he looks very shifty in midfield and picking out smart passes he's playing better than I remember last seeing him
For as much of the talk about arriola, I think joe corona has been playing just as well and deserves just as much attention.
Well, Arriola was taken out a while ago, he looked tired (69'). Necaxa scores again, guided by that master of the counter, the Chilean Edson Puch --who scored two versus Mexico in the Centenario 7-0 rout.
FWIW, Corona made U.S. Soccer's official weekend wrap for players abroad, after being left out for a long while. (Note, a guy like Caleb Stanko is off the list after being on the list under Klinsmann.) Corona hasn't been capped since the '15 Gold Cup but apparently is at least under watch by Arena.
There's been a lot of talk about the #10 position since Bruce took over, but his best options right now are over 30. I have been trying to figure out the best fits for 2018 if age catches up with Kljestan, Feilhaber and Dempsey. Nagbe comes to mind but Bruce seems to like him wide. Do people think Corona fits there? I believe Klinsmann has tried him there before.
Corona killed our attacking moment under Klinsmann. I doubt he could be useful, unless we tried to switch to tiki-taka for good.
He played there with the U23's and while he finished very well he didn't show the ball retention, chance creation, or playmaking skills that spot normally requires. He has 10 career goals and 14 career assists in 125 games worth of minutes.
Joe Coronoa is a "playmaker" light to me. His versatility allows him to create at a reasonable rate at a more than respectable level like Liga MX, but it doesn't define his skill set and I don't think you can depend on him as a 10 at the international level. I would like to see him back in the fold as added depth, I think he could be serviceable at a number of MF positions.
I think he would be another option as an 8 in the 4-1-4-1 in front of Bradley or Dax. He's more positionally disciplined than Jermaine Jones. Well, that comparison is an insult to the term positionally disciplined. Joe Corona is disciplined. He has a good portion of bite in the tackle and touch on the ball. He won't create like Lletget but he's able to control space physically at a higher level. He's really playing well for Xolos right now.
Starts: Our First XI vs. @PumasMX in Week 7 @LIGABancomerMX 2017 Clausura. #GoXolos #WeAreSoccer #FuerzaYasser #ligamxeng pic.twitter.com/1I75oGV50W— Xolos (@xolos_en) February 19, 2017
Non-descript performance from Joe, but he was really steady as always. He's not responsible for offensive creativity in Piojo's system, which is based on width from wingbacks and the hold up play of their #9 Argentine Milton Caraglio. Especially on the road, they look to contain and keep shape, and uncoil on the counter. It worked great for 70 minutes, up 3-0 on three ridiculous goals until it all fell apart and finished 3-3. Joe was not a part of the collapse, he subbed out immediately after the 3-1 (although he could have done a little more to defend the header on the first goal, which came from a corner.) Point is though, he is an absolute fulcrum in this midfield, and has been from the third game when he started in Xolos 1-0 win at Chivas, a run of 5 league matches now. It's him and Guido Rodriguez partnering there in the middle, in front of a back three when the wingbacks go forward. (Arriola is the wingback on Joe's right side). Victor Malcorra provides width on the left, and Colombian Aviles Hurtado, who is an absolute badass, roams all over the field underneath Caraglio. So Joe stays home, he doesn't need to go anywhere. When he came out in the 72nd, you could see the shape buckle. He is really really solid Subtle to a fault. Physical, endurant, positionally flawless. This was not one of his best games really, but his consistency is notable. This is the midfield where Juninho couldn't get a game last season and came back to the Chicago Fire. One of the best squads in Mexico over the last 9 months and Joe Corona is right there in the middle of it.
Midfield wasn't lining up that way in the first part of the game though. I agree he was completely solid but you could see the strange shift in defensive formation befor 50 minute mark... do you agree?
Cross post from Arriola Thread: I'm frustrated with myself and others finding it hard to support our Liga MX players... Pretty much no one pays attention on Big Soccer. They are pretty accessible.... Anyone with thought on why this is?
Well the wingbacks really vary with how far they stay back, and Aviles goes anywhere. So sometimes it's a solid back 5 for a while and sometimes Corona drifts right. I think Pumas started being more aggressive and the game opened up severely the whole second half. I mean there were 5 goals that half, but I just think Xolos was absorbing more pressure and countering the space. It's a little bit asymmetrical, Malcorra is more aggressive than Corona and Arriola is more aggressive than Perez. Guido stays more central as a dedicated ball-winner and Corona shuttles. Sometimes Malcorra stays a lot higher for longer. I don't know, what did you see?
i guess none are goal scorers right. Maybe that has something to do with it. For me I only follow the PL. And if a Yank plays in Bundesliga or La Liga or Serie A I'll pay a little attention to those leagues (outside of course watching BM/Barca games).
Well you watch what you watch. I loved watching Edgar Castillo when he played for Xolos. I almost never watch him for Monterrey. I watched a few Puebla games when Herc was on his streak, but only caught Beaz a couple times. I watched Villafaña twice last year and Jose Torres a couple times for Tigre's when he hit back in the team. This season I wake up at 6:30 on Saturdays because I'm watching 2-3 Bundesliga games at once. I watch every Liverpool game. I used to watch every single Premier League game I could get my eyes to. But now I never watch anything. I haven't seen any Premier League team play anybody but Liverpool or a Champions League team in probably 2-3 years. If Efrain Alvarez were to sign for Toluca and makes in debut in a couple years I'll be glued.
I'm the same for Liverpool though games begin 445am on Saturdays for me. My enthusiasm for the CL hasn't been the same since they crashed out of years ago. I do enjoy watching Barca and i liked PSG when Zlatan was there,
Starts: .@xolos_en First XI vs. @Rayados: Week 8 @LIGABancomerMX #GoXolos #WeAreSoccer #ligamxeng pic.twitter.com/MTZjTtUHJJ— Xolos (@xolos_en) February 25, 2017
Starts: ¡Estos son los 11 Xoloitzcuintles que defenderán nuestro escudo a muerte ante @Tuzos! ¡A darlo todo, Xolos! #FuerzaYasser pic.twitter.com/Wzaz3nbRRD— Xolos 🐕 (@Xolos) March 4, 2017
Starts in Copa MX: .@xolos_en First XI vs. @ClubAmerica tonight in @CopaCoronaMx playoffs Rd of 16. #GoXolos #WeAreSoccer #CopaMX #FuerzaTijuas pic.twitter.com/Xp8eT6jUDL— Xolos (@xolos_en) March 9, 2017
#PorSiNoLoViste G⚽⚽⚽LAAAAAZO de Avilés Hurtado@atlasfc 1-1 @Xolos #J12CL2017 #LIGABancomerMX⚽ #SienteTuLiga ⚽ pic.twitter.com/lMHSSrZn0g— Liga BBVA MX (@LigaBBVAMX) April 2, 2017