Union played a great 90 minutes. I am not one to usually say that. Complain about the lack of quality on the team but not that performance. 11 guys gave it their all and it just wasn't enough, even against a crap NYCFC side. They scored an AMAZING goal against us and an average goal. I hate being positive, but they did not beg for calls all game, and they genuinely played much better. BC and Fab, what a duo of guys I cannot believe Im glad to have in the 11 let alone the first team. First 10 games... Garbage. Scrapping 3 draws and a win. Terrible soccer. DC/NY, not good soccer pulled out wins. Okay soccer. DC/CBus/NYCFC 1 win, 2 losses.... Good/Very Good soccer. They are improving. Playoffs and season was over May 9th. Watching good soccer at home even if its a loss. I won't complain. I would rather watch that then whatever I can't even call soccer first 10 games...
Tonyunion - did you DVR the Wednesday night game and just re-watched it? I think the ball spent most of the time in the air from the Union side. CJ got to touch the ball twice with his feet (ok, maybe 6 times) They were back to stringing 2 passes together at a time. It was a HORRIBLE game.
Betcha dollars to donuts all those 5 or 6 were in our end. How low the bar has become on judging quality Union soccer...
I knew the moment I saw the lineup and it was the same that they were finished. I don't blame the players for this one. They did the best they could but simply ran out of gas in the second half. I blame the coach that refuses to change anything for back to back games. He didn't sub early when Columbus was beaten, and he didn't sub today when it was obvious that they were exhausted. So predictable.
So people bitchin about a lack of squad rotation....Who would you have started? Exactly...............And don't even think of saying that you would have sat Maidana, the Union are un-watchable without him on the field. If you say you'd have sat BC7........you're on drugs, and not the good kind either. Given the injuries and the fact that the Union have 10 days off now, what would you have done differently? The Union didn't play poorly tonight. T Mac's equalizer was a great strike, and you'd be hard pressed to find any keeper in MLS that would have saved that shot. The winner? Yeah that was weak. The Union just couldn't finish their chances or get a clean shot on goal tonight, but overall they played pretty well. That said....LT9 and Wenger need to go. They have ZERO chemistry with Chaco and Nogs, and offer nothing but horrendous first touches and decision making in the final third. Sadly as the quality of players in MLS keeps improving, players like LeToux are no longer as effective. Wenger has the talent, he just doesn't have that killer instinct (same thing can be said of Nagbe in Portland as well).
Le Toux and/or Wenger needed to start on the bench for either Pfeffer or Ayuk. That would've been one change. The two subs should've happened earlier since he didn't start them. They forgot that someone needs to be on the back posts for corners and/or crosses, and even if the bench was weak, make the damn last sub earlier than the 91st minute. As for their first goal, everyone kept backing off the shooter, of course when he's given all the damn time in the world and goes unchallenged, he's going to hit it well. Can't blame Sylvester but his defense hung him out to dry on that. Also, no reason Mullins should've been able to turn as easily as he did in the box. We didn't play like we did back in March/April but this was not a good performance. Tired, yes, so we'll chalk this one up to Jimmy C and hope he learns from it (not likely, but we have to hope).
Thank you very much for the tickets, @OwlSaver . The seats were gorgeous. Other than that, the loss is on Curtin. The left flank is non-existent with Wenger, also I suppose.
Curtin looks down at his bench tonight and besides Pfeffer, he really has no confidence in anyone else (attacking wise). It still baffles me that they loaned out Cruz. I'm far from his biggest fan, but you loaned out a guy that would be fighting for time and shooting for LeToux and Wenger's spots. He's 25 years old, he's not going to get any better on a loan. If he wanted to go somewhere else for better time, then you tell his agent to find a buyer and use the money to bring in another player. Instead you loan a guy out and thin your bench in a league that demands for lineup rotation in weeks like these.
This, plus the$500K tied up in the bone headed transfer for Little Tournament Guy...that coin, in the right hands could easily have purchased quality depth that could have made the difference yesterday....
No confidence in anybody? What about whem Ayuk bossed the right side of NYC's midfield in our first game against him? I have no idea what he has done to lose favor other than mot being local. Besides, Curtin built this team. If he is not comfortable with the depth, it is on him. Maybe he shouldn't have kept Fred and Hoppenot. Maybe he should have provided some of the fringe players actual minutes so they could contribute in these types of situations. It's all an excuse for how poorly managed this team is.
Substitute the word "anybody" for Cruz-and you sum up my sentiments. Curtin's lack of confidence isn't our problem. You have squad numbers for a reason. Pfeffer, Yuk, Jimmy (See him get up for that last header?) Ray all could have gone last night with CJ. Don't give me that who would you have started crap. Shove the Chaco stuff too. Curtin, who has already said he's going down with the ship that saved his job and the hell with the rest was so displeased by Late Night's "dog-in the days of summer" routine playing out in front of him again that even HE was willing to pull the plug & told ya all ya needed to know.........
Horrible going forward....Maidana and LeToux were utter shite! On a positive note,this Brian Carroll the Union just picked up is class! Observation: the NYFC player who had to helped off the pitch and then run back on....WTF is that?!?!? WTF is the deal with players hitting the ground faking injuries....where does that come from? Women fake less then this...it is utter fckin garbage that needs to be eradicated! Suarez did it yesterday in the Champions League final!! There is no class or honor or any kind of sportsmanship in it at all...its a total fckin disgrace and more needs to be made of it publicly....
The thing with Ayuk is the same we saw with Hoppenot. An unknown kid with speed who comes in and scores and everyone says he's the next great thing. But for now speed is all he has. Hopefully they take the time to develop him.
McLaughlin needs to do everything in this power to get to that cross. really didnt seem like he did. How funny is it that curtin would rather have no offensive sub than dress hoppenot?
His technical skills are better than most players on this team, he can and will take his defender on 1 v1, and his defensive skills are surprisingly good. He is no one trick pony like Hopp.
Was just reading the PSP quotes page and it struck me, I don't think I have ever heard Nogueira interviewed. Maidana had that fluff special. But those two are never quoted. No, we play em one game at a time or lord willing I can help the team. I think I'd enjoy hearing from the two best players the Union have. Et vous?
Gotta chalk this up to the absolute mystery of looking at the same thing and seeing something COMPLETELY different. Which Ayuk are you talking about? The one I've been watching in the few minutes he's been on the field has not yet shown any particular flat out speed and is just a tad wild in what he tries to do but has great ball handling skills, a fast recovery, pretty good vertical jump for his size and large cahones.
So funny observation. Home side AR screwed two offside calls (one for each team) in the second half because he couldn't stay with the last defender no more than 10 yards from the half-line. That's job #1 and you can't even focus on getting that right, maybe its time to hang up the cleats. Defense left Sylvestre hang out to dry on both goals, one being top-shelf A+. Too bad McNamara had to go all Third Rail and be a douchebag the last half-hour. Probably deserved a yellow or more for hitting Sheanon in the face in that sideline throw-in kerfuffle. Didn't matter, everyone saw the team was gassed because Jimmy can't figure out a rotation with what he has available. I can't wait for the stretch they go 4 games in 11 and have a cross-country trip in the middle. Should be fantastic...
gotta love the few clowns wearing Holland gear Saturday. If ever there was a time to not wear that stuff, Saturday was it also love seeing people who throw "ad finem fidelis" around leaving for the parking lot after NYCFC scored the second goal