And what do you know, we're going to make our last sub after the 90'. ********ing absurd, there is no logic in any of the subbing choices timing wise.
It's a good point, no doubt, given the coaching change and the huge number of absences. The subbing pattern continues to boggle the mind, lucky it didn't cost us the game. If we make all 3 subs 10 minutes earlier than they were made perhaps we don't get completely overrun, perhaps we get more opportunities of our own. Instead we wait until the 73', 82', and 93', meanwhile NYRB made subs earlier and it was all one way traffic after the 60'. When all your midfielders and half your defense picks up stupid yellow cards because of tired decisions within 10 minutes, wouldn't that be an obvious sign that you desperately need to make changes to shore up those areas? /smashheadintothewall.gif
Some observations: 1. It was a good point on the road for a team that needs all the confidence it can get. We were lucky though. 2. Maund played maybe the most intelligent match I've seen from him. 3. VanO did better than I thought he would. Some terrific saves. 4. I had no confidence in our finishing. I thought that NYRB's finishers would win the game given the opportunities they had. So, four games and one goal to date. I'm not sure we will score against Minnesota tbh. 5. Lennon is terrific. Athletic, a motor, skillful, makes good decisions, and positions himself well. 6. Sunny turns the ball over way too often in places which leave us vulnerable to the counter. Most of the turnovers are unforced.
I will take the points. Looked like they were doing their best to give RBNY a late goal to steal 3 points but dd well in the end to keep the clean sheet. I like what I saw for some of the game. Especially on defense. Still have a long way to go on the offensive side to get away from being dreadfully offensive on offense. Doesn't look like a team that trusts each other yet going forward. Bofo, pass the damn ball for a sitter! Yura, be a second quicker and put the ball throw to Lennon. That opportunity wasn't as clear cut as Bofo's but it was there for a second. Minnesota might be just what the Doctor ordered to get RSL headed in the right direction on offense and scoring some goals. RSL, on the other hand, just might be the same prescription for Minnesota at home. Rally curious to see what happens in the next game. RSL has been notorious for not playing particularly well against expansion teams. I bet the Loons are chomping at the bit to get after a team like RSL that is so anemic on offense. Should be really interesting.
It was nice to see us not just play boot ball this game. We had a few moments where we actually initiated a quick counter by playing quick passes up through the midfield. We needed to sub much earlier though. By around the 60th, it was clear that we were starting to tire in the midfield, so bringing on one sub then would've helped. We could've used a second midfield sub around the 75th as well. I'll never understand why we choose to sub a forward when it's clear the midfield is getting overrun. Yellows for dissent must be our theme this year. When the ref is clearly telling you no more, just shut up and walk away. Whatever you're trying to argue in the moment just isn't worth the risk.
I listened to the last half of the game on the radio. SiriusXM had the NYRB announcer feed but after 15 minutes of their "biased" take on the game (OMG! That should have been a red card!!), I decided to listen to the KALL700 sports broadcast. Dunny said that after Cassar was sacked (English!!!), Shore was told to take over coaching the team for the NYRB game. After the NYRB game, he doesn''t know if he'll be coaching for the next game which could mean that RSL expects/wishes/hopes to have announced the new coach by next game.
On the road no less, nice start for the Petke era, gutting out a win in Portland. Wonder if this was his "interview" for the RSL job....
Dunny said as much during the post-game preview of Minnesota. I'm surprised that they appear to be on the verge of a hire. It makes me think that the list was not that long.
...or a similar attempt to mislead. This way they can hire Petke and announce that it comes after an "extensive vetting of many top coaches interested in the position".
I must say, I enjoyed watching this younger RSL team in this match, Lennon and Sausado are going to make it hard on the new coach (who ever it is) to keep them off the field. Bottom line this team created chances this match. While the defense kept a clean sheet so many defensive breakdowns are going to get punished in the future if they continue to happen, when will Glad be ready to go? Overall I think the point was earned and should give the team some needed confidence in the upcoming matches.
What defines a "long list?" For a head coach in MLS I'd think 10-20 would be considered long. I also think it's reasonable to contact that many within 1 week for informal over the phone interviews. Then create a small narrowed down group for formal interviews in person early the next week. I'm not so sure that Wiabel was lying about the list length just because it isn't taking them a month to find someone. And if he is doing his job right, then he already did research and had a few at the top of his list just in case. Petke could be the guy. Really could. He does seem happy with the Monarchs though, so I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to stay at that level for a few years with less pressure for immediate success. Especially with some of the comments he's made in recent interviews. Getting canned out of nowhere can lead people to want more stability. A head coaching job in USL is likely more stable and much less pressure than MLS.
This would not be terribly exciting to me, athough I do like Petke and think he could evolve into a very good coach long term. He had some success at NY, but there were also obviously some concerns there. I think he'd be an upgrade over Cassar, but potentially only a modest one. By all accounts he's a strong leader, but I haven't heard any indication that he's the type of guy that could put a system and philosophy in place from scratch. I'd prefer a coach that I have more confidence in doing so.
What's the best role for Yura? He doesn't appear to have the technical skills to keep the ball away from the other team; he can't seem to control the ball out of the air in front of the net and make something out of it (our one goal this year notwithstanding); he doesn't have exceptional, or even average, speed; he's seldom had any part in the transition game, and seeing as how he can't get on the end of a long ball, even that "tactic" hasn't worked this year. Others have mentioned sub-par performances from Silva and Sunny, but in this game, Yura's was the most frustrating for me.
I agree with these 6 points so I'm just going to continue off of them. 7. Yura does not fit with the kids in terms of speed and style. There were multiple instances of the wing players wanting to move quickly, finding Yura, and then the game drastically slowing down. Something has to change there. Yura as a lone striker isn't going to work. 8. The middle 3 in this game were atrocious. Sunny (as said in point 6) was especially bad, but Luke and Silva weren't that much (if at all) better. 9. Chris Wingert getting as many minutes as he is pisses me off. Know where we could use some players, Craig? Anywhere but where you're currently looking. 10. This is the second game in a row where Phillips has had turnovers in the worst of positions. Unlike the LA game, they weren't punished (KB's red) but they will be by a better finishing team. 11. Yes, Saucedo should have squared the ball, but in watching the replay I'm not sure it would have been so simple. There are 2 or 3 NYRB defenders closing quickly and Robles is cheating that way - hence why the near post was open. All things considered, I wish he would have made the pass but am not livid over it. 12. Hernandez got subbed on far too late to make an impact. By the time he saw the pitch the back 6 had decided that any time they got the ball they should hit a long hopeful ball to the wing. If that sub happens at 60 (or even half, IMO, like it should have) then I think we see a different style of soccer from RSL. 13. If NYRB could finish worth half a damn, we lose by 2 or 3. 14. Sad to see such a nice stadium so empty. Newark is like 5 minutes away, don't get it. 15. We're gonna lose to Minnesota. Everything points in that direction.
I agree about Yura. I don't know if our style works for him at all, but I'm not sure what style does. He looked better last year when compared to the other options we had. But Chad Barrett has been pretty comparable and honestly maybe better in our current hot mess system than Yura, which seems kind of damning honestly. He's supposed to be strong? But gets pushed off the ball by most defenders. Doesn't have break away speed, and isn't hitting the target as often as he claims he can. At this point, I'm not sure he's been worth the DP money. I hope that, that changes. I do like his personality from the small blips we've seen in videos.
I find him incredibly arrogant, honestly. Which is fine for a forward that is in form, but once you're out of form those quotes really start to hurt you. He'll always be Mr "All I need is one chance" to me. That kind of thing is what defenders will taunt you with ALL GAME
Maybe Yura's positioning isn't so bad. I mean, he had three excellent chances to score, which is pretty good for any player. That he did poorly with all of them is a major issue, but a different one.