I think it just means that the players commanding $6 million/year are well-known commodities. There is lots of video on their play, lots of information about their character, and lots of reports about them as teammates. The diamond in the rough from Central or South America (or Africa) is where you need quality scouts or inside sources to check the on-field and off-field information and it is usually hit or miss. Indeed, when you sign those players you usually are getting a tip from an agent (who is obviously biased) and trying to get a read on them from anybody you know who happens to have a connection to their current team or league.
What he said. There's probably 30-50 people who fall into our target range and I assume Chris Klein and his people keep tract of them all.
Good, gritty win that shouldn't be underestimated. We're starting to show the hallmarks of a team that can win MLS Cup and by late in the 2nd half, it looked like FC Dallas were doing their best to keep us at bay. I think Bruce deserves a lot of credit for this one as his gameplan worked very well. If not for what was, in all honesty, a pretty flukey goal it would've looked like a comprehensive win away from home in pretty hostile territory. In fact, I can't remember the last time we won in Dallas in the last few years in general. Some kneejerks: Keane: Pretty great game from him, even by Keano standards. If there's one "complaint" I have about Keane, it's that he checks to the ball a bit too often instead of attacking space. He's got several great playmakers around him now and sometimes he slows things down by dropping back for the ball, especially on counters. Zardes: Chose a bad time to do a Jozy Altidore impression on that 50-50 with Hollingshead but otherwise had a good game I thought. He had a brilliant touch to get around Hollingshead on the touchline and probably should've done better with his pass there. I called it before the match, but I think we'll get used to seeing Gio and Zardes switch both ad hoc during transitions and tactically later in games. Omar: Great game from him, I thought. Made a lot of key stops and really seemed to get under Perez's skin. Hasn't been as great getting forward and passing lately, but he was vintage Omar on D the other night. In general, I thought the defense was tight and didn't look as flimsy or accident prone as in recent games. FCD's goal was a little lucky resulting from some impressive individual play and AJ tackling the ball around Ricketts. Gerrard: Had a couple world class tackles (though it seemed like one was to cover for a bad giveaway) and did some less spectacular stuff to quietly keep the midfield together. I kept waiting for a bullet from just outside the box that never came, but I think I'm a bit more miffed by the terrible giveaways in midfield. Admittedly, I go back and forth on how I should evaluate Gerrard, but I think, for example, if LD or Keane (or Juninho or Sarvas, for that matter) had had those giveaways, we'd be chewing them out as well so I don't think it's unfair criticism.
The heat must be getting to people. There's also a ton of comment s about the officiating and how it screwed Dallas. I watched the replay and can't see any calls (or calls) that were blatantly the bad. Gerrard's "handball? Please... Hedges' "goal" for Dallas? Three guys were offside. Did I miss something? Or am I wearing my Galaxy goggles?
I don't think you missed anything. There were no egregious calls in that match. This match was actually a prototypical Galaxy road win when the team is playing well. Teams always come out of those games feeling like the "should have won," but somehow Arena-coached teams win a disproportionate number of games like this. Over the remainder of the season we'll find out if this game was just a fluke and we "stole" the points, or if the team has rounded into form.
Yeah. This. And the bottom line is, we have Robbie Keane to finish chances, and they don't. That's why he's been the most-impactful (I just made up that word) import into the league. He can have a crap game for 70 minutes, finish the winning goal, and all of a sudden you've got silverware. He's a special commodity in this league. He really only needs one chance to turn a game around. There's more players like that coming into the league every year, but until someone else powers his team to some Cups, he's just the best in the league at being the scrappy, tricky, scoring forward that everyone wishes they had.
Soccer is like that. The "better" team doesn't always win - in fact, in a close game it usually could go either way, and being "better" doesn't matter. Putting in a good effort, getting good possession, more shots on goal - unless the shots on goal are wildly divergent, which they weren't in this game, that means nothing. Who's to say that if we were still tied or behind for most of the second half that we wouldn't have dominated possession and shots, and Dallas would be the team to make a bunch of defensive plays?
I come in peace, but this was worth sharing with you guys. @Omar4Gonzalez recorded 18 interceptions in the game against @FCDallas . Good lord! #FCDvLA http://t.co/AHusn6aJmR pic.twitter.com/IaoWdjO8mx— David Windmueller (@DWindm) August 18, 2015
Don't know if anyone saw this, but Blas Perez got fined by the DC for simulation in this play against Omar in last week's game: http://www.mlssoccer.com/video/2015...-vs-la-galaxy-disciplinary-committee-decision I wonder if they retroactively give him a yellow for that as well.
I don't think he gets a retroactive yellow but he should have been suspended a game or two if they want to stop this crap. Stuff like this is horrible for the game.