We looked like crap again until Kamler entered the game and Noonan shifted to mid. In the last 1/2 hour we looked the most dangerous we have this year and Twellman actually got some service and he came alive. The obvious part is JMM must sit down and Kamler must play. Noonan also looked better in the middle then JMM did. I fault Kante on two of the three goals and think that he'll be sitting next to JMM by next weekend. Nichols even had Kamler playing center defense by the end of the game. Not exactly an endorsement to Mr. Kante's position with the team. Something must change before next weekend or we'll be 0-3 on the season and I think that something will be the benching of JMM
I pretty much agree with you though it's not that Joe-Max is that bad - it's than Noonan is now a much more effective player. If we didn't have Noonan as an option, benching Moore wouldn't make nearly as much sense. Noonan is also wasted at left midfield - that is not his strength.
I agree! I know Twellman should have finished a couple of goals, but I have a feeling they're eventually going to come in bunches! If he gets those chances every game, I'll put my money on him having the scoring title AGAIN by the end of the year. However, I felt that the defense was TERRIBLE! They DO NOT attack the ball. Why are we letting Donovan dribble at the defense? I know he's a great player, but come on! Everyone is good with that much space to play! Why are we containg at our own 18 yard line? In addition, it scares me every time the defense is passing the ball around the back. I'm just waiting for a turnover! Cancela needs to pick it up! He has A TON of talent and can sometimes disappear. He needs to stay focused and feed the ball through TnT and Noonan. JMM is not dangerous enough! Noonan is better at this point and needs to be up top. Noonan and TnT have been playing together since GRADE SCHOOL! They might be a bit more effective than have JMM up top! Sorry, just had to vent...
I think Noonen's best position is at withdrawn forward. It allows him to help stablizing the midfield and let him create. He doesn't have the foot speed to get up and down the field. Kante is definitely at fault for 3rd goal. He looks very casual marking Brian Ching. A lot of players at this level only needs a little space to get his shot off. He could have and should have done better.
Here is an idea. Why not playing Sharie Joseph at defense? That's where he started out before he moved to midfield. That might fix your problem with defense I am always partial toward defensive midfielders who are very good with ball at their feet. Joseph at times looks clumsy with ball at his feet.
no question about it. ive been screaming for kante's head since last season, and nothing has been done. It seems like he doesnt even try. He is too slow. I heard during the broadcast on FSW that there is some defender from Trinidad & Tobago that we have our eyes on. I dont care who he is or how he plays. Sign him. I also agree with the JMM on the bench. However, heres what i think we should do with him. Start Noonan & twellman up top, and kamler on left mid. When Kam is out of gas, switch Pat to left and put in JMM up top. This way Noonan has already been established as a scoring threat being involved in the game at striker, and JMM can use his hustle and fresh legs to beat out defenders. TT shouldve had a hat-trick after tonites game...
Adin Brown misplayed the first goal. Where was Ralston on the second goal? Kante doesn't get it (the part about defending GOAL SIDE), hence the third goal. Good defenses do not challenge for balls at midfield without certain cover behind,instead they delay and drop. Nicol's decision to have his defenders pressure the ball so high is as much to blame for the defense's bad play as the players themselves. We keep hearing what a great defender he was, you would think by now we would see better tactical play if he could teach it.
We need MUCH better midfield play if we're going to be anything like a force this year. Some decent play late when San Jose went into bunker mode, but early on there was just WAY too many give aways.
I wouldn't be too worried about the midfield once Kamler and Joseph are starting again, but what is desperately needed is at least another central defender, and one with some speed (unlike Kante).
Is it me, or were we playing too much ball in the air stuff, and not enough point to point passes and runs?
Thats the idea when he comes back next week, because Dempsey clearly showed tonight he can handle the dmid role. As for JMM, why sit him? I think he's played great in the last two games, just not on the same page with the team. Why so much hatred for JMM? I'd rather have all 3 (Twellman, Noonan, and JMM) on the field instead of cycling the three. It is possible to do it. Good things happen when all three are on the field. Let them gel. But what we do need to do is figure out the outside back problem. Stick Kamler back there instead of Franchino, ship both him and Heaps out, pick up John and find someone on that right side. Or how bout we taser them whenever they move ahead of the outside midfielders.
To be honest, after a shakey initial few minutes (like the time when Kante made a poor pass up close to midfield, and he chose to stand and pout about it, while a player raced into the space Kante should have been in, leading to a shot off the post), once they settled down, San Jose did nothing as far as I remember. The 2nd half was a tad different though. Agreed about Noonan starting in front of JMM, I just wonder if Nicol will be willing to sit the experienced vet behind a 2nd year pro. One question though, with Noonan, TT and JMM starting, was there anyone on the bench who could have come in up front to change things up with his fresh legs, such as someone with good speed or anything?
The ouside backs were not the problem last night, it was the central defenders. Kante was out of position for two of the goals, and Pierce has lost two or three steps. It seems every year he gets blown by for a few goals and pulls up lame at the end of a game. I'm starting to wonder whether or not he has a groin tyo pull
basically i think it goes back to not playing any MLS teams in the preseason. i still think this team is in its training mode. noone has looked on the same page at all. people not making (or finishing) their runs, not connecting on passes. need to do this in the preseason there Nichol. get the boys going. we really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really need to bolster the defense. noone will disagree here. finish. up top, please just finish. still a young season, but allowing 6 goals in 2 games is not impressive...
He made this basic error half a dozen times last night, not just on the third goal. In the first 10 mins, the Quakes had a 3 on 1 and Donovan hit the post because Kante chose to rashly challenge the ball in the midfield, then didn't get back goalside to his mark. He is really a very poor team defender.
The troubling thing is that the "answer" - more help on defense - was obvious two years ago. Two years ago, a profusion of injuries nearly put the team out of contention. Luckily, the regulars came back just in time for the stretch run. During last year's ten-game-winless streek, defensive injuries/suspensions also proved to be the team's achilles heal. Kante also showed he couldn't play. So here we are, two games into the 2004 season. Guess what? The help hasn't arrive yet. I don't know where the problem lies - and this goes back 6/7 years - but no team gets less done in the offseason than the Revs. Look it up. The Revs have proved more reliant on midseason trades than any other team. Usually these have worked out (at least recently), but relying on this type of good fortune is definitely playing with fire. If any of you insiders can tell me why this team never fills its obvious needs in the offseason -and I'm not talking about the draft, where the team has done very well - please let me know. Is it a strategy (better deals are available in midseason)? Is it denial (our regular guys will do OK)? Is it excessive loyalty to current players and an aversion to change? Is it a lack of participation from The Great Invisible One Whose Name Is Rarely Spoken? Someone please help me out, because I know Gus and FDA won't...
Tried to edit the previous post for alarmist content - but BS would let me. Probably overstates the point...but it is an interesting question (I thinK).
You might be best served with a 3-5-2: Twellman---Noonan -----Cancela----- Kamler-----Ralston Dorman/Dempsey---Joseph Heaps---Pierce---Franchino -----Brown----- The obvious problem with this system though is speed in the back. Even with a four man back line last night, the defense was certainly porous. I don't know how at fault Kante was but there was plenty of room for San Jose to put in crosses, take shots, and man-marking was also very poor. I doubt this will happen. Nicol likes the 4-4-2, but if he wants to keep using it he's either going to have to go out and pick up another defender, make a trade, or start Joseph in central defense; he really has no other choice.
If you watched MLS Wrap, I think Harkes hit on the problem, the Revs have been playing with too big a gap between the forwards and midfield. JMM needs to drop back and help Cancela out in moving forward. A lot of times Cancela would get the ball from the back and when he was challenged his only option in moving the ball forward was to try a 20+ yard pass to JMM or TT. One of them (JMM) needs to come back to the ball. I don't know why he doesn't because I had always felt that was a strong part of his game.
Someone help me out... how would starting Noonan forward and benching JMM keep us from giving up three goals a game again??? Offense/lack of scoring opportunities IS NOT this team's biggest problem right now -- therefore, "The Answer" is not to tinker with the offense. I think it's VERY fair to be frustrated and asking questions right now. We're in year #3 of the Nicol Era, and we've still got the same problems now as we did when he walked through the door. Why haven't we done something with the defense? Why don't we have any forwards with game-changing speed? What happened to our depth? Why wasn't any of this addressed during the winter?