I think the 4-1-4-1 being proposed is very likely to be the formation of choice. The team has been very insistent that Boskovic is staying around, I think they're really depending on him to be a critical part of the team this year. On the point of DeRo getting older (even though he is a freak of nature/a health nut), Ives had a mock draft a few days ago that had us taking Enzo Martinez. Now granted I know nothing about college soccer, but from how he was described, it made sense for DCU to draft him just in case one of DeRo or Boskovic goes down, he can learn the ropes a little slower.
I can't get excited about any of the college players. I'm sure there are some good ones, but I watched the college final, and if those are the two best teams, yuck. They can knock it around okay, but there was no one on either side that looked like they had some kind of solution to the old problem of actually putting the ball in the net. Knock it around and hope. I reiterate, yuck.
Thats the teams - And the coaches - Its too hard to watch on TV and figure which (IF ANY) player is really that good yet: (a) soft-touch and ball control; (b) field awareness; (c) takes difficult balls and makes great passes; (d) finds open teammates; (e) doesn't pass into pressure; etc, etc
Not saying I agree with this, but based on this logic, the system would have to be a 4-3-3. That's what the academy teams will be teaching/playing as well.
Good coaches used a formation/strategy that best fits their personnel. Trying to answer this question right now is insane. Welcome to BS.
it may be slightly less insane to discuss this now that we have some acquisitions. also FIFA 12 updated their rosters and i've been playing around with the new look United to see what works best and what I've come up with is this 3-5-2: ------------Hamid----------- Dudar------BMac-----Jakovic -----Kitchen------Bosko----- Najar------De Ro-----Pontius ----M Santos----Salihi------- our outside backs suck...so eliminate the need for them. I'm well aware that we won't see this look but a guy can dream. I imagine it will the diamond 4-4-2 again.
That's probably the most talented lineup DCU could send to the pitch and we all know computers love large player ranking numbers
While I like your line up I agree we'll see a 442. Move De Ro to Santos and replace Santos with Woolard next to Jakovic and that's the safe bet. A 352 does seem to fit our personnel though.
Take Santos off and put Pontius up there and you may be up to something. And then have Cruz and De Leon battle it out for the last starting spot. I also think the lineup would suit Russell, so I'd slide him in there somehow whenever possible. Too bad this formation doesn't have legs in today's MLS for whatever reason. Sometimes I think MLS coaches learn soccer by watching the Premier League standard 4-4-2. If you want to learn tactics, especially the 3-5-2 they should be watching Serie A.
If I had to guess, I think our opening day 11 will look something like this If this Guilherme fella works out, put him in for Woolly.
So our season relies on Perry Kitchen? Those local better get some tifo up early so he knows this. Tell me where I can donate to the cause.
Heist it was more a quick one-off to the 4-1-4-1 formation. It puts a lot of pressure on Kitchen to manage the pace of the match, as well as tactical positioning to anticipate where the flow of the opposition is going to. Not that he can't do it, but its a high expectation.
I read that pic as Bosko playing slightly deeper to provide Kitchen with some help in that regard. That said, I do think we're thrusting Kitchen into a pretty important role this year, and a good number of points will ride on how he responds to it.
----Pontius----Salihi---- Cruz---DeRo----Najar -----Kitchen---------- Korb----------Russell -----McD---Dudar--- This is what I'd like to see against LA. Cruz in to harass Donovan, DeRo helping facilitate in the midfield, Pontius holding and creating. On D, Dudar would ideally be the key in playing out of the back, he can mark the old man Keane, McD on Buddle. Korb b/c, what the heck, that's where this is going, so why not now?
This will also be LA's 4th game in 11 days or so. I don't mind getting Boskovic off the field, but I'm not sure McDonald played better than (or even as well as) Jakovic.
He certainly did not play better than Dejan. I found it funny that he tried to blame Dejan for a mistake he made, when he hauled down a striker at the top of the box after losing the 50/50, then getting turned.
Whatever he got, McDonald caught it from Ethan White last year. If that is as well as those guys can do, I don't want to see either of them boot another ball out of the back, especially unpressured, again. And McDonald's passing, when he did try, was atrocious.