I would agree that Marquez answer was not the most adequate and respectful to his teamates yet he is not far from the truth. There are too many veteran players that really slow down the pace of the team. The style of play that Backe wants for the team not only requires order which the team many times has been able to maintain but speed is the crucial element that the team lacks. Henry is the best forward this team has ever had , yet a partner without speed is useless. Limpere great player yet he cant go 90 minutes all the games of the season at some point he will wear out. Who else besides Richards provides speed that put pressure on other teams defenses? none. A lot of the Red bulls staff and fans talk without knowing anything about the tactics needed to put a team together. Cichero for example a player that was carefully scouted never got the proper opportunity to develop , today he provide his french team the speed and ability out of the flanks that we lack. Who else joined the team that provided pace? no one . Solli is a player who provides fundamental and great crossing ability yet does he provide the pace needed to surprise denfeses? NO! So until we have a balance team that understands the level of play require to win the MLS cup we will only keep complainig about the missing 10. My friends.. I recommend watching other leagues and other teams. compare and contract to see what we need and see that we are not really that far off.
Its fairly obvious the booing caused this whole mess isnt it? I know Marquez has underachieved but I'll never understand home fans booing their own players especially people who claim to be in the "supporters section".
they should boo the staff. and protest by posting signs of what we want but us americans are use to the silent protest.
Couldnt agree more with this post and now reading those quotes about his friction with Backe and Soler I'd be willing to bet this issue is the cause of this. Amazing seemingly everyone but the idiots Backe and Soler recognize this.
I never have liked Marquez, and this reminded me why. Ream is a 2nd year player who makes mistakes, but clearly has a lot of skill. Rafa has been our worst player this year, so he really isn't in a position to criticize people. I knew that he came to the MLS to make money, but if thats the case then collect your paycheck and shut your mouth, rather than acting like a douche by calling teammates out. We know you don't care at all Rafa. Just shut your mouth and collect your check.
I understand your point about lacking pace and athleticism, but this was not at all what Marquez was getting at with his comments. His accusation was that he is playing at a high level and the rest of the team isn't, and that is a load of crap because despite his salary he has been just as bad as anybody else on this team, if not worse than most. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Marquez say last year that the only reason he agreed to join the team was because he was promised he could play in the midfield?
Yeah, the idiots who have this team challenging for their second playoff berth in a row after finishing dead last in the league the season before they arrived. I can't help but be of the "chill out" school on this subject considering this club's history, though if we miss the playoffs, there would definitely be grounds for dismissing Backe. Anybody who's actually watched the team this season knows that Marquez has been dogging it, week in week out. Ream's only been a pro for 18 months, and he's shown way more effort and professionalism than Marquez has come close to, in addition to making fewer mistakes than him if you ask me. Ream might eff up some of his more audacious passes and get overpowered on set pieces here and there, but Marquez has blown stuff that a seasoned international of any age should not blow: offside traps, walking back to his mark after we lose possession, etc. He obviously doesn't care and whether or not he likes the coach shouldn't mean shit. He can go make even more money at America or Pumas (though he'd have to drop some skrilla on a bodyguard as he wouldn't have to do here) and leave us alone except when he gets sent off in every game against the USMNT. He's lucky his backups are Mendes and Keel, or I'd suspend him the rest of the year if I were in charge.
So do you think where he is at in his career he should be playing center back or midfield? I think the answer is obvious and while I dont totally disagree with your opinion of Backe and Soler they did turn around a bad team like you said but that doesnt excuse them from making the wrong decision regarding where he should play. There were some games where teams bunkered and then Marquez pushed up into midfield and he was spraying passes all over the field unlike anyone else on this team could do so to me the answer is obvious, Backe and Soler badly mismanaged this situation and I'd be willing to bet that is the cause of the friction. BTW, I dont excuse his lack of care/trying but usually in sports its related to problems with management. We've seen this many times over the years in other NY sports.
I realize that Rafa is the enemy, because not only is he the Mexican captain, but he's also done stupid things throughout the years with the Mexican team. I get it, they're our rivals, it's natural to have those feelings. I also realize that Rafa f***** up with his comments, totally unnecessary, totally childish, and totally unprofessional. I've been one of his few supporters, but he messed up, he behaved like a petulant child, like someone that's always had his way, but that is not am excuse. No way can that ever happen, no way in hell. I think his problem is not with the players but rather with the coaching. That's how it looks to me and I feel like he just took out his frustrations at the wrong time and with the wrong people. However, he's 100% correct in what he said. Solli is not a defender, Mendes sucks, and Ream fu*** up over and over again. By the age of 23 you're supposed to be a player, full out soccer player. I realize our boys are behind b/c of the system here, but he's not used to that. Ream makes mistakes that I made when I was 9,10 years old. He's a professional, there's no way he can make those mistakes, no freaking way!! I picked Ream to anchor the USNT for the foreseeable future and I think he still might, but these mistakes are unforgivable. I'm sorry, but they just are. Rafa was in Barcelona, for many years, the professionalism he's used to, the coaching, and the winning, it must be getting to him. Has anyone asked themselves why he's a totally different player for the MNT? It's the coaching, it's not hard to see. Rafa is a hell of a player, people who put down his skill are ignorant of what soccer is. I hate to cast judgements like that because; who am I to say that? I'm no one, I understand that, but it's pure crap. To diminish what he is as a soccer player just shows a lack of soccer knowledge. I also feel that if you want to boo, go for it. People pay their hard earned money to go and see these performers and if they're not satisfied, they have every right to boo. Go for it. You paid, you're entitled to boo if you choose to. However, I think people are booing the wrong person, for me, the person that deserves the boo's is Backe. He's the guy at the top, he deserves the blame. It's a problem of the the entire team not just the back line, it's the coach. People have their scapegoat though, and most people always choose the easier path. It's human nature, but reality proves otherwise. I would have said until recently that Solli was the most dominant defense-man of the season and then Rafa. Solli has fallen off the deep end however, Rafa has become our most dominant defense-man. Then Miller and then Ream. Ream has been complete garbage this year, complete trash. I know he's ours, he might be the future of the NT, but realistically he's been shit. But of course, no one will dare boo Ream, or even blame him for that matter, he's Ream. I've been saying it forever, it's not difficult to see that a coaching change was needed months ago, now it's too late and the season might be lost for good. We needed an attacking midfielder, I suggested Torres on this sight at the beginning of the year, he would've been perfect. The link from the midfield to the top, but the people in charge failed to see it. He was available, too bad the people in charge are lacking. If we as fans decide to talk about this team and just about soccer, Rafa is nowhere near the top of the many problems on this team. That is a fact.
Again, his comments are not true in the least. You can argue that Solli has failed to adjust to the defensive position (which he has) and that Ream is old enough not to be making dumb mistakes like yesterday (which he is), but that is not what Rafa said. If he said that everybody on the backline has been underperforming then yes he'd be spot on, but he insisted that he is playing at a far higher level than everybody else and that's simply not the case. And as far as Mendes, he defended better on Wednesday than Miller has all year.
I hope we never have to see Rafa on this team again. At least I hope he is gone at the end of the year.
I'm not a fan of those 30+ old players special as DPs that draw millions and millions of Dollars because they know that at that edge they can't perform no more in team like Barcelona or in others team of that league and they come here to take it easy and not kill them self any more and that is what all of then do.....
the whole defense has been crap. it is hard for rafa to take, and his frustration got the better of him. what do people expect though? he was booed AT HOME with every touch. A totally dumb ass move by him to diss the team, but also the fans need to look at themselves. How much of a lift do you think it gives the visiting team to have the home team boo the senior centerback?? not to mention seeing ream pass the ball to the striker, and still have rafa booed thereafter?!!! Sheer madness. I swear some of these "fans" have no freakin clue how to support the team. Not too long ago people were having a go at a clearly injured Henry. Even with his chronic achilles problems, he is up there with the best in the league. Who to blame next, Lindpere? Get behind the team for crying out loud. Lets hope Rodgers finds his form quickly, as in tonight! We lost too much when we lost him to injury. Lets also hope Richards can have a break out game on the right. With them two keeping the timbers busy people like Henry and Joel can find space to make things happen. we cant rely on an embattled defense, thats for sure. Especially with these geniuses booing them
For everyone on this thread that is saying that Rafa is right, the rest of the back line sucks, read this article, or just look at the photographs. Rafa is a traffic cone...and while you might expect this from a lower end backup defender, it is UNACCEPTABLE from a player who you are paying more than most teams. He came here because he thought he could make bags of cash and have a lower profile than in Barcelona/Mexico, while sliding by on his talent. Classic case of a DP gone wrong.
They ALL have sucked. Period. Rafa is wrong, but that doesnt mean the others havent sucked. They all need to look at themselves. As Henry said, its a team game, and nobody in the team can feel good while the team struggles. Booing Rafa isnt the answer.
This is a leadership failure. NYRB brought in Rafa to lead the backline, as it can be expected from a WC, La Liga, and Champions League veteran, and he has promptly made error after error, and then, proclaims his superiority and throws everyone underneath the bus. Maybe the entire line hasn't played well, but I start with blaming the leader of the back line first.
he deserves a fair chunk of the blame for sure. However, some of the mistakes the others are making arent even highschool standard. Even Roy Keane wouldnt be able to "lead" that out of their system. Every player has a day off, but backlines cant have 2 or 3 players having a night off every week. It was wrong for Rafa to blame the others as if he has been great, but it shouldnt distract from the overall poor level of play in the back. Thats not a leadership issue, and I cant even say its a coaching issue because the bench isnt deep enough. In any event, it should come as no surprise that Rafa's comments come on the night where he was booed at home all night long. there's only so much a guy can take, and having played with some of the best in the world, he would hardly think that he is the problem when his partner passes the ball to the opposing striker. Still, he hasnt been good enough over the season, and he was wrong to blame it all on the team.
What does Rafa Marquez's new fragrance smell like? Delusion Defeat Defecation "Marquez? We don't need no steenking Marquez!"
I won't be unhappy if we've seen the last of him. Unloading him should be our #1 offseason priority. He is simply not worth what he is being paid, not by a long shot.
For the first time in Rafa's career he is not playing up to par & in MLS nonetheless so Rafa isnt taking it well and this statement popped out after he boiled over. Its obviously an absurd statement and deserved a suspension because he has been just as bad as any defender and the fact that NY has won 2 recently without Marquez speaks volumes... I watched the Portland - NY game & I couldnt disagree with Shep Messing anymore (who agrees with him anyways, right?) about the fact Rafa should play. He should continue to be sat on the bench until results prove otherwise. If NY plays fine without him for the rest of the season or NY fails with him, for the amount of money he is being paid, NY needs to trade or sell him after this season. Richards was my MOM vs Portland, but I also believed Mendes was very good. If Mendes, Keel, Solli, & Ream get some consistancy they could still get the job done.
This isn't about sucking and playing bad, or who has the talent and who doesn't; this is about being lazy and not playing like you care. That's Rafa. That's why he was booed!