Ordaz only recently made a credible claim for the starting 9 spot with LAFC as they moved the pieces around to accommodate busy schedule and new players. Ordaz is a fun watch. He's going to be a good one. His movement and finishing in and around the box is great. I hope he can get ES into WC finals. Quali's seem complicated but as best I can tell, ES is still in it by a hair and could still qualify. Having said that, I wouldn't mind if ES gets eliminated early in GC if LAFC are in CWC where Ordaz would get a good test. Ordaz' contract runs out this year but LAFC have an option year which they are sure to exercise.
Roldan is having another great year and back at his best position IMO, in the true double pivot. He’s playing the deeper of the two but gets forward when he wants. I don’t care if he gets called again but he’s outperforming the other American CMs as usual
I'm really liking how both McGlynn and Raines are playing in the midfield for Houston. They were both good again last night. Unfortunately, the rest of the team is kinda "meh." So far, one of the worst teams in the league.
It's nice to see Jesus score or assist but how much more fun would it be if he was a keeper so we could see Jesus saves all the time?
It was an obvious choice. He was a good starting FB pre CBus. I don't know why they couldn't/wouldn't integrate him. Also he played for Bruce. Didn't require imagination. Bruce predictably steadied your ship relying on predictable choices. Still work to do. But that hire was good for us too, since it's remade Jones as an NT "prospect". May do the same for Buck.
Thought the same. Literally since he got here. This version of Jones? Absolutely in the discussion of camp cupcake
Kinda excited to see who el Bruce’s next reclamation project will be. Sam Vines was just sitting in the bench yesterday…….could use a keft back upgrade…..
Will get to see How Berhalter stacks up against Tillman and Delgado in half an hour. I have not jyet oined the Berhalter for USMNT bandwagon. Frankly as a LAFC fan I am way more concerned about Jayden Nelson.
Brian White brace, he's got 8 (tied with three others) in 9 MLS games 13 in all competitions 1921728894350344619 is not a valid tweet id
FM US Team of Week * = 23-and-under ** = 20-and-under Player of the Week: Johnson Freese Arfsten 23-and-under: McGlynn Gutierrez Berhalter Leroux 20-and-under: Bombino Freeman Westfield TJohnson
Honorable Mention GK: Freese(8.5)1st Guzan(7.6)2nd Gal(7.5)5th Stuver(7.4)1st Barraza(7.2)1st Willis(7.0)9th LB: Watts(7.3)2nd Gutman(7.3)6th Lovitz(7.0)7th Brody(7.0)3rd CB: Blackmon(7.6)3rd Robinson(7.4)3rd Romney(7.4)7th SNealis(7.4)9th Hagglund(7.1)5th Glad(7.0)5th Maher(7.0)9th LM: Markanich(7.8)2nd Muyl(7.8)4th Polster(7.8)3rd Delgado(7.6)2nd Eneli(7.3)4th Bronico(7.1)1st Tillman(7.1)4th Torre(7.0)8th FW: LAcosta(7.3)4th Ilovski(7.2)7th 23-and-under LB: TJohnson(7.3)4th** PMiller(7.2)5th** Travis(7.1)1st* NNorris(7.1)5th** CB: Harriel(7.2)6th* RB: Freeman(7.5)3rd** Westfield(7.3)4th** LM: QSullivan(7.5)3rd* Harper(7.5)7th* CM: Leroux(7.9)4th* Oregel(7.2)9th** OWolff(7.1)2nd** Edelman(7.1)10th* Raines(7.0)2nd** RM: Sealy(7.8)2nd* FW: Valenzuela(7.1)5th**
Harriel(5'11") in his starts at CB has won an incredible 79% of his headers. Luna needs to start in the GC. Jalen Neal has finally arrived. Can he stay fit? Dejuan Jones couldn't hack it at wingback under Nancy has gotten off to a flying start at wingback in San Jose. 18 y/o Luca Bombino looks to be another banger young LB Fullback seems the deepest among the 23-and-under crowd. Berhalter: 5G4A in his last 9 matches.
How is it that "nobody seems to be talking about Alex Freeman"....................while lots of people who watch MLS are talking about Alex Freeman? Anyway. [There's a funny trend in the US Soccer community of people wanting to behave as if they were the first to think some young player could be great. As if people haven't been talking about the player for years. As if he came out of nowhere. Alex Freeman played for three different USYNTs. Was at a whole bunch of U23 Olympic camps and could have made that roster. Nathan Harriel took the spot after Bryan Reynolds wasn't released. People on the youth boards have been talking about Freeman for years. But anyway.] It sure does seem like the young fullback crop is really surging. Alex Freeman isn't so young, though. Not eligible for USYNTs any longer. There will be some good choices for the U20WC this fall, as well as the 28 Olympics. Oscar Pareja always seems to do this. He did it in Colorado and Dallas. Develops guys. Maybe people thought Freeman should have been getting more playing time last year. On the other hand, how can we say the timing is wrong? Freeman's playing great. [There were a string of right backs developed under Pareja in Dallas. Reggie Cannon and those guys. Dallas had like five straight right backs that ended up getting USMNT caps under Pareja as academy coach or head coach.]
Goals like that tell you why 2-0 is the most dangerous lead in soccer. I thought I would check out what Doyle thought of LAFC's performance and it turned out to be exactly my first impression as well but Doyle figures why not just quote what he read somebody else say which accords exactly with what Doyle thought. At some stage, Steve.........anyway, here's Doyle: Chicago Fire's breakthrough, Philadelphia Union's evolution & more from Matchday 12 | MLSSoccer.com "Borrowing a line from my guy Charles Boehm: “Grimly hanging on to a 2-1 halftime lead, the XI collectively dropping deeper and deeper while the pressure dials up as the second half ticks away... that's LAFC football.” The tying goal is instructive. Go to sec 21 of the clip 1921728894350344619 is not a valid tweet id Per usual they cut off the part just before Hollingshead releases the ball to Delgado who has 4 people around him. (Notice Tilman is standing all alone in the middle of the pitch with open water for 40 yds.) LAFC just bull ahead. Vcr recovers the ball and switches it left then takes it right and lofts a header to the far post which is again switched to the other pole for the score: left, right left, right into goal. Like I tried to tell people around here when Gregg was droning on about it, "verticality" is way overrated. fbref has Delgado 99th percentile in passes attempted per 90' with 78 attempts average and 88% completion rate (last 365 days). In this game he was 33 of 34 passing for a 97% success rate. That's less than half the usual attempts.
After watching McGlynn last week and Berhalter this week I am still not impressed. I believe Delgado and Tillman are better candidates to help the USMNT against quality opponents. Keep in mind that both Delgado and Tillman are still way down the depth chart compared to the USMNT incumbents. Don't get me wrong both McGlynn and Berhalter are very foundationally sound and tactically astute players but they provide nothing special other than excellent set piece delivery. From the run of play they would be considered high mid major quality at best. At this point in time good MLS-level players nothing more.
Hollingshead was fouled and flattened on that play as the replays clearly showed. The commentators thought that goal would be called back. I guess VAR thought the foul did not happen in Vancouver's "attacking phase". If not for that foul Vancouver don't get the ball to begin their "attacking phase".
for me, Freeman had his best game (in MLS) last week. So I get why more people are now “seeing” him. We do have another young RB, Taifi, that got to play some minutes against the Rowdies on Wednesday. He has some crazy skills for a defender. I still think Caraballo is one to keep an eye out for…. He scored the first two goals for us against the Rowdies. I think if the ref didn’t allow so much physical play in the Revs game this weekend, we would have seen him get some minutes at the end….. but he’s out there playing with boy muscles and bones against men, so if the ref isn’t calling anything, I’m glad Oscar knows enough to protect him.