Is the Galaxy's shade of gold slightly different this year?

[Matrim55]

Clearly, the above is one of the pressing questions of the MLS season.

Others:

Is Alecko Eskandarian just a poacher? Or is he a forward who can take on a defender or two with the ball on his foot?

I still think he's primarily a poacher, but he's definitely added dimensions to his game that weren't there in the past. The question is whether or not he'll become proficient enough at these aspects to become a dominant force within the league and win a regular role with the USMNT for the next cycle and possibly beyond.

I'm betting against him.

Has Rico Clark become a "pure" d-mid?

Clark has a double-helping of fanboys over in the USMNT forums, and with good reason. He's one of the smoothest athletes in the league, comfortable with the ball and an excellent passer. He's capable of crunching tackles and spectacular goals, and is genuinely entertaining. But does he fulfill all the obligations of a d-mid?

Not yet. But he's getting closer with every season, simplifying some aspects of his game while doing a better job of playing to his strengths in others. He still gets radar lock sometimes and can be sucked out of position, but it's happening less and less. There's genuine improvement there, but he's still a year away (at least) from being a guy who can legitimately claim "best player on the field" each and every time out.

Is Amado Guevara a team leader?

Easy answer was no two months ago, and I'll admit that I'm one who's never been a fan. But I can't ignore the turnaround this team's undergone over the past eight weeks, and neither should you. And Amado's been at the heart of it. Always one to put individual brialliance above team chemistry, Amado's curbed his individualistic tendancies and actually started running the team. I sit here shocked to type that.

Will it continue? Perhaps I've drunk the kool-a... erm, fizzy beverage, but I think it will. Arena's a great coach, this summer's critics and a love of the 4-5-1 be damned. He also has in Richie Williams an assistant who has gotten through to the team, and in his years with Marco Etcheverry experience handling tempermental but talented playmakers.

When is the Dallas swoon coming?

It has to be soon, right? I mean, we're past the all-star break now. They lost their best player to injury. Their goalkeeping is inconsistent. The guy they thought would be the rock their defense was built on - Clarence Goodson - turned out to be a poor man's Tahj Jakins. Let me be the first to say "Duh" on that account.

So Dallas should have folded by now. But they haven't. I attribute it to three things: 1) A healthy Richard Mulrooney, 2) depth; they could afford to lose Ruiz and have Cooper trail off because they have more talent than anyone in the league, and 3) taking the shackles off of Chris Gbandi. It's a shame he took that cap from Liberia.

I don't know if Dallas will get out of the first round, but they'll win the western conference.

That's all for now. Enjoy the games, foreign and domestic, this weekend.

[Dan Loney]

I am so sick of that question, I could scream. It's the same damn color, all right? The MANUFACTURER is different, so maybe it doesn't look totally eye-to-eye identical in every respect. But for all practical purposes, it's still Galaxy gold.

Why are people so obsessed with this question, anyway? Don't you people have lives?

[Crafty Bernardo]

What's so wrong with a striker being a poacher? I'd much rather have a guy up there who can consistently close from a poaching position than a guy who can beat a couple guys off the dribble every now & then, get an "oooh... ahhh." from the crowd, and then not finish half the time.

But then again... I'm a poacher myself.. maybe it's personal bias.

[ETucker]

There's nothing wrong with being a poacher; the question is, is Eskandarian good enough to poach at an international level? I'm betting no. He's about as fast as Twellman and just as short. Intelligent defenders will keep an eye on him and negate his "lurker aspirations"

Also, Josh Wolff couldn't handle the physical style of play, and compared to Eskandarian's concussion problems, he is a gladiator from ancient Rome.

[clashcityrocker]

Any chance Guevara's renaissance is a result of that French guy what's his name taking his leave? As in, it's his team again?

[mcontento]

What's so wrong with a striker being a poacher? I'd much rather have a guy up there who can consistently close from a poaching position than a guy who can beat a couple guys off the dribble every now & then, get an "oooh... ahhh." from the crowd, and then not finish half the time.

But then again... I'm a poacher myself.. maybe it's personal bias.

Yep, goals win games not step-overs.

At the international level poaching becomes harder as you need to be able to at least create some space and not just hang around to clean up the garbage. But the thing is, I don't consider Esky a poacher per se because his game is more than just cleaning up garbage. He's more of a sniper who is capable of sitting into pockets in the defense and then blast one timers and creates space so he can get off rockets. Plus he can score from range and off free kicks. His game is far from one dimensional, and he can score without having the ball laid on a pedestal for him to do it. He won't beat 4 guys to get to goal but then again Ronaldo is about the only person who does that consistently in the game today.

Now will he be successful at the international level? I don't know he will or won't. He'll need to be less streaky to be considered a sure-fire starter, but his game when on is good enough that he can play with or better than almost anyone in MLS today. It just isn't always "on" enough to be a great international right now.

[uniteo]

I think you're loco if you believe Eskandarian is only a poacher. Witness;

classy finish vs. Real Madrid, preceded by a nice run to put himself in perfect position for the layoff

volley vs. KC in week 7

his BOMB of a free kick (hardly the first) vs. the Crew on 7/8

cruyff turn & seeing-eye shot against the Fire 7/22

the dude puts in quality goals

shall we go back further?

[gocaps]

Clearly, the above is one of the pressing questions of the MLS season.

Others:

Is Alecko Eskandarian just a poacher? Or is he a forward who can take on a defender or two with the ball on his foot?

I still think he's primarily a poacher, but he's definitely added dimensions to his game that weren't there in the past. The question is whether or not he'll become proficient enough at these aspects to become a dominant force within the league and win a regular role with the USMNT for the next cycle and possibly beyond.

I'm betting against him.
He's never been a guy who can take on a defender with the ball, and probably never will be. Then again, neither was Brian McBride.

Esky is a faster, higher-motor version of Ante Razov. He's one-footed, but that one foot is insane, and he doesn't need a whole lot of space to get off a good shot with that foot.

Razov wasn't ever much of a national team player. If Esky is going to buck that trend, he's going to need to keep his shooting skill (as good as any American's save Razov) and workrate and develop some ability on his right foot.

[Crafty Bernardo]

There's nothing wrong with being a poacher; the question is, is Eskandarian good enough to poach at an international level? I'm betting no. He's about as fast as Twellman and just as short. Intelligent defenders will keep an eye on him and negate his "lurker aspirations"

Also, Josh Wolff couldn't handle the physical style of play, and compared to Eskandarian's concussion problems, he is a gladiator from ancient Rome.

I guess I didn't read the entire question very thoroughly... I stopped at "just a poacher"... I agree that Eskandarian isn't on the fast track to representing the US in WC 2010... unless he gets much, much, much better. I'm hoping that someone steps up big at striker for us because that was definately a soft-spot for the USMNT this go-around...

I don't really see "that guy" just yet for 4 years down the road.. who's it gonna be?

Ching?
Johnson?
Twellman?
Donovan? (I'd rather have him playing attacking mid)

Maybe Jaqua if he continues to improve?

Blech... I don't really have a great feeling about any of them... honestly, & sadly, I think Donovan & Dempsey are the coolest/calmest with the ball in a scoring position, but their both ideally midfielders and not strikers.

We need someone to step up & become a goal-scoring lockdown machine...

[The Cold Sea]

There's nothing wrong with being a poacher; the question is, is Eskandarian good enough to poach at an international level? I'm betting no......


Cleary he didn't score against Real Madrid. :rolleyes:

I'm betting he is a great goal scorer at the international level.

[Crafty Bernardo]

I think you're loco if you believe Eskandarian is only a poacher. Witness;

classy finish vs. Real Madrid, preceded by a nice run to put himself in perfect position for the layoff

volley vs. KC in week 7

his BOMB of a free kick (hardly the first) vs. the Crew on 7/8

cruyff turn & seeing-eye shot against the Fire 7/22

the dude puts in quality goals

shall we go back further?

Maybe my definition of "Poacher" is different than everyone elses.. most of these goals quoted by Uniteo are "poached" IMO... Volleys, the Real Madrid one-timer, even free-kicks are "poached" in that the guy didn't have to do any of the setting up of the goal.. he just in the right place at the right time (which is an art) and was adept at finishing the play.

The goal against Real Madrid in my opinion is the definition of Poached... he put himself in the perfect spot to be set up... & when he was set up, he buried it. Same with any Volleyed goal.. usually on a volley, someone else did most of the work... Nothing wrong with it, "Poach" aint a 4-letter word in my soccer dictionary.

[Matrim55]

Maybe my definition of "Poacher" is different than everyone elses.. most of these goals quoted by Uniteo are "poached" IMO... Volleys, the Real Madrid one-timer, even free-kicks are "poached" in that the guy didn't have to do any of the setting up of the goal.. he just in the right place at the right time (which is an art) and was adept at finishing the play.

The goal against Real Madrid in my opinion is the definition of Poached... he put himself in the perfect spot to be set up... & when he was set up, he buried it. Same with any Volleyed goal.. usually on a volley, someone else did most of the work... Nothing wrong with it, "Poach" aint a 4-letter word in my soccer dictionary.
Other than the free-kicks, I agree with this.

[Liverpool_SC]

Alecko Eskandarian is a poor man's Mark Hughes. He creates space through movement (usually screaming runs from deeper positions) and combines this with excellent ball-striking ability (especially on the volley). He is excellent making runs from deep and latching on to passes played in front of him or to his feet. That being said, he is not a pure poacher. He does not pop up in the box and knock in rebounds or second balls so often. And he has never scored enough to be considered a pure poacher.

Nearly all of his goals come from set pieces or from team passing plays with the odd counterattack thrown in.

While he is better with the ball at his feet and is getting better at linking play, it is not his strength and I personally wish he would quit it (at least for his club) because we have enough guys who play around with the ball as it is. Esky is best as a direct, hard-running forward who gets things started off the ball and then latches onto the ball and finishes it.

The comparison with Hughes breaks down a bit when you consider that Esky is not (as I mentioned above) a great holding player. He is not a great passer or crosser of the ball, although he has improved in these areas over the past season or so.

All this business about him needing a right foot and everything is not so important. What he needs to develop if he is ever to be a great international player (which I rather doubt he will ever be) is better first touch, better acceleration/timing on his runs and better concentration. By the latter, I mean that Esky has to grow in his ability to pick his spots and avoid 'over-playing'. He is a great 'forechecking' forward, but he has a tendency to run around too much and pull himself out of (and wear himself out) positions he needs to be in when his team's attacking play resumes. He doesn't need to do so much on the ball, either.

I am afraid that Esky lacks the pure athleticism to succeed or excel in high-level international play. International class strikers do not need burning pace, but they need better first step quickness than Esky has (even at his athletic peak). Especially since he is not really a 'fox in the box' type pure poacher. He might be good enough for CONCACAF, but I don't think his body type or his age are in his favor. His variety of forward often peaks relatively early and struggles to maintain their effectiveness as their body sinks and they lose a half-yard of pace.

That being said, there are few better pure finishers in the US system. Especially off of set-pieces. He is not a great header of the ball, but he sure knows how to turn a long cross, corner kick or free kick into a great scoring chance. And he strikes the ball hard enough that no keeper can save his shot when it is on target.

All this being said, if Esky wants to extend his (club) career - he may well have to develop some of the aspects in his game that I don't think are his strengths - a position change (dropping back into midfield) may eventually even be in the cards. Esky as a striker needs every bit of his athleticism to be an elite goalscorer - even at the club level. If he has any nagging injuries - he is simply not explosive enough to get to the ball (the micro-second he needs) before the defender. Once that explosiveness is gone for good, he is going to have to find another role.

[Liverpool_SC]

The goal against Real Madrid was not a 'poached' goal. Poaching usually refers to a guy's ability to completely hide and make folks forget he is there, only to find himself just in the right place to tap in or turn home a rebound, short pass, mistake or second-chance.

The shot that Esky scored on at Real Madrid was a driven shot taken from near the top of the box. A true poacher (such as Inzaghi) may never score a goal from that deep a position in an entire season.

Esky actually scores relatively few goals that don't involve his making a run or standing over a free kick. A poacher often scores from a more-or-less static position - seemingly from being 'in the right place at the right time'. This skill actually requires the same kind of awareness that a great defensive midfielder evidences (other side of the coin) in terms of predicting where the ball is going to end up after a half-clearance, rebound, blocked shot, etc.

I also disagree that Esky is a Razov-type player. Razov is much more comfortable than Esky playing his back to the goal, holding the ball, laying off the ball for teammates (as evidenced by his much higher assist totals during his career) and generally holding off defenders. Movement is simply not as important (never has been) for Razov, who is big enough that he can make his own space. Esky does not have that luxury. Razov's linking play and field vision are supurb.

Both are excellent ball-strikers, though. Probably the premier ball strikers in the league. Esky may be a bit more consistently accurate than Razov, who has a tendency to be a bit profligate (check out his shooting percentage over his career). On the other hand, Razov is a more consistent and reliable goal-scorer because he is able to score more ways than Esky. Because Esky depends so much on his movement to create space - if he is not perfectly healthy, he can go through long dry spells. His tendency to press too hard probably affects his ball-striking a bit. Razov, on the other hand, is the kind of guy who will be able to score 5 - 6 in MLS until he is 40 (if he wants to). He does not have to worry about losing pace (he never had it) and he is so cocky that he never is afraid to let her rip. Ante Razov is the Teddy Sheringham of MLS.

[Liverpool_SC]

Cleary he didn't score against Real Madrid. :rolleyes:

I'm betting he is a great goal scorer at the international level.
That was a great goal and a great finish. But when have you ever seen that type of team passing sequence from the USMNT? I never have. And left to his own devices, I rather doubt that Esky could carve out that kind of chance on his own. Since we do not have very many elite strikers/finishers at the USMNT level - we need to have that type of team passing to generate great goal-scoring at the high international level. But we are a long way from doing so.

I don't think that goal by Esky does much to convince me that he will excel against top-notch international competition. After all, guys like Robbie Fowler (a much better pure scorer than Esky who is similarly a bit dumpy and has to push himself very hard to meet the physical demands of the elite game) struggled to reproduce his form at the international level. Despite gobs of technique.

[Liverpool_SC]

I am so sick of that question, I could scream. It's the same damn color, all right? The MANUFACTURER is different, so maybe it doesn't look totally eye-to-eye identical in every respect. But for all practical purposes, it's still Galaxy gold.

Why are people so obsessed with this question, anyway? Don't you people have lives?

How the Gold has Dimmed.

[Crafty Bernardo]

That was a great goal and a great finish. But when have you ever seen that type of team passing sequence from the USMNT? I never have. .

There has been a lot of brilliant team passing sequences from the USMNT in the last few years, especially in the WC qualifiers in '05/'06. It just disappeared in the World Cup.

The one that pops into mind for me right now is the Beasley goal against I think it was Mexico in the US earlier this year in a qualifier..started on a corner & 2 or 3 quick passes later he was one-on-one with the keeper at a 45 degree angle and 10 yards out & beat him low to the far post... I remember the goal vividly, not necessarily the opponent...

Anyway.. the USMNT was playing brilliant team ball... until the WC, that is, when it seemed to just stop.

[Liverpool_SC]

There has been a lot of brilliant team passing sequences from the USMNT in the last few years, especially in the WC qualifiers in '05/'06. It just disappeared in the World Cup.

The one that pops into mind for me right now is the Beasley goal against I think it was Mexico in the US earlier this year in a qualifier..started on a corner & 2 or 3 quick passes later he was one-on-one with the keeper at a 45 degree angle and 10 yards out & beat him low to the far post... I remember the goal vividly, not necessarily the opponent...

Anyway.. the USMNT was playing brilliant team ball... until the WC, that is, when it seemed to just stop.
Off a set piece. That is the key difference.

I don't remember us scoring a lot of goals off of passing sequences in the run of play in that manner. And that goal that you are referring to was phenomenal, but by no means typical. Even when we were putting up silly goal totals against the likes of Panama - it was more a power-passing game that included a lot of crosses and the like.

I have hopes that with the likes of one-touch Bob Convey and Clint Dempsey that we will have some more creative passing and movement in the final third in the future (at least guys like CD will try such passes, though passing is not his forte just now). But I don't remember anything as eloquent as the DC goal. But I might be forgetting something.

And our run of peak form was not on display in the last group of friendlies that we played leading up to the World Cup, either. Morocco. Latvia. Humph. Even then we were witnessing a decidedly staid attacking approach from LD, DMB and Co.

[Colonel Lingus]

Is Alecko Eskandarian just a poacher?

Eskandarian.... poacher.....are you smokin crack? He is probably one of the fastest players in the league. Twellman is more of a poacher than he EsKy.

[Crafty Bernardo]

Eskandarian.... poacher.....are you smokin crack? He is probably one of the fastest players in the league. Twellman is more of a poacher than he EsKy.

Again... "Poacher" does not equal "garbage man" to many.