How closely are you reading that to see that it occurred after the signing, cause from where I'm reading it I don't see that at all.
It's still pretty good, although I'm sure people may have particular dishes that could be different. The new space is great - lots of parking, plenty of seating, and right next to the HPD storefront for security...almost everything that people who wanted a suburban location for the new stadium could've asked for.
ok boys and girls,here we go!!!! I have been critical and skeptical for a while.I think it was justified. But I also think the team has made every effort to address our weaknesses and now it is time to take the optimistic view. we have Koke,we have Watson,Taylor,Clark and Chingy.No we arent gelled yet and no everyone is not totally fit.But these next several games will tell us where we stand in the league. Dom now has depth everywhere.I wish we had a turbo striker type but we do have some hungry guys that give it their all for the full 90. I cant wait to see the starting 11 when everyone is fully fit. wondering what some of you think the starting 11 will be? hall freeman,taylor,cameron,ashe clark,watson,koke,davis ching,bruin this is what i would like to see.koke is a creator and can give us the service we need to let ching and bruin,and especially davis do what they do. cant wait comeoneyoudynamocomeonyoukokecomeonyoumls!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice to hear! I don't think we got Koke for anything other than scoring up top, which is why we signed Watson at the same time. Here is my prediction for ONE MONTH from now (if healthy): ....................hall............ Palmer...Taylor....Hainult.....Ashe Clark....Watson...Cameron.....Davis ..............Ching....Koke.........
dont mind that starting 11 at all.Especially would like to see Palmer given a shot at RB. Do you have Cameron as the holding mid and Watson as the service provider or the other way around. I just think Geoff is best suited out wide but even more at CB.At CB he can get forward some like he did when he was an allstar. but your lineup is good enough for me.Lets put together a run. P.S. my thinking behing Koke as a CAM type role is that after Dom sees his flare and possession and quality service he will determine that we can get more shots on goal with Koke as a provider and sniper along with setting up ching davis and clark.
Bingo, I think this is more likely based purely on our personnel. I wouldn't mine both Cameron and Watson playing more box to box style but if I had to choose I would guess Cameron plays a little back, as I think his defense is better. I agree he might be great out wide, I just don't like losing him in the middle right now.
Not that it matters all that much, but.... the Chronicle did report that the scouting report was unsolicited, and that it came from Klopas after the Fire game. "As Koke waited for his work visa to come through in Madrid since signing April 15, Kinnear got an unsolicited scouting report Saturday from Chicago Fire technical director Frank Klopas, a Greek-American who played professionally in Greece and follows that league. 'He was very complimentary of the player we got,' Kinnear said of Klopas. 'I have great respect for Frank and his opinion, and it adds to the excitement.'" http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/soc/7538479.html
Hainault over Boswell at centerback? Not arguing, asking your thoughts there. If we're open to playing Koke as more of a withdrawn striker/attacking mid I'd be interested to see something like: ....................Hall.................... Palmer/Freeman...Taylor...Boswell...Ashe .................Cameron.................... Clark....................................Davis ...................Koke.................... ...........Ching.........Bruin...........
Great to see that we have so many options and so much depth. Competition for time is always a good thing. Any one have a take on why Kofi hasn't sniffed the pitch. There was so much hype and excitement for the "Prince" prior to the season.... I'm guessing he is just going through some growing pains and taking time to acclimate to MLS's physical play????
Yeah don't get me wrong, I have no problem with Koke in that position. I just don't think that is the idea when he was signed, I think that is Watson's role to take. Also, Dom seems to really like two way midfield play, I don't know enough about Koke to know if that is his specialized or if he is a pure attacker. As for Centerback. I think a healthy Taylor is in the lineup. I haven't heard too much question. In comparing Hainult and Boswell a few things lead to my preference for Andre. I think his confidence and play in the middle has risen to expectations of him when he came to the team. I wouldn't put him back out wide unless needed. Boswell has looked good of late, but some early mistakes scared me a bit. Finally, if all else is equal I think Andre is a bit more athletic. To be quite honest, either option is ok with me considering their play the last few games. I just think Hainult is peaking right now and really getting back into his natural role in the middle (where he played before coming here).
All the options are kinda crazy considering last year. Honestly, Palmer or Watson in the middle, Palmer or Freeman on the right, Koke up top or in the middle, Cameron anywhere . . . . I think most of our options are good ones. There are certainly arguments for each player in each position but I agree, I like the options. My only hope, is that we get to a solidified lineup over the next moth and let the starting 11 (whomever that ends up) actually gel. I think we sometimes get excited with flexibility of certain players and move them around too much. As for Kofi, he has one game under his belt. He looked, ok. I think the return of the reserve league is a good option for players like Kofi. To be honest the first two games of Freeman's play had me looking for more Kofi, but he has been at least solid the last several matches. Not a world beater, but I am not sure the rookie is doing enough to press him for PT. Now, if Palmer is an option to move back (which is his natural position) we may have a battle at RB.
It's nice to see we've got a few options across the park now and players capable of doing a job in a number of positions. Have to give credit to the management team for addressing the lack of depth and bringing in some faces. For what it's worth, this is the starting 11 i'd pick, assuming all are fit and healthy. GK - Hall LB - Ashe CB - Heinault CB - Taylor RB - Freeman LW - Davies CM - Cameron CM - Watson RW - Clark ST - Koke ST - Ching I can't see Koke playing anywhere another than up top as a support striker. From all i've heard, playing him CM would leave us exposed against teams players 4 or 5 across the midfield. I can't see him being the type of player who can get up and down the field and contribute defensively. I'd like to see Cameron filling the role that Palmer has been playing for us. Physically he is dominating and he'd pick up a lot of loose balls due to his strength, while also giving him the power to get forward when needed. Previously playing in defense means he reads the game well, which suits him perfectly to playing a defensive midfield role. Finally, his range of passing is good, he switches the play from flank to flank in a way that Palmer never had the vision or ability to do. Having Cameron sitting in front of the defence, Watson would have license to get forward and support the attacking line. I'd play Clark over Cruz for the fact that he has a footballing brain, in a way that Cruz perhaps doesn't. To make the most of Koke and his creative talents, we need players on the field who can find him with the ball. I don't know if Cruz is a good enough footballer to get his head up and pick out Koke. I'd use Danny from the bench when his undoubted pace and enthusiasm would cause tiring defenders a problem when we need a goal/defending a lead. In defense, i've gone for Andre over BB. I've been really impressed with Heinault since he moved into the centre. He has been near unbeatable in the air and has put in a number of really commanding performances. Boswell may have contributed more in an attacking sense, but i am not convinced by him at the back. His concentration is poor at times and in terms of physical ability, his lack of pace is a real worry for me. Saying that, with Ashe playing at the back, there is less chance of him being exposed. Corey has struck up a decent partnership with Davies and as mentioned, his pace is something we really lack at the back. Taylor has to play when he is fit. I thought he was excellent on his debut. I've noticed Freeman come in for criticism in the past, but i've not really seen too much to complain about. I think he's a solid performer. I also think his distribution will improve with Clark playing in front of him because i'm not sure that Cruz is the best at finding space to receive the ball from his full back. Clark appears to be a bit more intelligent with his movement. We have the makings of a decent team here and i'm impressed with the fact that we have 11 players who are out there giving their all for the cause. I'd rather have the guys we have than the likes of Henry and Beckham strolling around the field with a pout on. Hopefully Koke can buy into the Dynamo way and show the commitment that so endeared him to his previous club.
Great post. I especially agree with your thoughts on the much-maligned Hainault and Ashe. I have some reservation about whether Cameron can play at defensive mid, but you make some good points about why he may succeed there. I think the defensive mid role in this midfield has to be someone with a motor who can patrol from sideline to sideline. I wouldn't mind seeing if he can do that. I think he needs to be on the field somewhere and it may be the case that Watson proves to be a better attacking mid. Although, IIRC, Watson played a bit of defensive mid for us during his pre-season trial, didn't he? I suppose we'll sort that out over the next month or so. We're also very likely to lose both Taylor and Watson to Jamaica during the Gold Cup, so we'll definitely need that depth in central defense and central midfield.
For everyone starting Colin Clark at right mid, I don't honestly think you have been watching him play the last two games. Seriously, when he has come on he has been primarily on the left side, not the right. The exception might be the one chance he got on goal against Chicago. That worries me alot about the plan to start him on the right. I think we are more likely to see Cameron on the right, Brad in the center, and Clark on the left with Watson at d-mid. Hope I am wrong, but that is what I noticed when Clark's come on.
I don't think that is correct. he came in for Danny Cruz in our last two games on the right side. Davis stayed in on the left.
Totally agree he came in for Danny Cruz. Totally disagree as to where he played. So much so that I think we moved our formation a lot to accommodate him. Just my .02 and maybe I am totally wrong, but I was specifically watching to see how he did on the right and there were very few instances where I can honestly say he was on the right.
Honestly didn't pay that much attention last game, but I sit in the front row and watched him working the right side against New England (right in front of me). Not much of our attack ran through him (most down the left) but I know he was in front of me for most of the 18 minutes he was in the game (at least that is my memory).
Word. For those who have Koke in the midfield, whoever pairs with him better be ready to be all over the field and play some serious D. For him to be the offensive weapon we hope, you have to think he will give a little less on the defensive side. I think Cameron is the man that can cover that type of ground. Palmer can too, but I worry about him not being able to properly link up with Koke. And Watson, who really knows... At this point we need to integrate 4 players into the lineup, Taylor, Watson, Clark, and Koke. It actually would have been nice to have another few USOC games to help integrate everyone.
He's a kid and has a bit to learn. He looked shakey in his limited time so far. All the tools are there defensively (but aren't clicking offensively). Dom, Wade and Steve will get him straightened out and we'll see plenty of him as the season wears on. Kid has talent and I hope he forces his way into the lineup. Assuming everyone is healthy, I really don't see Andre pushing Bobby or Taylor out of CB. They may rotate to keep everyone fresh and ready, but I just don't see him pushing those two out. I'm more worried about the GC. Taylor and Hainault will surely get called up, leaving us with Bobby and....Eddie? Would rather have Bobby and Geoff in that case but that leaves our midfield in piss-poor shape (assuming Watson and Palmer are gone too).
I liked Sarkodie in preseason and then he started making ill-advised diagonal balls into the middle when we used him for real (the trick is you need to commit players to other passing lanes and open gaps before you look inside....I always liked to fake the ball to the wing first, commit some players to that space). Zakuani, when he still had a cohesive leg, picked one of those off and should have had a goal easy. He has to show some composure and smarts to see the field. Make mistakes like that and he should be on the bench. The reality is that wing backs, including Chabala, could earn time right now by being simply reliable.
From what I remember against New England he played on the right the whole time, against Chicago he played on the right when he first came on and the switched to the left, possibly when Watson came in. It seemed like we were shifting guys around quite a bit though. Also, he looked much better on the left than on the right, I thought he was kind of average on the right, but that could be because he's still trying to get back into the swing of things.