2014 WNY Flash

Discussion in 'Western New York Flash' started by CoachJon, Apr 7, 2014.

  1. WNYChelseaFan

    WNYChelseaFan Member

    Apr 5, 2014
    NY
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    And BOOOM goes the Flash!! Rebuild!
     
  2. BlueCrimson

    BlueCrimson Member+

    North Carolina Courage
    United States
    Nov 21, 2012
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Club:
    Sydney FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That's right. Blow up the team and start over mostly fresh.
     
  3. kernel_thai

    kernel_thai Member+

    Oct 24, 2012
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    If this wasnt womens soccer Id say the fix was in :) Two hand balls by the same player while trying to head the ball? Then when Didi H saved one u got the inexplicable tackle in the box by Spencer with a minute left.
     
  4. BlueCrimson

    BlueCrimson Member+

    North Carolina Courage
    United States
    Nov 21, 2012
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Club:
    Sydney FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Here's my final assessment on our players this season, and whether or not I think they should return for 2015. I am not including players that barely played or are no longer on the roster:

    GK:

    Williams- It's strange to say that a veteran international keeper had a lot to live up to taking over for a rookie, but after the great season AD had last year, it was a fact. And aside from some early wobbles, Lydia did a fine job until her unfortunate injury. Other than the draw against Portland, I can't think of any game where she made a mistake that cost us any points. But as well as she played, and even without the injury, Lydia was always going to be a one-year rental. She won't be back for 2015.

    Wys- I said in my half-season assessment that I didn't believe Kels was ready to start professionally, and after seeing her finish to the season, my mind has not changed on that point. Now I will say she had some fine games this season. The close losses to Washington and SkyBlue last month were high points. But overall Kels made too many blunders that cost us points down the stretch. If it were up to me, I'd trade her to a team that could be losing a keeper to WC duty next year. But I get the sense that Aaran may hang onto her as a backup to AD.

    Haracic- Can't really judge a player on one game, and she had some awful screwups, particularly on Press' second goal. But the fact that it took a 4th string keeper to finally get a PK save for us has to be given mention. If nothing else, she might return as a reserve.

    DEF:

    Allen- Why on earth wasn't Teigen given more playing time? She showed some real quality in flashes, and our only two wins after June came when she started. She could have been the spark we needed on the backline with more time. But with the WC next year, and her lack of playing time this year, I don't see her returning for 2015.

    Edmonds- Like a large number of our players, Kristen had a somewhat uneven year. The wins over SkyBlue and Portland, and the draw last night, were high points for her, as she was a rock at LB in those matches. The matches against Seattle, not so much, as she got beaten very easily by the Reign forwards. And while Kristen didn't get forward as much as I'm sure Aaran would have liked, she proved overall to be at least a competent defender. She is a player I want to see return for next season.

    Taylor- BT was the star of our rather shaky backline. That could be considered a backhanded compliment, but it's true. She was the veteran leader and our best defender, the one constant back there. Yes, she had the horror show against Boston, and a couple other games where she was the worst defender on that day. The win over Portland was not one of her better games, despite the shutout. She is great as a secondary piece next to a calm presence, like Estelle was last year, but not a player you build a backline around. But having said that, I would definitely keep BT, and hope Aaran goes out and gets a player like Estelle to pair up with BT.

    Reynolds- When she is on her game, she really adds a lot to the attack and does have the speed to recover from mistakes. But overall, I think Katherine had a down year compared to last season. One of the keys to our success last year was service from the outside backs, and if Katherine put in one good cross this year, I totally missed it. Her service was abysmal. Too many promising attacks were cut short by her repeatedly shanking crosses 10 feet over the crossbar. But she was not the worst defender on the backline, and it's telling that we gave up so many goals after she was lost for the season. I say trade her while her value is still relatively high.

    Williamson- I like Kat. I think she has a lot of potential, and this was only her second year in the league. She has a calmness on the ball that none of the other defenders have, and plays out of trouble well. I think she did a good job adjusting to the abrupt change of clubs so late in preseason. Aside from a blunder that cost us a win against Portland, and an unfortunate OG that cost us against the Spirit, I have few complaints about her efforts this year. Considering what we gave up for her, I say keep her.

    Palmer- Very unfortunate for Haley that she suffered an injury early in the year and lost the starting LB job to Kristen. Haley is fantastic at service from the flank. In her limited time, she delivered some quality crosses that went mostly unrewarded. I's like to keep both Haley and Kristen, but if we can only keep one, unfortunately I'd go with Kristen's experience over Haley's potential. Maybe a trade to a team that could use a young LB to develop is in order.

    MID:

    Wetzel- Add another one to the "Why the hell did they not play more" category. I am absolutely baffled as to why Courtney was so underutilized. I don't think she even saw any playing time once all the NTers were back from NT duties. I'm not even sure Aaran wanted her in the first place. Judging on the little we got to see, I think she could add more than players who were favored by the coaches, but it might be best to move on.

    Salem- This is a tough one for me, since I think Angela is a very underrated and hard working player and she was a huge part of the success of our team last year. But her performance this year has simply not been up to the high standard she set last year. She played far too aggressively until she was on the edge of suspension, then she was too timid most of the time trying to avoid that 5th yellow. Last season Angela played a more balanced game- aggressive, yet in control. I didn't see much of that this year. I hate to see a stalwart like her leave, but I would say time to move on.

    Zerboni- After a rough April, McCall was one of the more consistent players for us. Whether it be scoring goals, like she did in late May and early June, or moving to the backline to fill in for Reynolds late in the season, she did her job like the true professional that she is. Maybe it was just a slight step below her 2013 season, but just barely. The question is, can she still bring it for another season or two, or have we seen the peak of McCall? Talking to some Flash fans online, her status is very uncertain, and the organization may not be able to bring her back for 2015. I would keep her, for the stability, but that may not be possible.

    Lloyd- I could have smacked her last night. Two PK's given up for the same reason, and a dumb as hell reason to boot? Not her finest moment, that's for sure. But aside from that, and the large number of fouls over two seasons, Carli was by far the Flash's MVP this year. Scoring goals, serving up killer passes for assists, playing the enforcer when needed, she did it all and then some. She gave everything she had to try and drag this team to the playoffs, at times even looking like the only one on the field who actually wanted it. And on a total fangirl thread, I was thrilled as hell when Carli filled in as captain in Abby's absence. Keep her for 2015? Hell yes. No question about it.

    Losada- What happened? A month ago, Vicky was chugging along nicely, playing the solid possession game and playing it well. Then one bad game and she gets sent straight to the bench. And she never really looked the same after that. Did Aaran lose faith in her? That's not a good sign if he did. But even though the end of the season was not a productive one for Vicky, she is still young and has a ton of potential. I would love it if she returned next season, although with the WC, she'd miss a large chunk of games.

    Barczuk- I am out of patience with Amy. All she has going for her is her size, and she hasn't shown that she can use it effectively at all. Other than the opener, was there one game where she made a positive difference? Trade her or cut her, I really don't care which, but please say goodbye.

    FW:

    Kerr- Like McCall, she got off to a rough start to the season, but that was soon forgotten, as Sam improved by leaps and bounds over last year. While Sam at this point in her career is not a player you build a team around, she is a great secondary piece. She has an instinct for making the right play that I have seen from only a few other players in this league, and I could see her being a big star for club and country in 4 or 5 years. Our second best player just behind Carli this year. If I had my way, and there was no WC next year, I'd say bringing Sam back would be a no-brainer. At least try for half a season, as I will gladly take that over nothing.

    Bermudez- I really wish Aaran had found her role much sooner, since Sonia was more effective as a late game sub. But as much as I appreciated some of those goals, overall her performance was lacking. She never really showed that she could play at this level for longer than a few minutes per game, and those wide open misses last night were the last straw. Sonia didn't work out like I had hoped, and I would cut her and free up that international spot to be put to better use.

    Martin- A month ago, I'd be more than happy to cut Adriana. Most of the season was gone with very little to show for it except a spot on the bench. But she certainly got the message that she needed to step up and did well enough over the last month that I am now leaning towards keeping her for at least one more year.

    Spencer- If there was a Most Improved Player award, Jas would be a top contender for it. I didn't expect much from her after her awful 2013 with the Spirit, but she has done a complete 180 from that showing. I'd say keep her for 2015, perhaps with a loan spell overseas in the offseason.

    Wambach- This is going to be the biggest question about 2014- what if we had had Abby all season? How many of those losses would have been draws or even wins? But even though Father Time is starting to take his pound of flesh, Abby is still banging in goals and serving up assists. And even though the rumors persist that she will be leaving for greener pastures in 2015, I'd keep her if I could.

    So to sum up, I'd keep Kerr, Zerboni, Lloyd, maybe Adriana, Edmonds, Taylor, Vicky, Spencer, Williamson, and Abby, and trade or waive all the others.
     
    CoachJon repped this.
  5. WNYChelseaFan

    WNYChelseaFan Member

    Apr 5, 2014
    NY
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Hmmm, hinting at not coming back?

     
  6. BlueCrimson

    BlueCrimson Member+

    North Carolina Courage
    United States
    Nov 21, 2012
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Club:
    Sydney FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That would be a big blow if we did not get even half a season of Sam. But with the WC, it might not be possible for any of the Aussies to play overseas next year.
     
  7. CoachJon

    CoachJon Member+

    Feb 1, 2006
    Rochester, NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Sam has said she does not know if she will be back in 2015; she said it depends the what Australia WNT policy will be.
     
  8. WNYChelseaFan

    WNYChelseaFan Member

    Apr 5, 2014
    NY
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Another exit??

    1. ADRIANA MARTIN ‏@ADRIANA__MARTIN 17m
      ...supporters!Best supporters ever! I appreciate all your help since the first moment to the last one! I LOVE YOU!3/3 pic.twitter.com/KvPkseZoew

      [​IMG]



    2. [​IMG]ADRIANA MARTIN ‏@ADRIANA__MARTIN 18m
      ...my teammates. I love all of you so much, awesome every practice, every game, every effort...everything TOGETHER! THANKS to all the 2/3


    3. [​IMG]ADRIANA MARTIN ‏@ADRIANA__MARTIN 18m
      HUGE THANKS to the @WNYFlash family for this 3 amazing years! THANKS to all the staff (coaching staff, president, interns...) THANKS to 1/3
     
  9. WNYChelseaFan

    WNYChelseaFan Member

    Apr 5, 2014
    NY
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Just read Angela Salem is going to be playing in Australia.
     
  10. BlueCrimson

    BlueCrimson Member+

    North Carolina Courage
    United States
    Nov 21, 2012
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Club:
    Sydney FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Which club?
     
  11. WNYChelseaFan

    WNYChelseaFan Member

    Apr 5, 2014
    NY
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Not sure but here is the tweet I read.

    [​IMG]Cody Camp @Cody_camp_00 · 9h
    Very thankful I got to say goodbye to one of my good friends @asalem6 last night. Cannot wait to watch you live it up in Australia!
     
  12. WNYChelseaFan

    WNYChelseaFan Member

    Apr 5, 2014
    NY
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
  13. BlueCrimson

    BlueCrimson Member+

    North Carolina Courage
    United States
    Nov 21, 2012
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Club:
    Sydney FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  14. WNYChelseaFan

    WNYChelseaFan Member

    Apr 5, 2014
    NY
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
  15. CoachJon

    CoachJon Member+

    Feb 1, 2006
    Rochester, NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Congratulations to Pedro. I will be watching Arsenal ladies with some interest.

    Opens up a spot with Sahlen's Sports Park / Flash Academy / WNY Flash.

    Do I remember that Emma Hayes was a consultant for Lines during one of the college or expansion drafts?

    Just wondering. As they say in golf - every pro needs a pro.
     

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