Would love to see him 'try shit'....just not in his defensive 1/2. Be bold, young man. Absolutely nothing to lose. Enjoy it and let those creative juices flow. Tap into your 'inner Dempsey' who always loved the big moment and big games..... Go Matthew!
So far playing defensively has been good for Mallorca. So if you see hanging back more than you wish, keep in mind it's likely to be a coach instruction. Mallorca were not expected to survive, but they're mid-table at this point. Today is all about not getting "goleados." Losing 2-0 would be a very good one for them, for the goal difference.
F'ing Benzema. These strikers keep getting older and at the same time better. Lewa, Benzema, CR7. Father Time's got nuthin' on them.
"Mrs. Spector, please pack your passport and report to your case officer immediately. A European trip has been scheduled."
Madrid doing what they do at home to relegation battlers. Men against boys. I think Hoppe can hold his head high though.
Good outing for our boy. Assist, almost-penalty, and involved in some of the better Mallorca sequences. Of course they lost. Hard. But we all knew they didn't have any hope.
They lost - RM are clearly better. Can someone explain to me why the head to head contact against Hoppe was not a PK?
why do people keep writing that Mallorca are relegation fodder? They’re tenth and early results have been pretty solid
health and sports science seems to have extended athletic windows...look at tom brady, federer and nadal as well...even a MLB pitcher adam wainwright all of a sudden is having a great season at 40, resuscitating his career.
I know this isn't the type of game he will ultimately be judged on but I thought he underperformed a bit. Looked a little sluggish, got out muscled a few times and didn't challenge well for headers. That's not his strength but it definitely showed against Madrid. Glad he notched the assist. The LW looks a bit selfish never looked to find Hoppe.
The relegation betting odds have them between 3rd and 6th most likely to go down, depending on who you look at. That's a relegation battler, which is what I called them. I agree, we're not talking about Norwich.
I have no explanation whatsoever... even the announcers glossed over it. Almost bringing it up and dismissing it like it was a joke. He controls the ball w/ his chest in the box and before he gets a chance to continue the play he gets headbutted from behind to knock him down. It is a clear penalty IMO and I assure you it would have been called had it been outside the box. At any rate... I like Hoppe's potential and I am glad he got an assist but he has not improved at all WRT winning aerial duels. He was terrible for Shalke in this category and he was woeful again in this one. Midway thru the 1st half he even misjudged a long ball from his keeper and no RM player was even competing for the ball. He consistently jumps too early and the ball ends up going over his head. Of course... getting headbutted w/o any foul may make him even more wary of competing for long balls.
Hoppe should hire McBride as a personal consultant. USSF should let him fly to Europe. Training sessions for the next year or more (however long it takes) on technique. The kid has got to get better in the air, but has years to get better.
Difficult game for a kid to get his first start in. He was beyond poor in the air and his holdup play leaves something to be desired, hopefully he can find a way to add that to his game. His vision, quick combination play, and off the ball movement looked excellent to me though and if his team mates were a bit less selfish, it could have helped matters. Hopefully he keeps getting minutes and can play his way into match shape. I'm really excited to watch him this season.
To me it looked like his team wanted him to provide a hold up presence. If that is the case, it’s in his best interests to improve that aspect of his game.