True. But they also have a history of talking about how important it is for small-budget, moneyball teams to convert their free kicks, and how that has been a point of emphasis for them.
The corner thing is kind of funny considering how excited the crowds at PPL/Talen/Subaru get whenever we get one and we never do anything with it
He seemed, like most guys new to MLS, to get really frustrated with the stuff people get away with in this league. I really thought he was going to get a red by the end of the game as he started to get more and more heated. I hope it's not indicative of his normal attitude, and was truly just some frustration that he will "learn" his way out of when playing in MLS.
Don't know why I always expect this team start the season with any semblance of cohesion. They seem to always start slow but I guess that is somewhat expected with the midfield we have this year and the coach that doesn't seem to be able to have them ready for the first week. Doesn't help that we seem to frequently start on the road. I'm not gonna freak out over the first game and next week v LAFC should be a loss as well but I hope to see better play. I think Curtin threw Elliot in up top for a taller body due to Dallas packing in defenders not because he is going to be our backup striker. Yeah, Santos and Glesnes need to get used to the refs in MLS (as will Oravec and El Brujo). I think that is one of the bigger adjustments incoming players have to make. I recall Barnetta getting an early red as well as Fabian last year for the "stomp".
Hope so, Santos is a 25yo pro who played in 17 games last season. His time to blame his inability to control his temper on "adjusting to a new league" is pretty much over.
On thing I came away with on offense was even tho they didn't play well it was more short and/or inaccurate passing rather than everyone not being on the "same page". That should work itself out over a few games. The fact that maybe it should have been worked out already during preseason is probably a valid criticism.
Part of it could be because he is used to getting away with a bit more in South American leagues. MLS refs tend to actually be a little tighter in some of the off the ball stuff and tackles they allow. You can watch a game in South America descend into a street brawl when things aren't going a teams way.
For low-budget teams, the biggest thing you can create in order to mitigate some of the talent disparity is team cohesion. However, this is the Union and each year they start the season with less of it than most other opponents