This has been driving me crazy too. An odd bit of context is that he was the starter for the U20s in 2017, over some players who are clearly superior (namely Reggie Cannon, who has probably been the best overall right back in MLS this year). Now he's starting over Acosta, who was seen as a national-team level player as recently as like 3 months ago. So for whatever reason, two coaches in a row have seen something they liked in Herrera and started him over players who are superior on paper. He's clearly doing something right - I just can't figure out what it is.
This team? No. This RSL team is exactly where almost any coach would have them. Fighting for a place in the playoffs and not much more. A world class coach might have them comfortably in the playoffs right now but in all honesty this team needs to improve it's roster. Whether RSL does or does not make the playoffs I would keep Petke for next year with the hope that some very necessary roster improvements are made. I think Mike could actually become a great coach but that only happens with time and would give him a little more. Waibel on the other hand.
Our defense is sigh-inducing. First goal was particularly telling. In an ideal world, Lennon or Besler BOTH have that runner covered, but both were ball watching rather than minding runners. A competent, experienced center back would bail out lennon, but the point I want to stress here is that Lennon is currently a defensive liability. The 2nd and 3rd goals of PTFC similarly had attackers with wayyyyy too much space. Our fullbacks are young, yes, but come on. The defensive positioning was lacking. Maybe either lennon or besler can eventually become something good for our team, but both together is a calamity for our scorelines. Add in as mentioned that Beckerman has lost his closing ability and Sunny is erratic, and kreilach not a true d mid, our defense is a shambles. Our entire defense is rotten. Portland didnt win because they were brilliant. Portland won because our defense was swiss cheese. idk why petke keeps playing beckerman. I think he is too attached to his favorite player who says all the right things (and fails to perform). Many other coaches, world class coaches have this same flaw, so I cant really use it as a reason for his ouster. I agree with the general sentiment, Petke deserves another year. However, he needs to take a chance and be more honest with his biases. As an aside, I typically find refreshment in his candor. Also, Savarino has a selfish streak just like Saucedo. I know its hard in the moment, but Savarino stops looking for teammates far too often. mostly I am just sad and frustrated.
Athleticism Herrera is about as close to a freak athletically as this team has right now (which is a whole other story).
Also, he’s noticeably improved. IMO of the Boffo/Acosta/Herrera group he’s the most applicable example of young guys just needing time on the field to properly develop. I think he has a great future.
Americans have a fascination with athleticism... we believe the skills can be taught late. But, the evidence the world over is contrary to this.
Mike Petke is a young coach, he's going to make mistakes. But to remake the same mistake as often as he does makes me think he's not actually learning from those mistakes. Take the starting XI in this game. It almost the exact XI we had during the really rough patch of games in which the tactics were all wrong. We thought maybe Petke had learned from this, he realized you can't play KB next to Kreilach, he realized Sunny is needed from the start, he realized that Besler should only be used in emergencies... nope Further, you would think he would have realized that his tactics that he used to start the season (avoid the midfield) were not the best tactical approach for this group, regardless of who the other team is. But no. I felt like I was watching a tennis match whenever RSL got the ball. We would pass it a few times along the back 5* before launching forward in the air to the front 5. *Petke's instructions, again, were to drop KB into a 3rd CB role while pushing Kreilach and Rusnak forward* This played into some of Portland's biggest strengths and just made absolutely no sense. There was a gaping hole in the middle of the field where Valeri was allowed far too much time and space and we paid for it. I was really hopeful that Petke would see the wrong in his ways and make the change at half, at the latest. But no. The same XI idiots come trotting out and the bullshit tactics continued. We should have been scored on just minutes after the restart. A petke staple of this team - we're garbage coming out of breaks. But then things changed if for no other reason than the players looked pissed off. Really, that seemed to be the only thing the team did right. They got mad about how poor they were playing and created a good goal It must be said that KB looks to have gotten away with one leading up to the goal. I went and rewatched the sequence where Guzman went down in the box - KB catches him very much on purpose. One of the most infuriating things about Waibel is that he has found players like Savarino and Rusnak. Two huge hits. But he can't do it again. And when he tries harder, things get worse. Portland's second goal is a comedy of errors from a team that was asked to launch the ball in this game after being told to maintain possession in so many others leading up to it. Glad's header is weak. It's to Sunny/Savarino, but it's weak. Similarly, the effort put forth by those two palyers (Sava and Sunny) is attrocious. The backline then proceeds to watch Blanco run into the box (this happened on more than one occasion) and score a great goal. But good god, did we put it on a platter. It is at this moment that Petke is given a chance to show he's learned from his subbing criticisms. He should be going to the bench to bring in the new CB for Besler (who is getting abused) or to go for it and bring in an attacking player fro Besler and go 3 in the back. Instead he waits. In fact, if you looked down at the subs, there is very little movement happening at this time. Apparently making the Sunny sub (in the 62', far too late in the game) was all he wanted to do So we give up the third goal. But lets be honest, the third goal might be one of the best team goals (and an insane finish) to ever happen in the RioT. Portland completed something like 8 or 9 straight passes, all on one or two touch, in our third. They made the red team look like cones. The most telling moment being when KB has a chance to make a tackle on Valeri and gets brushed by like he was a 3 year old child. I applauded the goal. If you didn't, even for just a few seconds, you need to take the RSL goggles off. That was pretty soccer. That was a hell of a passing sequence. That was an absurd finish. It deserved the celebration it got from their bench. It deserved true soccer fans saying "holy shit, well done". But back to the shit show that was RSL on the night: Petke, again presented with an opportunity to manage the game ********S IT UP. We're going to take Nick Besler, an already misplaced center mid playing center back, and push him to outside back in a 3 man backline?! In the process, we're going to take off the fastest player on our team that could cover ground, if nothing else, in the chance that Portland counters. I was laughing out loud at this point. Say what you will about Bofo (dude did just score two goals for the Monarchs) taking off Herrera was just flat out stupid. It is also worth pointing out that Petke waited 7 minutes to make that sub, our second of the game, AND NEVER MADE ANOTHER SUB. Seriously, what does he think happens to these unused subs? What about the performance of those players justified leaving them on the field? Mulholland is back on the bench but it seems the idea is to just have him jog around the end line in a penny. Luis Silva still plays for this team. I hate the guys game but holy ********, but him in. Why not give minutes to the new guy?! This team is not a playoff team. The players have the talent to be maybe 4th or 5th best in the West, but the management and such is that of an 8th place team, if not worse. I want the Galaxy to jump us. I want Waibel out. I want Petke out. This team is not going the right direction.
Also of note - on twitter afterwards (between watching/tweeting about the Utah FB game) there was discussion about the game, obviously. One person tweeted "still not on the Waibel Out train" and I replied "why not". This went down a rabbit hole that brought up some seriously alarming RUMORS. The most alarming was, when discussing why Besler was playing, it was stated that rumor is MSilva chose to sit out in this one after having a spat with Petke. Apparently MSilva posted on social media about some former Spanish teams and Petke was livid about it. The disagreement got so bad that MSilva is now in the spot of saying "screw this, I don't want to play". This might shed more light on the Onuoha addition. If this is true, MSilva is certainly gone this offseason.
I always look forward to 15 to 32's thoughts on the game. I'm still really learning the game but after seeing the starting line up even I was like WTF? No Sunny? KB & Kreilach back together again? This is going to suck. Without a massive amount of help from other teams for the last two games RSL is screwed when it comes to the playoffs and I totally agree that we would be better off not making the playoffs this season if it forces some massive reflection and changes moving forward. I like Petke and would keep him one more year only because I don't believe that the talent is top 3 in the West. 4-6 maybe. I wouldn't be upset if they did go out and find a more experienced coach with international experience but my guess is with RSL's track record a Petke replacement at this point would be lateral at best. I am also very sick of the drama. I'm guessing that it is a response to Mike's experience with Henry in NY. An over reaction to giving players too much say and control and he's not going to let some kid, Acosta, or often injured player in MSilva, dictate to him. That's very troubling. Also, I think that there is a little too much youth on this team at times making Mike probably a little more controlling than needed? Using guys like Acosta as examples for the other players but it's probably backfiring. I definitely want to see a new GM. That's for sure. But I do think that a new GM with experience handling coaches and team dynamics could go a long way in helping Petke become a better coach. I think he has it in him but it would be on a very short leash. And finally I would start using some of the talented young players to start collecting assets like TAM, BAM, HAM, CAM, or whatever acronym MLS is using to obtain quality players. For example I would trade Bofo in a NY minute. If he is as good as other people, not me, think then he should have quite a bit of value. We have plenty of short little guys that think they're the next Messi and can dribble for 20 minutes and then shoot a ball 40 yards over the goal. If there is another team looking for a guy like that lets get some TAM out of him. Same with Acosta. If you're not going to play him then at the very least don't diminish his value down to zero. Get him playing minutes and then sell his ass. That's what a good GM would do, right? I think it's been proven time and time again in every professional league in America that the best GM's collect and create as much trade able option as possible. The Jazz are a great example and I'm sure there are more. If memory serves I think Garth was pretty good at that as well. Regardless of what happens this season I don't want to see Bofo on this team next year. If he is really any good lets get something for him. Nothing feels me with more dread than to see Bofo getting subbed into the game. He brings nothing. Nothing to the game except for his ability to take the ball dribble at the the defender, cut to his right and then take a shot at, not on, goal. And by not on goal I mean 40 effing yards over the goal while players stand wide open waiting for the pass that never comes. It's like a disease with some of these young guys and Bofo is the contagious player. When RSL is playing lights out it's obvious that they are playing unselfishly but as soon as they find any success it's back to trying to win the game on their own. Of as I call it, Bofoing. I love that fact that we have an academy and an owner that spends like a drunken billionaire sailor but I would agree that it's not being used to it's fullest if we are losing good players left and right. Sign them and trade them if they want to be somewhere else. Sign them and loan them out if they want to be somewhere else. Not every player that comes through the academy needs to be on the Senior roster. Use them, create assets that can be traded or used to acquire players whenever the opportunity arises. I realize that this is a long un-soccer-educated diatribe but for crying out loud trade Bofo. Please. And after Saturday night I would suggest if you make a player the highest paid player on the team you should at least pass the damn ball to him.
I think my biggest issue is Petke not playing talented and expensive players and RSL never in the hunt for big names. I know RSL isn't going to land a Zlatan or Vela but it never seems that RSL is even in the running for more of the solid South American or Euro players. Maybe it's because too much money as locked into too many contracts but we should have a DP-level target striker (like an Adi or someone).