DC United v Toronto FC 5-27

Discussion in 'D.C. United' started by song219, May 24, 2023.

  1. revelation

    revelation Member+

    Dec 17, 1998
    FC St. Pauli
    Club:
    FC Sankt Pauli
    Losada had a plan. Olsen had a plan...
     
  2. Yowza

    Yowza Member+

    DC United
    United States
    Oct 23, 2019
    Arlington
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Najar seems like a key piece but that’s no good, he’s hurt all the time. I could even see him taking O’Brien’s slot when the time comes but he can’t not get injured.
    If we’re counting on Najar, that’s a losing proposition.
    I say play him every minute he’s available because he won’t be for long.
     
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  3. morrissey

    morrissey Moderator
    Staff Member

    Feb 18, 2000
    West Los Angeles, Calif
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Hannibal Smith had a plan. For what it is worth I never saw evidence of an Olsen plan.
     
  4. revelation

    revelation Member+

    Dec 17, 1998
    FC St. Pauli
    Club:
    FC Sankt Pauli
    Olsen's plan was two fold: 1) get solid MLS journeymen that didn't cost much but had skills and more importantly heart. 2) Bunker and counter because you have players that read the game well but aren't going to have the skills to break down a bunker or play against a top team, so by making it hard to score, you pull the other team out.

    Would have been much more effective with players like Benteke or Zaha...
     
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  5. superdave

    superdave Member+

    Jul 14, 1999
    VB, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I like the fact that (last night notwithstanding) we generally look fluid in the attack, at least as fluid as we can be with Najar injured and mediocre attacking options on the left.

    I really like that he’s gone to 3 at the back. Pines has gone from a liability to a modest strength because of that. That is good management.

    Watching our goalkeeper wander around the pitch like a box to box mid has its charms as well. :D
     
  6. shammypants

    shammypants Member+

    Oct 9, 2013
    Club:
    DC United
    For all of Olsen's misgivings, he gave us several short lived periods of consistency, and while they got completely blown up, at least we got them- see early 2012 and early 2015. Suggesting Olsen never had a plan, despite how clear his plan was is pretty much peak Rooney era DC United banter. Olsen and Losada with bad squads and management have essentially identical records to us also, which is hilarious. I now return you to your regularly scheduled "we look a bit more fluid" and "we have some injuries" programming.
     
  7. revelation

    revelation Member+

    Dec 17, 1998
    FC St. Pauli
    Club:
    FC Sankt Pauli
    Part of the downfall of Olsen's plan was the age of the players. They just couldn't sustain the level of work rate needed to play counter attacking ball for the full season so by September injuries and exhaustion wiped out the team...
     
  8. PSURoss

    PSURoss Member+

    Sep 30, 2002
    DC Burbs
    I don't the group of solid journeymen was Olsen's plan so much as who he was given, or least the best of who he was offered by Kasper and the budget constraints that were in play.
    The squad was being blown up every year, whether it was injuries which happen to every team, to players who were already at the end of their career finally running out of gas or earning another chance somewhere else. You just don't throw 11 average/good/great players on the field every year and automatically have an average/good/great team. Roster consistency is always important and valuable part of the building process. Roster consistency was always issue #2 after the budgets the team was constrained by.

    Look at the current Houston roster situation in Houston. He's got 33 yo Hector Herrera plus Sebastián Ferreira & Teenage Hadebe who haven't played yet this year. He's got some kids, some journeymen and he's managed to get this team right around the middle of the table from a GF perspective while giving up the 2nd fewest GA in the conference. It may not be pretty and we may well have been over it, but his approach works. There were only 2-3 seasons here where the team's place in the table wasn't better than the budget he was given would dictate. In England, he'd be the equivalent of Big Sam.
     
  9. revelation

    revelation Member+

    Dec 17, 1998
    FC St. Pauli
    Club:
    FC Sankt Pauli
    I agree with your assessment. I don't want to suggest that Olsen's plan was what we saw. It was Olsen's plan to make a cheese plate with the few bits of old cheese the owners allowed him... And it worked more than it should have...
     
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  10. MagpieFan

    MagpieFan Member+

    Apr 25, 2004
    Back in DC
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Heh. I never had the sense that Olsen could adjust on the fly very well or adapt to what his players COULD do well if they didn’t fit his plan or style.

    It always seemed a “we have to try (the same thing) harder!”
     
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  11. Yowza

    Yowza Member+

    DC United
    United States
    Oct 23, 2019
    Arlington
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    His plan to me seemed to be lock it down in the back, don't give up goals, and hope one of your more talented players can score somehow. It worked with DeRo MVP, or Espindola for a bit, or Rooney or even a red hot Mullins for a minute. I just think it's dinosaur soccer and I'd rather have a sustainable plan of attack.
     
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  12. revelation

    revelation Member+

    Dec 17, 1998
    FC St. Pauli
    Club:
    FC Sankt Pauli
    Don't forget the importance of Lewis Neal!
     
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  13. morrissey

    morrissey Moderator
    Staff Member

    Feb 18, 2000
    West Los Angeles, Calif
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    FTRB
     
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  14. song219

    song219 BigSoccer Supporter

    Apr 5, 2004
    La Norte
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Vanuatu
    That's Lewis ********in' Neal to you!!
     
  15. superdave

    superdave Member+

    Jul 14, 1999
    VB, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Olsen also seemed to be very biased against low work rate but skilled and smart players, especially Europeans.
     
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  16. Yowza

    Yowza Member+

    DC United
    United States
    Oct 23, 2019
    Arlington
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Remember Halsti? That guy got like three games before Olsen said nope. Didn’t you scout the guy and realize he is not fast that isn’t his game? What did he hope to get out of a guy like that, there was no plan just stick him in and hope for the best.
     
  17. griffin1108

    griffin1108 BigSoccer Supporter

    Dec 5, 2003
    Virginia
    The one constant in the Olsen years was Dumpster Diving Dave Kasper. Vinny Cerrato with a lifetime job.
     
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