Highest paid defender in the league. He's "fine" as a player. He has had fewer "that just cost us a goal" mistakes this year, but he's far from dominant. He's never been the best player on the field. He's fine. We're paying him to be MLS best XI.
This. He still is out of position too often and has some poor touches on the ball. We need much better for the money and we'll see if he has truly improved with our tough stretch of games going forward. I would love to eat my words on this.
Absolutely. I may pick on our players but come game time I'm rooting for them to be the best. I'd love for Santos to break out and bag 5 goals and 10 assists. I'd love for Mensah to turn those physical gifts into soccer performances, shutting down Altidore, Martinez et al over the next several weeks.
He is now the 5th highest paid defender in the league behind such blistering stars as Jorgen Skjevik (LAG), Lamine Sane (ORL), Greg Van Der Wiel (TFC) and Claude Dielna (NER). Reto Ziegler (FCD), Larry Mabiala (Port), Graham Zusi and Matt Besler are close by. Sure I would probably rather have Laurent Ciman at $630k but it just not work that way. And which time did he cost us a goal this season? I only have time right now to look at our 3 losses. Vancouver - 2 goals. 1 - Afful loses his marker. Mensah actually has Kei pretty well covered on the cross. 2- Trapp covering Kei because Abubakar is out on the flank. Three defenders are focused on Davies which leaves Felipe open for the cross. Really piss poor defensive shape. Chicago - One goal. Clear Steffen mistake. DCU - One goal. Artur and Venezuela and Trapp are involved in that one. I will look at the other goals when I have more time but Mensah of 2017 is not Mensah of 2018. So I am curious who are the actual lock down defenders in the MLS?
New England's second goal in the 2-2 draw stands out as a major one. Terrible touch leads to turnover that directly results in a goal. There are a lot of overpaid defenders in this league apparently. I stand corrected on that point. And again, he's improved this year, no doubt about that. He still has too many of the moves like that play against NE. They don't always result in a goal. Some of that is down to luck, some to Steffen, and some due to poor play by our opponents. This next series of games may expose him, or he may step up and earn that hefty paycheck. I'm hoping for the latter.
Berhalter said today that Pedro Santos would now likely be out for more than the original one week he projected. “Two weeks plus.” #CrewSC— Patrick Murphy (@_Pat_Murphy) May 17, 2018 Santos still out.
Understand but I don't want any players hurt. I just think we have some prospects who hopefully can prosper.
Agreed--nor do I. Yet injuries are part and parcel of any pro sport (heck, amateur as well--I remember when I got hurt right before the Corporate Challenge event when I was in really good form. But I practiced about 10 min too long and pulled something. So I really want a deep team and a team where players will respond to opportunities. Because they will come, sooner or later. Teams that overcome injuries win things. Not to diss any of my Cav fan friends here, but look at the Celtics right now--or the Buckeyes a few years back. Guys responded to major injuries.
Yep. New England is probably the one I would point to where he could have done better but I will got through them all. Montreal. Damn those were some good goals. Montreal: Goal 1 Piatti is one on one with Afful. Honestly a helluva a goal. Mensah might have been able to cut down the angle more but it would have allowed the offside line to drop further. But mostly Piatti is just good. Goal 2. Afful pushes Lovitz to the end line and he makes the cross. And then Edwards one times it in. Helluva a shot. Valenzuela probably should have been tighter but nice goal. DCU (3-1) Abubakar is way up field and make a terrible header right to Acosta. Mensah is all alone. If he closes and gets beat, Acosta is 1on1 with Steffen. He denies space, probably too loosely. Pass goes across and Afful's man, Asad, on the far side is all the time in the world to shoot. NE (2-2) Goal 1: Mensah allowed Bunbury to turn and shoot. Steffen's momentum was the wrong direction or he would have had that. Probably the most Mensah's fault of any goal this year. Goal 2. Mensah's chested ball gets picked by Agudelo. Nice work by Agudelo to make something out of that. Again Afful is high already and there is slow rotation to pick up his man who has an open shot. San Jose Jungwirth cross from about 40 yards out on a dime to Housen who is behind Abubakar. Mensah is not anywhere close to either play. Mensah has been pretty solid except for the NE game. And also most of the goals are coming from the weakside winger getting free on a cross. Not a big surprise given how high our wing backs play.
I find it somewhat amusing that Pedro Santos has sucked so hard that the "Pedro Santos DP Watch" thread has turned into group therapy of people trying to convince themselves that Mensah is any thing more than an average defender.
Berhalter also said Pedro Santos continues to progress from his injury and is still on the "two-plus week” timeline from last week. Said Santos did some running today. #CrewSC— Patrick Murphy (@_Pat_Murphy) May 22, 2018 Alert! The Santos is down. I repeat, the Santos is down.
I am now officially on the Pedro Santos hate train. Can we possibly rename this thread "fire pedro santos"?
I'm old enough to remember when people said, "Pedro Santos just needs some time to adjust to MLS...."
Matt Doyle agrees: 1g/5a in 2100 @MLS minutes for Pedro Santos at this point. Not good enough. #LAFCvCLB— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) June 24, 2018
Doyle was also one of the clowns that said Santos will be okay, he just needs time to adjust. He's just not good enough.