On Metro's website Walker is interviewed about the "crucial" last game this coming Saturday before the playoffs, and on the same page Bradley gives a list of probable starters, a complete second string lineup. Mathis, Guevara , Pope and others are not even making the trip. This certainly shows how crucial this game is: totally meaningless. Anybody else notice this?
I eagerly await the triumphant return of The Nuge, who has a perfect 100% scoring record in competitive matches for Metro.
Metro City Madman!!!!!! Well, I understand giving the starters a rest heading into the playoffs, but that is a bit of a defeatist attitude to take, going into the game playing the bench is the surest way for us to lose and I would think Bob would want to win the last game to get us some momentum for the playoffs. I'm not a big believer in the "play like crap then flick the switch and turn into champions" model. from the site: Probable Starters MetroStars GK #1 Jonny Walker, D #3 Chris Leitch, D #14 Joe Addo, D #6 Juan Forchetti, D #17 Joey DiGiamarino, M #19 Tim Regan, M #8 Mark Lisi, M #11 Jacob LeBlanc, M #24 Eddie Gaven, F #15 John Wolyniec, F #25 Mike Nugent Bench GK #30 Paul Grafer, D #4 Edgar Bartolomeu, D #21 Craig Ziadie, D #22 Kenny Arena, M #12 Jose Galvan MetroStars ACE/Tru-Fit Injury Report Galvan, Jose – left ankle sprain - questionable Guevara, Amado – right ankle sprain – questionable Magee, Mike – left shoulder sprain – questionable Moreno, Jaime – herniated disc – IR Pope, Eddie – left intercostal strain – questionable So, it becomes a question of whether or not you believe the injury report. Our lineup today will be experimental in the extreme.
This is only the second time I remember that a healthy Clint has been left off the lineup card. At least this time it was on purpose. I'm not opposed at all to a second-string lineup. We're playing the same team 4 straight games. It's good not to let them get too comfortable with our starting XI. And I'm not convinced Bob is throwing this game away. He'll still try to win. God knows, the way we've been playing lately, our "B" team may have a better shot at winning than our "A" team anyway. And even if we DO lose, we've been a much better road team than home team all year long. So home-field "advantage" may not be any advantage at all. Agree 100% with Bob on this one.
Surprising that, for a guy still trying to round into full match fitness, Jusko doesn't even make the trip.
The game is a throw away under the new playoff format. We have to play the Revs four straight times, so there is no use in playing the starters. Let's see if any of these guys have a good game. I am curious to see Nugent play. Has anyone here seen him play before?
It will be interesting to see what lineup the revs throw in. They will probably think along the same lines and it'll end up an all around inferior ( or maybe superior?) game.
I think Bob Bradley is throwing away both this match and the last match. Doesn't home field advantage mean anything?? It doesn't matter if we don't play well at home -- at least if we had the choice to play the first one away and win it and then come home, we would be in better positioning. If we play the first home and get nailed, then have to play away -- the other team is likely to have much more momentum and possibly roll all over us. This type of strategy wouldn't fly in a second in other countries unless the (2nd) position had been secured already... Ball call in my opinion.
My sources tell me a Nov. 1 game in New England would have interfered with Bradley's Halloween plans and this being the first time in years he's back home in Jersey he decided to try to blow off second place. I'm happy NE fans are paying to see this rather than me. My only question is where are all the Metro fans who were all over Mathis for saying the USOC game was more important than the Dallas game?