News: 2021 Season news and discussion

Mi culpa is spanish for "my bad". Are you speaking I'Talian or something? This should be its own thread tbh.

Mi predictions were that Rubio would suck really bad. His 4 goals in 5 games sounded way overhyped. 3 came in one game and 1 came in four games... hardly inspiring when it was second division USL. I thought the RSL over hype machine was pumping mierda. BOY WAS I WRONG!

I also said that the team was going to way outplay the doom and gloomers and that it was sink or swim for them and that I expected real fight. We have seen that for sure. So, not mi culpa. Go RSL!

 

https://www.rslsoapbox.com/2021/5/2...-patterns-how-rsl-compares-to-the-rest-of-mls

RSL Soapbox took a look at the subbing pattern of RSL this season and Freddy is actually subbing LESS so far this season than last.

I find it interesting that Freddy very much tends to sub AFTER his opponent subs in a game. Rarely making tactical moves that the other team must counter. The notion that he is some sort of tactical genius kind of flies out the window with that fact if you ask me. Which no one really ever should.

The lack of sub minutes to me suggests that the focus for the team is ONLY on the current match. The goal is only to win the next game. Which is duh, but not much of a real strategy or overall plan, if you ask me. Which no one really ever should, to really create a winning team and organization the long term goals, like getting young players playing, should sometimes out weigh a short term goal or two. Short sighted to say the least.

I would argue that because Freddy did not take advantage of sub opportunities last season it has inhibited his ability or desire to make subs this season. Players that could have been given valuable minutes last season, but were never trusted or blah, blah, blah, didn't work hard in practice, are the same ones that still sit on the bench this season.

If they didn't see the pitch last season for training, practice, preparation, talent, ability, last season and are still not seeing the pitch this season do they just absolutely suck?

Why are Freddy and Co., after last season, the very long off season, pre-season, the season, still unable to coach those players up to the point that he can trust them in a game? You play the hand you are dealt for sure but if you ask me, don't, this is getting just a little ridiculous.

At the end of the day RSL is only as good as the players on the field. Better players, Rubio & Julio, the better the results. Freddy is only as good as the players on the field.

Good coaches, great coaches, successful coaches make the team and the players on the field better. That is one of my main complaints about Freddy, he can't make RSL any better than the players are currently.

If he could he would have players on the bench he trusted to sub into the game.

 

To an extent, a coach’s willingness to give younger/bench players more playing time depends on the attitude of the upper management group. If they want the younger players to be developed through playing time they will let the coach know and also let him/her know that if some losses are incurred because of it they will not punish him (How’s that for a run on sentence?) If they want WINS at all cost, including sacrificing the development of bench players and, as you say, future seasons, they will let the coach know that too. I think the latter has been the RSL approach for several seasons. Would Freddy make other choices if given more rein? I can’t answer that.

 

I can’t really believe that the FO is telling Freddy not to play players their paying good money.

I’m sure there’s pressure to win by the FO but is the suggestion that their dictating who Freddy can or cannot play?

Perhaps that’s why Albert is still Captain.

If the FO is really exerting that kind of pressure this season will be just like last.

 

I think Freddy is way to slow at making subs, but to suggest some conspiracy is in my opinion BS. Maybe the truth is more simple, Freddy simply does not have the depth to compete much beyond his starting eleven.

 

Perhaps this isn’t the deepest team in RSL history? Lol

My argument, perhaps not a very good one but still an argument, is that Freddy has a weak bench partly because he hasn’t done a great job creating one.

 

So ********ing much this. So many of the same people that jump to protect Freddy's lack of subs were the same guys that were saying this roster wasn't the worst in the league. It can't be both. And even if the roster is terrible, you have to rotate. I just don't understand the hesitation from Freddy. It burned him SOOOO much last year to not rotate. And he seems to not only have not learned from it, but rather is doubling down on saying he only trusts about 13-14 players. It's moronic. This isn't what a guy who is a "tactical genius" or a great "player development coach" does.

For me, I still don't get why Freddy doesn't have a sub set to go by minute 50-60, at the very latest. Hell, I've gone as far to say that a halftime sub should become more of a normal thing. it's so frowned upon in the game now, but the game has vastly changed. There are more games happening on less rest and the players are being asked to do more and more physically within the game. Instead of waiting for Rubin or Rusnak or whoever to give you 25 rather meaningless minutes in the second half, why not be up front with the guy and ask them to run their ass off for 45 mins and rotate? If Freddy wants to play this style of longer/diagonal balls, fresh legs to start the half could do wonders.

 

It’s not really a conspiracy that I described. It’s a business decision. Very similar to the decision to continue starting your highest paid player even though that player isn’t producing. It’s done in every professional sport.

 

True and I agree.

If it does come down to a business decision to not give signed players time in games in an effort to win a game instead of giving signed players time in games to win more games in the future then its a poor business decision.

 

I think it's just Freddy being garbage. There's no reason why we couldn't have more subs by the 70th minute. Waiting until 80+ is going to bite us in the long run as players tire and become an injury risk. And then what happens? We get to see players that were never given a chance suddenly having to play most of a game. Players who could've been more prepared over the last year by being given more meaningful minutes

 

I have to agree.

I'm sure Freddy is a great guy and all but I don't see him taking RSL to any great heights or anything.

I'm sure that there are issues in the FO and not having an actual engaged ownership make it difficult. But there have been positive moves and this is probably inarguably a better roster than last season.

Maybe he does turn it all around but I don't think he can see past the next game. There isn't a culture of excellence, fortune, favor, or bold, anymore with this team. The only real goal seems to be being at least 7 best in the west this season. That's it. Next season will have to take care of itself.

Oh well. What's the point of any of this. It's all meaningless anyway.

 

Embratsusu!

 

Might be time to update your avatar. Might I suggest a nice photo of Marvin?

 

Time to revisit predictions I made before the season give we just wrapped up the first segment of games

After the first two games I thought maybe I had got this team wrong. Heck, we were at 6 points through 2 games and looked to be a counter attacking monster for some of those games. But over the next 4 games we looked entirely average, just getting 3 points despite playing at home 3 of those 4 games.

9 points through 6 games isn't good enough. Shockingly, teams like LAFC, Minnesota, and Portland aren't punishing us for it. We're on the outside of the playoff line, but that's on a tiebreaker and we've played the least amount of games of anyone in the West.

The next run of games is a really tough one to get a beat on. It starts and ends with Vancouver, which should be wins but this team hasn't matched up well with Vancouver in recent years. The three games between all look tough goes with Seattle (as close to a guaranteed loss as you'll get) Houston (at home on short rest) and LAFC (4th of July curse?)

My prediction before the season started was 7 points and I have a hard time seeing anything other than that again. Maybe 8 points with another draw in there? I think we win one of the two Vancouver games and the Houston game, given the short rest, and then somehow draw with LAFC given the 4th of July atmosphere. The only other point I could see is possibly drawing with Vancouver in the away leg.

 

New CB?

Breaking News: RSL will announce today the signing of Croatian center back Toni Datkovic.

Datkovic, 27, comes to RSL from Aris in Greece and is good friends with Damir Kreilach.

Solid transfer window continues for Elliot Fall and his staff.

— Spence Checketts (@spencechecketts) June 2, 2021

 

You had me at "friends with Kreilach".

 

Since I don't follow the Spanish second division I don't know anything about his abilities, but the fans of the team he's leaving seem pretty bummed out, so that's a good sign.

 

Sounds like he could be a player. Limited downside from where we are now, depth is depth and if we upgrade a defensive spot (Silva probably) that's a real shot in the arm. Watching highlights I see good balance, aerial poise and positioning - but that's highlights.

 

Did we already know Albert wasn't on the final Slovak roster for Euro 2020?

 

Nope. There were 2 more slots available and the thought was they were waiting to see how the last game played out before announcing the full roster. Rusnak and somebody on Minnesota were the obvious choices according to Dunny during the broadcast.

 

So with the new addition at CB I totally expect Justin Glad to see the bench more than Silva.

 

this
Freddy gonna Freddy and bench the younger, more talented player, for his preferred physical but error prone CB