You are "lost" because you're defending a professional athlete's opinions on what constitutes a handball as if he was the Pope. I was not aware that Edward the Infallible was a real person. Also, professional footballers are not known to be the sharpest knives in the drawer so with that said when one of them cannot accurately describe what constitutes a handball according, and pay close attention here Westie, NOT TO what some singing dick like me from the land of coaching, smoke bombs and generally pissing AEG off describes as a handball. I'm just stating what is taught by the USSF at coaching clinics to us in the U.S. as handed down by FIFA's interpretations of the Laws of the Game.
I would have no problem with Barnes in MF, OBG on the right, and Omar at forward with Driver off the bench instead of Driver at left mid.
If things don't change for the better with a few players after two seasons: (you may need to flip your phone sideways) ----------------Sherrod Driver--Davis--Rico--Boney--Cascio ----Ashe--AJ--Horst--Sarkodie -----------------Hall
I hear that! I was under the impression that most of us in Houston, upon hearing the news of getting moved to the East, knew that MLS was going to expand. Expand to cities like Miami or Tampa or Orlando and perhaps a team in NYC proper. To make no mention of Atlanta or a St. Louis or Minneapolis or the like all more "East" than us and K.C. Thus, both us and K.C. would be sent back to the West where we started in MLS. Personally my friends, I never liked losing to the Dallas Tornado when I was a kid new to the sport. Nor, as much as I respected Tatu, liked losing to the Dallas Sidekicks as a teenager. Then there were the Texas Rattlers in the USL when it was just 50 of us in the stands at f'n Butler! Now FC Southern Oklahoma. For me, and I like to think others that have been around the Houston soccer scene for some time, the Dallas matchup needs no introduction. They are the eternal rival regardless of conference alignment or playoff battles (which we've had an epic two leg affair with) or what players moved from their careers in San Jose say. As I have noticed with following all of our Houston pro teams from Astros to Hotshots all my life and what has been confirmed by suppporters I meet from other nations...the pro players come and go but the jersey remains, the fans that live here remain. Thus, I would like to think that getting up for certain matches occurs in pro players minds. If even to just break the monotony of playing a full league schedule where it can grind on a man that it is the same thing week after week. Training, knocks, ice down, more training, home match, travel, road match, injuries, shitty MLS refs each week, and repeat...that having one game to look forward to "just cuz" would be enough to make a pro player happy to have a rivalry to look forward to.
I think we may see the transition to Sherrod and AJ sooner rather than later so I have not a single problem with that. I would rather see another forward on there instead of Driver.
I would like to get Warren C on Defense somewhere or down the spine of our team with Rico. But that 5 man midfield you posted is hard to argue against as it is very solid for today's MLS and how our Dynamo can battle the league at our strengths.
Driver and Davis will struggle together in midfield. Driver will play too defensively and be in the same area as Brad would like to roam instead of pushing really high like you would want in a 4-5-1 hybrid. In theory it would work. In practice, it's a disaster.
Warren C reminds me of Geoff, where does one play a Geoff Cameron? It appeared that Centerback was his best position and it took a while for Dom to narrow that down but once he did it worked out wonderfully for everyone. I am one who was never sold on Taylor and this weekend only confirmed my worst fears. Now perhaps is the time to go young at our Centerback pairing. I just want Warren C's dedication to the tackle and pace on the field somehow. Kofi looks solid out right and Rico is boss at the #6 as much as Horst is at our #4. So that narrows it down at outside left or paired with Rico like the end of last season or paired with Horst at the back.
http://www.houstondynamo.com/news/2014/04/houston-dynamo-defender-eric-brunner-undergoes-surgery well with this and Arena being gone, we're a little strapped for options in the middle so it looks like a Warren in the middle scenario is quite possible
This whole thing makes me laugh (only because i have moved on from crying)...... go back and read this thread. it is absolutely nothing new!! well, at least for some of us it's nothing new. stumbledore sucks barnes sucks refs suck tally, when using his brain instead of reflexes, sucks beer prices suck driver playing out of position sucks davis getting hurt sucks ashe getting toasted and losing the ball up field sucks taylor sucks way hard and oh yeah, DALLAS SUCKS! so what's new? and that's been my issue with people like Bruin along with the other issues. Zero improvement. For years now. In not wanting it to be true, we are desperately trying to come up with new excuses like "the midfield doesn't create chances and feed the forwards". Fcking kidding me? The mid field has Rico/Davis/OBG (with Driver playing out of position mind you) and it's their fault?? Child please..... Our forwards are terrible plain and simple. No team in this league respects them much less are afraid of their ability. Bruin is a bust and Barnes is a has been from a never was. Taylor is as poor as I've seen a CB be and Ashe has lost his one trick that he possessed. Until these issues are addressed, teams will continue to press high and push the tempo with zero fear of a counter attack. And with one horrendous CB and another average at best LB, our D will only be able to hold off the barrage for so long. add that to Tally, who is one of the worst communicating keepers in the league. He constantly leaves his CB's to hang because there is no direction of field generalship with him and his D. Whether it be when some one cuts diagonally or a corner kick, Tally simply can't seem to organize those in front of him. Rico MOTM again, nothing new.... (sunshine police pepper me with snark in 3.....2......1.......)
I like What i see from Barnes more than what i see from Bruin, even considering that Bruin has scored this year and Barnes has not. In my opinion, Bruin is not working as a forward. Please, NOT ANOTHER SEASON PRAYING TO THE SOCCER GODS THAT BRUIN BECOMES THE PLAYER WE WANT HIM TO BE. But i believe it is time to make changes and wouldnt mind benching Barnes for a few games to see if Bruin dies better with a different partner (unless the partner is L Messi, doubt he can do better but wtf, lets give it a try). I like your enthusiasm and maybe we should try the other forwards we already have. I don't think Cummings is the solution but would love to be proven wrong. Maybe some new guy should be giving a chance now. MY FEAR: I strongly suspect that we need a different forward, a new one, and a different type of player we dont have right now, but we have been needing for a long time.
I agree with many points on this thread something has to change - What I do not agree is the people throwing around the word "season" based on 4 games and not a full strength team - Losing a game sucks but losing to Dallas is worse but I've already moved on and I am ready for this W @NE - We should start panicking if they also soundly beat us - for the mean time "In Dom I trust."
Even losing/drawing to NER in Foxborough should not cause panic. Since when do the Dynamo get wins on the road? We never have been good on the road, at least not recently. Houston was terrible most of last season, and still made the playoffs.
Yeah but we beat them last year away - and they are worse this year than last year so gives me personally confidence.
I'm curious can Bruin even chip a ball over the keeper? I mean he had two chances in the first two games....
Not to sound like a whiner, but two years in a row to get screwed by refs against FCD pisses me off. I want a replay.
No denying that it would be difficult, but as a striker that is something to have in your pocket though.