3-2 win for the good guys. Up 3-0 at the half playing 4-4-2?!?! Patty Mullins looking good. Second half.... not so much. Honestly, we got lucky to survive for the win. NY had two great chances in the final 10 mins that they blew. Armas tried to get too clever, and ultimately it cost his team a loss. I put the loss on him and his inexperience. If NY plays there regular 4-2-3-1 and not the weird 5-2-3 from the start, they would've won. I'll take it though! And Santos still sucks.
I'll take the win as well. NY likes to pressure but does not like pressure. NY likes to play physically does not like contact. Santos needs to go.
You had to laugh when Parker and Robles whined about Trapp closing Parker down inside his own box midway through the second half. Oh that was a foul, was it? That's your entire "system," guys. Honestly, Rick Pitino could've replaced Marsch.
We were so close to killing off the game but missed our opportunities. Almost came back to bite us. Our wide players are trash.
Santos with an assist on the first goal, and a "virtual assist" on the own goal (It would have been a tap in at the back post if it hadn't been deflected in).
I swear this 5-2-3 is the new hot chick, I see so many clubs using it now, yet everyone calls the wide players midfielders when they're almost always fullbacks. I rarely get hung up on formations anymore but this one sticks in my craw. Been trying to find it tonight (I swore it was in Gullit's book but I must have seen it somewhere else), but the basic idea is that three CB's do very well against a lone striker or 3v3, but can be vulnerable against a partnership. And with so many now committing to three in the middle, I won't be surprised if we start seeing more strike partnerships again, if only until the next genius tactical shift happens.
It's one of those things the league did when they first started and became a cancer and outdated. Sort of like Alexi Lalas.
Preview: our game winning goal was an own goal. So really we should have ties 2-2. NYRB beat themselves today with poor strategy in first half.
Well, to be fair, that's 100% what happened. Once NY went back to their regular tactics, they whipped us. Honestly, should've won, at the very least drawn.
I missed it! I am at the beach for the week! Big win though. Looks like we have a pretty sold stranglehold on 4th place in the East.
Maybe it’s the rum. I’ve been fairly consistent in my opining that a Berhalter led Crew will always be around 4-6 in the East. With Lady Luck smiling on us we may wind up towards the top of that projection!
So what does your rum-induced vision quest show for the playoffs? Yep. I think Armas learned a lesson tonight. He looked at the schedule, saw it was the Crew on the road, and thought he could give BWP a rest while the rest of the squad took care of us. A starting BWP probably nets 1-2 goals in the first half given all that possession.
The art of successful prognostication is not in going out on limbs, it is at looking at the data in front of you and letting that data inform your decision.
Did anyone else notice how the Facebook page was using commentary/video from MSG...as the game was going on?
To the glass half empty crowd, or realist fans, or however you prefer to be identified - I can't imagine the strength you all have, to press on through life when all you can see is clouds. We picked up a remarkable three points last night. Pipa gets another week of rest, while we snag 6 points. We've had some thrilling wins this year. It's been a ball. I'm not sure if it is just me, but the tone and outlook of these threads do not mirror the sentiments of the larger fan base I encounter. The people I talk to seem to be happier. For me, last night's win was another great page in this madcap story.
Sure, a 3-2 win on the road against NYRB is a great result. Period. It's even better when you literally only see the score and didn't watch the game. Because in the game, while the Crew did try something new, and it worked great, Chris Armas lost his damn mind and changed formation to some weird ass 5-2-3 or 5-3-2 or something. BWP and Kaku didn't start, but that didn't hurt as much as the crazy tactics. And when Armas regained his sanity, and switched back to the normal formation, and brought on Kaku and BWP, they absolutely smashed us. Into tiny little bits. They could have easily scored 4 goals. Easily. Could have had 5 or 6 semi-easily. GB had zero answer except to bunker like hell, and draw up the fabulous tactic of Royer or whoever kicking the ball straight into BWP while he's laying on the ground in front of an open goal. Great final result, great first half, disastrous second half.
"I love winning man, it's like... better than losing." This was an unexpected win against a team that was 8-1-1 at home before this match. I'm happy we won and take great pleasure in it. I am also able to say that we got a bit lucky, had several players with poor matches and Armas making a poor couching decision might just have been the difference. The post game thread is the place I come to discuss the game with others that watched, give my thoughts on what I saw and get an insight it to what others saw that I may have missed. "Yay, we won, we're the greatest team ever! MLS cup in inevitable if we play like that!" is not what I'm after here. As others have said, Santos, despite a couple nice free kick deliveries was just plain bad. He got beat up a bit for sure but he and Hansen just aren't making good attacking decisions when they have the ball. Things broke our way and the players took advantage. Mullins is a nice addition, it was a great header for his assist and every touch he took on his breakaway goal was perfect. Steffen made a couple very nice saves early that kept things clean when it was just 1-0 that made a big difference. We hung on and come home with 3 points. My pregame question of whether we'd get a 12th scorer before on of our guys with 1 goal (10 dudes not named Pipa or Zardes) get their second was answered. Mensah got his first for 12th and Mullins made it 13th a moment later. We now have 11 guys with 1 goal. Our midfield and defense each have scored 5. How can we get these wingers to start scoring?
NYRB tried a plan that backfired. We were good enough to take advantage. Bad or even mediocre teams aren’t able to take advantage when their opponent gives them a gift like that. At least not consistently. The long term problem for us is knowing we will have to face them in the playoffs eventually. I doubt they’ll make that same mistake twice. In the short term, we have had all kinds of bad form on the road and anything that helps rid us of that form is especially welcome and a positive.