Zards fan since 96' living in Toronto now. Just wondering what the opinions are on this guy. Ive seen him quite a bit. Watched him at BMO when KC visited a few weeks ago. thought he was garbage. Like i said though, i havent seen him as much as many of you. He was not completing simple passes, causing stupid fould, and got sent off in the end of it. Anyone else have any complaints about him. He didnt look ready for fullside action to me. Looked like a reserve team player that was struggling on the full team. Opinions please. Can anyone convince me of him?
He's a rookie. He has made dumb mistakes and doesnt make the best decisions but like I said, he is a rookie that hasnt even had a full season of MLS experience. I dont think you can really judge a guy until atleast a full season under their belt.
He's not ready for the first team, many of us have been saying this for a while on here. We see flashes of talent, but he's just not ready at this time. He needs to learn to keep his head during games, as both red cards were the result of him retaliating to rough play that he was getting. More time with pro players will hopefully give him that, but he just needs playing time with the reserves right now.
I completely disagree with that. You can say things like "hes a rookie" as long as he's contributing occationally (you know..like getting a few points here or there, maybe a big goal occationally, completing tons of passes) ... But since he's not doing that i think he needs to be held to pro standards..he is a pro after all. Im sure he is talented, but i think criticism can motivate a player. If you are a pro..i dont care if you are a rookie...shouldnt the positives outweigh the mistakes.. i dont think they are at this point
He is likely going to fall into the same category as Morsink was last season....CO likes him and will continue to play him until he gets comfortable. We will all have somebody to complain about during the process.
I agree he should be held to pro standards and I also indicated that he has made mistakes. But it is not fair to write off a rookie with half a season of experience as garbage. You cant compare Espinoza to a seasoned veteran yet. I completely agree with the fact that he is not ready for the first team but I refuse to call him garbage yet.
I don't know that I can say anybody on our team is doing these three things enough for our liking. Same could be said about our team's first touch and pass weighting. I like the glimpses of creativity that I've seen. He's solid on his feet, and will take some abuse...just needs to learn not to retaliate when the abuse occurs. Of all the young guys on this team, he's not one I'm ready to give up on just yet. That said, he's not first team quality this season. Maybe next.
Espinosa is a very very very raw player right now. He hasn't worked out a lot of the mechanics in this league and his temper gets the best of him in those situations. He's got flashes of brilliance every now and then, but he really needs to isolate a pocket he's comfortable with and stay in it. He's a GA kid, so we've got him for a little while. CO and company are going to be trying to work out the kinks with him and forge him into a player that can crack the starting lineup week in week out. I think more than improving, that means him finding the pace of MLS and controlling his temper. If he's able to do that, I could see him be a solid player in this league - not extraordinary, but solid.
Way too early to tell anything. He's played what, three years of competitive soccer in the states? I will say that the red cards don't help his cause, but I think we all know that. He's shown some skill though, especially in passing the ball in tight spaces.
I wont say that I havent cursed him a few times this year but I do see where he could grow into a solid player. Even though he needs to be tamed, I like the fight in him. That can be a good attribute for a defensive minded player if it can be controlled. If we are going to start a garbage or quality thread it should be regarding Pore and Morsink. They are much larger liabilites for this team.
At times you say wow he just did that! And other times you say WTF ARE YOU DOING YOU STUPID BLANKITY BLANK! He needs alot of game time, mostly with the reserves. The game for him, is to fast. If he gets it, I think he could be a nice MLS player.
I'd agree with you regarding Pore since he's been in the league for 4 years and seems to be going back (which is scary regarding out depth at forward) but Morsink this year has actually shown improvement now that he's been put in a position where he's comfortable (and I'd have to say almost everyone in these forums has noticed that); I would like to see some more mental toughness but he's cut down on his yellow cards (but I digress...). The sad thing is that he is part of a midfield that has few assists and where most come off set plays so there are really few standouts. I'd give him another year before throwing him to the wolves (now Pore on the other hand). Regarding Espinoza he's a rookie that makes rookie mistakes; he just needs to keep his temper in check. Was he thrown in a bit too quickly? Maybe but like someone mentioned before that's what CO does with the players he likes; I guess it would be a baptism by fire; it worked with Harrington, jury is still out on Morsink, Myers has been up and down, and had Espinoza kept his cool it might have been a positive experience. All in all the talent for Espinoza seems to be there for a solid player, but with a bad temper he'll be our version of Ricardo Clark.
We need a mid field and that is the only reason that Espinoza and Morsink are playing - they both need experience. Morsink is playing better but I doubt that we would start on many other MLS team. Let's just hope he keeps improving. Both Morsink and Roger need toughness - mental and physical. They miss KZ in mid because he has historicallly been a bit of an enforcer with solid firm play - these kids need a figure to toughen them up and teach them chippy finesse - Since we are searching for midfield and won't move MH I would like to see Chance and JL have a turn - both seem to have the ball skills and Chance has delivered some good crosses (as well as bad ones) but at least he is looking and he doesn't whack people in the back of the head.
I wonder if Frankie H. will be out there today whispering nice things in Espinoza's ear. Scratch that, I know he will; I wonder if Espinoza has learned his lesson, either take it or get back at him, this time in a more subtle (not in front of the ref) way.
I would say he's quality garbage. Like a half eaten bag of Snickers minis. But better than a half eaten ham sandwich.
FH knows every way possible to aggrevate him and then he also has the MNT mystic that allows MNT players a little more chippiness and a lot more protection from the refs - no one does it better that FH when it comes to thumping the opposing team - against Mexico in Columbus a few years ago it was a masterful performance of getting even and getting ahead. FH one of my favorite players - only JC and KZ are capable of neutralizing the FH testiness. Too bad for the rooks they will have another long bruising night.
It seems like quite a few people here are of them same opinion regarding Pore, so why does CO still select him in the 18? Players are supposed to be selected by current form, not reputation, time at the club or any other reason. From what I've seen in the past few reserve outings, Pore has not been as effective as Kraus or Pizarro, yet he stills seems to be ahead in the eyes of CO. As for Espinoza, he has shown glimpses of potential but to have a real impact he needs to work on his weaker foot. If you are a central midfielder who can't use both feet almost equally well then you are restricting your passing angles, range and decision making.
It was. I think that shows how much potential he has to be a good player in this league. He looked like he had more composure tonight. Hopefully the coaches and vets are working with him on that.