Oh, duh. I misunderstood the question. I thought that Beltran was on the bench. That's what you get when you are trying to watch the game and the same time you are carrying on a conversation with someone over the internet.
I am currently watching KC and Seattle and you know what? It's fun watching two teams who care about the outcome. Our team as it is currently built can succeed in this league for another year but only under a skilled coach who can gain and keep the respect of his players.
To be fair, it's entirely possible that they've spent most of the year acting professional despite Cassar being clueless. Everyone has their breaking point. Sometimes a public display is warranted to show there's a problem. Just because Cassar is the boss, doesn't mean you should just sit quietly despite everything going on. It's not like this has been going on all year between Plata and Burrito.
Think, we as a bunch of soccer obsessed fans seem to all agree that Cassar has to go. We base that on varies issues like player selection, substitutions, post match interviews etc. I really don't think it's a reach to come to the conclusion that a few professional soccer players on this team also see some of the same issues. Just magnified.
I think the team has been restraining themselves all season long. I remember at the very beginning of the season Beckerman was doing an interview and someone asked him about the move from the diamond to the 4-3-3 and his answer was along the lines of "I don't care what formation we play as long as we know what we're doing. I mean, what are we doing? Ya know?". He probably let slip more than he wanted in that comment but I interpreted that as a lack of confidence in Cassar giving them any direction.
I didn't see him on the super accurate MLS injury report. Oh I see this now: http://www.sltrib.com/sports/4511083-155/rsl-notes-landon-donovan-returns-to Beltran out again A recurring injury hit RSL's back line at the wrong time. RSL veteran right back Tony Beltran suffered a back injury in training Saturday before RSL's regular-season finale at Seattle and did not play. Beltran was again out of the lineup Wednesday; Chris Wingert started in place of Beltran. I think I rather see Cassar put someone else out there. I thought Wingert did a poor job. I rather have Allen at that position.
Oh come on, we're all human. You act like everyone can remain calm and composed 100% of the time. Are you saying you've never lost your temper? I'd find it hard to believe. Everyone has their breaking point. If this has been something that's been brewing all year, then I can see why they eventually broke down. It happens. I could agree if this type of behavior was going on all year, but it wasn't.
Plus playing on a poor team with bad tactics is making you yourself look bad, lowering your value to other clubs, and sucking the joy out of your job. Lashing out isn't productive, but it isn't career-ending. We get to do it all the time with no repercussions!
I just think there are certain things to expect from "professionals" whether it is sports or any other endeavor. Have I lost my temper? You bet! Have I lost it in front of employees where it makes the boss look bad?...Never!
To be clear--did anyone see Burrito say anything to Cassar? He definitely snubbed him with no handshake as he came off, a non-verbal FO to be sure...but not something that doesn't happen frequently in leagues around the world...
but it's important to note because people will state "well Wingert was just in there for fill" yeah, for a guy that would have been on this same list
I thought it was great before the last home game that we celebrated Javi & Kyle for a "Decade of Dominance." It's truly been amazing that we've been as good as we have for 10 years. That's a LONG run in any professional sport. But this point it could also be called a "Decade of Stagnation." I don't think we've had enough turnover on the roster - at least not at the key positions. Which is understandable given the high level at which several of those who are still around have performed. But it's clear that massive change is needed. You can't expect to roll out the same players for a decade and expect them to still compete as they did at the start of that decade.
I've said this for years, but I'll say it again: Without change RSL will mimic Milan for the last 5+ years. The lack of true roster rotation/change in the year(s) after they were the best team in the world is still causing issues.
You can add Handsome Luke to the list of disgruntled players. It's not as obvious as Burrito and Plata but he is definitely not happy with the coaching situation. If you listen to his comments over the season you can hear the disappointment/disgust in his comments. At least my well trained sarcastic ears can hear them.
As the guy primarily responsible for taking playing time from Jordan Allen, I don't ********ing care what he feels
Eh, I didn't mean to say I had angst with him over that. Obviously not his choice. I just look big picture and find it irritating that the guy taking time from one of our top young players is frustrated about playing.
It shouldn't be Luke vs. Jordan. They are both the type of player - featuring aggression and speed and skill (to varying degrees) - that we need on the field. Not developing Allen more is downright criminal. LA destroyed us by simply overloading the midfield, the way Kreis used to do it to other teams. Once there, anybody could make a run forward and our defense took a while to identify that. We need both those guys.
I would assume that Luke probably feels the same way about who plays and who doesn't. I bet he wanted to see Jordan out there more too.