Today is the "official" start to the 2023 season. Thought a new thread was appropriate, especially given that 2022 was an Edison Flores flop of a season. Will DCU repeat for a Spoon? Or does this club have enough depth and coaching to aspire to mediocrity?
I guess the question is: who's worse? I haven't paid much attention to St. Louis, but they start this season right?
We're going to battle St. Louis and San Jose. I really like our odds to repeat! Here's a good question: which month will Wayne depart our beloved club? May? June? January?? All of us (and Chad) want to know!
If there's one benefit to all the roster moves being done early is that that entire team will get a chance to gel during training camp. Also it's hard to say where the current roster will eventually fit in with the rest of MLS until everyone else finishes whatever they're going to do.
With MLS season running the way it does, he would leave after this season, so maybe October, unless we do poorly in which case as early as July. If we do well, then November. Regardless, Rooney will likely be in need of a job mid-next English season, right in time for a club in a relegation battle to sack someone over the Christmas fixure season and hire Rooney.
Yep. Especially since a "mid season savior" would probably require someone getting sent out of town on top of it.
The big thing I'm curious to see is how a fully healthy attack does for DCU this season. Fountas and Benteke only played 66 minutes together in one game last season, and both of them scored. Was it a fluke? Or something they can build off of? Some other interesting questions: Does DC get competent goaltending this year? Will the rebuilt backline be more stout than last year's disaster? This will help answer the above question. Can Jeahze replicate his attacking form in MLS? He had 4 goals and 12 assists in all competitions last year as a left back (and it appears he can play left midfield in a pinch). Where do Najar and Santos play? Can any of the kids take the next step forward?
The primary issue is the kids. Hopkins appears favored by Wayne and seems to get good reviews from other sources as well (although TBH, the Guardian a few years back showed Moses Nyeman as one of the top 100 prospects in the world). Ku-diPietro has the look of a competent depth sub and Open Cup starter. Fletcher and Akinmboni look much farther away, indeed Akinmboni should play all year at Loudoun both to grow physically into his body and grow his understanding of the game. If Greene can provide depth both left and right, then the backline is set.
One thing seems clear: Klich will be an expert at shithousery from day 1, which feels like something DC's lacked for a while. From the fans:Thanks for the memories @Cli5hy 💙💛 pic.twitter.com/P2m7cwbKWK— LUFC Trust (@lufctrust) January 6, 2023
No Yea but we sucked so bad it will still be bad. Probably not but it's not like 4/12 is a masterclass or anything. If he does, it may come at the expense of other players not providing when they should be. The bench LOL Wait wait I think Djeffal might make a big leap this year... TO ANOTHER TEAM
Seems to me the defense was used to having Hamid back there as cover. They made silly mistakes and tried outlandish tackles knowing if they failed, Hamid would bail them out. There was little organization and it seemed the disconnect between who was covering what became larger each season. Then you take Hamid out of the situation and put in a goalkeeper expecting a level of organizational competency DC didn't have. Too often, players would commit to a challenge at midfield, get beat and then the entire defense was scrambling to cover. Or an outside back had gone forward and no one was covering the space they left behind. This season the defense and goalkeeper will have to start fresh and develop an organized plan for coverage. I hope whoever gets the starting roles can commit to changing how things have been done for years. Otherwise, we will continue to leak goals on simple counter attacks...
So are we looking at a 4-4-2? Najar - Birnbaum - Other defender - Jeahze Hopkins/Durkin - Canouse/Durkin - Klich - Rodriguez Benteke - Fountas Basically a diamond midfield or perhaps a bucket midfield with Taxi dropping into the #10 role.
Why? How? I think he is the odd man out now. He was already riding pine last season in favor of Durkin and Canouse. Now with Klich, I don't see him as being used except for depth.
At least that is my hope. While Durkin was quite excellent at passing to the other team, every once in a while he made a solid long pass to create a goal. Morrison seemed to make passes towards attackers but was consistently off target...
I guess they finally waved goodbye to Brad Smith. I suppose that's too bad for Taxi, but it's good for the team
Derrick Williams will be the other defender most likely. That's why the team traded for him. Ruan will also be the likely starter at RB, not Najar. Also Victor Pálsson will be starting in central midfield next to Klich, regardless of how many total midfielders are used.
So Ruan with Najar on front of him on the right? Or Najar on the bench? I forgot about Pálsson... Oops...
If I knew Najar could stay healthy I'd 100% pencil him in at RM as much as I could. But I don't know if his body can hold up to that.