The rumor looks legit dang it. Hopefully artur is fine. Both Portuguese speakers. Edit: Hopefully santos/positive player is fine too
They are from two completely different countries in different hemispheres. Or as Churchill once said about the US and England--two great countries divided by a common language.
I'm reminded of an old friend who lives six months a year in France, has for decades and speaks such good French that natives dont believe he's an American. He's been to Quebec a couple of times and says he can't understand much of anything they're saying. Common language origins sometimes don't mean much.
How is MLS or the Crew supposed to know of your personal health information? Certainly the league can't just take people's words on this. And health records are (thankfully) private. As others have pointed out, the science surrounding antibodies isn't settled. You may be protected, probably are. But it's unclear for how long. Or if asymptomatic reinfection might still allow you to give the virus to others. In any event, the record keeping and invasion of privacy issues here are (if I might steal the term) massive. I'm sure it's frustrating for some right now, but I think the real challenge will come in spring, when the 2021 season starts at the same time a vaccine(s) is gradually being rolled out. Where does the league, the state government draw the line then? Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with being issued some sort of COVID-free certificate once I'd been vaccinated, but as a society we tend to recoil from that sort of thing.
Like who'll be out with COVID on Saturday? I'm going to avoid my usual tendency to over analyze and just go with an 'in Porter we trust' mindset. I pray we'll not lose any impact players to COVID, but regardless, he just has to get the team ready to play, to see themselves as champions. In 2008, it just seemed preordained. Despite the failures of 2006 and 2007, the leadership and confidence of that '08 Crew team made it seem impossible they'd lose in the Final. In 2015, I had little confidence. This time, I'm in the middle. But the potential of more positive test results is a wildcard with no upside.
No middle for me. I'm excited. I'm optimistic. I'll be at the match and it will be a win. Some of the personal reasons why I feel this way. 1. I was amazed that we got the MLS back in July. Not having any games was tough and I'm grateful to have any matches. It has been a welcome diversion to engage in discourse over player performance with the others on this board. 2. This is likely the last big game in Crew Stadium for me. Yes, there may be matches next year. The pandemic, the new stadium, and my ability to get up to games may prevent me from making it to any spring games. I was there in 1999, 2015, and all of the Dos-a-Cero matches. I'm going to soak the atmosphere in while I say goodbye to a 21 year love affair. 3. It's on my terms. Not long ago the future of the club was uncertain. I was in Newark Airport when I get a message with those beautiful 5 letters; "saved". Since then, the Crew has been something that I can count on as being a part of my life. Saturday will be fun to close the season knowing that there is a bright future. It just feels right. The pandemic, the end of the stadium, and a reflection on what the Crew means to me have put me in the mindset that this is the right time to close the 2020 chapter. Of course I want to win on the pitch, yet Saturday is so much more than just a cup final for me. “Hozho”, may explain it best. Hozho is a Navajo word and can be translated as peace, balance, beauty and harmony. For one to be “in Hozho”, it is to be at one with and a part of the world around all you. I'm certainly there and hope that everyone else can get there too. Go Crew
If it's Santos, and we don't really know if it is, do you bring Mohktar into the starting lineup, or screw with Seattle and bring Nemeth in as an inverted winger?
I think it’d be Etiene or Youness. Although I don’t think we’ve started our two speed wingers together more than once or twice this year. If Porter wants to start off with what got us here (scheme wise) then I’d think Mohktar would get the nod.
The question is how motivated is Mohktar? If he's not happy with playing time, how does it effect his time on the pitch? Would Nemeth bring more to the table (and I have no idea if Nemeth has ever played out wide at any level)? Or, as you say, does Porter bring in Etienne/Boateng, probably the second one listed, to start opposite to Diaz?
I'm hoping Porter, Nagbe, and even Adi can summon their disdain for Seattle having spent a bunch of time in Portland and motivate their teammates likewise, somehow.
I received this disappointing, but completely expected email yesterday: "Thank you for entering the 2020 MLS Cup General Public ticket lottery. Due to our limited capacity and the high number of requests we were not able to select everyone as a winner. Unfortunately you were not randomly selected to win the General Public ticket lottery." On the bright side, the Crew only win the Cup when I am not in the stadium. And at least now I get to stay married. So I've got that going for me.
Or maybe Mokhtar is wildly motivated a) to show Porter that he's wrong and b) to drum up some interest from another team somewhere. I'm not crazy about using Nemeth out there, although it would be interesting to see and might just badly screw with Schmetzer's head. But if you use him up out there early then who backs up Zardes if God forbid he gets hurt or whatever? After Nemeth none of the options are even remotely appealing.
I would go Mokhtar. Recent history suggests Boateng. Porter likes the pocket + speed package out if his wide mids, so I doubt we get Etienne. Nemeth is a possibility. Coaches usually try to change as little as possible when a change is forced, but Porter could throw a massive curveball & play with wingbacks. Of course, that would mean Keita on the field, so I doubt that happens. If Wormgoor could play I could see it. But a FB type could move up. Valenzuela at LM and start Francis/Jimenez at LB. Or Jimenez at LM. Not completely out of the question. Losing Santos would be a huge blow. I hope Reddit is wrong.
This is my line of thinking also, Mokhtar could be really motivated to show everyone what he is made of. And let's not forget that prior to going down with an injury, he didn't look terrible in the first two games of MLSisBack either. There'll be plenty of time to make changes but I don't think we would go too crazy lineup-wise to start things off (echo'ing also needing Nemeth as a backup or additional attacker later, bc let's be real, we don't want to have to resort to Adi). I think we also have the slight luxury of having PLENTY of legit scoring threats on the team regardless of position (just look at the score and assist from the game last weekend).
We saw what Seattle can do late in games so I think we need to set ourselves up tactically and with our substitutions to weather the late game storm. Inversely, if we need to chase the game then we need a different quality of player so with all that being said, I go with Etienne and Diaz with the start. Allowing Mokhtar, Nemeth, and Boetang as second-half subs. Those three have different skill sets that allow us to be adaptable to the final 30 minutes of the game depending on the situation
Just going from memory, but I'm pretty sure they don't test on match days. I'm almost sure I read that about the last game.