2011 UCLA BRUINS "Official" Thread

Good idea....I am all in!

 

UCLA 2 - SCU 2 OT

Kelyn Rowe had a poor game. Some good passing early on but didn't do much in the second half and took too many poor touches, poor shots, and poor passes/giveaways. I expected much more out of him.

Funny that UCLA scored from an ugly Stoke City throw in play for their first goal when they were trying to play beautiful short passing soccer all night.

Arreola was UCLA's best player on the night. Sweet finish on the second goal. Very nice run down the wing and cross by the left back Singh. He made lots of good runs all night. Took many SCU players on the dribble successfully and earned some decent shooting opportunities.

Rose hit the post so it could have been 3-2.

I have no idea why Coach Salcedo subbed left back #2 Singh out for some redshirt junior, #23 or 26 I think. Singh was having a great game. Then sure enough SCU equalizes off a player left wide open by Singh's replacement. Then #23 goes on numerous mazy runs up the middle and gets lost, throwing the UCLA formation all off... Kelyn Rowe ended up covering for him at LB for a minute. Very Ramiro-Corrales-esque for all you SJ fans. Rowe must have been like "WTF dude"?

UCLA's centerbacks played poorly. #6 and the other guy. Not good on both of SCU's goals.

Rose is great. Very composed, great touches/passes, very strong in the air, smoothe, plays with fire. I remember him playing well at CB against Stanfurd last year... maybe Coach Salcedo should move him to CB for the rest of the season to get the defense sorted out.

I think Coach Salcedo should be on the hot seat and should be fired if he can't get a final 4 run out of this talented group. Dude is turning into the Steve Lavin of soccer - great recruiter but poor coach... all this talent seems to be regressing or not developing properly under him.

 

I wouldn't have. I saw him last year against CP. I didn't see what all the fuss was about him.

 

Gotta agree with this too. And I follow the Bruins a bit as one of my kids is an alumni (she even dated one of the players back then, lol).

 

Whatever happened to the notion that if it ain't broke you don't fix it?

I too witnessed this game and came back dumbfounded at the Bruin rotations. While I agree with some of your points, I disagree with some of your others.

When the game was seemingly under control with the Bruins leading 2- 1, with about 12/14 minutes remaining, at least three players (Lee, Cummings and McIntosh) were inexplicably subbed on that completely disrupted the team's rythym. Why? A similar occurence happened in the first half with Raynr being subbed on and I believe he turned over the ball the first 4 times he touched it. (I don't believe he saw the field again!)

I disagree with your points on the Bruin centerback's play being a part of both goals. It was the right back Hollingshead that went soft on a tackle falling down and allowing Hurtado's to get to the ball and strike for the first goal. (Perhaps saying it was soft is unkind as Hurtado has legs like tree trunks!) I concur Wiet (#6) had a subpar game, uncharacteristically turning the ball over quite a few time but none of his turn overs resulted in any goals nor dangerous opportunities for Santa Clara. Wiet also cleared a goal off the goal line in the first half!.

The other centerback (#27 Sophia) had his hands full with Hurtado most of the evening and for the most part did a pretty good job on him and had very few turn-overs. I believe it was his flick back to Hoffman that allowed Hoffman to score on that throw in. Sophia's worst play of the game was early when he fell allowing Zimmerman to get a dangerous cross off early in the first half. His positioning on Bates on the second goal was correct as he was goal-side and leaning all over Bates... It looked to me that Bates just got a lucky toe on the ball.

I always back up a few plays to ascertain what broke down and it was a significant turnover by one of the subs deep in the defensive midfield that put the defense in the proverbial $hitter that allowed the Broncos to tie it. Cummings (#14) yet another sub was schooled by Bates twice over if I recall leading to that tying goal sequence.

I disagree with your assertion that the Bruins move Rose to the back. His positioning is vital just where he is. This same defense produced 9 shut-outs last season and IMHO there is no reason to blow it up now. I am still not convinced that Hollingshead is effective at right back. The Bruins had a pretty stout defender at right back last season (I forget his name but I don't believe he has played yet this season - perhaps hurt??) and also a senior RB in Zerrener who hasn't received a minute in either of the two games either. I don't believe he traveled to SClara as I didn't see him on the bench tonite.

For the life of me I am trying to understand why the UCLA coaching staff has deviated from the successful rotations they used last season. Monge IMHO hasn't done much in the two games he has been given the starting nod yet the two most opportunistic goal hounds in Chavez and Williams are either playing wide or getting very few minutes as in Williams' case.

As for Kelyn Rowe, quite frankly in the first two games he hasn't lived up to his hype and has yet to put together a complete game in either of the two games he has played thus far. His free kicks and corner service have been horrible with most being of the floating variety rather than serving driven balls. At this level, UCLA should have a free kick specialist as they did in Nakazawa. IMHO Arreola is probably the guy and Rowe not. I may be called a heretic, but perhaps if Rowe's sub-par play continues, Munoz should get the nod in that role if but to send a message that if Rowe is to be "the man" then he needs to begin playing like it.

So UC Davis is up next which begs the question why it was so important to sub on guys in a momentum type game as tonites to allow guys such as McIntosh to make his debut in a Bruin shirt as well as Lee when the next game would of IMHO been a better opportunity.

The good news, it doesn't matter how you play at the beginning of the year but rather the end. From an RPI perspective, this game shouldn't do much harm if any at all. Santa Clara isn't a bad side, and yes, they have a few former Youth National Team guys too....given they won the WCC last season, and were a 2010 tournament team. CSNews even mentioned a possible upset in the run-up to this match. And hats off for Cam Rast's stroke of genius to "tactically" move Bates forward for the equalizer.

But I am sure we all agree....It gets curiouser and curiouser indeed.

 

I think he must have a consistency problem or something b/c if you watched him in the 2010 NCAA tournament or the 2011 U-20 nat'l team games then you would see an elite prospect. Then you watch games like this and you're like "wtf this guy is a top prospect?"

 

This time of year you have to sub. Unlike the professional counterparts around the world, there is not six weeks for preseason with 10 friendlies. Two weeks and in UCLAs case no friendlies. I would imagine the bench will get shorter as the year goes on or those players find their role.

 

The sky is officially falling. Down 1-0 to winless UC-Davis and down a man in the closing minutes.

EDIT but Chandler Hoffman just equalized.

EDIT but Davis wins 2-1 in OT

 

Davis 2 - UCLA 1. Tough week for the Bruins.

 

Rough start for the Bruins.

 

That's an understatement. With the talent on that roster, and 11 starters (plus many subs) returning, how can they not have a win yet? It's gotta be coaching.

 

How do we not have a win yet with all this talent???

Fire Salcedo!

 

Bruins get to 500 with underwhelming victories over St. Mary's College and and a short handed LMU

Hoffman tallies in both games raising his seasonal total to 4.

 

Inexplicably, the Bruins have mixed it up from last year and IMHO with mixed results thus far. Monge who was ineligible last year is starting and IMHO has been unproductive thus far. The team's leading goal scorer last year in Chavez's minutes have been diminished . And my source tells me Arreola got very few minutes yesterday vs. LMU indicating either he is hurt or there is something "bruin". Foxhoven has been getting some quality minutes as well something that didn't happen last year.

Last year's stingy GK in B. Rowe seems to be alternating starts with Edwards this year and in the two starts I am hearing EE has been shaky.

There has been a revolving door at right back in Hollinghead, Matchet and the Ohio State transfer in Lee (Matchet was the starting RB last year). Hollingshead seems to be a lock starter (??) on the right (either at RB or RH) with the departure of IMHO a much better winger in M. Roman (who is off to a terrific start with Louisville)

JS also has been going deep into his bench every game. Either he is still searching for the right combination or looking to develop bench depth for the long haul/ conference play. Again - with mixed results thus far. At some point, the rotation has to be shorter.

Big test this week vs. the Gauchos. It will sure give a peak or be a great benchmark into just where the UCLA team is at in this point in the season.

 

Thanks for the insight. The detail you provide is helpful and consistent with a coaching problem. Perhaps the goalkeeper alternation and changing back line had to do with the weak play in the back in the early games and trying to find something that works better. The Louisville goals (which I saw online) were weak, either goalkeeper/defender miscommunication or defensive mistake and they also let in two goals against Santa Clara, so it makes sense that Salcedo tried changes in the back. Perhaps he also wants to get Edwards some PT so that he doesn't have a keeper who hasn't played for 2 years when Rowe graduates. I also get that. All that said, I'm still surprised they haven't a combination that works better, given your description of the wins as underwhelming. They were giving up 2 goals per game before this weekend, and still haven't had a clean sheet. I haven't seen them play much, but the stats suggest continuing defensive problems.

I don't have any speculation on why the Arreola and Chavez minutes would be so low. I thought both looked good last year when I saw them and you'd think they'd get an opportunity to shine.

Overall, I can't help but think the problem for UCLA is really a coaching problem. Do you know if the UCSB will be televised or streamed? UCSB seems to be doing well and it could be ugly if UCLA is still as underwhelming as you say and don't sort things out in training this week.

 

SBI College Spotlight: UCLA playmaker Rowe dealing with high expectations

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2011/09/kelyn-rowe-article-ucla.html#comments

UCLA men's soccer wins, 2-1, in physical game against LMU

http://www.dailybruin.com/index.php...s_soccer_wins_21_in_physical_game_against_lmu

 

Stumbled on this less than flattering article/blog this morning on the BN website. It ain't pretty. He loves K. Rowe but not much else about the Bruin's.
Let's hope they can play to their talent level tonight vs. UCSB and turn around their season.

http://blog.3four3.com/2011/09/14/ucla-bruins-vs-lmu-lions-2-1/

 

I have no respect for BruinsNation. The guy Nestor who runs it banned me a few years ago for accusing him of acting like a spoiled Yankees/Lakers fan for writing all these blog entries about how UCLA should fire Ben Howland. BN is a silly propaganda machine where any reasonable dissent from the party line gets you banned.

 

Note - this link wasn't a BruinsNation article....it was an independent blog that was mentioned/linked on the BN website. That's how I discovered it.

 

So I heard Drake's field is s***, and you had to play those games on the practice field. What the heck is up with that? So help me if UCSB wins tonight and the field is made the reason why I'll be ticked. Either way, the fact the field is in bad shape should ruin the game of both teams.

 

I am in the Bay Area so I wouldn't know. I remember Drake getting torn up by intramural football/soccer games sometimes.