Should Benny consider starting Mattocks as the front runner against the Heifers? It would permit Rooney and Acosta to do what they do best, create, rather than being counted on to score the goals themselves.
No. I don't think sitting one of the Canouse/Moreno pair is worth it to get Mattocks into the starting lineup.
I would agree. We're getting enough offense most nights from the current formation with Rooney leading the line. Our back line still needs the help. Not to mention, putting Mattocks on the field necessitates Rooney falling back into the midfield which Everton saw last year killed his productivity and reduces creativity in attack. Not to mention he'll need to cover even more ground in the midfield than up top. I was cynical, but getting Rooney settled with the team has been like that point in Bull Durham where Nuke starts listening to Crash. The team is playing some beautiful ball and they're winning most of the games they should win. There were 2-3 interactions between Rooney and Lucho last night that were like nothing I've seen from this team prior to Rooney coming over. Mattocks is having a fine season, but he's only a finisher. Rooney (4) will probably not catching Mattocks' (10) tally, even if he gets himself a multi-goal game or two. However, Rooney, in significantly less time than Mattocks has had his hand in 10 total goals. Mattocks has no assists and frankly I can only recall one goal this year where he had to beat more than the goal keeper to score. I think many of us were skeptical that Rooney would bring the quality and be able to keep up with the MLS game and he's proven us wrong so far. I think there has to be at least a similar number who viewed Mattocks as guy who may or may not have had the kind of season he is having, but I'd venture a guess that most of us would be dubious about him repeating it. We all surely would have to pick Rooney over Mattocks to replicate the current form next year. The current formation and personnel are working. I don't think we should meddle with the front 5. I'd like to see Durkin continue to get minutes and either force his way into the lineup or earn a move that worth some real money.
I worked at NRL for a few years. I don't remember the smell. I do remember the water treatment plant and burnt out cars on the main road in. James
As to the subs. I find it interesting in the 4+ years prior to Rooney our sub strategy was incoherent at best. Now with Rooney we are making the right subs at the right times in games. Maybe Olsen suddenly had his eureka moment or maybe Chad was handling these type of decisions and now it is a conversation with Rooney. Ben brings up Chad's sub plan to Rooney in a casual conversation and Rooney tells Ben that it is ********ing garbage and Ben then asks Rooney what to do and Rooney gives him guidance. James
Having Mattocks and Rooney on the field together wouldn't/shouldn't push Rooney back to midfield (although that's where he was for much of the last two matches), but we would have to give up a DM or play with three in the back. One possible solution is to have Arriola play a hybrid RB/RM, while keeping Canouse and Moreno in the lineup. The Lucho/Rooney combination is exciting, but in a tight game (like our last two) Rooney has to go back and help out and it would be nice to have a Mattocks up high to keep the opposition from pushing too many players forward.
It depends on what decade you worked there. I remember smells from Blue Plains in the 70's but by the time the 80's came around it was a thing of the past.
Remember this weekend DCU gets Stieber and Moreno back and maybe Asad will be able to go for a few minutes as well. Olsen pushed all his chips in last night with the Mattocks sub, it worked and I said so earlier in this thread -- Olsen made the gutsy but absolutely correct call at that point. The team on the field wasn't going to stretch the Loons out and Segura just doesn't provide the width that even Stieber can provide. With Moreno paired with Canouse and Stieber on the wing with Segura as backup depending on the tactical situation, there is no need to start Mattocks. Depending on the situation, he is either a 30 minute or 10 minute sub. I hope it's 10 minutes because that means DCU is leading and Mattocks is there to poach a goal on a team pressing upfield for a score.
I don't believe Mattocks is a starter on this team with a single striker formation. That position requires someone who can hold and distribute the ball. Mattocks actually held the ball well a couple of times last night, but I believe that's because he was fresh and the defense was tired. If we went to a genuine two striker set up I would start him. As was mentioned in an earlier post. Everybody passes to Rooney (because they know he will bail them out). We saw the same things from Etcheverry, Moreno, and Gomez back in the day.
Here's one reference from the 90's which was virtually yesterday over the time frame from 79 to 2014 when we interacted regularly. The practice of dumping untreated sewage into the Potomac when heavy rains overloaded the system. We used to discuss the "odor index" in conference calls before deciding where we would meet. Crystal City and Clarendon were obvious favorites despite the natural aversion the civil servants had for pay parking https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...594-b6e7-fa2044492d0b/?utm_term=.fd7a8218c31c https://wtop.com/dc/2017/07/heavy-rain-raw-sewage-potomac-anacostia-rivers-likely/
The 90's reference has to do with making compost from sludge at Blue Plains not dumping sewage into the Potomac. Overflows during heavy rains do continue on the Anacostia and this is what the tunnels under construction are to prevent.
One definition of a good team is that it wins when not playing it's best. By that definition we're getting to be a good team. And let's not foget that we completely dominated the first half and with one goal would probably broken it wide open. I had a work meeting im Charlottesville yesterday and in late afternoon near Warrenton passed a car with plates something like Black and Red driven by someone clearly game bound. Anyone we know?
Couple of different subjects there, one dealt with the smell at NRL. I'm not as interested in where the smell came from as some seem to be but dig in (pun intended) there were plenty of references of sewage dumping into the Poromac from both sides of the river available.
Over here in Alexandria we are paying for the construction of shit tunnels to prevent discharge of same into the Potomac at Oronoco Bay. When my wife lived in New Guinea, the villagers threw all their garbage and shit of the cliff into the ocean. When she asked them if that made sense putting garbage into the ocean, they just laughed and said the ocean was huge. I think shitting the nest is hardwired into the human brain.
The first half was the worst soccer I have seen in a long time. Both teams sucked and so did the ref. Not "major league" I any sense of the word.