Highly entertaining IMHO. Real fans kept booing everytime an FCD player went down (that happened a LOT). Seems the rest of the league thinks FCD are divers while FCD fans think our players are getting hacked to death (which is true ). Real had a lot more of the possession and had chance after chance to put the ball in box and hope something good happens. They had some great shots which Hartman managed to keep out. FCD made good use of it's few counter attack opportunities with two (2) very well taken goals.
Great win. However, imo we won despite our coach, and are working against him in some ways. Our mid field is impotent for the most part. DH should be a full time coach at this point yet here he is again handling set pieces. Castillo had his normal ups and downs, the goal clearly being very nice, but he just isn't good at keeping possession nor is his decision making even average. Benitez needs to calm down, both emotionally and on the ball. Why is he so freakin erratic? He'll look very calm and composed at times, then go nuts. The more emotional he starts getting the worse he is with the ball at his feet. He could have really hurt us a few times tonight with his lousy giveaways. Shea looked extremely threatening to open, yet his touches from there on were few and far between, until he was eventually moved up top again and proceeded to have 2+ defenders draped all over him with his back to goal the rest of the game. It;s just amazing we have a guy who can be so threatening with space going down the side, yet SH seems intent on stifling that and using him in every other moronic way possible. SH had nothing to do with the Brek/DF counter which got us the winner. It was great execution by those two and a brilliant finish. But did anyone else notice all the opportunities RSL had in comparison? They didn't finish them all that well today, but the movement, the runs, creating lanes/space, the timely passing, multiple options going forward....one team was much better coached than the other, and we were not that team. I'm happy we won but we stole this game and clearly were not the better team. Just worried this solidifies in SH's mind that he's doing the right thing and that the Hunts in their minds are doing the right thing by employing this dude.
I agree with this. Hard to get down after a great win. I feel good! However, it's impossible not to notice yet another MLS club slicing and dicing through us, quick touches, linking up, good movement from all parts and multiple options going forward. Is it coaching? Is it our talent base? I think it's a mixture of both, where we have a tactically subpar coach and a number of players who are flat out subar with the ball at their feet and don't think quick enough. We mostly just give the ball away and defend like hell. Sometimes it works, like tonight, but it's not a recipe we can count on.
A coach that is able to keep a team playing with the guts that this team has, despite the injury plague not seen since the Pharaoh pissed off God, has got to be given credit. The team on the field has a pair of stainless steel spheres dangling. Not just a game tonight. Quite simply a statement. We as fans may have written this year off. However, this group is not accepting that fate. Can you imagine if we actually had a normally healthy back line, DF, and Blas? Inconceivable.
True, but with Brek, Castillo, and Top as the strike force, you aren't going to win many possession battles. Brek and Castillo are very dangerous on counters, though. Blas would help a lot there (Top isn't a big guy and looked out of place in the 4-3-3) , but who knows if he'll come back. I guess I'm trying to say that this team isn't currently built for the type of game you want. Now, that could be an indictment on his choice of players or it could just be that SH is doing tactically what is best with what he has.
None of the other MLS teams have multiple copies of Ferreira but it seems like they do when they play us (e.g. the "slice and dice" effect). This team is having some success with DF simply because of his talent, not because of our ability to break down the opposing team with intricate passing (like they seem to be able to do to us). We are also over-reliant on speed and the technical ability to beat players 1v1 rather than using tactics to break down the defense. That in itself is not a long-term strategy for success. We were extremely lucky to win this one.
Again, you seem to want to impose a strategy that just isn't conducive to the current roster. Castillo isn't a playmaker, and neither is Shea. They are extraordinary athletes that rely on pace and one v one skills to succeed. If you want to criticize the midfield (aside from Ferreira), then I'm with you. But, again, imo that is more of a matter of talent than tactics.
Congrats on the win, and double-congrats on the way Ferriera is playing. What a great goal to win the game, it's fun to watch him play again.
Marcelan's run down the left side of the field at one point was comical. I'd like to see him and Abe Thompson in a sprint to the death.
LOL. It was pretty awkward, but I give the guy credit for seeing the open space and trying. FCD could really, REALLY use another half-ass creative midfielder to compliment Ferreira. AJ and De Guzman are battlers, but not really difference makers. AJ + a high draft pick for Castrillon or equivalent wouldn't offend me.
RSL slices and dices a lot of teams. In fact, they are the best in the league at slicing and dicing other teams, particularly in their home "fortress" of Rio Tinto. Counterattacking was the only way this game was ever going to go and FCD ended up doing it brilliantly. With Vancouver's loss the playoff race all of a sudden got very interesting tonight.
Don't really post much here anymore but just wanted to add that it's very very harsh to judge a team's overall performance when they're playing at RSL, a place Hyndman is 0-5, after a brutally physical game 3 days earlier on TURF in Vancouver and also the 3rd game in eight days. You're never, ever going to see a team play very well in the final game of that stretch given those circumstances. This win was all guts and heart, not about the overall performance which was actually pretty sub-par.
I like Villar (more than most here), but wouldn't want him out there with DF at the same time as he just doesn't have enough bite. And he's not healthy anyway. I'm looking more for a creative two way type, like Dax but with more skill.
Most of the criticisms do not pertain solely to this game at all, but rather the majority of the season.
You know who I;ve always liked and maybe has fallen out of favor with RSL, who could potentially fill that role? Will Johnson. Didn't even get subbed on today, although not sure if he's injured or not. Might be the odd man out with Morales healthy and Gil getting better. But someone in the mold of Junhino would help.
How do you say it? Golazo Golazo! Two beautiful goals by FCD. Who cares about the past? DF10 for MVP and comeback player of the year. He's blessed to overcome the injuries. This blond kid with the funny hair looks to be a player I tell ya!
The majority of the season when half of our starters were hurt? If we had a healthy roster with a midfield of de Guzman, AJ, Ferreira, Shea, and Jackson and Blas up top... we would probably play with much more possession and skill (a la 2010). Even if they don't make the playoffs this year, I like that the team is regaining some semblance of their 2010 form and think they are setup nicely for next year.
Wow folks, how many last minute goals is that now for the FCD-RSL matchup over the years? Inconceivable. So let me get this straight, this worthless team we all thought was dead (and could still very well be) has got 3 wins in a row, unbeaten in 4 (should be 4 wins in a row), and all against Western Conference foes...2 of which in their house? Impressive. Like I said earlier, I'm in California and couldn't watch the game but caught the highlights last night. I would have been dancing around my living room if I saw that Ferreira strike live (as I'm sure most of y'all were). The fact that we were outplayed is not the point right now. The fact that we have a depleted team and we're still finding a way to win means this team is starting to believe in themselves, the coach (again), and Ferreira (of course).
Don't forget on top of all of that... Altitude of Sandy, Utah: 4,450 ft. This makes a huge difference. I live at around 5,000 ft., but when I did a half-marathon last weekend that started at around 8,500 ft. and ended around 7,200 ft., I could tell a difference. No, these guys aren't having to run 13 miles during a game, but I also wasn't doing any sprints, either.