Quakes at Revs Pre-Match

[Popero]

Well, we're on national TV this week. Let's see if we can keep the embarrassing ourselves to a minimum. Heaps is out, I'm assuming Brown, Rusty, and JMM will be able to play, I think we'll probably see:

------------Brown-------------
Cullen----Rusty----Llamosa---Franchino
Ralston---Joseph---Cancela---Kamler
---------JMM------Twellman

Is it time to break out the brown paper bags yet?

[Naco]

Originally posted by Popero
Well, we're on national TV this week. Let's see if we can keep the embarrassing ourselves to a minimum. Heaps is out, I'm assuming Brown, Rusty, and JMM will be able to play, I think we'll probably see:

------------Brown-------------
Cullen----Rusty----Llamosa---Franchino
Ralston---Joseph---Cancela---Kamler
---------JMM------Twellman

Is it time to break out the brown paper bags yet?

I'll bring them for you :)

Really though, shoudl be a good match. Twellman and JMM are always a threat.

See you all on Saturday.

[rkupp]

Originally posted by Popero
------------Brown-------------
Cullen----Rusty----Llamosa---Franchino
Ralston---Joseph---Cancela---Kamler
---------JMM------Twellman

I'd rather see Kante in the middle and Pierce on the right. I just have very little confidence in Cullen on defense, he looked very bad the 1st half of last year on defense and made the critical mistake last weekend.

Besides, if you start Kante and keep Cullen in reserve, there are a lot more options for subs. The other factor is that if Ching is still starting, Kante is the best choice of a big body to match up with him.

I doubt Moore will be ready to play. I'm hoping that Noonan will pair with Twellman to start, but in all honesty, Noonan didn't play any better than Harris did against DC.

[ProfZodiac]

Alright. I'm gonna break the Beast Number now.

I want to see Vazquez play alongside Twellman in front. Just to see if they can connect. Sure he dives, but maybe that'll earn us some penalty kicks, finally.

Brown better be back. Reis doesn't have a chance.

Put Kante in the middle, save Cullen.

[Popero]

I agree with you guys re: Cullen, but I think the coaching staff disagrees with us.

Without JMM, I'm sure we'll see Wolde back up top, too.

[Dan B]

Originally Posted By rkupp
I just have very little confidence in Cullen on defense, he looked very bad the 1st half of last year on defense and made the critical mistake last weekend.Originally Posted By ProfZodiac
Put Kante in the middle, save Cullen.
What are we saving Cullen for?
We know he dissapears when playing in the midfield, and he dissapears from the box score as well. It doesn't look like any team will trade for him either.

If Popero is correct, and the coaching staff sees something valuable in him, then that is reason number one that Steve Nicol should resign or be fired.

[Feldspar]

Originally posted by Dan B
What are we saving Cullen for?
We know he dissapears when playing in the midfield, and he dissapears from the box score as well. It doesn't look like any team will trade for him either.

If Popero is correct, and the coaching staff sees something valuable in him, then that is reason number one that Steve Nicol should resign or be fired.

That's a touch extreme. If you're looking for reasons to can Nicol (and I'm not just yet), reason number one to get rid of him is if he loses more often than he wins. Obsession with a crap player is no better than reason four or five.

Besides, he can't do much about Cullen until the off-season now, since as you say, no one will trade for him. And with our hemorraging laceration of a defense and no real bandages in sight, a band-aid like Cullen is better than bleeding to death.

[NFLPatriot]

With Heaps out, I'd like to see Shalrie Joseph at central defense, and move Rusty out right to Heaps' spot. Joseph looked pretty good, despite playing on only one leg, when he played CD against Chicago.

Put Cullen at D-mid in place of Joseph. He's better there than on the back line.

[socdoc]

Amen,Amen,AMEN. Joseph belongs in the back. Cullen is a role player (which is why he is useful) and did fine when paired with DH. Cancela can play deeper and he and Cullen can set up a central block as we played last year, depending on Ralston and counterattacking play until we get the ship righted. As good as Joseph is with the ball, he just doesn't cover enough ground sideline to sideline to succeed as a lone DMid. He should definitely be on the field (and unquestionably is a better player than Cullen), but at a different position. It is not a coincidence the team is playing badly since he took over the position. His strong play with the ball and ability to step up to intercept passes has helped our offense, but the opponent's attacking play is moving past him to the side unhindered, particularly when Ralston tries to get forward. I too would like to see Vazquez get a chance up front but it is not going to happen. He appears to be the second coming of APC with a little better passing skill and a little less shooting ability. Still, if we get behind and SJ bunker in he may be helpful.

[Rodan]

Originally posted by NFLPatriot
Put Cullen at D-mid in place of Joseph. He's better there than on the back line.
If you mean, "he can do less damage there", I agree. He will, however, disappear at that position. Personally I think he's better on the bench than at either position.

Agree completely about Joseph being a good option at central defender. If we'd moved him back in EITHER DC game, the Revs might be 4-6 points richer right now. I still think he a good/very-good Dmid, but "you've got to scratch where it itches".

Wonder if Leornard could take a shot at Dmid. He might at least make the game stats.

[soccertim]

Originally posted by socdoc
Amen,Amen,AMEN. Joseph belongs in the back. Cullen is a role player (which is why he is useful) and did fine when paired with DH. Cancela can play deeper and he and Cullen can set up a central block as we played last year, depending on Ralston and counterattacking play until we get the ship righted. As good as Joseph is with the ball, he just doesn't cover enough ground sideline to sideline to succeed as a lone DMid. He should definitely be on the field (and unquestionably is a better player than Cullen), but at a different position. It is not a coincidence the team is playing badly since he took over the position. His strong play with the ball and ability to step up to intercept passes has helped our offense, but the opponent's attacking play is moving past him to the side unhindered, particularly when Ralston tries to get forward. I too would like to see Vazquez get a chance up front but it is not going to happen. He appears to be the second coming of APC with a little better passing skill and a little less shooting ability. Still, if we get behind and SJ bunker in he may be helpful.

When's the last time we had a D-mid that could cover as much ground as Joseph? And he's clearly our only decent ballwinner in the midfield. If the DC game is replayed on FSW, take note of how many times Joseph either disposses a DC player or heads them off and forces them to hold up and pass laterally or backwards. Then, consider how many of those plays (to be simple, just the ones in our half) that Cullen wouldn't have gotten to, and then decide that we'd be better off with Joseph in the back. Also, before you blame the team's bad form on his play, give some thought to how much the defenders are to blame. I'd say, at the very least, we've held our own in the midfield the last few games.

[Zanydinho]

Originally posted by socdoc
Amen,Amen,AMEN. Joseph belongs in the back. As good as Joseph is with the ball, he just doesn't cover enough ground sideline to sideline to succeed as a lone DMid.

If you could somehow get statistical data of the lateral and/or vertical movement of all players, I'm willing to bet you that Shalrie would be in the top 10% in MLS.

Your logic is only slightly flawed, have you considered Twaylor Twellman at sweeper? After all, he can head and slide tackle with the best of them, why waste him at forward?

[rkupp]

Originally posted by soccertim
When's the last time we had a D-mid that could cover as much ground as Joseph? And he's clearly our only decent ballwinner in the midfield. If the DC game is replayed on FSW, take note of how many times Joseph either disposses a DC player or heads them off and forces them to hold up and pass laterally or backwards. Then, consider how many of those plays (to be simple, just the ones in our half) that Cullen wouldn't have gotten to, and then decide that we'd be better off with Joseph in the back.
Yes!

I think opponents underestimate his reach and he manages to cut off a lot more of the passing lanes than anyone else can.

[socdoc]

You are wrong. Go back and watch the tape. When the ball is in front of Joseph he wins it. When the player is to one side, Joseph doesn't get there or arrives late and behind the attacker. Joseph covers excellent ground up and back but not side to side. It is a major reason we are getting beat from wide play out of the midfield. It also is a major reason our outside midfielders are contributing less to the attack and have nothing left late in the game. The defense can share the blame but what you see happening there is often the result of a breakdown in front of them. This is the same defense that was so successful last season. Suddenly they all suck? Think again. The one change is Joseph for Hernandez. It doesn't matter that Joseph is a better player than Hernandez. He is playing the position differently which has rendered Cullen ineffective, restricted the play of the wide midfielders, and is exposing the defense to attacking pressure they can't handle. Is it so hard to accept that a player can be very skilled but ineffective in the wrong position? Joseph is one of the best players on the team, we all can see that. It is also undeniable that the team played better before he was given the starting spot. Fortunately or unfortunately, Hernandez is no longer an option. If Nicol is going to continue to use Joseph at Dmid he will have to pull Cancela back and restrict both player's forward play. I'm sure we will see an attempt at this against SJ. Consequently the game will probably rest on Ralston's play.

[Bill Duggan]

No Heaps throws everything off.

Brown
Pierce Llamossa Joseph Franchino
Ralston Cullen Cancela Kamler/Noonan
Harris Twellman
I dont care who you chose to play LM, Kamler has been innefective lately so maybe Noonan should be placed there. Also, maybe Vazquez can replace Cullen.

Note to Steve Nicol: If we lead after the 70th minute and you feel you need to make a substitution, do not do something like Noonan for Harris or any attacking minded move.

[Beast_Ed]

Sometimes I wish the fans could pick the starting line-up :-)


---------Twellman ---- Noonan
Kamler ----- Cancela -------- Ralston
------------Cullen-------------
Franchino--Joseph--Llammossa--Peirce
----------BROWN------------

I'm going to church first thing Sunday morning if we win. (I'll know it's working)

Beast_Ed

[soccertim]

Originally posted by socdoc
You are wrong. Go back and watch the tape. When the ball is in front of Joseph he wins it. When the player is to one side, Joseph doesn't get there or arrives late and behind the attacker. Joseph covers excellent ground up and back but not side to side.

I doubt that you could even find very many DC fans that think that we haven't controlled the midfield over the last two games. And, while Joseph doesn't play sideline to sideline, he covers an area at least as wide as the box. You're crazy if you think that players like Ritchie Williams covers the entire width of the field alone.

Originally posted by socdoc
It is a major reason we are getting beat from wide play out of the midfield. It also is a major reason our outside midfielders are contributing less to the attack and have nothing left late in the game.

I'd say that our wide midfielders have spent at least as much of the time in the attack as last year. Last year, it was pretty much a given that if Ralston or Kamler were up, the other was back. Why do you think the fans of everyone we played against accused us of playing bunker-ball?

Originally posted by socdoc
The defense can share the blame but what you see happening there is often the result of a breakdown in front of them. This is the same defense that was so successful last season. Suddenly they all suck? Think again.

You're right. Kante's been miles ahead of his game last year. And Heaps is also doing a great job of never being out of position and he rarely misses on those slide tackle moves. Joey's been terrific at keeping players off of the end of crosses from Jay's side.

Originally posted by socdoc
The one change is Joseph for Hernandez. It doesn't matter that Joseph is a better player than Hernandez. He is playing the position differently which has rendered Cullen ineffective, restricted the play of the wide midfielders, and is exposing the defense to attacking pressure they can't handle. Is it so hard to accept that a player can be very skilled but ineffective in the wrong position? Joseph is one of the best players on the team, we all can see that. It is also undeniable that the team played better before he was given the starting spot.

Wasn't Joseph given the starting spot in the middle of the 2nd game? Aside from some growing pains of his, or other players being out of the lineup, I doubt we were that much better for the first 1 1/2 games.

Originally posted by socdoc
Fortunately or unfortunately, Hernandez is no longer an option. If Nicol is going to continue to use Joseph at Dmid he will have to pull Cancela back and restrict both player's forward play. I'm sure we will see an attempt at this against SJ. Consequently the game will probably rest on Ralston's play.

One of the reasons Nicol wanted a player like Cancela was because our attack (through Ralston) was too predictable last year, and less effective late in the year.

[Jim Dow]

Word has it that Landon Donovan sustained a possible career ending injury today while training on the fake turf at the Dallas Burn's field. I hope this is misinformation but if it isn't my thoughts and hopes go out for a complete recovery.

Bad, bad luck makes losing streaks seem petty.

JIM DOW

[Jim Dow]

Goddamn internet idiots! Turns out the image shown was a smashed LD bobblehead stretched out on a piece of astroturf. Well, I guess if you lurk on the net after bedtime you get the "garbage in/garbage out" kind of humor that cube farm *********************s indulge in.

My apologies for bad information. I'm going to bed!

JIM DOW

[RevsRule]

If JMM doesn't play and Harris is given the start, I give the Revs zero chance of winning. Harris will NOT ever be hapy playing a "setup man" role and is constantly getting in the way and either intercepting passes for TnT or just loses the ball. His best position is right bench. Give noonan the start, please (if there's no JMM)

Is there any official word on JMM yet?