Lost the game but something interesting happened. Halfway through they shifted Vera from midfield to left back and brought in Lassiter. Basically it was a 4-3-3 along the lines of -------------Lassiter------------- Amaya----------------Zubak -------------Mendiola--------------- -------Zanga --------Fujii----------- Vera-Engola---Castellanos-Turner -------------Kempin--------------- Suddenly the attack started to click. Before, Amaya and Zubak seemed to be lost as forwards, but they seemed to have a better idea of what to do when space tighted up. Generally, I think that G2 should follow G1 in terms of formation, but this made such a difference I think it deserves another go. Comments on players: Zanga is like a less-skilled Jones. Covers lots and lots of ground but fouls too much and has trouble dribbling the ball. The defense had lots of problems, but given how new everyone is, it doesn't worry me yet. Turnley didn't look very good and eventually was replaced. Vera didn't look very good wide, just doesn't seem to do very much, so maybe a shift back is what he needs. Kempin looks very solid. He's the anti-Diop in that he hardly ever comes out, but sometimes that's a good thing Maybe less upside, but I see him having a solid career as a backup.
I agree with Baysider, the switch of formation changed everything. We were absolutely dominated in the first half and had trouble creating chances, but I think we were even with Phoenix in the second half and had the best opportunities. Unfortunately we gave up a PK because of a foul by Vera and a second goal after Turner lost his man and Castellanos didn't close enough the opposite player at the top of the box. But I liked the midfield of Zanga, Fuji and Mendiola. Kempin : easily MOTM, after three games he's looking like a solid number 3. Turner : didn't close his man enough, his defending was inconsistent. Solid penetrating runs as always. Castellanos : OK game, we should give him a lot of minutes this year. He has a big body but must learn to use it and win more headers and more battles. Maybe he will become an Omar-like player? Engola : maybe his best game but man his passing is terrible. Even a close pass is a hard challenge for him. Turnley : first game back from injury, struggled. I think I rate him higher than Baysider so I'm not that worried but he must show up this year. Vera : still terrible in the midfield, not good at the back. Zanga : I think it was an encouraging performance. The bad : made a lot of fouls and tripped while running with the ball a few times. The good : likes to make penetrating runs with the ball and is physically gifted, and can sometimes make a dangerous through ball to a forward. Like I said a few days ago, we badly needed a DM and he can be the man for this season even if he doesn't make the first team next year. Fuji : OK game once again. Mendiola : best field player, he's clearly above almost everybody in the USL, needs to translate that in MLS play. Zubak : tooooooo many offsides, toooooo many turnovers, sometimes a good run, a good shot or a good cross but he's so inconsistent... Amaya : scored an opportunistic goal, had a couple of good shots and missed a golden opportunity after a Zubak cross. But same remark games after games : his decision making is terrible. He must play simpler. Lassiter : the game changed after he came in, but missed a couple of opportunities. You can feel he is not in full confidence but a few goals should give him his form back.
2-1 loss at home against Seattle. Two goals allowed in the first 15 minutes, two after individual mistakes : on the first goal it was Fuji who lost the ball at the top of the penalty box and on the second it was Juarez (RB from the academy) who left a ton of space behind his back (he did this the entire game, it was something odd) and was beaten by a long ball. We scored just before half-time thanks to a beautiful one-time ball just over the top by Jose Villarreal, Zubak rounded the keeper and scored. It was almost our only good opportunity of the game, Castellanos had another in the last seconds but his shot after a corner went wide. Another poor showing by the guys, but our best players are with the first team now or injured/suspended (Aguilar and Jaime Villarreal). We clearly lack a true goalscorer, and it could have been McBean or Lassiter. Zubak is too young and is very inconsistent. Our best players (but it doesn't mean much...) were : - Jose Villarreal : despite looking "lazy" sometimes, he was the only player who made things happen. His ball to Zubak was great, and at the end of the game he was really playing like a CM and put some good through balls. - Castellanos : improved from the last game. Not slow for a big guy, better in the air. - Arellano : was very good when he was slot to CB. Like Diallo when he signed with the first team, he was praised for his versatility but the drop of quality when he goes from CB to LB is big. To me Romney is more versatile if you want a comparison. The bad : - Sneddon is very shaky, nothing has changed. - Zanga had a very bad game, he was playing like a true 8 who was supposed to penetrate the opposite defense but never made a difference. Too many fouls, I won't be surprised if he's sent off in the next few games. - Amaya : I've said it a hundred times but his decision making is atrocious. - Juarez and Agredo, the Academy players, did not impress.
The game against Orange County was pretty bland, but it did feature more academy players. Nobody really stood out though. Arellano made team of the weak. https://www.lagalaxy.com/post/2017/...eam-week-after-la-galaxy-iis-1-1-draw-insider
👐⚽️@EricLopezGK takes you inside the eyes of a #LosDos goalkeeper: https://t.co/3EspN1xKRN pic.twitter.com/GrF8mIY7aE— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) April 28, 2017
I just finished the game, and Arellano was indeed a beast, easily our best player. And easily the best Los Dos player this season so far. As you said, a lot of Academy players, but nobody was really impressive. Jorge Hernandez (RW) and Johnathan Estrada (FW) were totally invisible. Alex Juarez, who's listed as a defender, had an OK game at DM. Same for Ian Lonergan the LB. The best Academy players were the subs : Jake Arteaga and especially Zico Bailey (both playing CM), who was very good in a 10-minute span, creating sparks and dangerous passes through the midifield. Engola was once again terrible and scored an own goal (which could have happened to anybody, but knowing his terrible skills it's no surprise it was on him). I can't understand how he started in place of Castellanos. Sneddon had a good game. Diallo was good at RB, one week before his game against Philly. Away game against Orange County tonight. Jaime Villarreal back?
4-0 loss to Orange County (Sorto plays there now and had a very good game), terrible result given the number of first team players who were there : Arellano (CB), BJ4 (LW), Mendiola (RW), Lassiter (FW) and Jose Villarreal who was uncommonly playing CM, next to Fuji. The scoreline is hard but there wasn't a "that big" difference between the two teams. We were keeping pace with them for the first 25 minutes but we conceded three goals in less than 10 minutes because of three individual mistakes : a PK following a handball in the box by Fuji, a goal after a missed clearance by our young keeper Lopez, and an own goal by Juarez after a counterattack following a lose ball by Castellanos. The fourth goal was just a good goal, Castellanos and Arellano were beaten after a few good runs by the opposite attackers. Once again we have the same problem : why do we play without a true DM? Jaime Villarreal ain't one, Fuji ain't one. Why not trying Zanga or Juarez? A player who could make the team stronger is Rafa Garcia IMO, but we need him with the first team. Too many long balls too, I don't remember one who found one of our forwards. We had the personnel and we were so much better when we passed the ball on the ground. Lopez (GK) : looked very inexperienced but had a few nice saves, he'll learn. Juarez (RB) : never looked comfortable there. We should have developed Smith here one more year IMO... Castellanos (CB) : a few mistakes but won a lot of balls in the air, and can easily dispossess an opposite player. He will turn 19 this week and I see the potential. He'll learn a lot with Los Dos, we must keep playing him! Arellano (CB) : had a good game overall, once again. A 4-0 line is generally not flattering for the backline but I think him and Castellanos had so much things to do, they had to make mistakes, but they managed to make a lof of solid interventions. Lonergan (LB) : good game honestly, doesn't offer a lot going forward. Mendiola (RW) : one of the best player on the field, created havoc in the opposite defense. Fuji (DM) : solid when he had to combine in the final third, but not enough presence defensively and has the bad habit to lose balls near the penalty box. Jose Villarreal (CM) : this is not his spot. Tried too many times to hit a perfect long ball when he could have played simpler. I don't know if I'm right but I feel a sort of frustration for Jose... BJ4 : looks so anonymous at this level, it's depressing. Zubak : still a mistery to me. Very mobile for a forward of his height, can hit a very good pass or make a perfect run, but so inconsistent in the final play... Lassiter : still needs his goal to re-find his confidence, very active but ineffective. I will be very curious to read what others have to say about this game (and especially Castellanos and Arellano).
I agree, despite the scoreline the defense wasn't the problem. These guys aren't ready for primetime but they seem to making adequate progress. The real puzzle is the older attacking players. I suppose there are three reasons we aren't seeing what we want to see: they are too young, they aren't that good, the system isn't right for them. Villarreal, Mendiola, and to a lesser extent Jamieson, aren't that young and we should be seeing better things by now. And we do see good thing, just not consistently enough. This makes me wonder if it's the system. We had ----------Lassiter----Zubak------ Jamieson-------------------Mendiola -----------------Villarreal-------------- ----------------Fujii--------------------- Jamieson, Jo. Villarreal and Mendiola were all forwards at the academy level and all of them seem to be less than effective when moved back to the midfield. It could be the system. Our central midfield always seems weak and so Jamieson and Mendiola are left isolated on the wings which is not where there game is best. What's weird is that our academy plays a 4-3-3 pretty reliably and so I wonder if the 4-4-2 is affecting things. I also wonder why we don't change; maybe because the first team plays like this? Perhaps the simplest answer is that these players are not going to be midfielders, at least how we play it. I'd like to see us rotate into a 4-3-3 and start with that: -----------------Lassiter---------------- Jamieson-------------------------Zubak -----------------Mendiola----------------- -----------Fujii---------Ja.Villarreal----- or if a 4-4-2, then in a way that lets Jamieson and Mendiola be attackers. --------------Jamieson---Lassiter----------------- ----------------------Mendiola------------------------ Ja.Villarreal--------Engola------------Fujii For me, the formation change isn't about winning, but about finding where players can play and where they can't.
The only hope is that this is still a league where instant turn-arounds are possible. But not under the current leadership.
The loss wasn't as bad as it sounds, but they were the better (and older) team. It seems like I say it every week but I just don't see any of the attacking players standing out.
👏 👏 👏 Congratulations @EricLopezGK on your first @USL victory as a starter! #LosDos pic.twitter.com/ktFDP9nqJ1— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) May 15, 2017 I have not been able to catch any of the games so far this season. Is Kempin and Sneddon injured or has Lopez jumped in the depth chart?
Kempin has been starting pretty regularly for Los Dos but he was also needed as the backup with the full team on Sunday. I don't think Lopez has passed Sneddon; maybe it's a time share. Both have looked shaky at times.
Just watched the game: 2-1 win. Seems a little better. Mendiola looks more comfortable and engaged as a forward in a 4-4-2. Justin Dhillon with a goal. He certainly looks the part and seems to better at positioning than Amaya, but has a soft shot which I think could limit his upside. 16 year old Jorge Hernandez played the right wing and had some nice moments. Defense still seems sloppy and that's something that the players need to figure out before they move up to the next level.
Soccer News: #LosDos sign Alejandro Covarrubias: https://t.co/O4a5X7JFR7 pic.twitter.com/FHU7jMKJyA— LA Galaxy II (@LAGalaxyII) May 18, 2017
Very odd. I wonder what happened at OKC? He is a local kid and is part of the original Los Dos squad. Maybe we are helping him out
I can't imagine we are just helping him out, since we could employ him to help run the Galaxy summer camps or something like that if we just wanted to reward his service to Los Dos. Perhaps they decided they needed some kind of stabilizing force in the middle to even allow the kids in other positions to develop, but hard to believe he is the key guy for that.
Good thing we had that veteran presence of Covarrubias. A rookie might not have picked up two yellow cards and shown the exit in a 1-1 draw.
My recollection is that he was a fairly reckless player in his prior stint with G2. They have to have known that when he was signed. Only conclusion I can come to is that they were short of players and he is cannon fodder.