Pre-match: United vs Pink Cows Round II

Goff just tweeted forecast is 41 with rain and wind. Gut check weather.

Since this is the "second half," should there be a picture of half of a cute baby animal?

so with Najar out, we have a gap to fill at RB, what do we do?

If Woolard is completely recovered, do we slot him back in?
Do we put Neal out there?
Slide Jakovic out wide? If so, who takes his CB spot?

Well the Metros do provide der halff arse...

ps-Die Metro Die

Here is what I think we'll see:

Pajoy
Pontius
Neal - Saragosa - Kitchen - DeLeon
Korb - Jakovic - MacDonald - Russell
Hamid

Bench:
Willis
Santos
Dudar
Woolard/Chabala
Bosko
DeRo/Augusto (if DeRo has 20 minutes in him -- he's on the bench)
Salihi

Substitutions if no injuries:
Bosko for Russell - Neal slides back, Korb moves right and Bosko takes LM
Santos for Pajoy
One of DeRo/Salihi for Pontius

Too lazy to check the rules for the mini game. I assume you get at least one sub. Can players subbed out in the main game return in the mini?

oh yeah, i forgot russell still plays for us... too rusty to put him in a playoffs game?

as for your questions... without looking anything, i think answers are no and no.

I think Olsen starts Russell and then swaps him out for Neal if/when DC needs offensive output.

Not going to lie, I'm suppressing my hopes for this one. TFKAM looked totally ordinary last night and, miscues aside, DC looked like the better team. However, the Metros, or whatever equally unimpressive name they're calling themselves now, have been strong at home and have looked like a different team. At least from what I have seen (I don't pretend to have watched every MLS game). Even before Najar's red card, staying with NY in NJ was going to be a tall order.

I think DC can do it, but I think they will have to channel their inner asshole and play excellent anti-soccer for 80+ minutes.

Dudar's our only other senior CB isn't he? Who else would you put there?

Ethan White?

I think Russell is probably the best option... we lose any offense that Najar would have provided down the wing, but Russell is a RB and thats what we need. De Leon may be more effective out wide if he doesn't have to worry about covering a hole that Najar leaves making a run forward.

All of this is assuming Benny keeps the same formation with Pajoy up top on his own to never, ever, ever score a goal. Ever.

also, it will be cold and raining: http://www.weather.com/weather/videos/news-41/top-stories-169/another-east-coast-storm-32032

I just want to reiterate to the coaching staff, because I'm sure they read this, that Neal on the left and Korb on the right is the best option. It's how they finished the last game, down to 10 men, and they gave NY nothing. That's proof enough for me.

No offense to Robbie Russell, he seems like a terrific guy, but he is not good enough. If he plays, it will cost United.

No doubt in my mind what the formation is:

-------------Hamid--------------
Korb-MacDonald-Jakovic-Neal
------------Kitchen--------------
Deleon----Saragosa-----Pontius
------------Boskovic-------------
-------------Santos--------------

Bench: Willis, Dudar, Russell, Augusto/Woolard, Pajoy, Salihi, DeRo

Pajoy would start, but I think Ben wants more hold up play, and this game is going to be pretty messy. Neal is a better option than Russell when it comes to that type of play, and I can see him moving to midfield if necessary. Woolard is a longshot, and I had honestly forgotten about Chabala. Neither makes the bench, IMO, but if one does, it's at Augusto's expense. I doubt our defenders go forward much in this game, but I base that on the conditions more than anything else. It's just too damn risky, especially when the gameplan is going to change anyway with Najar's suspension.

I think Salihi wouldn't be a bad option if the conditions are really sloppy, as he does do a good job when in those situations, so he could see minutes later on if we are desperate for a goal. DeRo goes in if we are behind with ten minutes to go and have to switch to a 3-5-2.

Interesting thoughts. I have given up trying to guess Benny's mind or when it will change from out of the blue. I would love to agree with some options presented, but Benny will not do them, well unless he does.

I would bet the house Russell starts for Najar and Woolard is way too damn close to retirement than he is to playing in a game, nor will Chabala make the 18. There's no chance Pajoy does not start and DeRo has almost no chance to play minute unless we're desperate.

So, that said. The only question is whether Benny trusts Boskovic to start or not. I say evidence to date says no, he'd rather he came off the bench on the road in an expected tight game in the second half. Which means Santos starts underneathe Pajoy, especially as Benny no doubt sees this as a muddy the waters, make it ugly until 60 minutes and pray to win it with a sub, type game. Perfect for Bosko or god willing Salihi off the bench. So, to me that means Neal starts this one in center freaking midfield. Yep, a do or die playoff game where DC starts Pajoy, Santos, and Neal, career journeymen all as the key elements in a DC must win game. Shudder.

Frankly, I don't like it, but that's what Benny does. Look it up. That's his pattern. And it's worked. So what do we know.

Robbie Russell is the clear choice, but let's not kid ourselves, losing Najar forces major changes. He probably supplies a third of the crosses from the wing. He's a constant threat coming of the back line. He's a kid and can run until the pink cows go home. There is no substitute for him. I think we're going to see Saragosa and Korb going forward more to support the attack. Otherwise we're going to be in a defensive shell and that's not going to win this game. BTW I would start Neal and bring Bosco in at the start of the second half.

I'd like to see Bosco start (as always) because he adds a possession and attacking dynamic we lack with just about anyone else. Granted, United's performance decline on Saturday largely coincided with the time of his departure also because minutes later Najar went crazy-go-nuts, but his quick play aided in many a buildup prior to his departure that I felt Neal lacked on his own.

Najar being out hurts us, no doubt. I just hope Ben remembers he's got other subs available, ideally to avoid going into overtime.

Having said that, suddenly using Bosko/Salihi/Santos as the late subs makes perfect sense.

Nor'easter with wind gusts up to 55mph. Time to consider moving the game to DC. One magnanimous move deserves another, right?
http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2012...ck-to-hit-weather-beaten-new-york-new-jersey/

Hey, the fewer the cow fans there, the less the stink.

I couldn't find pics of any baby animals cut in half (very disappointed in you, google) - but here's a baby zebra, it'll be like a baby ref and refs are only half people, so ...

It's obvious what's going to happen. The Nor'easter is going to put additional stress on the grid and RBA will lose power during the match, causing it to be postponed and replayed/completed Saturday, leading to a surreal situation post-game that causes people to question the intelligence of holding the game at all.

When they could just move it to Saturday to save all the trouble. WHICH THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

I'm looking forward to seeing how MLS will handle this. The weather won't stop United's faithful from taking up the league's generous offer of free tickets and bus travel. Do they really want 5 buses or more on the road from DC - - in 55mph winds and Nor'easter conditions? Both Red Bull fans will also face dangerous travel. Your move Commish.

meh, what do weather people know about predicting nor'easter type storms anyway, guys in a league office on the phone with redbull (causes cancer) marketing executives have a much better idea of what's gonna happen on the ground.

for the record, its 9 busses. per goff.