Practice Observations: Meaningless

Very interesting thoughts on SH going back to some basics and maybe why Clarke and Morrow never did anything like that. I bet you're right though. Americans in MLS probably were all superstars growing up and were never in situations that required them to really know the basics. They grow up in systems where their coaches/club value them too much in their own age group rather than doing what is best and moving them up in age groups to further their development.

 

Isn't Jay Needham in Norway playing for Alta? A local center back, former Pony. I don't think it is a matter of if but when. Don't you?

 

Yes and it looks like Alta's season ends on Nov 1st.

 

I was lead to believe that FCD has a game against El Salvador coming up.

 

That would be very Andy Swift-ish. He had that community in his back pocket.

 

I agree and applaud this effort by SH. I just hope that some needs/players are not "too far broken/unknown" to be added to the arsenal.

In my opinion moving them up in age groups doesn't better this flaw in the system, it only gets the ball rolling faster in the wrong direction. Push them up an age group so the next coach will assume even more than the first coach did the player has all the basic tactical knowledge needed. I think as pointed out, the older they get less emphasis is put on these things as it's assumed each player has gone through the regiment which instills the traits. You will find though that is not always the case, see Freddy Adu...

 

Question from Buzz:
Now that the season is over, in hind sight can you evaluate Guarda’s performance for us?

SH response:
Well, you have to understand, Bruno is a player that I know very well. What a lot of people don’t understand, why go with a Bruno over a Dax? Why go with Bruno over an Eric? Because I know Bruno and if I would go with Eric or Dax, I would have to play with three in the back because there’s no way either of them could have helped Pablo. You can go to Pablo and ask him who he wants to play in front of him and he would say Bruno because he knows Bruno is going to work, he knows Bruno is going to track men, he knows Bruno is going to try and win tackles. Is Bruno better than Dax and Eric in the offensive play? Probably not. But I would hope that you saw what I saw, that he got better as the year went on with playing time, with his sharpness and his conditioning. If we would’ve stayed in the 3-5-2, I don’t think he would’ve been on the field as much as he was.”
Buzz’s Coach Speak Translator: Defense wins championships, Bruno plays defense, therefore Bruno plays. If Avila played defense he would be starting.

Comments on the blog:

from Rex Kramer:
”You can go to Pablo and ask him who he wants to play in front of him and he would say Bruno because he knows Bruno is going to work, he knows Bruno is going to track men, he knows Bruno is going to try and win tackles.” I would counter that Pablo would prefer Dax or Eric to be playing in front of him because they’re much less prone to giving the ball away. It’s all very well to have an attacking player who’s going to help out the defense, but IMHO it’s much better to have an attacking player whose play doesn’t cause the defense to have to work so hard to cover his mistakes in the first place.

from steponhens:
I do not buy the thought that Dax would not play defense if he were the attacking center mid. On the youth national teams he has played either defensive mid and at times in the back. I did not see every game but did Dax ever play center mid for Schellas besides the last ten minutes of a game? I understand the importance of playing defense from every position on the field but I feel Schellas is using it as a cop-out because there is just absolutely no way he could fool somebody into believing Bruno was not a liability on offense.

from SM:
I really need to quit reading your comments with the bus driver. How the hell would this guy knows what wins championships? How long was he at SMU and how many championships did he win? His comments about Dax v. Little Bruno? What kind of smack is this dude on. Dax doesnt play defense? Bruno tracks guys? Yeah he tracks guys run right by him. This guy is like a plumber that blows up the house looking for a damn leak.

from DJisback:
This guy is drinking his own kool aid; you have the best young holding mid in America, and you justify not playing him by making a likely untrue claim that can never be substantiated (Pablo would rather have Bruno). Give me a break man; Dallas, good luck for the next 7 years of the joke show.

-bs

 

Ingeniously, with the skill and cunning of a true Adept in the art
of COINTELPRO, Schellas has put the whole thing on Richetti.

Amazing.

Abracadabra.

-bs

 

Yes he did. With Cecilia's help...

 

I disagree. If you move a superstar up into an age group where he is no longer the superstar, he will have to learn the basics to survive.