Is Dielna seriously the best choice for captain? Dudes trying to get us to 9 men. Need to get to the half scoreless then regroup.
Ok there goes that. So, dropped points in Philly tonight to start the year. Its not a question of if, just a question of by how much. Hopefully, they keep 11 on the field next week to try and get some points at home. It's been real fellas
One half of one game in, I am far from impressed. The defense has been a shambles both with 11 men and with 10. This doesn’t look like a good team to me. Conditioning may be great but they aren’t great players.
Even if you hire a cook who worked in more expensive restaurants, he can only add so much dressing to turn chicken shit turn into chicken salad. Eventually, you'll learn that the chicken salad is indeed shit.
The only positive thing I can think of right now is that at least Burns is sitting with J Kraft for this game Kraft gets to see first hand the job that Burns has done in signing players. I wonder if Kraft sees that we're not that competitive with a team that finished below us last year? Even when it was 11 v 11 we were outplayed. So we have Rowe on the bench and Lee back in Mass. What now Brad?
The Revs had some decent possession before the red, created a few chances, though early on it looked like neither team wanted to score, even when a player had the ball all alone in front of goal. Defense was a mess though, and does Dielna know that he has a yellow, and that if he gets another, he will be sent off? The ref easily could have given the 2nd on that needless pull back from behind at midfield. At least the disgust I felt at seeing the goal led to my switching channels for a bit, which allowed me to see a well run team score a game winner in OT against a division rival, which was a nice pick me up.
I don't know much about tactics, but one thing I do know is that if your defense is going to play a high line, you need to press the ball or professional players will pick out runners. Brad Friedel apparently doesn't know this Also why exactly is Bunbury in the game while Penilla, Aguedelo, Rowe, Nezmeth and Nguyen are not?
- Turner could really use his brother Timmy's fairy godparents to help him out right now. - To the team's credit, it's had some of the ball in the 2nd half. They seem better with Teal up top. - Philly really could use Lee and his sick handle on the ball. - Man, neither of these teams can keep the ball. Beautiful game this is not.
Does not seem like defense is his thing. Gotten beaten for pace a few times too. Then again, perfect replacement for Tierney.
Dielna was trying to get out of there. Should have had the 2nd yellow a few minutes ago. Also, this is why Mike friggin' Burns should have signed a couple more center backs.
Good to see that hacks that we got rid last year have been replaced by new hacks. Tell #4 to take a different plane and just keep on going. We are just plain terrible and BF better stop this Lee is working on his fitness crap by next week. We're a ship with no rudder out there. Diego did nothing...Rowe on the bench...Lee at home... BF is clueless. Here we go again...Heaps 2
I think this may actually be optimistic. Heaps at least more-or-less followed conventional wisdom most of the time Turner starting, Bunbury going 90, no Nezmeth, Rowe starting on the bench. I think BF thinks may think he is smarter than everyone else
The stench surrounding this team doesn't want to go away. The back line was a train wreck all night and Dielna...what a pathetic performance. Down their 2 starting CB's next week...Solid start to the 2018 campaign.
Overheard conversation: J. Kraft: "Now, Mikey, the only guys who can use their hands are dressed in strange uniforms, right?"
Funny part is that the Revs got 2 red cards in their pre-season games, but were allowed to replace the player. Maybe they should should try playing with 10 or 9 players more often, cause this has already become a pattern.
Makes me think of the Mike Tyson quote - "Everyone's got a plan till they got punched in the face" Welcome to the big boys, Brad. He looked nervous and anxious on the sideline - couldn't hide the fact that his brain is trying to process everything. He is clearly going to be learning on the job - how well he does it remains to be seen yet, but we did learn some interesting things about what his pre-Tyson plan was, or did we? And he was already behind the 8-ball with the Lee situation, now add in 2 red cards, and what looked like a team in shambles by the end - and he is even more deep towards a critical point in terms of how he gets the team to respond to him. Tough to stomach that we are already saying this first week is an important week to raise the locker room and morale. Maybe in the long run, a good way to start your coaching career - but sure feels like an awful lot right out of the gate. Pre-Tyson Plans?: Turner - pre-game they said he would have started over Cropper, even if Cropper was not sick. Is this Brad keeping Cropper in check, just saying this to give Turner confidence, or that Brad does not really rate Cropper as much? Reminded me of Shuttleworth the sequel. Is this really one of Friedel's plans? Somi and Zabinho - pretty average and confirms my initial take from the last preseason game. Will they "develop"? Jury out on this, but they clearly are not difference making signings - good depth, but not MLS Cup winning difference makers. Somi especially looked pretty poor defending. Penalla - took off too early to decide yet. Bunbury/Fagundez over Rowe - not sure what to read into this until we see a pattern. Clearly Freidel values hustle and speed of Bunbury ovr Rowe - and I am wondering if one of his key things was last year the Revs had no speed - so we can only play 1 of Fagundez or Rowe. This seemed to be confirmed by the sub - Rowe for Fagundez. But Fagundez was not great yesterday. Caldwell over Rowe: Friedel has been saying he sees Rowe as a more mobile #8 and playing centrally - but then in the broadcast, Feldman said Friedel said Caldwell was going to be playing more like the roving #8. Caldwell did not play that way and really added nothing to the game. Friedel is going to have to be careful here about what his plan is, and what the players role's are - some of Fagundez's struggles were he did not have much support from Caldwell. Would Rowe have helped? Unknown? Farrell - torched by Accam, diving headers out of the box, same old, same old. Did Heaps really set him that far back, or has this always been his ceiling and the scouting to take him #1 was not really worth it? Agudelo - "we got our #9", our Nat player - if he does not make something happen this year, he will be forgotten the way of Freddy Adu in my opinion. Hard again to read into his subbing off, since down to 10 men - but I would not expect our "stud forward" to be taken off until he has scored goals (like Sapong was). If the plan is he is going to be subbed out at the 60th minute all the time, then move Bunbury up top, and bring on a Rowe - this team is in a world of hurt. Friedel's plan on attack: Even when down to 10 men - Turner was still rolling the ball to a defender to play out of the back. No problem with this approach BUT, Turner's choices put players right under pressure, and they coughed it up a lot. Friedel is going to have to give his guys the right plan and confidence to make them buy into this continual approach. Jury out if this is going to work - or if the player skills and team set-up will allow it to work. Friedel's plan on defense: Early in the game, you could see the same pattern from pre-season of Fagundez stepping out next to Agudelo to force Philly into areas - but there was still plenty of gaps or limited pressure on the ball. Hence the diagonal ball over the top that lead Delemea red card. At times the Revs got it right, so again - is this and wait and see, or will the limits of the levels of the Revs players keep it from ever really working to dominate? Friedel's knows he lives and dies by his decisions. His first ones definitely raised some eyebrows, and his initial grade is not good. Too many what-ifs, and unknowns, and is there is a pattern, in my opinion. Some positives were they did get looks - but this was against another team that did not make the playoffs so do not know how much to read into that either. It is only one game - hope I do not revisit this post in 3 months.
I know some will say it's only the first game but I'm not one of them. I will say right now that it's the first of many just like it. Our defense is still terrible. Mr clutch n grab...#4 Stinks and will hurt us till BF sits him down. Diego will never replace Lee and Teal over Rowe is crazy. Teal works hard but chokes a lot. Finally, BF better stop the crap on Lee and get him on the field next week. This fitness business is bull. It's yur future BF....another outing like this and yul lose the fans and maybe the team