Yura is doing is very best to make sure he's not back with this team next year. If we sign him for any amount next year, we're stupid. Prime example was when KB put that nice ball in out to Rusnak, who puts in a shot in which there should've been a juicy rebound. Where was Yura? Slowly jogging into the play before the shot. For coming on late, he should've had more than enough energy to have been sprinting in and being available for a pass, or that rebound when the keeper spilled it. I remember wanting to give him more time earlier in the season thinking he just needed some games to get into form. Unfortunately, it seems like this is his form now. He looks completely uninterested in the game around him. He's the Luis Gil of forwards, minus the occasional vine worthy nutmeg, and the shoe game.
The speed of play under Petke - quick touches, quick pressure, quick movement, is a marked contrast to the dull deliberate slow play we had the past few years. Yura doesn't fit that style. Savarino and Rusnak do...and Plata looks like an MLS all-star lately. Our fitness is up, our aggression is up. Not all of these one touch combinations work but enough of them do that the other side has to be nervous.
It's not just Yura, though. Many players are becoming very obviously "not" part of the Petke bunch. They still play because... well I don't know why. BUT! Hopeful minds see this as a weeding out process. This is all I can muster for why Wingert is playing. I simply don't get it.
I actually enjoyed the second half of this game. I mean the third half. The actual second half anyway. I was watching it while doing the dishes so that could have had an impact on my perception though. This team is obviously progressing. To what and where is yet to be seen but Mike Freakin' Petke has made a huge difference in this team, with many of the players, and I think the general outlook for everything related to RSL and their play. The playoffs are still a pipe dream but being only 3 points below the read line at this point, with this team after this season is not bad for optics. One of the telling things for me this season that bodes well for the future ability of MFP to have success with RSL is how he handled Plata. I've gone from being on the side of trading him right now for anything down to a ham sandwich to WTF is wrong with Yura and why can't he just get on board like Joao? I love Yura but he is just out there playing not to get hurt so he can move on to another team next year. Although he did have a couple nice moments last night only to jog them off repeatedly. My big concern is that Waibel and the FO won't be able to put together a team of players that will be best suited for MFP. Let's hope that's not the case.
Quick thoughts: - The unusual schedule definitely played in RSL's favor. Beckerman was able to play full speed both days and that makes a huge difference. - Sunny is really quite fast and great running players down 1v1. He and Becks are "finally" getting better about pressing together. - Nice thing about Brooks coming in late is that he is honest defensively. - DC had absolutely no idea what to do whenever RSL was organized in the back. They were only dangerous on dead balls. - Yura has to know that he is now playing the rest of the season as a tryout to get his one last contract. If Barrett was healthy, Yura would never see a game. Typically, good players are tactically aware by his age and are able to adjust their game to be effective. Yura is either unwilling or incapable. The Gil comparison is apt. - A few games back, Acosta made some rookie mistakes defensively, Enter Wingert. While he drives all of us bat-sh!t crazy with his inability to contribute to the attack, at least he is usually in the right spot defensively. Watching Arriola buzz past him continuously was pretty entertaining. - On the shopping list, at least 1 outside back who can actually play both defense and offense. RSL currently has, maybe, one (Phillips. Unless you slide Glad out to the right... which... um... NO, don't even think about that! I apologize for even mentioning it.) - Unfortunately RSL doesn't have enough road games left to make the playoffs!!
Notes I didn't watch any of this game on Saturday, so I can't speak to the 28 minutes that were played then. I watched the rest on Sunday, but had family and dinner at the same time. So my observations are more general with small memorable parts mixed in. This game was ugly. The field was, for obvious reasons, a nightmare. Even then, though, the contrast after watching Manchester United in the morning was more shocking than it typically is. Not sure who that is a compliment or criticism of. DC United is more inept than us in front of goal. That's borderline impressive. Chris Wingert is where attacks die. So many chances get built through our wings with the outside backs pushing forward. I love that aspect of it. But then when it comes time to make a decisive pass or (especially) a cross... well you might as well just grab a drink and get ready to wait for a goal kick. Player management for a game, spread out over two days, has to be really weird. I was shocked that both teams were going to the bench as "early" as they did, but also was kind of surprised there wasn't a thought of leveraging the weird timing aspect. It's ironic as ******** that Silva's goal came off a turnover and just hammering the ball. That dude is so weird in front of net. You can give him clear cut chances and he'll ring them off the post or wide, but give him a half chance with no preparation and he scores. Rusnak should have scored off that insane flick/through ball by KB. Sure, someone in a RSL shirt should have followed, but Rusnak has to finish that. I thought Savarino looked a bit off in this game. Plata is fun to watch, but still too easily pushed off the ball. I really hope we can sell him. I feel this is his ceiling. Don't get me wrong, he's a fun player to watch right now, but I don't believe there is a next level to him. He's a great secondary forward/wing option. I've liked what I've seen of Marcelo Silva so far. Lots of intelligent play and very good with his body/size. I wish he was younger, but this looks to be a decent enough CB duo to build off of. now to fix the outside back situation. It's so very RSL to win 3 road games in a row after drawing 3 home games in a row.
Did anyone else catch the moment when Marcelo Sarvas (******** that guy) got called for a handball and the camera turned to Ben Olsen? I fell out of my chair laughing. He was so perplexed by the call and then proceeded to scratch his head/hear like a planet of the apes extra. It was amazing.
I watched both in "real time". Natch! RSL was an entertaining game although I kept fearing that we would fall apart at in the last minute and give up the equalizer. Yay! Undefeated in 6 games! Playoffs here we come! GoT was GoT. Everything is moving toward the end of the series so all the loose ends are being tied up and characters from previous seasons who "dropped off the radar" are either coming back into the story or being killed off in very painful, fire-breathing ways BTW. Is it me or does the dragon storyline remind you think of Smaug and the Hobbit?
Perhaps it reminds me a little of the Hobbit, but Smaug always was and always will be the coolest dragon ever! GoT just needs to be over already. I've invested a lot of time in it and now I'm just wanting it to be over.
It sure has picked up the pace this season. Characters are traveling thousands of miles in a single episode.
IIRC, there's only a total of 8 episodes left. I think this season is 7, and next season is 6. So, we're almost halfway there.
Smaug was also a kick-ass guest on the Colbert Show. http://www.cc.com/video-clips/509747/the-colbert-report-smaug
Their partnership is much more similar to how we started last year when we went unbeaten in the first 6 games and were 8-4-3 over the 1st 15 games and scored 27 times over those 15 games. And then Sunny broke his eye socket and the team quit on Cassar and the wheels came off.
1. Wingert's strengths are experience, savvy and positioning. I think he would be a suitable defensive sub when we are protecting a lead, if the price point is reasonable. Otherwise, he doesn't bring anything to the roster. 2. Silva is at his best when his natural instincts take over. When he has time to think about it, it messes with his head. 3. I agree about Plata. He's marketable right now, pull the trigger. 4. Silva has brought a lot to the defense. I think he can help Glad develop. I'm looking forward to those two building chemistry.
You can't complain about Wingert without doing the same about Tony. Yes Chris is a little longer in the tooth but At least he trys to get into the attack. Tony first instinct is to send the ball back in the other direction. Also, between the two at least Wingert has a goal. If Petke wants to push them forward both sides definitely need upgrades on Chris and Tony.
agreed 3-5-2 with Tony as a back with Glad and Silva, please. Tony is a damn good defender. Stop asking him to do otherwise. Nicky Tony MSilva Glad Savarino? KB Rusnak Sunny Acosta Plata LSilva That right wing position in a hard one. You have to have Savarino on the pitch right now. Lennon would be a good sub for the spot. I would love to see Petke actually try this. Its the same players that should be playing, anyways, just a different set of instructions.
Interesting stat time: We had 11 shots (5 on target) which is our lowest mark since the same number at SJ We didn't have a single shot in the 6, had 8 in the box (gave up 11 in box with 1 in the 6) Somehow we had 51% of possession (more as to why this surprised me to follow) Lowest pass numbers since the SJ road game (386 total, 286 completed). One of our lowest pass completion percentages of the season (74%) We only had 6 key passes, which is the lowest it has been since the New England game way back when We had 83 long passes, our third highest amount in that category for the season We had 72 chipped passes. The highest since the Vancouver snow game (74) which is telling of just how poor the pitch was We only had 194 passes in the middle third of the pitch. Jeff Cassar type numbers DC attempted 29 dribbles on us. We've never attempted more than 20 (12 in this game) We attempted 40 tackles in this game - highest number of the season. We were succesful on 28 - not the highest (but very high) Most telling stat: We had 37 clearances. The next closest to that was the 33 we had against NYRB (33). We really just cleared the shit out of the ball on Sunday. The map of this is crazy