With Acosta getting called up to the USMNT, you have to believe that Javi Mo has locked up the spot next to Gruezo for the remainder of the season. With Fig off to Honduras, I want Hollingshead starting at LB.
Too true, but at various times before things fell apart, this team was able to often plug and play - some times at laughable levels. For the amount of talent and consistency this team had shown in the prior year and a half, I just don't get how the wheels fell off so much. So I absolutely agree consistency is huge, but its not the only cause. What I don't get it what are the other causes? I am honestly asking - I don't have a clue...
One theory that could make sense is the team (actually the whole club) maybe suffering from too many distractions. Dallas has become “scout city” from the youth groups to FCD. So many players (maybe even coaches) are constantly thinking about where they are going next and not playing in the present. It can become a viscous cycle where players pull out of tackles so they don’t risk injuries or perhaps become a little too selfish to increase their personal stats. It doesn’t take much to throw off team chemistry if that kind of mindset sets in.
I can totally see that. Add in the inconsistent availability of Diaz and how that impacts players like Gruezo, Lamah... a mess.
You have to wonder if Oscar himself is distracted after the Orlando City roster snafu. Could people be whispering in his ear that he is in line to replace Bruce Arena should the USA falter in qualifying? If the players sense that is a possibility, then that would explain uneven focus and results.
We asked and got "no comment at this time" from the club. gut tells me they're guilty, unknowingly committed the offense, refs bonked and missed it, and the league will come out with a statement soon clarifying what happened and if there will be a penalty.
Has anyone discussed that Acosta has missed almost half the MLS season. Acosta has only started 15 matches for FCD during MLS play with 3 added marches off the bench. Javi Mo has also barely played. Not to mention Diaz. That's 3 of your top playmakers barely playing together, or missing significant minutes. Now Pareja has to figure out how to get them on the field together. I think that FCD has finally found a way to get Diaz and Javi Mo together on the field together in the last 2 matches. Now FCD has to figure out a way to also get Acosta on the field alongside both Diaz and Javi Mo. I don't think there's any time left to figure that out, so I expect Javi Mo and Acosta to be interchangeable at the same position from here on out. Also, FCD switched to a 5-4-1 against Orlando, with Acosta at Right Back. I have a feeling that the 5-4-1 may just be the way to get Diaz, Acosta, and Javi Mo on the field together going forward, but more of a mid match switch type deal.
Not my sense on the referees. Poking around a few places, I am not seeing the kinds of reactions I normally see when referees make mistakes. Rather, I think this is more like the French Gaiana incident from the Gold Cup (where pretty much everyone knew from the beginning of the match FG was playing an ineligible player and the game would be a forfeit, but they played it anyway) - the referee's job is not to inform, it is to record and report. I could very easily see the crew (which was not a group of rookies) simply taking the information from the team and managing the game, leaving the repercussions of playing an ineligible player to the league.
Not this specifically this, but did post a story at DMN two weeks ago pointing out that Pareja's "Best 11" played together for the FIRST TIME EVER in the home game against Seattle. (this assumes you can agree that 11 is, on paper, his best).
We will be posting an exclusive interview with OP about the Barrios/Tesho pre-game hullabaloo. We've been asked to wait until the league makes their announcement. 3rdDegree.net
This....FCD needs to get Javi, Diaz, and Acosta on the field at the same time. Love the attack with Grana, but he is a real liability on defense. Periodic mental lapses by all the other backs has been a big problem as well. The Colman bust is probably the nail in the coffin. If they make the playoffs, the run will be short, but the sales pitch for next year will be grand....welcome to the heartbreak that is FCD. Scipio probably has a great quote that can sum this up better than most.
lol, if you ever wanted something to accelerate Kellyn's desire to skip town, have him start at RB. oh, and that laughing sound you'd hear is from Klinsmann.