Breakers/CRS 6 25 10 (r)

Two years of consistent poor results with pretty good players in the Boston team and this year giving one of the highest scorers this year, ARod, away. And yet somebody wants to 'honor' him for his achievement in Boston and repeatedly says he is a legend, all because he inherited a great national team. I wonder what is happening with this guy.

 

Well I dont mind saying that reading from this worship slab was painful indeed. It's clear that your allegiance with Tony much more than it is with the club. Now many of us here with the exception of Dartsoc have given Tony more than the benefit of the doubt for a long time however from the standpoints of results and progress he has failed miserably!

As for the trip down to Connecticut, the team badly misread how that move was going to go over with season ticket holders. The last home game of the season for crying out loud. Let's take the show on the road so Tony's friends from Connecticut wont have to drive so far?!?!
Sorry if I sound harsh but a duck is a duck is a duck.

 

Quack Quack Quack. Should have bus details by the end of the week....

 

Read the first paragraph, post #22 again. Tony took the talent he was given with the national team, coached them effectively and got the most out of them. Almost every coach inherits talent to some extent; it’s a matter of what they do with it.

However, you don’t obtain legend status with one game….it’s really his commitment afterward to establishing professional leagues and camps and basically jumpstarting the movement to make women’s soccer globally recognized that forms his legacy. The 1999 win was just the starting point and has figurative significance more than anything.

 

“The game has simply passed him by” I don’t know how many times I’ve said I completely agree with that. Check posts # 2, 4, and 13.

“I’m not above firing a legend” Don’t disagree with that either. Marcello Lippi and Raymond Domenech both had glowing lists of accomplishments but we can all agree they simply didn’t have it this time around, and should have been fired.

Why is Tony’s situation different? Because of what he means to the team and fans. He’s a major reason why Boston has had the highest attendance in WPS because his methods inspire many younger players to pursue women’s soccer, a sport that had zero following before his efforts to popularize it. He coached the team through a very successful 2009 season where they looked unstoppable at times and had a brick wall for a defense (no room for Bishop) until Kelly’s injury and a late season losing streak slowed them down. He recognized that a certain rookie was feeling the pressure and didn’t fit into the roster effectively and decided to give her new life at an expansion team in the always more productive second year. He couldn’t find luck early in the 2010 season and has started to gamble at this point, realizing the league has caught up with him. He knows now this is his last year. He will step down at the end of the season.

My allegiance is with the club. It is in their best interest to keep Tony to the end of the season. Firing him would bring complete chaos, in terms of the team’s chemistry and results going forward, fan support and the management’s image in a league where many fans actually like all the teams and athletes and therefore have great respect for Tony no matter the results.

 

I guess it makes me a fair weather fan, I didn't go to the last game because I'm tired of watching this. I'm not saying they need to win the championship every year but scoring a goal once in a while would put some fun into it.
I'm seriously reconsidering my season tickets for next year

 

There’s only one person in the stadium yelling, and now on the boards cursing, at the man who was the main influence behind women’s professional soccer as we know it. Shame. Let’s put this in perspective. Might sound cliche, but he’d love to give you the gig for a game.

Everyone’s disappointed right now…..most of all Tony and the players. The last thing they need is for a self righteous fan to be rubbing it in. You’re given the right to freedom of speech, but you should use it wisely.

As a fanbase we should be making the best of the situation……and taking this opportunity to reflect on all the team and coach had accomplished before this slump, and correspondingly the potential they still might have with a little inspiration. Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone……..

If your plan to have Tony sacked went through, you would realize that firsthand.

 

I did not see any changes in the way the US WNT played after TD took over. So what contributions did he make to the team? His method of coaching is unheard of: asking a player to lead a team mate blindfolded literally as a way of improving play. And what did he do in Boston? Attendance during his reign as coach did not exceed that during the time of Hofman and is going downhill. Results and recognition and improvement of players reflect the competence of a coach. I fail to see any in the case of TD. On the contrary, he did not fully make use of ARod the year before and then let her go this year to the great benefit of another team.

His effort in launching WUSA is unrelated to coaching at all. I wonder why WUSA failed after just 2 years.

There has been a team winning big last year after sacking a coach during the season. So what is this guy talking about? This AMBreakers appears to be AMDicicco.

 

It is never easy to be the first one to arrive at a car crash.......But at least you are honest enough to give credit to the first of now what is a legion of doubters.

 

Quick question to try to get back on track here...Are the season ticket holders paying their hard earned $$ to watch Tony DiCicco "the legacy" on the sideline coach or are they paying to watch a team of talented women win games and score goals ?

Since neither of this is happening this season, I will not be returning as a season ticket holder unless changes are made soon....

 

I'm tired of this discussion. The title of the thread is "Breakers/CRS 6 25 10" and I unfortunately wasn't able to attend the game. Was Igwe playing defense? How does Angeli look compared to Osborne? Did the CRS have quick counter-attacks for their goals, or was our possession just bad the entire match? How did Tarpley look playing with Smith? What were the negative chants? (still can't believe this...)

Matchtracker is not a help, so any analysis from you people would be appreciated.

 

Yes, just look what happened to Sky Blue when they fired two respected coaches in the same season.

 

The defense was out of sorts.. Yes, Igwe was playing center defender with Amy and it was not a good combination.. Amy was her steller self as usual.. Cox had a bad outing. She looked tired and overmatched. I like Cox so I think it was just a bad day. Naeher made a spectacular save in the first few minutes of the game. A diving punch to knock the ball away from a sure upper right corner goal hard shot.. It was a beautiful, athletic save. Both goals were 1-1 with striker vs Naeher. On the first, she challenged just outside of the right corner of the penalty area and was beat and chipped in for a goal. The second goal was a lot like the first, but this time she was way outside the box (I think she thought she could get to the ball first, but the forward beat her to the ball)..

To give the defense credit, Cristiane is very very fast and has excellect ball control. She did create a bit of havoc.. CRS seemed to move the ball around in the attacking 3rd then we did. Crisp passes, hitting flankers, etc.. Could have been much worse.

On our end we had plenty of good chances, just did not connect well. Fabiana scored and for the 2nd straight game I have seen played very well. I have to admit I was not a fan of her early on, but she is winning me over.

 

thanks, just what I wanted to know. I'm guessing Igwe will not be playing defense again and Cox will hopefully play better next time. Our defense is usually one of the strongest parts of our game. Maybe Fabiana is finally adjusting to her position; I remember she had some great runs in that match against sky blue a few weeks ago.

 

I'm still trying to figure out what the negative chants were. I was there and don't remember any. Tony needs to go and someone needs to explain why Lipsher isn't playing and Naeher (your starting defensive mid based on her positioning half the time) is after Tony's glowing reports at meet the coach about Ali.

 

Whoops, forgot that on my game summary.. I sit in Section 5 and did not hear any of the negative chants either... In what section were they heard??

 

Not entirely correct. DiCicco was the coach in 1995 (ie 4 years b/f the '99 win). Several '99ers have been quoted as saying that during an early residency in the cycle for '99 (ie after a DiCicco led team lost in 1995), the 2 captains (Overbeck & Foudy) went to DiCicco and said "is the core of team going to change a lot over the next 4 years? He said "not drastically" and they then said a version of "why are you being such a hardass. You need to ease up." He then took that feedback and ended up w/ the "Catch them being Good" thing he & the psychologist wrote about. DiCicco has publicly credited them for this.

Having said the above, DiCicco has had a great deal of success as an international WNT coach and as the U20 coach in 2008. He has earned respect and plaudits for those performances. Unfortunately, he has not been able to replicate that success with the Breakers.

There have been a bunch of roster changes. But I don't know that the players added fit w/ the "old school" fitness + pressure = goals/wins type of system that some claim DiCicco is sticking to. I'm not sure what's going on formation/style wise since I haven't seen the team play in ages.

What I do know is that the team has 7 points right now and didn't make the playoffs last season. To me, that's fits the Team Most Likely To Make a Change description. The team below them in the standings is an expansion team. The team just above them (who also missed the playoffs) is on coach #2. The fact that DiCicco has had success as an WNT coach and his connections throughout the NE soccer circles complicates the issue, of course. Unless the team starts winning after the All-Star break. Then everyone will be happy

 

I think if there was a threat of relegation in the WPS no one would be so apathetic towards a coach who has proven over a season and a half that he incapable of getting the results, despite having a team of very talented players.

Also you can't think of him "Tony DiCicco the architect of the success of womens football in America", he has to be just the coach right here, right now, in this situation who is not doing his job.

And it won't tarnish his legacy in the long run. Bobby Robson mush have gotten fired from half his manager jobs, but no one remembers that.

The Breakers, on the other hand, may be leaking fans because of the perception that the owners are not going to do anything to improve the clubs dismal record.

Something needs to be done this season or there will be no one left in the stands next spring.

 

You're guy's discussions reminds me of us on the Red Stars' thread when we all felt that a change was needed and it was time for Emma Hayes to go.

Fans pay the bills. Fans opinions count. So if the hard core fans who come to the games, follow the team religiously, etc. feel it is time for a change and the coach must go, then the organization has to listen and be concerned.

 

Tony is a legend. I remember the first time I actually talked to him in person I almost drooled
There are a million ways to slice and dice history but I don't think any true woman's soccer fan could feel much different.
Unfortunately this is NOT working. I can't say if it's Tony's fault or not but he is the Coach and thus ultimately responsible.
For those who think that it's wrong to ask the team to make a change, I'd like to know what you think management would prefer. That we just quietly give up our season tickets, they lose fans and don't even know why or is it better for us to be honest and upfront?

 

I’m glad the thread has opened up and we have more opinions coming in.

Let’s get this straight once and for all. I agree completely that Tony has done a very poor job coaching this year’s Breakers team. Last year, they were moderately successful even though they missed the playoffs.

That said, whether the diehard season ticket holders like it or not, for the majority of a WPS fanbase, especially this one, sentiments do play a role. Attendance in 2001 was higher because the sport had just become popular, but the Breakers still have the highest attendance in the league and this forum is one of the most active WPS forums on Big Soccer. Riptide might not care, but for many of the fans, especially younger athletes, the pedigree of the Tony/Lilly combination is a big factor in sparking interest and therefore causing more people to come through the turnstiles.

Since the team is struggling, however, attendance is steadily dropping. We therefore have to weigh whether attendance will sink more because of bad results or because of the fundamental chemistry of the team and its fans being ruined through sacking the coach. While there are good arguments for both sides I happen to think the latter will have the bigger impact through the overall fanbase……the folks who you won’t find on a message board.

If it was the Premier league it would be a no brainer to give the coach the boot. The nature of the majority of the WPS fanbase makes this a different story. For one of the most recognizable women’s pro soccer franchises to fire one of the most influential women’s soccer coaches and the founder of the original pro league simply can’t happen in the eyes of many. Tony understands our feelings, whether we want to believe it or not. He will leave at the end of the season or possibly even earlier if he feels he is truly a detriment to the franchise.

 

As for SBFC, you wouldn't bet on that ever happening again. It was a unique and special story, but not one we should use as an example.

The negative chants included shouts of "Go back to Connecticut" and "This isn't youth soccer" towards Tony as well as a variation on a song that one wouldn't understand as negative without having read a previous thread on this forum.

While we all have freedom of speech and opinion, the same message can be expressed in a less sarcastic/mean spirited way, like simply writing comments here saying you think he should be fired. They are professionals but I think the majority of true women's soccer fans feel at least some degree of the sympathy for the team and can look at Tony in terms of a bigger picture of lifetime achievement even if they do think he should be fired.