Yea that and Rooney were the most important storylines to everyday fans in years and got <100 comments or whatever
So after nearly a hundred pages of posters sarcastically attacking simple Ben Olsen for saying a loss was due to his team not playing with enough bite, we finally get a real answer from a world-class player whose credentials can't be questioned. He's played for Ferguson, the Special One, a host of England managers and many more. He's seen and heard it all. So let's ask him. Mr. Rooney, what was the problem in the 0-3 beatdown we took in the last preseason game? “We didn’t play well at all, but also a bit of the fight in the team wasn’t there, which we need. We need to fight in every game like we did toward the end of last season to get to where we want to be.” “It was actually a good time for that to happen, just before the season starts. It’s a wake-up call and a reminder that, if we [want] to achieve good things this season, then we’ve got to make sure we’ve got that fight in every game.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...-put-dc-united-notice/?utm_term=.a542e95d2fb8
Its the preseason, I am going to get about this >< wound up about it. 4-5 games in would be an entirely different story. I have confidence that Rooney as captain will have everyone's heads in the right place from within the locker room, which I think we were lacking the prior season and a half.
So I ask myself -- who do I usually look to if I want to make sure the team is ready for a game mentally? Who's going to set the tone. The captain? The coach? I'm sorry, but enough on this. Part of being a professional is being ready for the game. The time to be talking about bite, or fight or any other rhyming euphemism for effort is BEFORE the game. Its preseason, and I'm not freaking out, but come on. Effort should be standard.
When you have a four goal lead and it is 11 v 9 why don’t you rest the two most important players on the team. Amarikwa was on the subs bench. Great time to give him a run out. I would’ve taken Acosta off and moved Rodriguez to the 10 spot and brought on Stieber. Taken out Rooney for Amarikwa. All after the second ejection. James
It's ǹot like Rooney has to expend a lot of energy. I liked the subs, and especially that coach used them all, no excuse not to.
Games are one week apart so far, and the players are all still gaining fitness. Rooney isn't showing signs of decrepitude or injury proneness. He will probably need to be rested at some point based on congestion, but I don't think resting him right now means we will be able to use him more later. Acosta on the other hand has been prone to over use injury, so I probably would have taken him off around minute 75.
I remarked to my son at the match last night that my strong hunch is that Rooney gets to call when he gets subbed. He is very efficient in his movement on the pitch and isn't running the flanks like Arriola and Rodriguez. Those two are the ones who will get the most miles. It's good to see Segura is in the mix as a regular sub getting substantial minutes. Nice to see Stieber as well, but he really is a luxury to carry at $1M a year. I think Segura is more versatile and Rodriguez can slide into the 10 spot, so Stieber really is the #2 sub a both wing and central midfield barring injuries. I would expect to see him move back to Europe in the summer. In MLS, if Kasper were to trade him, DCU likely would have to carry some of his salary -- better to let him go abroad and regain that cap space.
When the salary numbers come out, I wouldn't be surprised to see Stieber under $1M. I think I read earlier this year that his deal was pretty front loaded to his 2018 salary than 2019.
But, Stieber will move up on the depth chart when Acosta is likely transferred to a European team this summer.
Assuming Acosta is transferred instead of signing a pre-contract that would keep him with DCU unitl the end of December. However, if Acosta did leave in the summer, it would just move Stieber up to first off the bench behind Segura and Arriola (with Titi in the Acosta role). Also, if Acosta left, DCU might make another move to get Asad given his lack of playing time with Velez. Many variables for sure, but I still expect Stieber to be gone sooner rather than later.
I'm new to these boards . . .. you can thank me and my genius later . . .. but it is obvious that Ben Olsen is the greatest DCUntied coach since Ray Hudson!
I was curious how Olsen actually stacks up against all the other coaches the team has had in its history, especially with him in his 10th season as HC. His win percentage is 35% -- the lowest of any coach not named Onalfo, and a full 5% lower than the next lowest win percentage (Ray Hudson). He was able to amass this incredibly impressive record on the basis of 3 times as many matches as any other coach except Arena -- he only has 2 3/4 times as many games as Bruce.
Olsen does more with less, but his ceiling seems pretty low. Like Klinsmann, another guy who is oft disrespected, he has moments where his teams play beautifully. But mostly it's disjointed and hard to pinpoint a coherent system or style beyond grit. I do believe players like playing for him, and that goes a long way. Only in 2013 did I think the team just quit trying, and even then they won his only silverware. I keep hoping he'll surround himself with the right staff to lift that ceiling and get some consistency of vision (is this what Olsen lacks? Easy fix it he's willing to listen) and execution.
I think you are somewhat correct in that he has never had a staff that has helped him aside from a decent GK coach or 2. Chad Ashton has survived way longer than he should have. Players may like Ben still but I have constantly heard they never have like Chad. I think you are also right that they are always disjointed. Today was so lackluster and that happens often. I don't know if Ben will ever become a high level coach. I hope so but he has had a lot of opportunity to do so.
The Olsen you see, is the Olsen you will get until he decides to retire. After this long in the job, he's what he is -- a mediocre coach with a miserable won-loss record. He's capable of getting crappy players to grind out occasional results -- he is incapable of getting good players to exceed their previous accomplishments.