The Official Steven Lenhart thread: The Next Generation

Looks like Lenhart was 3rd in the league last year in fouls suffered per 90 minutes (36 total, 2.786 per 90). He committed a lot too (30), but the free kicks he wins are another thing we missed when he was absent. And in the case of committing fouls, at least the FKs he gives away are in the opponent's half.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/12/21/climbing-ladder-birthday-wishes-bumps-bruises

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Is this the first time I've seen Frank stick up for a player so strongly, or have I just been asleep?

It's good to see Yallop stick up for Lenhart, and it's probably somewhat true. I don't think Lenhart plays dirty (doesn't elbow the defenders or kick them in the legs or low bridge them when they jump, all of which can result in bad injuries). But Lenhart is always very physical and uses his hands a lot to grab and push, even when he doesn't really need to. I think they need to teach Lenhart how to use his body and be physical but do so a bit more subtly.

It's just so easy to see that Lenhart is often the one initiating the physical contact, so that even if the defenders then foul him, the refs figure Lenhart instigated it and let the defenders get away with more. Lenhart needs to find a way to get the refs on his side by playing with intensity but letting the defenders make the first contact and sometimes falling to the ground to show the ref that he's being hit.

Or he could just work on winning balls, holding them up, dishing them off and then getting into scoring position.

I regard this emphasis on "Getting in the defender's head" in that "baffle them with bullshit" category. I'd rather see Sercan or Flash out there then the blonde Gene Simmons trying to draw yellows.

Yeah, I should have been clearer with my post. I'd rather he just play and focus on what you say rather than "wrestling" (his words in the post game interview) and getting into the defender's head. But I also think he needs to learn a bit about how to engage physically and not be so obvious about it all the time. Alejandro Moreno was one of the best at this - I didn't like the way he flopped, but I did like the way he positioned himself and made the defender foul him to get to the ball.

I hope that Gordon gets fit quickly (according to reports today he's ready to join the Quakes and start training on Thursday), as I'd like to see him be another option up top if Yallop thinks the team needs a big target man. I'm hopeful Lenhart will continue to improve his game and make the kind of impact that Yallop talked about in the preseason, but I think Lenhart has a long way to go in order to get there. If Gordon is healthy and fit, I think he's a better target forward.

I think Lenhart is a better target forward than Gordon. He's faster, tougher, more likely to win possession, and has a better strike rate.

Rather than Gordon I'm more interested in seeing how the Quakes play w/o a target. It would force them to play the ball through the midfield. Sercan looks like kind of a "slasher" to me. He makes good runs off of the ball and once he gets it, he can drive it into dangerous positions using his speed and his body to shield. I would like to see what the team looks like with him and Wondo paired at the top, and Dawkins and / or Moreno in central midfield. It would be a different look / style.

You'll see Lenhart at 100% in a few weeks. He is still behind shape wise after the long break he had.

Mr. JazzyJ, my dear sir, I agree with you.

both of you will (surely) have to wait until the next wave of experiments fail to improve our team further (e.g., emphasis on speed & defense)

If Lenhart starts playing like he did last May/June, then I would agree he's better than Gordon. But if he plays like he did in July and then this preseason and the NE match, then I don't agree that he's better than Gordon. Gordon looked much better at holding the ball and passing than Lenhart in his limited play last year. Lenhart just has not looked good so far this year (and he looked pretty poor late last year before he left the team.....I'm assuming is play last year was due to his personal situation, but still, it's been quite a while since he has looked like he was a threat up top to anyone but the defenders).

I also would like to see Guvenisik or even Dawkins paired with Wondo up top on occasion to see how that would work. Hopefully Lenhart will get back on form and be able to do more than just use his size, as that does help give the Quakes different options and looks. My point about Gordon getting ready was more to have another option if Lenhart doesn't come around and Frank feels he really needs a target forward.

I would say that Lenhart was good all last year with the exception of maybe a few games near the end where he didn't finish well. This year, he is fit physically but not soccer sharp yet. That's what Yallop said anyway, via some comments in a recent SJMN article.

Well geez...that's no fun.

Interesting article up on the MLS site about the New England defenders being beat up after playing San Jose. Both Soares and Lozano are struggling this week with injuries after battling with Lenhart.

Soares' comments support what many have said about Lenhart - while he's a very physical player, he's not dirty like some forwards who throw elbows or do other things.

Lenhart, is the best CF on the team right now (counting Wondo as a second striker), but he really ought to do a better job of playing physical without being a fight starter. Combative in the fair sense is good, combative in the dirty sense is not, and it doesn't help the Quakes win games nor fan support.

If you don't count the uglier side of his game, he was probably joint MVP with Bernardez against NE. I brought my hockey-fan mom to the game (only her second quakes game) and Lenhart is her favorite player now.

I've become a fan of his. he is like Brian Ching mixed with a poor mans Cuauhtemoc Blanco. He has a knack for getting in the heads of the opposing team and fans unlike hardly anyone else.

As others have said, THAT is the Lenhart that this team needs. He made 3 great plays last night that resulted in goals, only one of them was called back due to a poor call by the linesman. The two headers to score goals were great, but I particularly enjoyed the header to send the ball to Ike for the score that was disallowed. Everybody wants to score goals, but guys who will also hustle as hard to save a ball are the ones that make a difference to the team.

Maybe Frank should make Lenhart buy him a steak dinner all year if he gets a yellow card, if it makes him play like he did. Did you notice early after Lenhart came on, the ref made a questionable call against Lenhart for a foul, and Lenhart initially looked like he was going to argue but then just ran away to get ready for the next play.