriously on the officiating front. (EDIT: I case you want to see an example, look up the words "Clattenberg" and "Merseyside Derby" and you'll see what I mean. After having a clanger of a match in 2007, he didn't make a reappearance at Goodison Park until THIS SEASON. That's six years !!! Let's you know that the FA understood how poor his officiating was. We could only hope that Salazar would get the same treatment by MLS and we wouldn't see him again until 2020 at BBVA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Clattenburg )
Dude, it's about soccer and ERobs view of it. You know, playing in the game carries a little more weight than sputtering out sentence fragments and lighting things on fire in the stands.
Correct! It is about soccer. Thank God in Heaven that there is FIFA's Laws of the Game. Laws set in stone that do not allow each league on the planet to play out soccer as they see fit. Nor, allow each old player to pass on his or her point of view on how the Law is to be interpreted! What part of this are you not understanding smart guy?
Devil's Advocate on the red card: Is it possible that Salazar reacted to the double lunge that Horst put on Castillo? Right before that Horst swings and misses on a tackle then gets up and goes all wild-eyed into the second and carded tackle. Is it possible that Salazar thought that was done recklessly? Do we still have access to ref reports? True story: in the first half there was a shoulder to shoulder tackle between the same 2 players. Castillo falls down and Horst stands over him yelling at him to get the fk up all while Salazar looked at home the entire time. I told my seat mate: I hate when players do that sht, you're not the ref but you certainly just got the ref's attention.
This is part of the reason I hate a back pass to Tally, it's a turnover every ********ing time, unless Sherrod is in.
Sure that's possible but a referee has to discern one instance from the next in my mind (I'm not a referee nor have I ever been one.) If he wanted to give a red card to Horst because he felt there was intent by Horst to injure a player, then surely a yellow would have sufficed in that case. But I would imagine it's next to impossible to officiate a game in that manner, where a referee will give cautions/expulsions based on what he thinks the player's intent is or is not on any given play. The way I saw the play (and it came right at us) was that Horst said to himself that there is no way Castillo is getting down the line with that ball to get a cross in and he "made sure" that he put in a solid challenge, which it was. If Horst misses, then Castillo is off to the races so he had to be sure of getting the ball.
Barnes led the Dynamo in scoring with 9 last season. The limited number of games he played in 2012 don't count towards his total as a forward as: 1) they were primarily late game substitutions, 2) he was just easing into things, 3) they were subs as a midfielder. Last year was the guy's first full season in a while after his injury issues in England. It was also his first season playing as a forward yet he topped our goal scoring list. He is in far better shape this season than last, his speed and fitness are as close as they have been to his pre-major foot injury form and he has a season of learning the forward position under his belt. I've watched every match this season 2-3 times, as I have said before he has consistently been one of our best players. That said, Saturday night was not his best match.
It happened directly across from me. I immediately leaned over to my seatmate and said, "well that is a yellow but it is worth it as it stopped what might have been a dangerous attack". It was a professional foul, Horst was beaten and he knew what he was doing. I was shocked when Salazar flashed red. I have watched the replay 10+ times now and I am still shocked.
Our MLS has gotten a lot more faster than even just one World Cup cycle ago circa 2009-2010. Other teams are leaning towards this trend where we are still in an older mindset. We must find a way to stretch the opponents backline and then make them pay for this...a la finishing the chances that a Div-1 pro forward should slot home 9 times outta 10. Perhaps a Cummings with Barnes up top and getting Warren C. and Rico down the middle with Boni back out wide right. This paring of the Karate Kid an Warren C. with Boni and a fully fit Davis on our flanks was the ignition for our October run towards the playoffs was it not. Oh and I am sure glad FC Dallas isn't a rival of ours like some of you dudes say, cuz getting beat by them two years in a row now would suck if they were.
Reading MLS.com, I'm seeing that most people thought it was worthy of a yellow and nothing more so maybe I'm just a bit more cynical and go by the old "let 'em play" adage. I didn't think Horst was beat and making a last ditch tackle. I thought he timed it well. But yeah. Red?? C'mon Salazar.
I'm lost. I suspect everyone else on here is. I take ERobs thoughts as indicative of what the players feel about rivalries and the like.
Can't tell but I think you're being sarcastic here. To be honest, the day they moved us into the East was the day a match against FC Dallas really didn't matter as much to me anymore. Yeah sure, it was a game I wanted us to win but no more so than any of the others where it didn't used to be that way. I look at matches against SKC through the same glasses now that I used to watch FC Dallas through. FC Dallas? Not so much. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised that many of their supporters feel the same way. It just ain't what it used to be. Now, if we ever move back to the Western Conference, where we see them more than we do now and it matters in the conference standings, then the rivalry in my eyes would pick up right where it left off. I hated losing to them Saturday night but only because we lost, not because we lost AND it was FC Dallas. To me, and this isn't a knock on FC Dallas, but they just aren't as relevant as they used to be to the Dynamo. Hopefully we'll get moved back out West and we can fire it up again. Just my two cents.
The stats above were only games started - not all appearances. I don't recall too many games Barnes started at midfield (I only recall a few so total has to be less than 4). So he as a professional athlete was heavy last year and this year he is not so heavy? This is a positive attribute to you? We've played four games. He didn't play well v. Vancouver and he didn't play well v. Dallas. I will grant you that he looked good v. NE and Montreal. However, he still wasn't anymore productive than he was last year. I am not saying he should be permanently benched. I am saying both he and Bruin should not have a death lock on the forward positions when you have an experienced MLS vet in Omar who played really well this preseason and a promising youngster who maybe fits your system a little better. [Both of whom may be better players lined up next to either forward than the other forward starting]