Seriously depressing end to the season. I really felt we had turned a corner heading into the last two games. I really expected 4 points in those last games and good feeling heading into the home playoffs. Instead conceding 8 goals against non playoff teams is unacceptable. It removes any way of feeling that this season was a turning of the corner or a progress towards a better future. In the end, we end up essentially the same as last season. That is just unacceptable given the amount of resources that have been poured into this endeavor. I fully expect us to lose to Minnesota. I wonder what the off season brings.
MUFC are a very safe team LA W 16 D 3 L 15 GF 52 GA 43 MUFC W 15 D 8 L 11 GF 58 GA 59 They are anchored by an old Alonso and a very good Opara. They attack through their wings Quintero & Finlay or Ibara and Molina. We may be able to out score our way out of this match up or we may be sliced up on the counter. Who knows... luckly there is enough time between now and the game I coudl forget this happening
We don’t have to release him for a youth tourney I don’t think. I don’t care that we did. He wasn’t very impactful for us in my opinion. I think there is just as much chance of him being as disappointing as Freddy adu as there is of him becoming a superstar.
I get that. But he reminds me of Adu in the sense that he doesn’t have any elite physical attributes that most top athletes do. He’s not fast. He’s not strong. He’s not tall. When he has the ball he’s fantastic with it but it’s got to come to him. Not sure how that fits in with the modern professional game. I sincerely hope I’m wrong.
Good summary of both players. A certain amount of athleticism is required even in soccer. Messi is skilled af but he also is quicker than 98% of his opponents. CR7 has great size and speed. Ibra has fantastic size and strength. Most blame Adu’s failure as an attitude issue but like you I think the main issue was he was too small and slow for top flight soccer. And that didn't change as he grew into adulthood. And as you point out Efrain has his own athletic and work rate limitations. Hes young so it might get better, but Im skeptical.
I looked up our record against playoff teams, expecting it to be pretty bad. I was surprised when I found we were 6-3-3 this year against western conference playoff teams. (eastern is another thing: 2-5-0) We traded home wins and away losses with both FCD and Portland, won and tied against LAFC and MNFC, won both against RSL and tied and lost against Seattle. Though that tie was only on the flukey/bone-headed own goal, so we were 'this' close to 7-3-2. I feel about 50/50 on this game. We are capable of winning for sure, but God only knows what'll happen. Certainly, GBS will be pushing for a win, because... that's what we do. But please, boys, PLEASE!!!.... try and stay organized defensively! For the love of the game, will someone on the coaching staff sit down with the team and show them some game tapes of the mistakes and then work on a remedy? One of the things I was hearing on the last Corner of the Galaxy podcast was that the Galaxy push to win... and sometimes it backfires. Presumably that means sometimes it pays off too, and it equals out over time. I'd have to go back and check timelines, but I don't remember winning too many games with late goals... a few, but not many.... while it seems like I remember losing points on a LOT more, by pushing for the win. There just HAS to be a lesson in there, somewhere, if only the coaching staff could coax it out.
Matt Doyle pointed out Minnesota has scored 10 goals in their last 10 games. I'm sure our defense will help that stat out, but still, interesting stat.
And Adu was even better with the ball at that age. Although, in fairness, Efrain has definitely had his good moments this season... he seems to be a better passer and perhaps better vision than Adu.
I'm with you. I think every game from now on will be 50-50. Don't even want to waste time thinking about other so-called "statistical analysis".
Debbie Downer (or alternatively, more realistic) viewpoint here: Our overall record against playoff teams isn't the relevant stat at this point. What's relevant is our record in away games against WC playoff teams, and that was 1-3-2. 2019 LAG vs WC Playoff Teams AWAY 1-3-2: win: RSL draws: MIN, LAFC losses: FCD, POR, SEA HOME 5-0-1: win: MIN, POR, RSL, LAFC, FCD draws: SEA loss: none HFA is bigger in soccer than most fans realize. Blowing those last two regular season games was such a big mistake.
Mistake? That makes it sound like the Galaxy decided to lose. Missed opportunity is more like it. I can see the Galaxy winning at Minn and LAFC, but not at Seattle. Hopefully, if we make it that far, Seattle will already be out and we can play the WC Final at home. Yes, I realize that is a very rosy picture I'm painting.
Shortest Football Players in the World 2019 Alexis Sanchez (5 feet 6-1/2 inches) Joe Allen (5 feet 6 inches) Madson Formagini Caridade (5 feet 3 inches) Levi Porter (5 feet 3 inches) Maximiliano Moralez (5 feet 2 inches) Rui Gil Soares de Barros (5 feet 2 inches) Jafal Rashed Al-Kuwari (5 feet 1 inch) Marcin Garuch (5 feet 1 inch) Mauricio Cienfuegos is 5' 6''. Efra is 5' 8'' and as already pointed out only 17 years old. Same height skinny DaMarcus Beasley is BTW. Just saying.
These are the playoffs and much like derbys anything can happen. Stats are good and figures are useful to tell one side of the story. They do not speak to the human side of the story. Do stats tell us we should have won and tied LAFC this year or won and tied the Loons? Of course not. But there it is....
On the positive side, two of the three positive results we DID get were against MN and LAFC, the two teams we would face first.
Rumor is that Efra is out. He was apparently telling fans while signing autographs during the fan appreciation night that he wouldn't be coming back.
Seems even dumber now to start him in that match vs. Vancouver. Why would they do that if he had no future with club?