As a neutral I watched the 2nd half, and was really rather puzzled by Bradleys moves at the end of the game. His substitution and tactical changes seemed to make no sense, gutting the shape of the team and clearing the way for DC to go up 2-0. Their didnt seem to be any logic on the field, I didnt see how they addressed problems, it was just random, like trying different player to get SOMETHING to work. Why the panic? Why the moves to go for broke and get a tie? Youve got another 90 minutes, keep your discipline, dont gamble and work your way back into it. Instead now DC has doubled their advantage. Bizzarre.
He switched it to a 3-1-4-2 almost. The thing is that it wasn't a traditional 4-4-2 as FSW had posted. Leitch and Regan were playing really high, it was like a slanted formation overloading the right side of the defense at times. I couldn't pick up on it that well. So I think your thoughts aren't spot on. What he was really trying to do was to bring on players to get the throughball in to our forwards, that's what Lisi is very good at, and Vaca is pretty good at it as well. Thing is, we had one chance (which was offsides) and Woly blew it Finally, he had to go for broke here. DC is very good at home. To get 2 or three goals there while shutting them out is going to be a miracle I think.
Can I ask on a Metros board why Regan was starting this game? The MSG announcers kept commenting on how well he played, but I just didn't see it. Why no Taylor at the end of the game instead of Galvan Rey? Why bring on Lisi, who I wouldn't say is very match fit?
You arent going to get through balls against a team that doesnt really feel it needs to score. DC just packed it in a bit, then lit up the light D on the counter. Which was pretty predictable since the Metros biggest problem up to that point seemed to be coping with DC's transistion into attack. I thought Lisi wasnt a bad guy to bring on, as he flights tremendous balls into the box, but why bring on Galvan Rey? Hes not exactly a guy whos going to get on the end of those balls. And Vaca has struck me as a guy who benefits more from open play, something you cant expect to see in that situation.
Regan started because Ziadie wasnt available due to suspension. There really is no one else to take his spot, since Bonseu is still injured and Kenny is a central defender, and all the other guys I havent seen to comment on but Im guessing they are worse.
Seperated at Birth Tim Regan = Billy Walsh : you can see it in every pass Cornell Glen = Hurtado : you can see the resemblance in every "back to the goal, spin and fall" move
i guess your right. He reminded me of one of those central american "divers", we dont play that schit here. I just pray that next year ,,all of our max salary players actually are starters and contribute. as a side note,,anyone else miss mathis??
How often do we play with 3 in the back? Almost never, right? So why use a makeshift D like that for such a pivotal game....If we lack a RB, i would have rather inserted somebody else but would have kept four in the back..... Bradley pretty much over-emphasizes how truly meaningless the regular season is: A defense we had rarely employed throughout the season, an offense that relies on poor long balls (plus a prayer or two)...I want to know how someone like Peter Nowak (sp?) in one season (30 games) and with no previous coaching experience can make his team so superior to ours in the technical side of the game (on the ball, particularly).... It is nice to see young talent developing and all, but is there anything else Bradley is providing in terms of creativity, tactical adjustments? I've seen nothing but long balls at least the last 4-5 games... That'd be nice, if the clouds could play.....And i really do not think it's a lack of players with skill on this team to create on the ground......Where was Gilberto, btw? I'm becoming more and more tempted to see what that guy from Manchester City could do as coach...It's becoming almost too easy to get annoyed with Bradley as much as i respect the guy...Let's hope we can at least change our ways in DC, but it'll be very difficult......
I was at the game and I am really disappointed tonight. I question Bradley's tactics tonight. First of all, Glen was heavily marked and he kept on losing the ball, why the team kept on passing the ball to Glen? Secondly, Why took Brense out? Brense was probably one of the few players tonight who played well tonight. IMO, Bradley should have sent Vaca in sooner, Vaca is good at long passing and he might change the game. I question Bradley's tactics for the whole season. Considering we have the best defender Pope and the best goalie Walker in MLS, plus probably the best rookie Parke and the work horse/iron man Leich, why do we have the worse defense record? Most of the goal allowed by Metro this season are all the same : quick balls sliced through Metro defense leaving Walker alone to face the coming opponent. IMO Bradley is still not able to figure out how to address this problem.
Excellent analysis. I make some of the same points in the post-game thread and I'm relieved to see that I'm not the only person who feels this way. If this was Bradley's first coaching gig, he would have been ripped all year long. But because he was with Chicago, a team that Sarachan also won a title with, too many fans have given him a free pass. This year, Bob Bradley and Dominick Kinnear have gotten out the least with the most.
WTF is up with Bob????? I was going to create a new post this am until I saw this as well. Start Regan over Gilberto?? Are you on drugs or being paid off by somebody?? I heard Magee was hurt with a concussion at halftime of the game so my first half thoughts of why Corny, I always flop Glenn was playing was relieved somewhat. Then, take out Pablo who i though played solid offensively and could cross the ball at least is taken out. He takes out Glen and puts in the ever dangerous Glavan rey???? This guy must be the best practice player ever as he sux in games. No taylor but SGR??. We now go to a 3-5-2 after all year playing a 442??? Nice time to experiment. Maybe next game we can try a 3-6-1 featuring SGR up top. Time for a new coach on this team as Bob must be getting old fast because some of these decisions do not translate well as to what we see on the field during games. Oh yeah, Stewart was only offsides by about 10-15 yards.
I held out real hope when Bradly joined. I now have no hope for the team under his leadership. I have no confidence in him at all. First-place most of the season, then third-place after the last match -- losing home field advantage! WHAT?!?!? Why?!?!? THAT line-up for the first home game of the playoffs!?!?!?!? Why? Bradley's substitutions were absurd. What is his criteria? Penis size?
Bradley made seriuos mistakes that took away all hope. I understand it was a though game. So even getting a draw was a good result. But he made some horrible choices, it seems like he didn't learn anything after the last 3 games we played against DC. We all knew they were going to play very phisically and very defensive, we all knew that it was a 180 min game so we needed to be patient, now we are in a hole . He screwed. Nothing personal Bob but we need a new coach.
I couldn't agree with you more! Bradley has been horrendous this year with some pretty strong talent. Brenes was the only guy creating in the offensive third, and Bradley subs him off! Why in the heck did Tim Regan start an all important playoff game?? WHere was Flores, Taylor?? We are at home and we're supposed to go for the win, but Bradley looks to be playing favorites and gutting out a 0-0 tie! Galvan Rey?? Come on, why would Bradley bring him in?? Wolyniec is not a starter caliber player, but Bradley continues to stick with him! I also don't understand the fact that whenever we need a goal, he continually subs off strikers for strikers? Wouldn't you want to put more pressure on the DC defense by adding a 3rd attacking player? I haven't understood Bradley most of the year as it is safe to say I have lost much respect for his coaching abilities.
There must be something in the air in the coach's office at the Meadowlands that makes it impossible for a Metro coach to see a game that is going on right in front of him. I did not mind the Vaca sub, Regan sucks, but everything else was just pathetic. He tries a brand new formation in the playoffs??? Great idea. PLEASE GET US A GOD DAMN COACH THAT KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING!!!!!!!
IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME HE HAS DONE THIS ! i been saying it for a long time, Bradley is a youth coach,teaching kids how to kick a ball, he is not a strategist, he is not a tactical coach or manager. He has been outcoached by a rookie coach, he doesn't undestand the dynamics of attacking soccer and how to use the players he has, how to bring out the best in each one of them, how to make them play as a team, and how to take advantage of the weaknesses the other team has. It was clear to me we were outplayed and dominated in the first half, why didn't he use attacking on wings with crosses, why didn't we take long range shots, why the passsing wasn't there, why were they playing scared ? some of the moves he makes in games and the way the team is been playing proves my point , he needs to go to our reserve squad,youth, he is not bad at that here is a good read : http://proxy.espn.go.com/et/corr/corrview?id=190&leagueCup=USA.1&cc=5901 "United played very physically. Although they tested opportunities along the wings, it was in the midfield that they pushed and found success. The Metros often looked confused, and despite some excellent scoring opportunities, they looked tentative and indecisive in the final moment, squandering their chances. Rimando's excellent protection of United's net and Eskandarian's shot to give United a 2-0 advantage emphasized the Metros' failures. "
It looked to me like Regan was playing in the midfield. And he was horrible. It's like, he's concentrating so hard on where he should be positioned, that he just doesn't play. Classically overcoached American player.
Look, I'm not goign to be a BOB apologist on this board or anything like that. Why switch the formation that he's all year? Because honestly, it hasn't worked in a month and a half. His fault for sticking with it, and not tinkering with it. However, we weren't going to win with the quartet in the midfield, so Leitch/Regan were shifting up to help defensively. We got burned twice on transition. Adn that was the game. All first half DC was trying to lob balls to Stewart. They got the one chance, and he put it away. Regan? He didn't do anythign that bad that deserves the ire of all the people on this board. He played a pretty solid match. No bad passes, was physical, what more did you want from him. Was Gilberto honestly goign to win this match? Somehow I doubt it. Look, this team is loaded with talent. I don't think it's our year. We shoudl be very good next year though.
I gotta say, I don't see how Bob can do so well in Chicago and seem so confused here. Is it the players? Well, if that's the case then there are two main possibilities: Bob WASN'T the architect, personnel-wise, of the Fire, or he's NOT the architect here. Even given the call-ups and injuries, SOMETHING's not right. I mean, do we aspire to be mediocre? There may be things going on behind the scenes that we know nothing about. Bob certainly LOOKS pi**ed to me. I still maintain (redundant, I know) that the aroma of NS lingers over this; maybe BB is trying to show him up by using SGR at the end of games. The above of course doesn't absolve Bob of all responsibility, but I just can't figure out how he suddenly became so "dumb". =NLK=