Highly doubt that, I can recall similar discussions about Flo's starting position at the end of last year's preseason when Kashia and Cummings got all the reps. You'd think that Wondo would get at least one starting rep with Rios/Hoesen this preseason if he was going to start week 1 but it looks like Matias started Rios and Hoesen up top every time. I think Wondo and Flo are still in competition for spots though, I just don't see us switching the unit we've been starting most of preseason. I just hope we don't have to go through another bad run in order to see them again. Almeyda Aldo kept coy regarding his starting forward, saying three players were competing to get the start. Andy Rios scored three goals this preseason, but Almeyda wouldn't say he's the favorite.— Robert Jonas (@robertjonas) February 26, 2020
I’ll be surprised if you’re right, but it won’t be the first time I’ve been surprised. I know that Flo and Wondo haven’t gotten much playing time in preseason, but Flo was our defensive player of the year and Wondo was our leading scorer by a fairly wide margin. Whatever, I have lots of beer and whiskey close to hand, and my ESPN+ is working just fine, so all is well in my neck of the woods. At least, until we slagged in our first two or three games. Go Quakes!! Fisher OUT!! - Mark
Interesting... About two-thirds of MLS teams took advantage of the new rule that goal kicks can be received inside the penalty box. FC Dallas is leading the way so far. pic.twitter.com/eqA60X6t5x— Eliot McKinley (@etmckinley) March 3, 2020
This was weird to watch in person. But the Quakes did it pretty consistently, and to my surprise, Toronto didn't really put much pressure on Yueill when he received the ball. It should allow for some quick transitions if utilized properly...that is until every team figures out how to defend against it.
I also noticed the new ball stands behind the goal for the goalie to retrieve the ball for goal kicks. Always a ball ready to go, so no delaying by ball kids, or the goalie slowly walking a ball down. It's just the time it takes for the goalie to step back and grab the ball. I thought they worked fairly well. No overt delaying by the goalies, so, they have probably been instructed on what is expected of them.
I noticed that, too. Gonna make life tougher for Sporting KC and their cheating ball kids. Peter Vermes will have to think of another way to game the system. https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/201...h-allegedly-slapped-a-ball-kid-in-kansas-city
So, we did appear to play in a 4-5-1 against the Loons, as we did most of last season. I think we have to keep the formation the same until we get it through our thick heads. Changing formations appears to be a weakness for this team. But we still got schooled with our man-marking system. We’re going to have to make adjustments. Go Quakes!! We Suck!! Fisher OUT!! - Mark
The lineup I want to see tested: -----------------------Hoesen------------------------ Shea/Cowell--------Vako--------------Espinoza ----------------Yuiell--------Judson--------------- Lima--------Alanis-------Jungwirth-------TT -----------------------JT------------------------- This gets both Vako and Hoesen in their natural positions while not having to deal with the slowness of Eriksson and Kashia. Shit if we want to get our most skilled front 4 we could go: -----------------------Hoesen------------------------ Vako--------------------TT--------------Espinoza ----------------Yuiell--------Judson--------------- Lopez--------Alanis-------Jungwirth--------Lima -------------------------JT------------------------- If Hoesen doesn't score then bench him for Wondo. I'd be cool with Wondo starting in this too. Of course we won't get this and will continue to be mediocre.
From: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/sports/soccer/messi-ronaldo-champions-league-liverpool.html Seems simple enough. We should try doing it that way.
Either of those will have to wait. Neither JT nor Jackson will be available before the 4/4 match in Minneapolis.
With the issues they are having I would like them to trot out a wing-back formation such as this one. ---------------------Vega---------------------- ----Kashia---------Alanis--------Flo------- Lima------------Judson--------------Lopez ---Espinoza-----Thompson-------Vako ---------------Hoesen---------------------- Right now Erikson brings absolutely nothing at the ACM position as the is too slow in foot speed/agility as well lacking in the technical department. I would give Thompson as shot there as he is quicker and a lot more technically adept which would allow him to take on opponents 1-on-1 which, in turn, would force defenders to commit to the middle more and thus allow for more open space on the flanks for Vako and Espinoza. Currently, no team has to honor any of our attacks through the middle since they are either ineffective of flat out don't even occur. This makes it way too easy to defend us as our only "threat" comes via the flanks. In due time I would hope that the young homegrown kid up in Reno could take over that position since that is his natural one. The wing back formation would also allow Lima and Lopez to play to their offensive strengths not having a great focus on their defensive duties, an area we are struggling at big time.
The famous 3-3-3-1 lineup? I would change the positioning of your back line if Alanis is quicker than Kashia. And being a natural left footer would put him on the left with Flo on the right. ------Vako------------Hoesen/Rios---------------Espinoza----- Lima-------------Judson----------Eriksson-----------Tommy -------Alanis----------------Kashia------------------Flo-------------- Yes, would be intersting to put Tommy in the middle with Judson, and then start Lopez on the left and Lima on the right. Lopez does have experience as a wingback/left midfielder.
I agree with you completely. Of course, we can't see this just yet as Yueill and JT are both out with the Nats. Also, Judson might not be ready to go just yet. I've seen enough of Kashia to want him on the bench. Lima has been shaky a the left-back spot, but even with Shea back there, the Loons still got guys free in the corner. I think they sussed out our man-marking system and figured out a way to get a player loose on that side. We're in deep crap if we don't make serious changes soon, and I mean both personnel and tactics. Our man-marking scheme is not a stranger to other teams this season. Go Quakes!! We stink!! - Mark
Several good suggestions here, 3-3-3-1, a 3-4-3, a 4-5-1, yeah. Whatever we decide to do, I think part of our problem is that our enemies have figured out our man-marking system and we haven't adjusted to deal with that. We're going to get torched until we work out what our enemies are doing and figure out how to counter it. I don't expect Almeyda to make very many changes. He thinks he's got a good system which will work. It's going to be a long season! Go Quakes!! Fisher OUT!! - Mark
The reason for Alanis playing the middle of the back line is his field vision and passing ability out of the back, a la Mats Hummels at Dortmund who is known for just that. Being in a central position he will see a lot more of the ball then being on either flank thus will be able to utilize his long balls upfield. Ideally, to play with a back three, you would want the outside CBs to be quicker and more agile since there will be a lot more room for the opponents with the wingbacks being much more offensive minded. Maybe the Stanford kid we drafted could be given a shot instead of Kashia. What do we have to lose by playing the younger guys? It's the same team as last year and not much has changed so it's time for some new ideas. The formation I posted is to allow for much more fluidity during the game due to the fact that Judson and TT are workhorses and can cover a lot of the pitch both ways. For this to work Eriksson has to be removed completely. He just doesn't provide much at all to the overall team game. He's not able to take on players or to provide through balls due to the fact that he's just to slow receiving the ball, then turning to see options, etc. I think we have seen enough over the past few seasons to be able to make out what type of a player he is and what his limits are. He's a veteran who's best role would be to come off the bench when we need to calm the play down. With the players we have, I feel Thompson's skill set is most suited to play as a ACM. Yeah, he doesn't have a great shot by any means, but his main job would be to use his technical abilities to take on opponents, force the defense to collapse towards the middle and open up more room for Espinoza, Vako, and Hoesen. I think he's more than capable of that and feel that he's being wasted as a full back. We have Lopez who can play as a wing back where his youth and inexperience on the defensive end wouldn't be as glaring. Just my 2 cents.
Not a fan of 3 in the back, but I would be cool with trying this. It gets more of our players to play to their strengths.
I don't know how we're expecting to win without Yueill. Is Judson ready to go 90 yet? and if not then we're going to have Eriksson and Luis Felipe as our CMs? That'd be the slowest CM pairing in the league!
#LAFC , #SportingKC , and #Quakes74 the best attacking outfits in the competition. #DOOP is into the quarterfinals with one of the worst attacking outputs in the tournament. For as good as they look on the pitch, #Crew96 have surprisingly unremarkable xG/96. #MLSisBack pic.twitter.com/4v2ohHut0y— Ben Wright (@benwright) July 28, 2020 Not bad
I know Almeda uses man to man marking but when 3-4 players get around the ball like they did las nigh against RSL, what is it called? Catenaccio?