Offseason of Change by Steven Goff - & - Kornheiser makes an ass of himself

[Keenan]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/31/AR2005103101609.html

No new news, just stating some facts and obvious assumptions...

Oh, and we're so special to be graced with a column by our favorite writer... Kornhole!!! This guy is such an ass and should not be giving his opinions about a sport that he doesn't even follow or watch.... :rolleyes:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/31/AR2005103101605.html

[Jester64]

"This is not acceptable," team president Kevin Payne said. "What disappoints me the most is that we lost critical games in competitions where we made simple errors, whether it's lack of focus or lack of concentration. In many cases, you see the same guys making the same mistakes. It's got to get better."
I don't know if he intended to be specific, but when he says "same guys . . same mistakes," this sounds like Nick's goal keeping, and Brandon's tendency to loose a mark a game.

[jason1551]

"This is not acceptable," team president Kevin Payne said. "What disappoints me the most is that we lost critical games in competitions where we made simple errors, whether it's lack of focus or lack of concentration. In many cases, you see the same guys making the same mistakes. It's got to get better."
I don't know if he intended to be specific, but when he says "same guys . . same mistakes," this sounds like Nick's goal keeping, and Brandon's tendency to loose a mark a game.
If that's what it took to prove both players need to move on, then Sunday's game at least had one positive result.

[joehill]

"This is not acceptable," team president Kevin Payne said. "What disappoints me the most is that we lost critical games in competitions where we made simple errors, whether it's lack of focus or lack of concentration. In many cases, you see the same guys making the same mistakes. It's got to get better."
I don't know if he intended to be specific, but when he says "same guys . . same mistakes," this sounds like Nick's goal keeping, and Brandon's tendency to loose a mark a game.

everyone probably hears what they are predisposed to hear when they read that... when I read it I automatically thought he was talking about Dema's cards.

[Sandon Mibut]

"This is not acceptable," team president Kevin Payne said. "What disappoints me the most is that we lost critical games in competitions where we made simple errors, whether it's lack of focus or lack of concentration. In many cases, you see the same guys making the same mistakes. It's got to get better." What Payne doesn't say, and what disturbs me, is that he doesn't acknowledge that when it is that consistent a problem, the chances are there is a coaching issue.

As others have noted, once, it happens. Twice, bad luck. This often and yo've got a trend. At one point is the coach made responsible for the trend?

[Detective40oz]

repeating mistakes, he could have been talking about anything:

Freddy speaking out to the press
Rimando flying out of his goal with arms flapping at the wind
Prideaux losing a mark
Nowak's inflexibility with his formation/lineup/tactics
Boswell own goals
MLS referee sucking every game
Quaranta's inability to play the wing

the list goes on..

[SABuffalo786]

*waits for April 1st or 2nd*


Is it here yet?













How about now?





































Now?

[The Artist]

repeating mistakes, he could have been talking about anything:

Freddy speaking out to the press
Rimando flying out of his goal with arms flapping at the wind
Prideaux losing a mark
Nowak's inflexibility with his formation/lineup/tactics
Boswell own goals
MLS referee sucking every game
Quaranta's inability to play the wing

the list goes on..

Gomez not going 90 minutes?
Not winning the home leg of a 2 game series?
Being too short?

[Nodak]

I love the fact the first game will be nationally televised. One thing is for sure its no damn mystery who the favorite MLS side is across the country. I now live in nowhere North Dakota and if a sports store has soccer stuff around here its almost a guarentee to have D.C. gear.

Vive United!

[Knave]

I swear I saw these comments from Payne last night. I wanted to say something about them at the time but when I looked for them I couldn't find them. Hmm ...

Payne's comments are great tea leaves to read because they can be applied to right near everyone on the team - which I'm betting was his intention.
What Payne doesn't say, and what disturbs me, is that he doesn't acknowledge that when it is that consistent a problem, the chances are there is a coaching issue.

As others have noted, once, it happens. Twice, bad luck. This often and yo've got a trend. At one point is the coach made responsible for the trend?
I read this a bit differently than you. Or, maybe I'm just reading between the lines a little more than you. Payne would never "pull a Freddy Adu" and criticize Nowak directly in public. But - reading between the lines - I'm pretty sure some, and maybe a lot of what Payne finds "not acceptable" right now involves Nowak because I believe Payne knows, as you point out, that it's the coach's responsibility to make sure consistent problems are corrected.

Also, I think it's interesting how positively pissed off Payne sounds. Last year Nowak delivered an MLS Cup to DC United and Payne did a real good job this season of "dancing with the one that brung ya." He supported Nowak and stayed out of his way - no matter what. But these comments today seem to signal a change in that relationship. I wonder if Payne's passed on from "In Nowak We Trust" and to "show me." That's a good sign. I'm glad to know someone is holding the team and the coach responsible, and Kevin Payne is the guy to do that now. Now that we're free of AEG DC United is basically his show. Yeah, there are money guys elsewhere, but it seems to me that this is now effectively Kevin Payne's team.

And, on a related note, I am getting the strong impression that Payne wants Freddy Adu on his team no matter what Nowak thinks. And that makes sense. It makes a lot of sense. No other player in the league is as marketable as Freddy Adu, and to Payne I have to think that is just as important (maybe even more important in some respects) than DC United's peformance on the field. It is in Payne's best interest, consequently, to make sure that the situation between Adu and Nowak is resolved this off-season - a fact that reveals as completely irrational Kornheiser's raving about Payne "resenting" Adu's marketing stature.

[Th4119]

everyone probably hears what they are predisposed to hear when they read that... when I read it I automatically thought he was talking about Dema's cards.

Wasn't this Dema's least card happy season of his career?

Except for one week in late summer (which did cost the team surely), Dema's cards were not a problem whatsoever this season.

[United_Caps_Fan]

******** Kornholer. He an uneducated [read soccer] jackass. he should stick to articles about the Skins. Even the nats and Caps... hes awful at most of that too.. but at least he knows a teeny tiny bit about those sports.

[BBBulldog]

******** Kornholer. He an uneducated [read soccer] jackass. he should stick to articles about the Skins. Even the nats and Caps... hes awful at most of that too.. but at least he knows a teeny tiny bit about those sports.

hehe I didn't even bother opening the link, it's like if I wrote column on baseball when I can barely name 3 teams.

[gocaps]

Can I just say that I love the fact that its a failure for us if we don't win anything in a season? That status is the norm for most clubs - but for us it's "unacceptable". That's how you set the tone for a champion.

[spidergoose]

Oh look at that. Kornheiser actually capitalized the "t" in "The DC United." Cute.

He knows how to go right after the BigSoccer dorks. :D

[vivzig]

I love the fact the first game will be nationally televised. One thing is for sure its no damn mystery who the favorite MLS side is across the country. I now live in nowhere North Dakota and if a sports store has soccer stuff around here its almost a guarentee to have D.C. gear.

Vive United!
That's a really cool thing.

[Th4119]

That's a really cool thing.

Short(er) trip for you, eh?

[vivzig]

Short(er) trip for you, eh?
You kid, but... :rolleyes:

[Th4119]

You kid, but... :rolleyes:

Whatever, there's lots of advantages to where you live.

1. It's beautiful out there.

2. Lots of national parks if you're into that type of thing.

3. Very little traffic.

4. Even less pollution.

5. You don't border Maryland.

6. If there's a nuclear war, you've actually got a chance at making it.

7. The internet keeps you connected.

8. If you've got satellite TV, you really aren't missing any sports. (And I'm assuming your view of the southern sky is pretty clear..)

[Knave]

More comments from KP: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/mls/2005-10-31-united-us-goalie_x.htm

"People have to look at the mistakes that keep being made, and we've got to hold ourselves accountable," said Kevin Payne.
"We continue to make relatively simple errors," said Payne, who added D.C. would enter fewer competitions in 2006. "Errors of judgment where players are left unmarked. We have opportunities to clear a ball, (and) we don't do it. We play sloppy balls that end up going to the other team. We've gotten punished for it in the big games we've played this year."
Brandon is so gone.