I always thought that to be a starting Left Back for the USA (or any) National Team, one should probably be a starting, influential, Left Mid for one's club.
Wow, I started this thread as a bit of lark to praise a guy sincerely who, fairly or unfairly, had been skewered by the faithful from the day he was acquired. Somehow this thread then turned into the "Fate of Rodney Wallace." I guess I forgot that threadjacking is one of those quaint cultural artifacts that make BS an interesting place to visit. (Just avoid certain fora after dark.) That being said, and to keep up with the cultural norms -- keep Wallace at LB. My guess is that Wallace has relied on athletic ability so far and never has really "learned" any position. I agree with whoever said that playing LB requires making fewer decisions that CM. Let Wallace learn a position and work on his touch and distribution from a safer place on the field.
Hey, I heard Clyde talk well about him and how they play well next to each other. Add to that the fact that it seems he is a good locker room guy and a fiery competitor on the field gets me on board. If Benny can teach him some tricks and take away some of the bad stuff it can only go up from there. Sign me up for a T-shirt. I actually wanted to photoshop his face on t-shirt but could not find one where he was not... what's the phrase? ...looking unphotogenic. I can't figure out if it's his natural ability to grimace or what...
Yep, and I was one of them. I thought that since he'd been considered such a solid left back in the country in college, and since we had an ongoing problem at left back, it seemed a no-brainer. Well, I was wrong; it hasn't worked out. His defending has been horrific: he's caught out of position quite frequently; even when he tracks someone, he rarely closes well enough to prevent a good cross; and his passing out of the back has been nightmarish. He's been a strong contender for the worst performer so far this year, and that's saying a lot. What interests me about his weak play this year is that his mistakes are for the most part mental. I'm not sure what conclusion to draw from that. Is his mind in it less this year? Some of the mistakes he's made are very fundamental, mistakes that shouldn't be made even at the college level; did he just get away with poor play then because of the low standard of college ball? If his mistakes are that fundamental, is it still realistic to say that he'll take care of them through personal development before too long?
I'll take Wallace over Burch at LB any day, and I seriously doubt we hold on to Burch when he returns from injury and we're free to cut him loose.
I, too, prefer Wallace (youthful foul-ups & all - I'd like to think he'll grow out of those) at left back over Burch. But to say we'll drop Burch as soon as he's healthy, is a stretch IMHO. Burch is ok as depth, has fairly decent free-kicks, and who else would we drop into the LFB slot if Wallace were to be injured? I know next to nothing about Barry Rice (I think he's the only other healthy defender left!), but IIRC, he's a Central Defender, not a LFB. If DC has their eyes on another LFB to bring in during the summer transfer period, I would hope they are more concerned with improving the quality of our midfield and forward depth, instead.
Well, considering the historic weakness of the talent at that position, to be christened the saviour at left back for the USMNT, at least by these boards anyway, all you have to do is have one good game at the position for DC United. Where is Perch Ziadie anyway?
For Costa Rica maybe and I doubt he ever plays in any of the big leagues. Morsink has improved but never truelly impresses. Does anybody know if Morsink is taking up an International Roster spot? Since he is Costa Rican.
Wallace on the other hand .... is Costa Rican ... which surprised the hell out of me when we first drafted him.
I believe Wallace has acquired a green card however. Not sure if he's eligible to be called in to USMNT camps/games yet though, and honestly, given how weak the US is at LB and LM, I see Wallace at least getting called in for future competitions after the World Cup this summer. I actually see Wallace as someone who could have success in FMF, since so many of those teams play a 5-3-2 and utilize wingbacks, which seem to be a natural fit for him.
I would have rather had a traffic cone on the field the last few years rather than MorSTINK. One of the worst players to ever wear a Wizards jersey. I knew the second I heard he was released that he would be in DC within a few days.
And yet he has been a relative bright spot on the field for us. And while that may say something about the quality of our squad, he has shown fight, spirit, and occasional skill. He is a rather worthy addition to a long series of nasty, hacking, D/holding mids that goes back to Richie William and Geoff Aunger.
He might have been "the worst to ever wear a Wizards Jersey", and you should be ooooohhhh so grateful to have cut him, yet Wiz fans still obscess on coming on to DC forums and talking crap about him every chance they get, even when we picked him up. Interesting? I wonder if it's because he took Preki's 11 or because he ended up putting Zavagnin on the bench? Hurt some feelings? Still, if you look at the threads way back when he got drafted it seems the hate started often, the name "Morstink" came the day after the draft. Classy!! In DC, although he picks up the stupid yellows he does show spirit and fire when most of the team hangs their head, and from the locker room interviews he seems to be one of the few who cares when we lose. He must be learning something from Ben, something no "leader" in KC would offer.
Zags wasn't on the bench due to Morsink. That came to Jack Jewsbury finding a position and the addition of Hirsig. Morsink has the heart and so did Lance Watson, ya know a ABMOD of our own who played far more minutes last season than Morsink did. In fact alot of people have the heart. It is the smarts he lacks. He knows how to play backwards/positive pass but he has to take 2-3 slow touches to do so. Playing the ball forward and playing to start a counter or running with a counter is abysmal. Watch, but whenever he wants to press the attack it is 95% a lobb pass to the opposite wing. Which does has its place but he rarely has the accuracy for such a skilled pass, its mostly hit and hope. I am sorry, and I know it is grasping at straws when such a poor player is a bright spot but at some point in the near future you will start to realize that his lack of laziness does not surpass his lack of effectiveness.
The previous comment on obsession bordering on cyber stalking from KC fans on Morsink is reiterated. Just FYI the fact that Peter Vermes kicked him out holds zero credibility in my book. The same was said of another player, you know… not good… you might remember him… a Hercules Gomez? I’m not saying that Morsink is even close to that level but players respond differently to different situations and Morsink might have found his nich in DC. If that wasn’t possible we'd find Jimmy Nielsen at Harrah’s Casino every night.
Why are "we" defending Morsink like he's anything more than what he is, a bit player who wouldn't even be in the 18 if we had a healthy roster.