So we're going to be missing Zardes, Trapp, Steffen, Meram and Francis for the 3/23 Philly match. Meram has to travel to Iraq for games on 3/22 & 3/26 so it's possible he may miss the 3/30 ATL match too if he gets a lot of minutes and has a rough travel schedule. I think the others will be fine for that one though. The lineup at Philly will be an intriguing look into Porter's thoughts about the reserve portion of the roster. We'll see who is the legit backup GK (Bendik according to the lineups so far) and Forward (will Porter trust the rookie for the full 90 like he does Zardes). Assume Robinho slots into Meram's spot but what kind of leash does he (or Santos) have with no other wingers making the 18 yet, let alone having any minutes. Clark seems like the backup DM but is 90 min in the cards for him? Jimenez seems like the Francis replacement but I think that puts a lot of pressure on him. Or he could make this all irrelevant and make a formation change.
Ghana has a match on 3/23 which I believe is their final qualifying match for the 2019 African Cup of Nations. It doesn't appear they have another match scheduled in this upcoming window. While both Mensah and Harrison got the call for the last fixture in the tourney, neither were called up for this match. http://www.espn.com/soccer/african-...tory/3799004/2019-afcon-qualifiers-key-squads
It will interesting to how many points are lost due to missing starters for call ups...does anyone know the number of matches call ups will affect?
Two matches - March 21 and 26. GGG will probably want them in at least a week. After that, the Gold Cup starts in June, at which point we will have seen the last of Steffen.
experiencing sharp stabbing pains, queasy, some of my hair is sticking straight up without gel, overwhelming disenchantment, mild psychosis, and moving with the speed of a sloth.
Bendik will be our boy moving forward post-Steffen. At least we managed to get an experienced MLS keeper, a veteran. With an actual MLS defense in front of him, I am willing to dismiss that debacle in Florida to see what chops he actually has. We have some great experience at coaching up keepers. Let's see what Bendik can do, because it is what we are going to get.
I could see Porter and Co using the second half of the season as Bendiks opportunity to prove hes good enough to remain starter. If not....we shop in the winter.
Bendik has "journeyman" written all over him. He's a backup at best. I don't want the team to do anything desperate about much of anything right now but I'd make an exception for a keeper.
Bendik was solid when with TFC, been called up to (domestic) US squads. Put a decent defense in front of him, and he's serviceable for half a season. Sure, if he's a trainwreck, bring someone in during the summer. That being said, a winger and depth signing at CM is more important right now IMO than a new GK. Spring/Summer 2019: Starting caliber winger, CM that has potential, but can also play now Winter 2019/2020: Starting caliber GK, starting caliber #10 (or equivalent is there is a formation change), starting caliber winger if both Meram and Santos leave. I'd expect Valenzuela to be back. I'm fine with Afful for another year as long as he's decent. Mensah and Sauro ditto.
Not really, but I did see this: I spoke to a couple of #Crew96 sources that told me Zack Steffen has been dealing with a minor knee injury for a while. It sounds like skipping #USMNT camp is just precautionary.— Patrick Murphy (@_Pat_Murphy) March 17, 2019
Well, come to think of it, it's competitive matches that count. These are just friendlies aren't they? I don't even know who the hell we're playing lol.
Opoku on loan: #Crew96 announced that the team has sent Eddie Opoku on loan to Birmingham Legion FC of the USL Championship. The deal is a game-by-game basis and Opoku can be recalled at any time.— Patrick Murphy (@_Pat_Murphy) March 22, 2019 He'll be with Birmingham Legion FC on a game-by-game basis. I hope he can get some time down there.
Do we have more guys out on loan then we have had any any other singular point? If so, this is just driving home the Crew 2 bus right?
Crognale on loan (I searched but did not see this anywhere) with Indy as of March 15. https://www.indyeleven.com/news_article/show/1004578
Yeah, we've got four guys out on loan now: Keita - Richmond Kickers on March 6 (game-by-game) Lundgaard - Pittsburgh Riverhounds on March 6 (game-by-game) Crognale - Indy Eleven on March 15 (game-by-game) Opoku - Birmingham Legion on March 22 (game-by-game) USL League One hasn't started play, so Keita hasn't had a chance to see any action. Lundgaard made the bench for the Riverhounds at their season opener. Crognale and Opoku haven't had a chance to play, obviously. I hope they all see significant minutes, although I'm guessing Lundgaard won't. I guess we may also want to keep an eye on Rafael Mentzingen, our fourth round SuperDraft pick. He's kinda, sorta on loan. As I recall, he is going to spend the season with Lansing Ignite to get more pro experience and potentially join the Crew next year. We had five guys go out on loan to Dayton at one time in 2014. I had the pleasure of eavesdropping on one of the guy's parents at DOC Stadium while they were complaining about their son being sent down to the Dutch Lions. But, yeah, I wish we had a USL League One side, like, yesterday.