With El Pibe gone and no new veteran creative attacking midfielder signed to replace him (Grimaldi is a defender or a D-mid), is Hankinson looking at starting Kyle Beckerman in midfield behind the forwards? It's a bit of a gamble but the kid certainly has skills. And, if you surround him in a 5-man MF with veterans like Masto, Grimaldi, Henderson and Chung, there won't be too much pressure on him to handle the creative load by himself. It could work, and, as fan of both the national team and the jr. nats, I'd love to see a young American playing in the central attacking mid spot. Any chance this will actually hasppen?
I'd be confused if Hankinson used a 3-5-2 this season. The Rapids have 2 of the best wings (Chung, Hendo) in MLS who can put up huge numbers (22g, 17a last year combined) if they are allowed to commit themselves to the attack. Why cut their production by as much as half, just to have them cover an entire flank defensively by themselves? Much better to play with a 4-4-2 and let the wingbacks provide cover. Hankinson almost always plays with 4 in the back, even in TB it was a 4-5-1 or a 4-4-1-1. I see this: ...................Roberts........Spencer................... ...Chung........................................Henderson.. ....................Grimandi....Mastroeni................... ...LeftBack.....Herdsman....Fraser........Stewart... ............................Garlick............................. Or something similar. It lets Chung/Hendo move around the field as needed. They can move to the center or join the forwards. Ballboy101 hinted at a new left back so hopefully he's an impact player. Maybe Beckerman can work his way in as a supersub somewhere. Unless TH moves Mastro back next to Fraser in D and Beckerman can take his spot midfield.
TH said last year when you picked up Pablo that he had plans for him to run the midfeild in the future. Mastro played Atacking mid in college, and I think the plan is for him to run the show this year. I guess the future is now.
I agree that with Pablo and Grimandi at Dmid and Henderson and Chung outside , Beckerman would add nicely to this formation. I also think that we wouldn't need 4 in the back with this lineup in front of defense. If Hankinson goes with Pablo, as A-mid and Grimandi as D-mid, with Henderson and Chung on each side, where does anyone see Beckerman playing on this team? I don't see Beckerman getting much more time than last year. Hankinson didn't seem to sub the three all- stars at midfield much at all and this year Grimandi probably won't be subbed either just like Pibe wasn't. Since Beckerman is still Project 40 and if he continues to play for the under 23's he just might have to ask for a trade to a new team in order to be able to get adequate time.
Shut your filthy mouth, Seth hasn't proven that deserves to be on any MLS roster other than the fact that he has p-40 status.
Things don't look good for either Trembly or Beckerman in Colorado. Although I like Beckerman, I don't see him getting any time next year, especially since he fell completley off Hankinson's radar at the end of last season. Hopefully he can get a trade to a team that needs help in the center. Trembly looks destined to be out of MLS after this season unless he demonstrates drastic improvement. He is no longer being looked at as a defender and now seems to be a converted wing player (sub for Chung).
I still think we need find room for Carrieri...His 6 game winners and overall offensive play should not be overlooked ..I think we play him with Spenny..He earned the spot..It should be his to lose!!!!
when pablo was gone for WC duty last year, i thought KB did a pretty good job filling in, although d-mid isn't his specialty. i distinctly remember noting that he made some lovely long balls and through balls, really showing a classy touch. but once pable returned - and possibly even slightly before - he wasn't used at all. i found it sort of strange. maybe his work habits aren't up to snuff. maybe hankinson doesn't trust anyone under 23. (that wouldn't explain carrieri.) i would definitely like to see more of KB...if the Quakes don't resign Ekelund, maybe he can migrate over there.
last year noone could understand alot of what hankinson was doing.. Stewart was going for rookie of the year for three months and then sits on the bench for most of the rest of the season. Herdsman didn't play for the first three months and then plays. Hankinson's problem is that he doesn't have healthy competition for spots through out the season and even week to week. Kyle has a great work rate but he can't get the time on this team. Kyle has played many complete games at d-mid for the under 23's so he is capable of playing there.
And that's why nobody should be worried about Beckerman not getting time with the current midfield lineup of the Rapids. While an increase in playing time is due, the kid can still not legally order a drink in this town. He's still got a lot to learn and has a great number of better years ahead of him. What's the rush? His time will come, most likely as the result of Pablo or Grimandi either subbing off or otherwise being absent from a game. The difference this year is that we don't have the mop strolling about midfield, waving his contract to remind us all that he will never, ever, be substituted out of a game. Unless Pablo or Gilles plan on bringing a walker out on the pitch, they'll certainly be running and will likely be involved in a number of very physical challenges. The Statue, who clearly was not interested in putting himself in the way of potential harm. While many other MLS teams may rush to start their young guns -- some finding success, most finding mediocrity -- it's worth noting that in the professional game it's hardly uncommon to see rising stars spend most or all of the season without getting a single start. Top teams throughout Europe and South America have wunderkinds on the roster, but keep their playing time to the reserves -- even when the first team is struggling. As for the main question, regarding Beckerman orchestrating the attack, I think he's far from ready.
Don't remind us. But I do hope he plays a little smarter this year. No matter how skilled he was at stuffing an attack with quick smart tackles and reading passes, he would just pick times to take someone out with some ferocious tackle that he must have known would get him carded.
Thing is, "current professional teams" also tend to have center mids that can have a go at the goal from distance. In Chung and Hendo we've got a great pair of wide players who are equally adept at shooting and crossing, while also being very fit, tireless workers. And certainly Spenny and Carrieri are capable of putting the biscuit in the basket. A big question for our offense will be how well Pablo and Grimandi contribute. Whether creating space and uncorking from 20 yards out, or simply trailing the play and putting away the layback or the rebound, we're going to need each of them to provide some sort of offensive threat. Perhaps in a new role and not burdened with backing up the Statue, we'll see some new goal-sniffing ability out of Pablo. To date however, he hasn't struck me as an opportunistic player. He definitely has the ball skills to control in tight quarters, but getting that shot off will be crucial -- even if it's only from 7 yards out. Same goes for Grimandi. Goals I've seen him score over the years have been of the scramble variety. Arsenal fans may have other memories -- I sure hope they do -- but I'm really hoping that Gilles can launch one from outside the box. This doesn't need to happen all the time, but he does need to be enough of a threat so that opposing defenses will attempt to step to him when he gets within 25 yards of goal; that of course will in turn open up space for our best shooters. If neither Pablo nor Grimandi can pose a threat however, opposing defenses won't be too different than last year (other than that they'll run a bit less); they'll stay back and contain more, and allow our central midfield to work the ball up, focusing more on denying the pass into the box than on breaking up the attacking possession. Looking towards the future, Beckerman has shown the potential to be a complete central midfielder. He's not afraid to take a swing from outside, and in the matches he's played (mostly reserve/exhibition) it only takes a few minutes on the field before opponents realize they need to close on him. Thus in 2003 I wouldn't be surprised to see Backstreet take the field as a sub for either Pablo or Grimandi when the Rapids are trailing and in need of some offensive punch.