Got a late one up in Cascadia this weekend. Sounds like Croizet, Medranda, and Sinovic are probably out.
-- Salloi -- Rubio -- Russell -- ------- Kuzain --- Espinoza --- ----------------- Ilie ----------------- -- Lobato -- Bes -- Ike -- Zus -- Or possibly play Russell at AM and start Gerso at right wing.
No Chara for Portland. They've been pretty bad apparently without Chara over the last few years, he's missed like 15 games and they have just 1 win in those games.
However... https://www.stumptownfooty.com/2018/6/4/17426412/timbers-without-chara "We beat SKC without Chara in 2016 3-0." Chara got a red in the 12th minute for hitting Benny, but they proceeded to go ahead and beat us by 3 anyway after Mustivar also got a red.
So Mustivar to the bench for this one! I really think that Kuzain has been amazing. But he's 19. Do we really start him in what would essentially be his third full match in a week? They have the body recovery tech that makes my guessing kind of pointless, but in young players, overuse is how injuries tend to derail promising careers. Given the coming break, it's probably fine, but it is a concern for me. After last weekend, I'm not sure how we move Salloi out of the CF spot. He started there, we put up 4. Why change what worked? Gerso seeing more field is a good thing, as well. I think he needs to play himself into goalscoring form. That said, I love the fact that nobody is panicking about Lobato. What a difference a week makes.
I think PV has unlocked the secret about how Lobato needs to play. The guy has really stepped up his game and is kind of fun to watch.
Man, Atlanta, Columbus, NYC, and Red Bulls all dropped points today. That's a huge opportunity just waiting to be taken advantage of...
Lindsey is struggling a bit, especially trying to cover Valeri. Kuzain is holding his own, but Portland seems to be getting the better of the midfield. Salloi needs more service.
Honestly, that was an enjoyable game to watch. Excellent goalkeeping on both sides. End-to-end attacking. Lots of good possession and passing. Those are two really good teams and I thought it was a good match. Considering all the injuries we have right now, it was a fair result. Too many 3rd stringers and SPR guys on the field. If we have something closer to a first choice starting XI, I think we sneak a win there. Let's hope guys can get rested and healed before the next league match in two weeks.
The Audi numbers reflect pretty much what we saw, a very even, pretty high quality game. Both sides were scored in the high 3000s, SKC 3833, Portland, 3765. I wouldn't have expected Lindsey to be our highest rated player, but he did get more and more comfortbable IMO as the game went on. true, he got schooled once early on, but it was a really encouraging defensive effort, and he put in a nice two way shift. I didn't think he was too dangerous in the attack. His points were created through clearances, interceptions and, well, passes in the opposition half. Aside from him, Zusi had a Zusi performance. Was watching the Portland broadcast of the game, and their guys, including Borchers on the sideline, tossed in on at least half a dozen occassions, "Zusi is the best right back in MLS." At one point, they compared him to the Afful, but quickly overruled that notion. Salloi's numbers are interesting. They weren't at all bad, right around average for a decent MLS outing, but they show a guy who did quite a bit with very little involvment. Almost no negatives. The only bust in Audi number terms for SKC was Belmar. Also interesting that the numbers show that Attinela had a better night than Melia. I'd disagree with that. Also, on Kuzain, I thought he looked so much more at ease last night than he had in his previous two outings. Before I was thinking he's doing quite well for a SPR callup, but this time he really looked like he's become a part of the foundation. Also, overall I really like the Portland broadcast team, they're smart and clearly know the league well. but they noted on a couple occassions how much SKC is missing Croizet. Kuzain's numbers were pretty much exactly what we'd see from Croizet, though the eyeball test gives Kuzain a huge edge, IMO.
Thanks for summarizing those numbers for us after each game, I enjoy reading your comments since I can't be bothered to go look at the numbers myself...
so with besler exiting with a soft tissue injury, that makes at least 3 now that have suffered that type of injury in just over a week since vermes said he was going to push them in training after that columbus game.
Did kuzain ever give the ball away in midfield in a terribly sloppy manner, then stand and watch the other team run down the field and build an attack to score against us? No. Well then, advantage Kuzain.
Kuzain looks very self-assured on the ball. Is his best position a box-to-box CM, or an actual DM? Is he Roger’s eventual replacement? Ilie is only 27 so I hope he’s not going anywhere for awhile.