Especially after what happened with the U20s in Holland. He is a good coach, but he is not the guy to make us a credible team against the best in the world. And I say that still convinced that he is a better coach than all but a handful in MLS.
I saw him win a couple, lose a couple. I also saw him head one unchallenged right to a TFKAM defender with Ezra about 5 steps over.
I'm late to the party, but after watching The Hills and drinking myself into a stupor I slept in. But I think I have some clarity from it all. 1. At this time, we are the worst damn team in the league. It's not even close. 2. We have enough decent players even with injury for that not to be the case, and Rozental is definitely one of them. 3. I talked with Flick after the game and we were moaning about how many times our players our offside. Flick mentioned and I agree that we have the most technically ignorant forwards in the league. Period. They for the most part do not make intelligent runs. When an intelligent run is made by a teamate they wait to long to pass, leaving the play offside. They play the ball so goddamn slow. 4. That said, Kamara is by far our best option. Start him with Coiner. Start him four games consecutively with Coiner. Let them get an understanding of working with eachother. If Coiner is intelligent enough he can teach Kamara a few things, and he is our best prospect, by far. If we lose a few games, we are already in last this team is building, who cares. Pick your horse and ********in run with it. 5. What position does Gaven play? Does he know? Does Sigi know? The kids confidence is completely shot. He is gonna be very good at some point. But bench him for a game or two. We have 72 other mediocre midfielers and forwards. Let him get his head straight and hopefully he comes back stronger. It can't be much worse than seeing him regress nearly every 10 minutes on the field. 6. Retiz was a disaster last night. 7. Kotschau wearing the captains armband is a continual embarassment. 8. I don't get the love for Thomas. The guy drives me nuts. Here is a guy that finds new and creative ways to slow down attacks. He gets the ball and he just runs with his head down till he either (a) hits the endline, (b) falls down and turns it over, or (c) runs straight into three defenders and turns it over. The guy is a nightmare. 9. Burch on the other hand, I hold out hope for. 10. I stand corrected on Palmer not being on the top of the list of our concerns. He had a damn nightmare.
I agree with Bill Archer on everything but the int'l/USSF job for Sigi. If Sigi does help out Klinsmann, he can do it part-time while still coaching in MLS (as some BA assistants have done). And Sigi knows what a frustrating thing it can be to be a manager (in off-cycle years no less) in the USSF setup. He needs this job with the Crew. It is keeping him in the thick of the game in the US. To be perfectly honest, Klinsmann could do a lot worse than pick up Bob Gansler as an assistant. He has better experience at the top of the game. He is temperamentally perfect to be an assistant to a high-level coach and he would be a great complement to Klinsmann. But more important than all this manager stuff - I totally agree on the assessment of the Crew team. This team was beaten down and demoralized by the previous administration. Veterens can bounce back from that stuff, but it is hard for younger players (Gaven - though with a different team, Buddle, Marshall, etc) to bounce back from that stigma. They really don't know what winning commitment is all about. Other guys such as Retiz, Rozental, Vasquez, Kamera, etc have no clue what the demands of a full season at this level are. Retiz in particular is still struggling with concentration aspects, even as he remains one of the better equipped players on the pitch. It is not surprising to me that guys like Gonzalez, Thomas and Burch have been your best players in recent games. They are not suffering from confidence problems. They are not in the kind of rut that the rest of the team is. They are willing to go out and do the job. As guys like Szetela (though he still has to break through mentally), Hejduk, etc work their way back into the team - they are going to have a big effect on the on-field, in game confidence of the squad. As far as Kotschau and Ezra - they are just done at this level. Sad considering they have been solid players in the league. But true. The goalkeeper situation is rough as well. The concern I would have with Sigi is if he is not able to turn around (long-term say by the end of the season) the career trajectory of guys like Gaven, Szetela, Ward, Marshall (to a lesser extent), etc. If he cannot have an impression on these kinds of guys over the course of most of a year - he is going to have a hard time steering the ship up. I think that is the most important indication that you have to look at when you are evaluating Sigi. Sigi has made mistakes (the striker situation from the beginning of the season was miserable and he should have addressed that earlier). And BA made a great point when he mentioned how few of the players Sigi got rid of were marginally better. But I agree that it is way too early to condemn him when individials in the side are obviously struggling so badly to beat their internal demons.
How did Alex Gordon get so much playing time over this guy? Or even John Wolyniec? Burch is a pretty good soccer player.
I don't know.. This was my first match that I got to watch of your side this season and I came away awfully impressed.. (Typically in Buffalo, I spend a lot of time suffering through Metrostars matches).. I thought that you have a lot of players who are playing ok, but not really meshing into a system that is brought in right now.. You have players like Ezra, Gaven, Thomas, Burch, and Gonzalez who are standing out at times in their play yet at the same time standing out because they seem to be out of place.. Your talent at the back is unmistakable on paper: Ezra (goofy but effective), Marshall, and Ward.. I think with solid and consistent play from the back will lead to your attack being much more effective.. I even think your midfield is slightly more competent compared to last year.. Up for argument mind you, I have only seen more than a handful of your games this year (after watching many in previous years on Direct Kick).. Thomas is solid, creates a lot of pressure, and creates a lot of opportunities for your side (that one cross in the first half almost created a goal).. Burch and Gaven almost linked up.. While these players were solid, I think the best thing is that I sense a great deal of potential.. Gaven is a mystery in my mind.. He is a tweener, in the sense that coaches seem to be uncertain whether he is best suited as a forward or as a midfielder.. I think he is at his strongest up top, but that can be argued as well. I think what is a complete joke, and has been a complete joke since the 2002-2003ish years, is your front line.. Having just read that you believe Kamara is your best option makes me uncertain whether to laugh or cry.. Kamara is the kind of forward who doesn't mesh well with others.. He is constantly out of position and encroaching other forwards space.. Yes he is opportunistic and able to press with his speed.. But flashiness doesn't mean that he is solid.. Coiner is average at best (as of now) and Cameron blows.. That being said, I have hope for Columbus this year.. I think you should be hopeful for your club.. You have a solid coach. who isn't afraid to push players' buttons. You are one win out of THIRD PLACE.. Patience and positivity are what you need right now.. It could be worse, the Metrostars aren't that good and are riding the high of a new coach.. Every now and then the bad sides have to win a game..
In the cold light of day, and having read this entire thread, I guess my assessment is this: The "product" on the field right now is crap, and not much fun to watch. Interest is waning, and the games are a lot less fun than they used to be. However, all that is to be expected given the huge turnover from last year's squad, the failure of MLS to function like Football Manager 2006 where the transfer market is concerned, and of course the injuries upon injuries upon injuries. There are some bright spots, there is some progress being made. If we concede a goal, we have no chance of winning a game, but we are creating more chances than we were a few weeks ago. Sigi has made some questionable moves, but is a huge upgrade from what we had. Patience is in order. I look forward to the 2008 season.
So when will this apply to us? My son had a tournament in Lexington when we got our only home win, so my investment in season tickets has yet to allow me to see the team win. Will I see it this year?
A few thoughts from a DirectKick junkie in a neutral standpoint: That perfect pass that Burch made to Gaven was worth watching the game. Given his good distribution on Saturday that led to a goal and almost an assist, I'm ready to pay close attention to him whenever the Crew play. Gaven is one of the biggest enigmas in MLS. He gets in good spaces more often than almost anyone else in MLS. And yet he does so little . . . Doesn't the Crew still have a dozen players on IR? Not counting Oughton, that is. And yet the team that played in the first half did look dangerous. The second half recalled what I've seen about individual players all season: impassioned effort one game/half followed by seeming disinterest the next game/half. Last night's result unfortunately made the Elias Sports Bureau update on ESPN.com: "The Red Bulls defeated the Crew 2-0 in Columbus. It was the 13th consecutive home game -- dating back to August 20, 2005 -- in which the Crew scored fewer than two goals, by far the longest streak in MLS history. The previous record of 10 was set by the Rapids spanning 1999-2000, and tied recently by the Galaxy." With my luck the streak will be broken when RSL visits on August 16.
I've calmed down a bit since my last post so I feel a bit more rational. First: No one here is calling for Sigi's head so the person claiming we are can calm down. Second: This team is bad right now. People can sugar coat and talk about moral victories all they want but this team right now is absolutly awful. I've seen college teams that looked better organized and effective than we did in the second half last night. Third: Unless a miracle happens we are out of the playoff's again. I don't think anyone here ever thought we were a divisional first or second place team, even as a joke. But, making the playoff's in a league were all but two teams per division make them is a realistic expectation. Fourth: I am not sure at this point even having our healthy guys back would help. But it would be nice to know if it would. This was definetly a different team with Frankie, Busch, and Danny on the field. I hold out hope for next season when we have them all back. Rumor has it that Jonny Walkers career is over. Fifth: Palmer had a complete implosion last night. Our keeper situation is now an official catastrophy. We are looking at BG to help us out. We are in big trouble. Sixth: Our forward position is a nightmare and unfortunatly will continue to be so. We have had to make so many moves to accomodate injuries I doubt we have enough cap room to remedy the situation this year. I haven't really stayed on top of it this year so we may have room to move but I doubt we get anyone worthwhile in by the end of the season. Seventh: One bad season (especially one that has been this ridiculously plagued by injuries) will knock Sigi off the short lost for the USMNT job. But if the speculation is correct and JK takes the job he will ask Sigi to be an assistant. I agree with the person who said that Gainsler is a good choice for a permanent assistant slot. Then Sigi can slide in as a consultant position until the actual qualifiers start. Eighth: We have some good young players, this team has a future. But I still do not feel that unless a big change happens to this team (I'm talking attitude or just having the skill/confidence fairy shows up one night) we are going to be anything even resembeling competitive this year. Ninth: We are better than we were last year. At least these guys seem to care and want to be out there. We just don't have the organization and skills out there to make a decent game of it. Tenth: I have settled in for another long and pointless season. I've written my ticket off as sunk money wasted on season tickets to watch my team lose game after game at home. I love my team and will be loyal forever but the reality is they are no good right now and likely will not be for some time. If the numbering bothers you sorry, sometimes I just think better that way.
Yuck, I can't believe I wasted $60 and 9 hours of my time to go to that game last night! The pitch looked absolutely awful! Other concerts haven't done that to the field, why did this one?
The thing I find most distressing is that we've gotten worse as the season went along rather than better. At the beginning of the season we had a bunch of new players and after a few matches they were playing well together. We've "ungelled", as now we looked discombulated out there. No one seems to know what their teammates will do. A good team like DC plays with everyone on the same page and they know who will make which runs. Our guys have no idea what's going on, they have to take 3 touches to settle the ball, they look around, then pass to the guy who is now offside. Hell last night we struggled to complete 10 yard undefended passes.
Okay, some random responses to some random comments in this thread. -I was shocked when I found out that Chad wasn't starting. Why the hell can't we ever get Marshall and Gonzalez on the field together for more than a game or two!?!?!? Listening to Sigi after the game, it sounds like Chad is in the doghouse and may be there for a while. Chad isn't going to magically turn into a motormouth and an offensive distributor overnight. Hopefully this was just a one-game thing for Sigi and Chad. If Chad is benched longterm, we're screwed. -Gaudette spent the whole night glued to the bench. He did not get up and go to the northend to stretch and jog. Not even for one second. I don't think he can go 90 minutes. He was there just as an injury backup to Palmer. I doubt he'll play Saturday against the Galaxy. -Yes, we looked good in the first half, and totally stunk it up in the second half. I kind of had a feeling that failing to score in the first half would come back and bite us. -There was a nice little mass exodus of fans after the second goal, and I have a feeling Sigi and the Crew noticed. -The Crewzers did not perform at halftime. Thank you.
Player thoughts: Gaven- get him out of the starting lineup please. Please! Obviously leaving him out there every single week isn't solving his problems. Let's see if letting him watch from the bench for a game or two helps. Thomas- looked super dangerous in the first half, as usual, but that first goal was completely his fault. It's pretty easy to see why Sigi pulled him. He may have lost his starting position for Saturday's match. Retiz- Sigi really ripped into him after the match. And that was a totally retarded way to get a one game suspension. If he weren't already out of the LA match, I have a feeling Sigi would bench him anyway. Palmer- That first goal has to rest entirely on Thomas's shoulders, but Noah really didn't have a great night in goal tonight. Not only did he get beat twice, but that one time when he seemed to lose track of the ball when it was sitting right in front of him wasn't encouraging. That said, he's going to have an easier night if we ever put Marshall and Gonzalez out there together. And as I mentioned above, I think he'll still start on Saturday. Coiner- He's the real deal folks. After that performance, I move him right up to #1 on our depth chart at forward. He can collect the ball and hold it. Very strong on the ball. I wouldn't be too shocked if in October a lot of us were calling him our season mvp. Cameron- I'm a big Knox fan, but he was horrible last night. We got a lot worse when he came in for Coiner. Kamara- definitely looked better than Cameron. I'd like to see him and Coiner paired together up top. Rozental- can't expect him to do much when he comes in after the 80th minute. Please start him instead of Gaven. Vasquez- Yuck. Straight back to the bench for you, Eric. There's no way Vasquez should be starting ahead of Rozental.
please help me then. i was in the understanding that if the ball was in FRONT of the player then it was ok for him to go to it. I've never claimed to be an expert. and i mean that they were not offsides until after the ball had passed them. of course, i am in the north end and my depth perception is not as good as it has always been.
Not willing to be outdone by Sam's Club, Columbus Crew gives away goals on a regular basis. This season is one of those half empty/half full things. Yes, we're losing, we score 2 goals in the same game and get excited, but these starters are players that should be our reserve team. I'd still like to know why we're too scared to shoot the ball. Late in the first half, we were really close to the goal (less than 18 yards), and we passed the ball backward? (I was in the north end, so I didn't have the best viewpoint), but why the backpassing? In another recent away game, we had a breakaway. Next thing you know, we pass the ball and have 3 attackers compared to their 8 or 9 defenders. Do we need to start at the basics? This is a ball. This is a goal. Put the ball in the goal.
And that game we won? We won it against a backup keeper who had to come in during the game. Maybe that didn't contribute a lot, but the way we've been playing, I'd hate to think what the result would have been if Cannon had been in goal the entire game. Maybe we got lucky that game, I don't know, but I think we'll all take that win and any win, the way the season is going.
"Thomas- looked super dangerous in the first half, as usual, but that first goal was completely his fault." Agreed that he gave up the ball in a very dangerous area and should be partially responsible for that goal but at that angle the goal keeper should of stopped that shot. These players are dead on their feet and looked overtrained. Does not help that they are training 100% for 2 hours a day before the match. It shows in the second half and could explain the high number of injuries.
The various refs can quote the official rule but the basics of offside are: if your team has the ball, you're in the opponent's half of the field, and you are nearer the goal line than the ball, there must be 2 defenders closer to the goal line than you. Keeper counts of course. If there aren't 2 defenders closer to the goal line, you are in an offside position. If you do anything like playing the ball or distracting the keeper from a teammate, it's a turnover.
that's what i thought, my main confusion comes with this part: "you are nearer the goal line than the ball" cause it sure didnt seem like our players were playing in front of the ball a couple of times, but then again, my depth perception is off... thank you though. it can be a little confusing, i understand the main gist of it but the finer points are what can escape me sometimes. but i'm all good now.
Agreed mostly. The first goal was Hendrickson's fault, Thomas just made a desparation run. Thomas was playing forward most of the match, Ezra was the right back who didn't pick up Henderson. I'm not sold on Coiner but am willing to give him some matches to show me something. When he missed the open net, the ball bounced on the strip of new sod in front of the south goal so maybe it took a funny bounce. Rozental should play as many minutes as possible. I doubt conditioning is the issue now, but his knees might be swollen or something. He has a history of knee problems. Start Rozental, play him as long as he can go, then sub in Vasquez.
Oh the humanity of that slave driver Sigi, I mean who should expect someone to come in for 2 hours a day for WORK and give their all. This about the time for one of those rollyeyes thingys. I have to say I'm completely shocked at the comments being thrown at Vasquez. Maybe I'm not seeing it, but I thought Vasquez was one of the few good ones out there. The only player, before Kamara got on the pitch, that made any type of off the ball runs, he looked to play quickly, made some really intelligent reads and well placed passes, and his set pieces were pretty well taken. I don't know, I'm definatly the vice-president(after DGA) of the Eric fan club and maybe I'm not looking at the bad. I sure would appreciate someone looking at the tape and saying so and so minute he did this and that because I don't see what your seeing. About the only really bad thing I saw was late in the match on the wing, when it looked like he was trying to cut and passed the ball right to a NY player. The difference between the first half and the second half was Eddie Gaven. Eddie decided to go to the showers at half time. He completely gave up after the NY goal. He made no runs the entire second half, except the Vasquez ball that hit his heal.