Zusi can play midfield, and we've got some decent backup options for right back in SAS and Ellis. But it's still a concern, no doubt.
Vancouver's last game was back on the 12th, so they will be well rested by Saturday. Meanwhile we might be tired, with going from east coast to home to west coast in one week. They are pretty mediocre, 2-1-1 at home. However we are only averaging 1 ppg on the road this year. So... happy with a point, ecstatic if we get all three?
By the way, @vividox, thank you for always just playing it straight with opponents' names in game threads. I think it's so juvenile when I read other team boards and they are always disparaging their opponents with playground name calling. Cows, Crapids, Cheesesteaks, Sporks, etc. Not that big a deal, I guess, but I like that we are above the childishness for the most part. Guys like Besler and Zusi would approve.
https://www.whitecapsfc.com/post/2017/05/16/get-your-popcorn-waston-vs-dwyer Interesting article on Vancouver's site regarding the Dwyer-Waston matchup. They almost give a wink-wink-nudge-nudge attitude, like, ok, fighting and bad fan behavior is bad, I guess, but when it's DWYER......
And it may be pointless. Dom Dwyer (knee) is listed questionable for tomorrow's match. He was hobbling around after Wednesday night's win.— Sam McDowell (@SamMcDowell11) May 19, 2017 Something something squad rotation.
Well, that was ugly. Second time in as many weeks where we've gone on the road, rested some guys, gone down a goal, then put our starters out then and asked them to kill themselves for 45 minutes to try to get a result. That's not giving anyone any rest. Espinoza looked particularly exhausted. Looked like several times he was picked clean just because he was half asleep. Melia was massive, shame the PK save couldn't mean more. At least we've got a week of rest now. Colorado is next week, and that has to be three points with the form they are in.
Consolation: Philadelphia 2-0 Houston NYRB 1-1 Toronto Montreal 4-1 Portland Atlanta 4-1 Houston Dallas 0-1 San Jose
The case that the east is now the stronger conference is beginning. Don't know that I buy it but this weekend looked like exhibit a. The point oabout Expinoza looking really tired. I think we can extend that and say all the regulars looked gassed. I think most of us would have been fine with a battling, if ineffective, effort by the bench. If we had to play Benny in the second half, why not sit roger? Upsides, Pasher showed a bit. He isn't ready for prime time, but IMO he showed promise, some speed, some aggression, and he was smart on a couple occasions. Opara got a rest, and IMO that's a huge plus. I will lost games now if we can keep him healthy for the end of end of the season. Melia is a monster. Blessing wasn't diving, and he was game as could be. He was not big and not strong, but he went at it, even if at times he looked like a 10 year old playing against his dad. The bottom line to me was that we're going to lose games, and this is one we could have predicted. As with Orlando, the goals were quality, esp the first one. And as noted above, we finished the weekend with the same gap we began with, so all well that ends well, I guess.
Beating a dead horse here but this game proved once again that: A -- We need another starting center back, and B -- Kevin Ellis is NOT a center back
I know it's fun to hate Kevin Ellis and all, but I really don't think we lost that game because of Ellis. His fault on either goal was not egregious, and he made a couple of crucial clearances to keep a few more from going in. He's never going to be a starting center back, true, but as long as you're not putting him next to Juliao it's not disastrous. Seeing Ellis, in this instance, was much more about getting Opara 90 minutes of rest than seeing Ellis, and I am 100% behind that. That all being said, we have to see EPB on this team after the U20 WC is over. With Besler (and/or Opara?) getting called up, if EPB still isn't playing, there is literally no reason to have him on this squad.
I don't hate Kevin Ellis. I am hating on PV for not playing Ellis in the right position and for not either using a center back from Rangers or buying an additional center back. Kevin Ellis is an outside back. And when he has been played there, he's done well. So, why not give Seth a night off and put Ellis over there? And why not bring up Didic or get someone else in the squad that actually IS a center back. We have seen this now for at least three years. This is just plain stupid on the part of the organization. And I know Ike needs a break. And I know PV wants players to be versatile. But sometimes PV is asking too much of certain individual players who fine in their true position. Yes, it is a long season. And this is just one game. But it is a symptom of a larger problem with PV. He thinks he has more depth than he does. Then he wears out his starters and doesn't rotate the squad with players that can also help the team win. Igor shouldn't even be in the squad. At best, he's a sub for Rangers. Pasher looked pretty good for his first start, but he is probably better suited as a left back. For goodness sake, why not put SAS in at center back instead of Ellis? At least SAS is tall and can deal well with crosses. He probably isn't center back material either. But why keep doing the same thing over and over with the expectation of getting different results. I could go on. Sorry for the rant guys. Thanks.
Ellis is too slow to be an outside back (especially in our system where they have to get up and down the field)... I don't know what games you've watched that he's played well at outside back because he's not looked good in any game I remember him playing there.
In my mind Ellis is the third or fourth choice anywhere on the back line. sas for zusi. Epb in the middle. Medranda or sas for Seth. He's a noticeable step back anywhere, but as a cheap utility guy he's ok. Last game I'm ok with him out there since epb is gone, but I still don't get the minnesota start, particularly with Igor too.
I'm not really sure how much I agree with this anymore. Ellis has seen a lot of time at centerback. He's serviceable at the position, but he struggles when he doesn't have any help. Any time we've put Juliao or Olum next to him he's been exposed. But if he's got Besler/Opara on his left and Zusi (or, historically, SAS/Myers) on his right... there is really not much more you can reasonably expect from a CB sub, IMO. Honestly, I think the reason this fan base has such a low opinion of Ellis is simply because we've been forced to play 3rd and 4th string players around him so many times over the last few seasons.
I know tooting this horn is not really apropos, but during our 3 losses, I have not been able to view the broadcast or even listen to the game on the radio. Every other home game I have attended, and every other away game I have watched. I have either been camping or driving back from camping each time. Sadly, Many of our weekend non-home games are weekends I will be camping, so I apologize if my completely coincidental and totally imagined bad luck lead to more lost points.