I'm getting less optimistic about a good start to this season. We have only 2 preseason games left and a bunch of key players haven't even been seen yet, so having them in 'game' shape for the opener seems untenable. Gil, in particular, seems to be pretty much irreplaceable at this point in time and I wouldn't expect any semblance of a threatening attack without him. As for the Minnesota game, I also thought Kessler looked very good. I think he'll end up being a starter sooner rather than later. Of course, that will probably be a factor of the fitness of the other center backs, as well as Arena's willingness to trust the keys to a rookie, but I think he's the young center back that we've been seeking for quite a while now. Farrell's shakiness is concerning, but he's got a much better track record so I'll assume he'll get it together.
I laughed out loud when I read this opening phrase, given how out of character it is. ------------------------------------------------------ I agree that the attack needs to be ready to go, right away.. There are still enough personnel questions at Dmid and across much of the back line to be concerned as to how well that will all work out of the gate. So, I suspect the team's attack will be heavily counted on right from day one: a.) The attack needs to be ready to score LOTS of goals -- to offset goals given up while defense finds its footing, or (unfortunately), b.) Bruce will be asking the attack unit to overemphasize defensive responsibilities. He may need to add some more "bunker-lite" into the mix than perhaps he was originally expecting. (An attack that has been charged with significant defensive responsibilities has to be particularly fine tuned to in order to execute quick counters. That takes some preparation, its not something an attack unit is "born with") I'm nonetheless still very much looking forward to seeing the three headed Gil-Bou-Buksa monster in action.
Preview | Fresh faces expected to see big minutes Wednesday vs. Vancouver February 18, 2020 8:19PM EST Elizabeth Pehota
Knighton; Sinovic, Kessler, Mancienne, Lekressner, S.Caldwell, Rowe, Fagundez, Buchanan, Rivera, Rennicks Bench: J. Caldwell (GK), Farrell, Angking, Buksa, Bunbury, Jones, Caicedo, Firmino
Still no Büttner, Gil, or Toni. Caicedo on the bench is reassuring, but he needs more than a few token minutes at the end if the 2nd half
MLS Preseason 2020: Lucas Cavallini scores again as Vancouver Whitecaps top New England Revolution February 19, 2020 9:57PM EST MLSsoccer staff
I get that it's pre-season and all that, but it seems we're off to a slower start than we should be. Other teams were playing games and have had much more action so far than we have. Sure, you have to look at the border-line players and get people minutes to show what they can do, but the expected starters also need to get some real game action in order to be sharp for the opener. Montreal will already have a CCL game under their belt by the time we face them. I'm getting a little concerned, and while in Bruce we trust, if this was under the old regime, this would be time for howling. Are there other teams who are off to a later start than we are? We won't count Cincinnati, who are a total train wreck right now, only "normal" teams...
Conspiracy time. Did Bruce bring Kelyn Rowe in because he expects Carles Gil to be out for an extended period of time? #NERevs— Sunday Afternoon Fullbacks (@notbriankamler) February 20, 2020
Last pre-season didn't we play and even beat some decent European teams? I'm just not ready to freak out over a game that largely featured the Revs 2 roster.
There's a good recap here: https://www.trifectanetworksports.c...n-fall-to-vancouver-in-rotation-filled-match/ Apparently Gil is 'nursing a foot injury'. Caicedo finally got some action. It was a very youth oriented lineup - with the kids playing a lot. I like that they all got lots of minutes and good looks, but we generated almost no attack. We did generate a few crosses that could have been dangerous if they were better executed. All in all, this game really said nothing about our readiness for the opener - which will probably have nearly a completely different 11 starting. Unless Delamea suddenly reappears, it looks like Kessler might be the only starter from last night to start the opener. Mancienne started, but wasn't overly impressive - he had one bad giveaway that put the defense on their heels. Kessler was nearly flawless - the only miscue I saw was a lazy, weak backpass that Knighton had to come charging out for. Other than that he ranged well, read the play well, played it upfield when he had the chance to, shepherded a few balls over the end line well and put balls out of play calmly in dangerous situations. The more I see Rowe and Fagundez (and Caldwell, to a lesser extent), the more it feels like MLS has passed them by. I think DeJuan Jones has been one of our best players in the preseason so far.
No freaking out about losing, just that we're not playing a lot of regulars and I wonder how ready we are going to be for the start of the season. Of course, in past years we played all the regulars because we only had like 19 guys on the whole camp roster...
I agree on Kessler. I definitely trust him more than Mancienne. As yo our flaccid midfield: I think Caldwell is the weakest of the bunch.
Physically weakest maybe. But I feel like he's the smartest CDM . At his worse he can stay on the field without picking up a red card. Doesn't take on shots that he won't make ala zahibo
Maybe he is smart, but not smart enough to overcome his short comings. For 1 thing: he is slow. A smart player might be able to overcome that with improved positioning or predicting plays to make turnovers, but Scotty doesnt. 2nd: He isn't technically gifted. A smart player plays the right ball more often than not, even if it isn't perfectly played. Scotty tends to dribble into cul de sacs and pass to opponents while his team mates are transitioning, creating counter-counter attacks. Caicedo is the only revs CM I'm confident in. Rowe and Diego have had enough moments that I'm willing to give them a chance, but my leash for him is about as long as Wilf's. Scotty shouldn't be in the 18
I think there's this perception that Caicedo is a reckless player. Over the last 2 years, red cards by our dmids: - Zahibo 1 - Caldwell 1 - Caicedo 0 All 3 pick up yellows at fewer that 1 in 3 games played - a rate that may lead to an occasional suspension, but probably not more than 1 per season.
I am one of those people with that perception and I am shocked the stats are what they are. Many, many times I have seen Caicedo rushing around like a chicken with its head cut off because he was out of position and/or does a poor job of anticipating, resulting in a poorly-timed slide tackle that warrants a yellow or red. Some people praise the hustle; I just cringe and wait for the referee to reach for his pocket.
Personally I am not high on our DMids. Surely we can do better. Zahibo will hit a 40 yard pass on a dime then kick the ball away on a 10 yard pass. I love Scotty's hustle but his skill set is limited. Caicedo is just a faster Scotty with a slightly better offensive skill set
I value ability to win back the ball pretty highly from a CM/DM. Caicedo is the only guy on the team who will make a key interception or put in a tackle. I admit he has a bit of Nagbe syndrome (he gets less valuable the closer he gets to the opponent's goal), but that's why you pair him with someone like Rowe who gives you some defensive effort and also some passing skill and vision. Zahibo has the vision, but not the athleticism and he is exceptionally inconsistent. Caldwell has effort, but as I said above he just doesnt do anything with it. That all said, I've got the confetti ready for when the FO announces they've signed a CM.
Caicedo's value is the "dirty work/hard tackling/ball winning/pest of the highest order/on the edge of a card but rarely over the edge" type. He's the closest to "assassin with outsized spine" this team has right now. For all of that, I am a big Luis Caicedo fan. -------------------------------------- re: passing - https://www.whoscored.com/Players/354904/Show/Luis-Caicedo#player-tournament-stats-passing https://www.whoscored.com/Regions/2...PlayerStatistics/USA-Major-League-Soccer-2019 On solely the Pass Success Percentage stat from this site - he's 162 out of 333 MLS players who met a minimum appearances threshold in 2019 season. You can see many many Revs further down the list.. (which is in line with my previous non-fact-based perception that I'm not overly concerned about his passing. Which is to my relief - I hate (hate!) it when my assumption/imagination turns out to be at odds with real data.) re: Other more defensive stats - Tackles per game - he's #7 in this same list of 333. That's rarefied air. Fouls per game - he's #1 of all 333. Also rarefied air. That stat cuts both ways for a team. Clearances per game - #93 of 333 Interceptions per game - #83 of 333. Well, I'd keep him. Pair him with a stud, that'd be a good combo. Right now he's paired with more of, well, "duds".
here we go: Turner; Farrell, Kessler, Bye, Jones, S. Caldwell, Bou, Bunbury, Rowe, Penilla, Buksa Bench: Knighton (GK), Rennicks, Mancienne, Fagundez, Buchanan
Solid outing in the end, after a really poor start. Our attack looks really good, and has some actual depth. Central midfield, as everyone has noted, will likely be a problem all season. Rowe as the number eight was bad defensively, and dangerous on offense. I'd rather have seen him in Penilla's spot. On defense, it was interesting to see the Revs play an all-draft-pick back four. That must be unique in today's MLS.