If Vaca is really tearing it up, and Guevara plays like he did last year, that's a hell of a one-two punch. But "best in MLS" when we don't have any true wingers? Clark, Gaven, and Lisi are all good players, but the shape of our midfield leaves a lot to be desired. I'll take New England's core midfield (Kamler-Cancela-Ralston) over ours any day. They can actually play the entire width of the field.
im definitely gettin made fun of for this but ziadie on the right wing dont seem that bad to me if we're playin a 3-5-2..... at least until the next window opens.... we could make a trade within the league but who would we give up? future considerations?
The Metros are loaded up the middle. Lisi, Guevara, Clark, Gaven--all best suited in the middle. The acquisition of Vaca helps spread things out a bit, but they need a true left winger. Someone with speed, a slasher. I'm really surprised that Lisi wasn't dealt this offseason. For all the pretty dribbling that Guevara does, I think Lisi was more effective as a distributer last year.
From the games that I watched, Gaven tore up the left wing. Clark did the same on the right. I like the Ziadie idea of having him on the right. ....Clark..... Ziadie......Guevara....Vaca......Gaven It's a bit offensive minded, but if it plays like the 2000 3-5-2, they'll be fine.
I think MLS fans know who has the best midfield in the league, just go look at the salary figures (which are based off of performance) on Sporting News MLSFC. By the way, reports from the game yesterday where the Revs defense got crushed, Cancela disected the mid-seasoned Santa Clara defense.
I want to see Cancela do it for an entire season, and Kamler to even come close to replicating his '03 season before I start lauding the greatness of New England's midfield.
With the best coach, best keeper, best defender, best midfield and all their forwards involved in international play at one level or another I expect the Metro to sweep all the domestic awards this season, embark on a sold out tour of Europe during the offseason and then return to the states as all conquoring heroes this time next year.
I haven't thought of Ziade out right since the start of last season. That could work... New England's trio of Ralston, Cancela, and Joseph with whoever is the left wing (I believe Kamler was left off of the team) is the best midfield in the league hands down. Heck, they were the best midfield last season in the second half. Now if they had a defense....
I've been wondering about the Metro midfield, and the lack of wingers, but then I thought back to the Cosmos and remembered the 1979 lineup: .........TUEART.......CHINAGLIA......... .............BOGIE...BECKENBAUER....... ........NEESKENS.........DAVIS........... .................RIJSBERGEN.................. ..MARINHO..................ESKANDARIAN ...................ALBERTO.................... ................BIRKENMEIER.................. No true wingers on that team either, but on paper, it was probably the best lineup the Cosmos ever fielded (despite not winning the championship that year). If Vaca and Guevara can work a one-two punch like Bogie and Franz, and Lisi and Clark can provide support, then the real trick to getting this team to work is to have two good wingbacks who can make overlapping runs and strong crosses. Milton Reyes on the right would've been a good guy to get in the expansion draft, and on the left someone like Jeff Agoos or Frankie Hejduk (who could also play the right side) would be good to trade for before the season begins. Agoos would also be good for locker room leadership. Any news on how Agoos is feeling about Yallop leaving San Jose? Anyone know how Bradley and Agoos got along in DC? Anyone know if Milton Reyes is still unemployed?
Thanks for the memories. Those were fun times at the Meadowlands (other than the canned cheers on the PA system).
By canned cheers, I assume you're talking about the "clap-clap clap-clap-clap, clap-clap-clap-clap COS-MOS!!" Oh please. That was so much better than the "bells of death" we get with every corner kick, these days. The stupidity of PA music programmers never ceases to amaze me. Just play some happy music after a goal is scored. Otherwise, just keep quiet. Anyway, back to the discussion at hand... Agoos and Reyes and/or Hejduk anyone? Any other ideas for wingbacks who can complement the Metros' dual-playmaker midfield?
I'd still say they've proven to be better in a more consistent way, for a longer period of time.. Hopefully this year, our midfield can claim to be superior, or better yet, get a Cup...NE can keep its midfield bragging rights for all i care if that was the case....
Reyes is currently set to go on trial with Dallas. There were rumors that he was set to go to NY/NJ and the option remains open if he isn't picked up by the Burn.
Dennis Tueart seemed to play wide to me, albeit on one side, while Marinho was always overlapping. What a great squad!
We do have one of the best center midfields in the league. Our problem is the same as the problem we had last season. Without wingers to spread the field, other teams can shut us down simply by clogging the middle. NE doesn't have a great defense, but they were able to kill us down the stretch. Why? They took the ball wide on offense and stuffed the middle on defense. We lost what, 5 in a row? I don't want to see that again. We've got two allocations and a couple of discoveries left. I think the top priority (ie: the one we HAVE to do before the window closes) is picking up a quality winger. Make another run at Emil Martinez or whatever his name was. Do SOMEthing. If we go into the season with the same exact weakness we had last season, we're going to get killed, no matter how good the middle looks. Priority two is a 3rd defender. Both Pope and Bonseu will miss time for their respective nats. Who plays then? I don't even want to think about it. Priority three is a striker. We could use one, but the situation isn't desperate like the need for a winger or a defender. The thought of a front line of Gaven and Magee (option #3 and 4 after Taylor and Woly), doesn't scare me as much as a defense of Parke and Arena.
Precisely right about Marinho. That's what I'm saying. The Metros need someone like that who can make the overlapping runs. If the Metros 2004 midfield is going to be based on the Cosmos '79 midfield system, you need wingbacks who can make a menace of themselves on the flanks. Agoos is the only player in MLS who I've seen who knows how to do it effectively on the left side. And Hejduk did it quite well two years ago in the World Cup. That's why I'm mentioning those two guys. I know Agoos is getting old (he turns 36 in May), but that might be why San Jose may be willing to part with him. Perhaps they'd like someone like Digi in exchange. Cheaper salary and younger.
The Cosmos were so awesome.They just kicked the crap out of everyone, be they half-drunk, over-the-hill Brits on holiday or part-time Americans who were making $200 a game. They rocked.
When Marinho overlapped up the wing, he had the great Carlos Alberto at sweeper to pick up the counter-attacks. CA would float along the back line, then step up to cut out a pass or dispossess a forward. Franz would position himself in the center circle, head up surveying the field, ball at his feet, then deliver a through-pass or lift the ball over the defense to an onrushing teammate. Both were graceful and wonderful to watch.
Right. And Pope fills the Alberto role in this lineup. Bonseau is Rijsbergen. Ziadie is Eskandarian (although I'd prefer to see Hejduk or maybe Ezra Hendrickson -- is he available?). Guevara plays the Beckenbauer role, Vaca is Bogie, Lisi is Davis, Clark is Neeskens, and Taylor is Tueart. Now all the Metros need are a Marinho (Agoos or someone like him) and a Chinaglia. Where's Steve Rammel when you need him?