There I sat in a beach cabana on Mission Bay watching the game on my iPad when the people around me must have thought I was crazy when I launched myself out into the sand when Shelton hit that game winning shot. It was not like being there but Wow, what a comeback.
This is an impossible take for Croizet . Impossible to be correct bc he's so inconsistent . I don't recall a player who fluctuates so much intra-game. I believe it was Croizet who brilliantly set up Gerso for what should have been a goal. But I also believe it was Croizet who was a turnover machine and helped concede the midfield to Houston for the first 45 minutes. I like Croizet the person. I think he's a good guy and universally liked by his team. He's kind of goofy and kind of reminds me of Collin. I think he's a plus in the clubhouse. Regardless, he drives me up a tree watching him fumble around at times despite his clear skill.
I thought he was awful. Besides Gerso, the worst player on the field for SKC. He's had over a half season to figure MLS out but still looks lost at attacking mid. His pass completion percentage is abysmal for a center mid. Gerso....maybe someone could add a contract incentive to use his right foot? Dribble left, dribble straight, double scissors (still going left), and finally dribble out of bounds. Did I miss anything?
You also missed that Gerso's speed on runs without the ball pulled Houston out of shape, a lot, and creates a lot of little moments of panic. He's a constant threat, though as you note, with the ball he's a bit predictable from his natural side.
There was not much chatter about the play of the other Graham on the field, that would be Graham Smith. Personally, I thought he played a solid game while showing a level of maturity not usually displayed by a guy in his first MLS game. His passing and ball distribution was good and he seemed to pair well with Lindsey. I had never really seen the guy play before the Houston game, so I didn’t know what to expect. I thought Amor would play, but never got the full story of why Smith started instead. I’m not sure what the chances are for Smith’s progression to a regular in the game day 18, but the Houston game may have helped him toward that goal.
Sorry for neglecting Smith in the Audi breakdown. Statistically, I think CBs are about as hard to quantify for quality as anyone. But his overall score of 286 (nice, solid professional night) suggests that he was better overall than Opara (okay, no brainder on this one that night) and Fuenmayor, while not quite as solid as Senderos. The list of positives for him was pretty long, won aerial battle, clearances, pass success rate, etc. What that number does indicate is that statistically, he fit into our defense pretty (though didn't show anything exceptional). Against Portland, our CB scores were Besler 357, Amor 179. V MinnU Besler 759, Opara 440. C Crew: Opara 491, Besler 289 (they don't rate Open Cup matches)
First start - and a good performance considering. I did feel that he was very conservative with his passing. I honestly can't think of a single forward completed pass with maybe one or two even attempted in the first half (someone has stats that will prove me wrong ). Every touch seemed to be backward to Tim or sideways to Ike. He also got lost on marking a couple of times when Houston was on the break. Improved in the second half. Otherwise very solid. All in all, great first appearance and start.
He had a really good long ball early on. But really, mostly safe and early passes. I guess if you see Ike get caught and scored on early, you might get a bit more tentative. Thought he did well when the game was in front of him or on the wings. It was the offsides trap and getting turned that really caused him issues and showed his inexperience. Good save/bad shot from Manotas kept there from being a third goal allowed, and that would totally have been on him.
I am kind of disappointed at the chatter against Croizet and Gero. I thought they played well. Yes, Croizet gives the ball away at times. So, did Benny when he was here. I have a feeling Yohan will be better next year. I am also disappointed that no one is coming down on Opara. He's been pulling this crap all season. Someone needs to remind him that he was Defender of the Year — not ballhandler of the year, not midfielder of the year, not forward of the year. He needs to stop messing around with the ball when he's got two defenders around him. Get rid of it. Ike's giveways are much more damaging than Croizet's.
okay, while i spent way too much time trying to create an image I could place on this page demonstrating Smith's game, which was good, I failed. Click on this and go the field map, click off all Houston and SKC players, click on Smith then click on the distrubution and defensive stuff and you will get a map showing a pretty decent performance. I know I did. I think what I've put on teh page is a pointless little icon. Short version, he done good.