This is a much better test for us that away at Seattle, because Houston is a good team. Really fun to watch, too; last weekend, they scored three goals against NYCFC (at Houston), and all three goalscorers were under age 23. Remove Rusnak from our XI as he'll be away on international duty, and this will be an interesting one.
Look, I get what everyone is getting on about in regards to KB. It's very similar to the Javi situation, and the trading of Borchers, and so on... The bigger problem is that nobody has stepped up to take on Kyle's role as team leader. I would think Rusnak would be the guy, but we all know that RSL is a stepping stone for him. Although MLS is improving, I think he's right. He's better than this league, and so was Javi, but Rusnak is way younger and has yet to struggle in a lower-tier Euro league, whether it was the team's/management's fault or his own. KB, for better or worse, is still the heart of this team. I wish they'd make the player-coach transition a little more seamless. I'd wish they have talked about about moving Kyle into a start-every-other-game/super-sub role while still rallying the crew and keeping expectations high. We haven't seen this quite yet. As as far as Rimando's distribution, I've played against *old* guys in their 40's and 50's who can still put a cross on a dime. It's all the other little things they can't do that the younger guys cover for, because we don't have the skill, but endless energy (myself, not any more) to make up for it. You don't get dumber or slower in thought as you get into your 30's and 40's, you just learn that you can't do it as quickly or effortlessly. You get wiser. That's often why Goalkeepers are better when they hit their late 20's to 30's. They are wise. If Rimando's distribution is poor, it's because the team isn't in sync or he's fighting a nagging injury. He's made some god-awful mistakes thinking he's 10 years younger lately. However, distribution is probably the last skill to deteriorate.
Yes it looks like I am confused, but I thought Rusnak was heading out for international duty and would miss this match?
I agree with this to an extent. KB needs to be phased out but is still viewed as the leader of the group. It's hard for someone to take that leadership role, though, if KB is allowed to still be out there all the damn time. I'd like to see Petke actually have the balls to bench KB and see how the team responds. Does someone step up? Do we just look like a bunch of orphans out there?
Tomorrow's game is a perfect opportunity for that. It would be interesting to see how everyone else reacts but also to see how Kyle does, even if he's brought in for the last 15 minutes. If Kyle starts tomorrow, that's probably a bad sign for any movement the rest of the year. If he doesn't start but comes in late and makes an impact, that could point to his new role.
Well, my prediction of RSL getting embarrassed by Seattle was off by a mile (they should probably still be embarrassed by their performance.) I guess I should play the don't jinx it card and call for Houston to clobber RSL. I don't think I need that excuse though, I just don't see any way this team gets a win over the guys in orange.
It makes it hard for anyone to step up when it appears that KB is untouchable. We already had a midweek game where it would've been smart to rest him and see how we do. It would've been smart to rest him here and there as is just to keep him fresh. It's not like he's been putting in vintage performances game after game that would justify all the starts. It still kills me that we should've begun this transition 2-3 years ago by having a younger player behind him that could learn from him, while getting some sub minutes and the occasional start. By this year, that player could've been at the very least splitting games 50/50 or so, unless by now they were playing out and out better and became the new starter. Instead, it looks like our plan is just to keep with KB no matter what, then scramble once it's clear he's no longer good enough.
You mean crystal clear or so clear you can hardly tell you're looking out a window clear or so clear as you look at the horizon you can see all the way to next Thursday? I agree wholeheartedly that RSL should be rotating Kyle and keeping him fresh for a possible playoff, ha ha, run. I will be surprised if they don't sit him tomorrow. It will be very telling if he starts. We will know who's running the show, that's for sure. I would really like to see what Sunny and Damir can do together.
Damir not starting Saturday could indicate that Petke was resting him with an eye towards this game and the return leg of the seattle series. Or he's just pulling it out of his ass Yeah, it's the latter
Looks like I'll miss another one live. I was set for a 4:30 am wake up on Sunday for Seattle but puked my way through the night before that (breaking a 20-year no puke streak). Finally fell asleep about 20 minutes before the game. And now this game is right in the middle if my busy work morning but maybe I can get the final 30 minutes of it's still a close game and my teacher meetings are finished. Time zones suck. Oh, and puke is also not cool. Houston seems primed to embarrass us pretty badly at home. It does seem that Petke is trying to work some midfield rotation for this stretch. I wonder if this will play into any changes for the final 30?
Not going to lie, my main focus will be on Knights vs Caps, and I'll have this on in the background. I'm guessing the former will be far more entertaining. I'll likely get home by the end of the first half, so I'll have to keep tabs in here since I can only watch one thing on my phone.
We have three players who have played every minute to this point: Rimando, Beckerman, and Glad. Rusnak sat for one minute, and Savarino for 11.
This could be very cool. I'll be interested to see if the midfield can transition the ball up the field.