Two Months Away

[SocaWarrior23]

We are two months away from the inaugural Concacaf Champions League, and well be in the group of death. Unless a monumental upset happens we will be seeing Crul Azul twice along with Saprissa. Honestly right now ill be happy just to get out of this group. Do you guys think that we actually have a chance to advance in this group as we are now. Do you guys simply getting healthy and a new attitude will carry us to the next round? Or will we have to make changes(ie signing a player, changing formation). Becuse right now im not comfortable.

[revelation]

Does it really matter? Frankly, we have lost out on our "free pass" to the Quarterfinals with the new format. Now instead of a cake walk quarterfinal match against a Carribbean or Central American team, we now have to play a Mexican team, a Costa Rican team, and a fourth TBD team to even get a shot at the quarterfinals. Plus, if we get out of the group and into the quarter finals, that begins in March (i.e. our pre-season) against a much better team than we previously faced.

I think we have the players to get out of the group but I'm not sure we'll have the legs. The team will be playing two games a week plus travel during the playoff push...

[The Cold Sea]

Does it really matter? Frankly, we have lost out on our "free pass" to the Quarterfinals with the new format. Now instead of a cake walk quarterfinal match against a Carribbean or Central American team, we now have to play a Mexican team, a Costa Rican team, and a fourth TBD team to even get a shot at the quarterfinals. Plus, if we get out of the group and into the quarter finals, that begins in March (i.e. our pre-season) against a much better team than we previously faced.

I think we have the players to get out of the group but I'm not sure we'll have the legs. The team will be playing two games a week plus travel during the playoff push...

And we clearly have no depth. In fact, watching NE, Chivas USA and Houston during this MLS interregnum we'll call SuperLiga, I'm shocked at the total lack of quality depth DC United has. We need a re-evaluation of the talent evaluators and what their priorities are and what they are looking for in players.

[DCUtd]

It's two months away - isn't it a bit early to write it off?

[mcontento]

It is only the group of death because we're in it. We will be the death of CA or Saprissa.

[The Cold Sea]

It's two months away - isn't it a bit early to write it off?

I'm starting to think it's an either or situation. There just isn't any quality depth on this team to push for the playoffs and play six games in this CL thingy. We have quality, but as we've seen in SuperLiga, when we start to lose any of the starting 11 there's a deep fall off in talent.

[Count]

I honestly think that our lack of depth is due in large part to the relative flops of Niell and Olsen this season. Now that Niell is gone olsen's roster spot and salary are going to really hold back our ability to sign quality depth. In reality it could be a lot worse, without getting tino at such a bargain basement price I doubt we'd really have a solid first 11.

An aquisition or two and I think that we're looking ok but not great.

As for the CCL, we might need to use some younger guys (thompson, doe, carroll) during the league matches and play for draws in order to put our full strength line out against the concacaf opposition. I wouldn't rule us out of the quarter finals yet.

[Frog Boy]

[QUOTE=revelation;15175663]Now instead of a cake walk quarterfinal match against a Carribbean or Central American team, we now have to play a Mexican team, a Costa Rican team, and a fourth TBD team to even get a shot at the quarterfinals. QUOTE]

I've been to TBD, their team is crap but the weather is nice. I can't wait to hear their national anthem.

[John L]

OK - Win the two against TBD - Tank the away game against Cruz Azul and hope for a tie at home - That leaves group play to how well we do against Saprissa who will be VERY tough - But if we win at home and tie away, then I'd say we advance - Ideally we should have to really push ourselves in only two or three games

"THIS COULD WORK" - Young Frankenstein

[revelation]

Our TBD is either Metapan from El Salvador or Marathon from Honduras. Either should present two winnable games.

The issue really comes down to juggling the demands of which games do we need to emphasize. With MLS, if we are mid-table and don't have to worry about qualifying for the playoffs, then we can focus on CCL. But if we need to win more games in MLS to assure playoff qualifications, then we are going to be hard pressed to play both tournaments with our first team.

[mcontento]

No such thing as a sure thing on the road in CONCACAF, we should all know that by now.

Still, I don't see any scenario where we don't advance unless we are missing some stars due to injury. We're better than CA, we're probably even with Saprissa and we should beat any team from Honduras or El-Sal in a home and home series. Our goal needs to be to treat each home and home as a distinct series and try to win each of them.

[revelation]

CA still has to get past Verdes from Belize! Vamos Verdes!

[rugman]

No such thing as a sure thing on the road in CONCACAF, we should all know that by now.

Still, I don't see any scenario where we don't advance unless we are missing some stars due to injury. We're better than CA, we're probably even with Saprissa and we should beat any team from Honduras or El-Sal in a home and home series. Our goal needs to be to treat each home and home as a distinct series and try to win each of them.

My biggest concerns are missing starters due to injury and congested scheduling. If we have the same mess we had for Superliga I don't expect any better results. Maintaining possession against these teams will not win games as witnessed by Atlante. We need the attacking form we had in the last league games and have to improve our defending. What we should do versus what we will do are two very different things.

Agree that they need to treat each series as must win.

[Saltenya94]

Well let's see we have these 8 guys out:
Injuires

MF Jeff Carroll - OUT - toe surgery
MF Santino Quaranta - OUT - hamstring strain
MF Dan Stratford - OUT - knee surgery
MF Ben Olsen- OUT - ankle surgery
MF Marcelo Gallardo- OUT - groin strain
DF Domenic Mediate -OUT - concussion
DF Gonzalo Peralta - QUESTIONABLE - groin strain
MF Quavas Kirk - QUESTIONABLE - hamstring strain

If 6 of of the 8 can be back by then, we might have a chance to at least make it close. And at the very least that's what you need. Just like the Perkins miss at Chivas Guadelajara - we still would have gone to penalties. Unfortuantly, we don't have a stronger team. I honestly thought Kirk would play more, is it too late to trade for some good defenders? We might as well trade our draft picks away because we get the worst picks.

[sysco76]

We might as well trade our draft picks away because we get the worst picks.

I agree with you I cant remember us making great picks in the draft and our best ones always seem to roll out.

Adu, Convey, Olsen, Santino, Mapp.

2 have gone
2 have come back to us.
1 we never gave him a chance.

I have a bad memory though.

[Saltenya94]

And those are the good draft picks. No one's going to bring up the other guys. Just for marketing purposes. I was hoping Nick Van Sicklen would have turned into a key role-player. Imagine the promos

[DCSharksFC]

health will be the BIG issue, players coming back from injury, getting injured, etc etc

i would suggest sitting out gallardo for the next month, so he can cool off a bit, same for peralta, we'd give our "depth" players a chance and see what comes of it, they're both out for at least 3 weeks as it is, and they will both be key to getting anywhere in the CCL, furthermore, we need to use the superliga to see which of these "depth" players will see significant time in the upcoming months so we can make rotations within the roster and keep players fresh, especially, emilio, martinez, and burch

we'll need a solid back-up keeper, or a starter, w/e, but some more midfield help would do wonders, and possibly another defender, i'm still surprised our FO has not worked out a trade or 2 yet, lets see how joe vide works out

[DCU1996]

We are two months away from the inaugural Concacaf Champions League, and well be in the group of death. Unless a monumental upset happens we will be seeing Crul Azul twice along with Saprissa. Honestly right now ill be happy just to get out of this group. Do you guys think that we actually have a chance to advance in this group as we are now. Do you guys simply getting healthy and a new attitude will carry us to the next round? Or will we have to make changes(ie signing a player, changing formation). Becuse right now im not comfortable.

We are one day away from the exiting action pacted SuperLiga match.

[elprincipe]

It is only the group of death because we're in it. We will be the death of CA or Saprissa.


If you ain't so Azul, stand up

[stonesean]

It is only the group of death because we're in it. We will be the death of CA or Saprissa.

Uh, you have seen DC United play this year right?

As much as I would love to see what you mention happen, do you really think that this is the year we can beat a high quality Mexican side or THE elite Costa Rican side with fully match fit squads when we currently can't get it done against pre-season FMF teams?