As I understand it, Toronto FC showed up yesterday, so the teams agreed that a full-out 90 minute friendly would not be productive. However, the teams did face off in two 30-minute halves, which ended up as a 1-1 draw. And do not tell the players that this seemingly insignificant scrimmage merited anything less than all out effort. Tempers flared in this seemingly insignificant friendly from the start! In the first half DC United’s lineup: G – Wells D – Owens, J.Carroll, P.Carroll, Renfrow M – Mediate, Stratford, Moose, Coderio F – Walker, Monteiro Almost immediately the young DC United squad made an impact, as it pushed the play into the Toronto FC half for the first five minutes. Play culminated in a nice give-an-go between Owens and Mediate on the right flank. Owens was able to push to the end line and round the flank. His centering pass was received by Walker, but nice play by the Toronto defense prevented a shot. Over the next couple of minutes play evened out. The combination of Moose and Stratford managed to hold their own in the middle of the park throughout. Both played effectively on both sides of the ball, at times pushing deep into Toronto FC’s defensive third. Unfortunately, the lack of support as often as not defeated their efforts as did the defensive effort of the opponents. Around the 12th minute, Owens re-covered a loose ball deep in DC United’s half. Pushing forward to midfield, he attempted to connect with Moose, but the pass was pushed away, directly into the path of Stratford. Stratford managed a well-weighted lob directly ahead of Mediate, who broke the Toronto’s attempt to draw an offside call. Mediate did not fail to convert with the one-on-one with keeper. The remainder of the first half turned into a run and gun affair by both sides, without any real domination by either side. Toronto did manage to force Wells into an outstanding save off of a dangerous free kick late in the half. Overall, the reserve and younger DC United players showed well throughout the first thirty minutes. In particular, Stratford ability to easily move throughout the center of midfield made an impression. Also showing well were the Carroll brothers in central defense. Toronto’s Danny Dichio and Cunningham were fairly well shutdown throughout the period. In general, both DC United and Toronto suffered from the lack of practice and playing time as units. The combination of Walker and Monteiro could not effect any disruptive offensive runs, at times one or the other pulling up expecting the other to make the run. The second 30 minutes turned out to be a different affair, at least emotionally. G – Wells D – Namoff, Martinez, Peralta, Burch M – McTavish, Simms, Gallardo, Fred F – Moreno, Niell Again DC United started out dominating the half, then slowly Toronto managed to pull it back to their side of the ledger. At the five minute mark Niell used the near side-line as protection and dance down it into the corner with Moreno in support. Moreno quickly released it to Fred cutting down the middle. Being held up by a stubborn defense, Fred dished the ball to Burch on an overlap. A quick nutmeg of a defender, Burch pushed into Toronto’s box and fired a shot that was controlled by the Toronto keeper. About five minutes later Moreno, Gallardo, and Fred team up with some decisive passing open up a lane for Niell to sprint into. Fred’s finally pass found Niell, who was able to control, but fired just wide of goal. About half way through the period, almost like a switch, it was apparent that DC United’s energy was fading. Although the team did rest on Sunday, the two per day, two hour sessions are taking a toll. At about the 15 minute mark, Toronto took advantage of DC United being pushed forward as Cunningham broke the trap and raced on DC’s goal. Martinez showed excellent speed and picture-perfect timing in catching Cunningham and knocking the ball out of danger. Much like in the U-23’s game it was apparent that the lack of time as a team was showing. Cracks and lanes were being forced open by Toronto, particularly the efforts of Marvell Wynn out of his right back position along the flank and Ronnie O’Brien in the middle of the pitch. Toronto’s goal came off a typical pressuring the ball that led to a short-short-long passing combination opening up DC United’s right flank. Caught between the man with the ball racing down the flank and a threat goal-side, Namoff was caught in the middle. As Namoff attacked the ball, Peralta moved to cut off the near threat, but that left Danny Dichio unmarked racing directly on goal and an easy tap in for a goal. One distinct example of DC United’s exhaustion was that for the last 10 minute they foolishly fouled Toronto in dangerous areas around their own goal, including one drive by O’Brien that beat the wall and forced Wells into an outstanding save. One thing is clear is that Moreno is slowly but surely beginning to connect with Gallardo. Likewise, I thought that Moreno is finding a soul-mate in Fred now that Gomez is gone. Nearly all the attacks by DC United today involved these two in some form or another. One thing is for certain, Niell is a good forward. Although he did not get on the scoring table, he did make several strong runs. As Tommy Soehn put it, it is only a matter of time before Fred, Moreno, and Gallardo reward his efforts. Clearly the most obvious current weakness comes along the right flank. That being said, McTavish and Namoff are actually teaming up well in the attack at times. The lack of teamwork between the two is apparent defensively. You must assume that once Olsen returns to the pitch he will improve this dynamic. The most obvious question mark is the defense. The five-some of Simms, Burch, Martinez, Peralta, and Namoff will be good from simple athletic abilities. The question is will they be great? Will their collective defensive soul give the offensive players the necessary confidence to charge forward and do what they need to be done? After one particularly bad game, one of the forwards told me, “It’s easy to know what we feel about the defense. Just see which goal we are looking at.” The integration of their abilities will take time, and will see several break downs. In this game one break down was punished. Other mistakes were apparent, but snuffed out. A soft spot is the area center of the pitch, immediately before the defensive line. This area of weakness is not used to attack directly on goal – Peralta and Martinez make opponents suffer – but to organize other attacks, particularly on the flanks. It is an area of concern that must be addressed, not by the coaches, but by the players. Again, part of that teamwork building that is a key to the pre-season. The day ended with a final run out in an inter squad scrimmage for a final thirty minutes. Both sides were equally mixed with veterans and younger players. Monteiro scored a goal off of some lovely tight passing between Fred and Mediate, although earlier he missed a wide open header. About half way through the period, Fred was involved in a nasty clatter and pulled himself from the game. Also showing well was Codeiro in a left flank position. Again, by this point it was apparent that several of the older players reached their physical fitness level and were ready to call it a day.
If we struggle because of our lack of time together as a team, shouldn't Toronto struggle because of their even less time together as a team? Shouldn't this have been the other way around? Where are the breakdowns coming from? Positioning? Speed? Poor decision-making on challenges? How do we look compared to this point at Bradenton last year? Thanks for the updates John.
Great writeup, Diceson, thanks. I'm feeling peevish and pessimistic about this pre-season for no good reason (I call it "Boosty Collins' Disease" ) so this stood out at me: I'm becoming more and more worried about depth on the wings. Olsen coming back will help, yes, but we can't count on Olsen and Fred to both play all 45+ games in all competitions. Mediate and at least one other winger are going to have to step up. I have confidence in Dom, but I don't know who is gonna be that second guy.
Isn't this area Simm's responsibility? Is he around, but not making the plays? Or is he being pulled out of position to put out fires elsewhere (like on the flanks). Or since gallardo (seems) to play more defense than gomez did is there a bit of confusion there as to who is marking whom? How would you compare stratford's play in the same position? (did TFC have the same players in place?)
I know Ben returned to DC for more ankle work. How is this expected to delay him getting back into the lineup? With him missing camp it sounds like he will be unfit, out of form, and potentially not able to contribute like he used to due to his ankles.
Yes and no. It's a weird dynamic that happens. All the Toronto players are familiar with each other from playing as a team last year. It is really obvious that their individual skills are lacking due to the off-season. And yet, they were partially effective because they knew what the wanted to do. The same was very obvious with DCUnited. I thought the play between Fred and Moreno was outstanding for the same reason, even though this was their first time together this season. On the other hand, Moreno and Gallardo are going through the, "When I give you the ball here, you should move there to support me stage." It's actually rather fun to watch. They literally huddle during stoppages and have a 10-second chat with hand motions. I only remember that because in 2004 Moreno and Gomez did the same thing when the latter arrived on the scene. Finally, you have the defensive end. If you think about it, one-half is new – Peralta, Martinez, and Wells/Carvallo. That happens to be the center of the other three Simms, Namoff, and Burch. It might be the most difficult thing to do in the game, integrate a new defender. Here you have three times that situation. Obviously each player must learn the other’s skill level. Even more important they must learn their tendencies. Throw on top of that, a language barrier. Yes, no, no. Defensively the break downs are a matter of covering for one another. I believe Tommy Soehn & Co. would like to see Namoff, Burch, and Simms add to the attack throughout games. When that occurs, spaces will open around them. It is imperative that whomever is left behind adds defensive support. Not so much stopping counter-attacks, but slowing them sufficiently to allow the defense to get re-set. From what I could see, Namoff was pushed forward, or pinched in covering an opponent on the goals. The ball was played wide of him. As he moved out, space was created behind him, which either Peralta or Martinez filled. However, that opened up other spaces, and opponents fill in those spots. Although you might call it a mistake, I think I’d refer to it as learning experience at this point in time. Obviously, if these problems are still occurring two months from now, then it is a problem. Relative to last year, things are much more calm. The obvious pressure of games in the next couple of weeks isn't there. Knowing that they have at least a couple of weeks to line things up, I believe TS & Co. are going with a little less pressure to perform this pre-season. Don't make the mistake of thinking it is no pressure, the coaches are watching everything and pushing the players to perform. I think last season looked better due to the necessary level of energy - all the players were flying around. The team needed to be mentally prepared to play last year after two weeks. There were scrimmages everyday in one form or another last year. This year it is a much more deliberate pace. They are working on strength and fitness each day. Also, you see a lot of skill drills - one-touch passing, etc. The easiest to judge are the younger players. On first impressions, they look to be slightly better skill-wise than previous seasons. I also think that once Peralta, Martinez, and Niell get settled they will be excellent replacements for Boswell and Vanney, and which forward you prefer.
A huge question mark, and it should be a concern. A worst case scenario is that this continues for several months. Wasn't it Quaranta that kept having to go back for "fix up surgeries" a couple of years ago, thus making him pretty much AWOL for the season? When he come back, it will take Olsen several weeks to get game fit. That's just the nature of the sport. Once he gets back, there is no doubt he will give 100%. The good news is that McTavish and Mediate have plenty of time to get that position under wraps before it counts - at least this isn't happening in the middle of the season.
You can put it on Simms, or on the defenders. Much of that is what they are working through. At the moment everyone is being pulled and push out of position. Again, it's all part of the pre-season learning curve in the defense. He's a rookie. He played well in the game. Can he stay consistent, or even raise his level? The level of most of the rookies and young players is higher than in the past. Guys like the Pat Carroll and Schmitz are very consistent. Cordeiro and Stratford seem to be able to read the game better than rookies in the past. Owens and Renfrow are very athletic with a high degree of energy. I don't think any of them are complete busts - but they still have a week to prove me wrong. At this point I don't think any of them are going to be able to step in to starting roles. I don't think they will knock off D'ko, Moose, JC, or Walker as bench players at this point.
Between Moose and Mediate (assuming Moose returns) who do you think is more likely to see time playing on the wing?
Definitely Mediate. Moose has been spending all this pre-season in the middle. Depending on Olsen, I think the bigger question might turn out, Mediate or McTavish?
But if you put McTavish out on the wing, isn't that just moving the problem around rather than solving it? We came into camp with five guys we felt could play defense (McT, Burch, Namoff, Peralta and Martinez) and even then we were worried about defensive depth; if you move McT to the wing, it seems like the defensive problem just got that much worse.
More importantly, McTavish isn't much of an attacking player, so playing him where Olsen was last year and where he produced 7 goals is not improvement. Mediate isn't a MLS-quality starter either, so that's no relief.
Wow, agaain goooood write up. With that said, i am excited to see moreno team up with Gallardo, hopefully it could bring out the best in him like marco did, i think with the 2 of them teaming up, it will leave emilio open to finish plays. I am excited to see how our offense pans out with Fred also in the mix.
Agree completely. None of the above options have ever done anything other than defend the outside midfield position. No goals and no assists in limited time and more worrisome, no actual ability to beat players one-v-one to get off a cross or to simply beat the opposition to the endline for a dangerous opportunity. Then again, if outside midfield play is our only real weakness (and to this point it isn't just yet), then we are in pretty good shape overall I would say.
That may be true -- I don't mean to argue with you about the above. But still, outside midfield play has been a serious weakness of ours since, oh, we last won the Cup. It's getting old getting beat out there, and I'm tired of watching Stuart Holden or Terry Cooke embarass us on the flanks.
True dat. However, if you were to have a weakness, and let's be honest, every team has a weakness somewhere, I'd rather have mine on the outside of midfield rather than up the spine of the team. Flank play has undone United on occasion since 04' but it's hardly the main reason why we haven't won MLS Cups since then. The fact that this team gives up soft goals on lack of concentration in the defense is the primary reason why we've crashed out of the playoffs the last three seasons. I can live with Fred and Benny on the outside. I'm not stupid enough to think that our lack of depth out there isn't a big concern, but in the grand scheme of things, we have enough talent out there that it isn't a hinderance from game to game. Over the past 3 seasons the outside midfield has been very inconsistent going from playing very well at times to flat out ineptitude. Josh Gros will be a huge loss for this team and he came under a lot of criticism on these boards for his lack of finishing and hitting dangerous passes. We definitely haven't improved in that area that's for sure. We'll be OK. We'll have good games, great games and poor games from our outside mids. It's the nature of the beast in MLS I'm afraid. Pretty much only Houston doesn't suffer out there and that's about it for that list.
Agreed. Let's hope we have upgraded our central defense. Also, even if we have no depth on the outside, our substitutes in those areas are pretty strong defensively. If we lose a starter, we may lose some production from wide areas, but we shouldn't suffer as much defensively. We'll just have to rely upon doll-face to create some magic in the middle. I hope to see a 2008 where Houston's wings pump in cross after dangerous cross only to have nobody in the middle to finish.
The bolded part would have never been possible with any of last year's CBs. For that reason alone, I am already more optimistic about this season.
Did Josh Gardner not accompany the team to Florida or has he just not suited up for the scrimmages so far?
No, Llamosa was my favorite DCUnited defender of all time. You just knew he wasn't crossing over the midfield stripe, and that no matter what he'd at least threaten to break up any counter-attacks. Martinez is much more active. He does cover his sector well, but also in assisting the other defenders. That's good and bad. Again, it comes down to the players learning tendencies. Very much like Llamosa, his timing on tackles is dead-on! One thing, he is a yeller - both opponents and teammates.
Interesting... Ok i guess not then. LOL But as long as his tackles are on point, like the videos i posted of llamosa we should be ok.