DCU v. Revs - 7/27/02 (R)

[Jon Martin]

The battle of the underachievers. Best game of the season for Chacon and Harris. The best defensive outing for Cullen. Hernandez was invisible. The Revs deserved to win anyway.

If Olsen were match-fit, or Quintanilla a bit more experienced, or either Moreno, Gascoigne, or Quaranta available, it might have been a different story. With all players healthy, there is no question DCU is a better side.

Whining about the ref is tacky, but Valenzuela is consistently the worst ref in MLS for consistency and accuracy, and needs to go before someone gets hurt.

[Cweedchop]

Originally posted by Jon Martin
The Revs deserved to win anyway.



Ummm..


No, no they did not deserve to win..

DC dominated the entire match and if DC were not mired in the middle of a ridiculous scoring slump where they couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat, then this result would have been different..

With that being said, the Revs came in and got the 3 points and that is the name of the game..

On a side note, can someone please explain to Doug "I'm a homer" Chapman that going thru a player from behind to get the ball is not quite legal.. That was a nasty typical Franchino foul and was warrented of at least a yellow.. Undeserved yellow my arse...

Sincerely,

Sour Grapes

[MouseyTongue]

Originally posted by Jon Martin
Best game of the season for Chacon and Harris.

I'll grant you Chacon had a good game, but Harris? I'm willing to be convinced. What did I miss? Or is it just enough to say the Harris' best game is not saying much? :)

[Feldspar]

Originally posted by Cweedchop
No, no they did not deserve to win..

DC dominated the entire match and if DC were not mired in the middle of a ridiculous scoring slump where they couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat, then this result would have been different..

With that being said, the Revs came in and got the 3 points and that is the name of the game..


I think saying either team deserved to win is a gross injustice to winning (and losing) teams all over the world. A fair result would be a 0-0 tie with each team having a point deducted for defacing il jogo bonito.


On a side note, can someone please explain to Doug "I'm a homer" Chapman that going thru a player from behind to get the ball is not quite legal.. That was a nasty typical Franchino foul and was warrented of at least a yellow.. Undeserved yellow my arse...

I have to agree here. Two-foot cleats-up tackles from behind are fouls regardless of the ball-to-body ratio of contact. That said, Villegas deserved a yellow as well for his cleats-up challenge on Taylor - there was no justification for walking up Taylor's leg.

Cripes, what an awful game. Is it possible that Rongen's responsible for all this suffering? If you look back at the teams he's coached, everyone of them has suffered, regardless of who's succeeded him. NE, DC, TB, they all went to shambles in Rongen's wake. Ugh.

[Jon Martin]

Originally posted by Cweedchop

No, no they did not deserve to win....going thru a player from behind to get the ball is not quite legal.. That was a nasty typical Franchino foul and was warrented of at least a yellow.. Undeserved yellow my arse...

Sincerely,

Sour Grapes

Cweedchop, I can I honestly say that I understand your frustration, but as I see it the Metros stink, and even they are much better than DCU (and the Revs) at present - DCU doesn't deserve to win anything the way they played today.

Feldspar, I thought the Franchino challenge was from the side, beat Reyes to the ball, and made full contact with the ball prior to contact with Reyes. It wasn't even a foul.

WRT Harris' best game, Mao's second premise is correct - this was his least abysmal outing (IMO).

[soren_k]

Originally posted by Jon Martin


WRT Harris' best game, Mao's second premise is correct - this was his least abysmal outing (IMO).

I would go so far as to say he did a few things well- his ball for Chacon to backheel to Twellman, for instance, in what was the best bit of soccer all night. Plus he didn't forget to mark his man.

Not to say Winston Griffiths or 10 or 12 players no one's ever heard of in the a league wouldn't be better.

[JG_Revs]

I had always wondered if we were capable of defending a lead for 75+ minutes with this defense... I must say, it was an adventure! Can't believe DC couldn't find the equaliser, they were knocking on the door all night.

I second the thoughts on Chacon, he was great possessing (although I didn't think Fuller was doing poorly enough to get yanked like that... was he carrying a knock?). If Chacon wasn't in there, it would've been 70% DC ball. Cullen had a great game, as did Llamosa. Heaps was strong in the back, plus the huge goal. Brown had some top-notch saves. Nice game from the defensive corps overall, I thought. They weren't rock solid, and DC's offense is anemic, but a shut out on the road always calls for a few pats on the back.

Still hate Rooney. Guy's just collecting his paycheck and it makes me sick. Him and Hernandez make for a very lackidasical and egotisitical - and thus, largely ineffective - central midfield.

[RevsRule]

<On a side note, can someone please explain to Doug "I'm a homer" Chapman that going thru a player from behind to get the ball is not quite legal.. That was a nasty typical Franchino foul and was warrented of at least a yellow.. Undeserved yellow my arse... >

Did anybody watch the replay? Joey clearly got the ball first and the player second with a dragging left leg. It was not cleats up, it was not a two footed tackle. No card was deserved

There were many far worse tackles thrown by DC later in the game that deserved cards and none were given. THe hack on Twellmans knee (no ball at all) and there was a ankle breaker thrown on a Rev (forget who or by who) the the replay showed all ankle, no ball at all, cleats into the lower shin. That was an instant Red and yet nothing was shown.

That Ref sucks and should be tossed before someone does get hurt.

[Blathist]

Originally posted by Jon Martin
Valenzuela is consistently the worst ref in MLS for consistency and accuracy, and needs to go before someone gets hurt.

Thank you!

By the way...400!:)

[rkane1226]

I think that the only real conclusion that can be drawn from this game is that these are the two worst teams in MLS.

Our defense needed luck to shutout the most anemic offense in MLS. There were alot of scares and some great saves from Brown. Would Sommer have gotten all those balls?

Our offense was essentially shut down by the "other" worst team in MLS.

There is no upside for a trip to LA other than two weeks to get healthy and sign ???

[pwykes]

The Rev's were lucky this game. Against any competent offense, they could have easily given up 5 goals. As much as disliked DC United in its hayday, it sad to seem them reduced to the pathetic team they are today.

I also didn't see anything special in Harris's play today. Perhaps it was one of his better games but that's not saying much.


Too bad Twellman didn't have a better game with Bruce Arena looking on.

[Inter Boston FC]

Glad to see Chacon go a full 90 in this match he definately seemed to make a difference.

Twellman may not have had a great game but he showed an incredible work rate throughout and had no problem playing both ways which I suspect the Bruce is looking for in a forward/striker.

Hernandez didn't play to his potential in comparison with the Mutts match last weekend.

Brown had a great match.

[JohnnyRev]

Actually, Chacon did not play a full 90, but more like 50 0r 60, after he came in for Fuller. He was certainly a big help, however, in providing needed possession of the ball. If Chacon played like that all the time, he would be starting.

Heaps went out of his way to praise Twellman in the post-game interview. "Taylor worked his butt off." Nice to see that comment, since TT had a frustrating game offensively.

[Soccer Doc]

Originally posted by rkane1226

There is no upside for a trip to LA other than two weeks to get healthy and sign ???

If I'm not mistaken since both got cards last night we will be without both Heaps and Franchino for this match due to card points. A player with 20 points is Ralston--one more card and he will need to sit out as well.

I wonder if Rusty might be back for the LA match?
Glad Kante will be aboard. Our defense is anemic anyway but with both Heaps and Franchino out, if Rusty isn't ready we will need to play Downing again and that's a freightening prospect on top of an already difficult situation..

[JohnnyRev]

Hudson's post game comments:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10957-2002Jul27.html

Hudson: "I don't know if I've seen a more one-sided game."

He also comments that DC may pass on Gazza because of its need for help at forward.

[Soccer Doc]

Originally posted by JohnnyRev
Hudson's post game comments:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10957-2002Jul27.html

Hudson: "I don't know if I've seen a more one-sided game."

He also comments that DC may pass on Gazza because of its need for help at forward.

What amazing crap. Talk about one sided press reporting.

I find the comments about Gazza funny---if he was still able to play Ray would sell his children to sign him. Fact is he's an over the hill, out of shape alcoholic looking for a place to land.

[MouseyTongue]

I'm not sure which is funnier from the Washington Post article:

1. In reference to uncalled alleged hand balls: "It has happened too many times," captain Marco Etcheverry said. "If they want to kill the league this way, that's okay."

........or this:

2. "Our whole back five was fantastic," New England Coach Steve Nicol said. "It was good, old-fashioned hard work."

OK, so we did manage a shutout against a team that couldn't score in a brothel, but "fantastic"?!?!? C'mon Stevie. But I must say El Diablo's comment about killing the league via poor officiating is a real hoot!

[soren_k]

Originally posted by rkane1226
I think that the only real conclusion that can be drawn from this game is that these are the two worst teams in MLS.

Our defense needed luck to shutout the most anemic offense in MLS. There were alot of scares and some great saves from Brown. Would Sommer have gotten all those balls?

Our offense was essentially shut down by the "other" worst team in MLS.



*While the offense did not play as well as they have in the past, they have still produced more goals than any other team in MLS. Got to give a little credit to DC's back line for playing an excellent game.

*Our defense was not good but it is worlds better with Llamosa than without, add to that Pierce and Kante if he can contribute (and it is hard to see how he could be worse) and we might have an average defense.

*What happened to Joey Franchino? The left side has been wide open the last few games, he's getting caught up all the time, he gives the ball away more often than not, and sometimes doesn't bother to mark his man.

[socdoc]

What happened to Franchino is the same as what has happened to Rooney and Hernandez. They are trying to play the style defense their coach wants and it doesn't work for this team. From watching this game and from reading Colorado's coach's comments (CyberSoccer.com) it is clear that Nicols is trying to have the team play a compact central zone defense without individual marking assignments. Accordingly, Franchino is pulled inside and waits for the play to come to him (something that is not his style). With the flanks conceded to the other team their wide players have the neccessary time and space to play dangerous crosses. In theory, the tight central zone defense should cut these out (as on a corner kick) but the defense fails because the two central defensive midfielders (Rooney and Hernandez) are also playing a zone and don't mark midfielders running into the box. The problem is compounded by any effort at attack which opens up more space in front of the clustered back four particularly when the two central midfieders are lackluster at checking back or shutting off play through the middle. That is why we are seeing less and less of Ralston going forward, Nicols has to have told him to pick his spots more conservatively and leave Twellman to fend for himself (which is also not his strength).
What is inexcusable about all this is that a team has been destroyed to fit the favored mode of play of their coach. A better coach would either have used a system more suited to his players but this coach has persisted even as things get worse. Think back to what we had to start and it is sad we didn't get a chance to see Diallo (or Chacon) and Twellman in attack with Williams behind, Franchino in defensive mid, Ralston and Chrono out wide. The team would have needed a left back (maybe Woods who was offensively hopless but could defend OK) but they had the other players to play a repectable four man back line with two marking backs. Heaps, Pierce, Cullen, Franchino, Rooney, and Chacon have all been asked to play away from their strengths in a system ill-suited to them and the result speaks for itself. Things will likely improve a bit but this team is going the wrong way and only Nicols seems not to see it.

[The Perfesser]

Originally posted by Feldspar


Cripes, what an awful game. Is it possible that Rongen's responsible for all this suffering? If you look back at the teams he's coached, everyone of them has suffered, regardless of who's succeeded him. NE, DC, TB, they all went to shambles in Rongen's wake. Ugh.

OK, we now have another possible explanation for the Revs' suckiness:

The Rongen Factor

This accompanies (in no particular order)

The Kraft Factor

The Beppe Galderisi Factor (corollary of the Zenga Factor)

The Lalas Factor

and (last but not least)

The Slyde the Fox factor.

You make the call!