Managed to miss both debut performances by Felix Brilliant. Anyone care to comment on how he looked in the Sporting and NJ games? On a related note, I'm really impressed about how Nicol has been able to squeeze serviceable players from the draft. He's made quality picks in the 1st round two years running, but I like the fact that he gets guys like Dorman and Leonard from later rounds. I don't remember the Revs ever being so effective in their drafting (when they didn't give away all their picks). Jury's still out on Brilliant, Vercollone (swapped for late pick) and Jeremiah White (if we ever see him here).
i like that he can separate himself quickly when standing still next to a defender...in order to receive a ball. however, i don't find crosses all that great. and actually, he doesn't seem to be able to flat outrun defenders with the ball someone like ralston has the footskill to outsmart a defender to get an open cross off...even if he's technically "slower". i don't see much of this with brillant.
Can't shield the ball. He was pushed around like you would not believe by the Sporting defenders, and I think he lost just about every ball that was played to him in the air. He is probably the fastest player on our team, so if we can utilize him better it is possible that he could be effective.
I think the operative word here is "serviceable." How many 6th-round picks who played at a Div II college are really expected to make a Dempsey/Noonan style impact their first year in the league? How many 6th round picks are still on any MLS roster? I saw him play against Harvard and UConn the week off after the first LA game, and against Sporting and the Mutts, three very different levels of oppostition. He looked very good against the college players, beating them like rented mules, getting in deep and making good crosses. I believe one of them was a diving header by Twellman. Was anyone shocked that he had trouble at times with the Sporting defenders, considering that they are one of the better teams in Europe? Nonetheless, there were times when he did very well. The first goal was a result of him beating a guy on the dribble, then sending the ball deep to Baker in the corner. At the time, we were 10 v 10 (Heaps was off getting treatment), so there was some more open space, but not a man advantage. Against the Metros, he did well in places, but got bogged down at times. He has good speed and dribbling ability, so I can easily see him being effective in a role we used to use for Jamar Beasley--send him in for the last 20 minutes, let him use his speed to run right at people. Could he use more seasoning and to learn the finer points of the game from vets like Ralston? Absolutely. Should he be loaned out to the Phantoms, Pioneers, or Stingrays to get more competitive games under his belt? Again yes. He's a young kid with potential. Let's let Nicol and Mariner work with him and see how far he can develop. He has shown enough to me so far that he could be an interesting player. It should be fun to watch what happens. Tom
I kept seeing Evans Wise ... good dribbler, lots of speed, but can't cross worth a damn. I'd love to see him do well (c'mon, you need a Brilliant! in your lineup) ... but obviously the jury is still out on him.
I thought he looked like a headless chicken on Wednesday with tons of sloppy tackles and generally looking like he was trying to hard. He did a lot better on Saturday. I would be surprised if he turns out to be anything more than a useful sub, but I'd be happy to be wrong.
I think it will turn out just the opposit. I think he will turn out to be a solid MLS player and will be able to help this team this year. He may not have the impact that Dempsey has had but I think he will turn out to be one of the best 6th round draft choices ever. Lets remember, SN, who will not take on a player he doesn't believe has the goods, was willing to sign him to the regular roster. Thats a high endorsement. Lets go back to Toms report on how he did against college and PDL players----exceptionally well. That says to me that he has the tools. He has speed to spare, good foot skills and can put in a good cross. What he lacks is experience at this level. Having your first major leaguer experience against Sporting is asking a lot of a kid---yet he did make some good plays. Against the Mutts he also was playing off the bench against a packed defense with team mates that were tired and not moving off the ball which made him look less effective than he might have been if the rest on the players weren't exhausted. Sure the jury is out but I'm betting that Felix will be a pleasent surprise.
Keep in mind that against Sporting, he started the game at wing, moved to forward, then back to wing. Tough for a rookie to make a statement moving around like that in his first game. I just hope he can learn to use his speed better than Jason Moore.
I agree here. To me it looked like he was pressing, like he was trying to make the spectacular play instead of just the good play. There was that one sequence where the Revs were trying and trying to get it into the box towards the end of the game really pushing men forward. He got the ball over on the right hand side, and instead of two touching a cross in, or outleting to a guy behind him he tried to take two defenders on. He tried to split the defenders when there were plenty of men in the box and he turned the ball over. He did look pretty quick and showed some flashes of skill which were nice. At this point though we really need to find someone who can put some service into the box. Ralston will get back on track hopefully but I didn't see anything to suggest that Billant could be the answer. That being said it was his first MLS game and he was probably trying to impress, didn't play all that much so we'll see if he gets anymore minutes. EDIT: PS. It's driving me crazy this kid's name isn't pronounced Brilliant!! Total disapointment.
Evans Wise never even looked up so he couldn't even _TRY_ to cross the ball. At least Brillant looks up and makes an attempt. Still, I think he is pretty marginal at best.
I think some of you guys are being a little harsh on the kid. He's played what, 20 minutes of MLS action, and one full game each against college oppositon and a top European team. He hasn't played enough to really make any kind of judgement. Of course he was "pressing" when he got in--he was trying like hell to prove that he deserves more playing time. Suppose he had scored or set up the winner on one of those plays where he "dribbled too much" and we all would be singing hoasnnas. Nicol was generally pleased with what he saw Saturday and I expect we'll see a bit more of him in the future. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him start in at least the early Open Cup rounds, as well as spot duty as a sub or even the occasional start as the season goes on. Let him work and learn the subtle things like when it's best to look for a cross or to try and take on a guy on the dribble. It's not always obvious, and with someone like Mariner, he can learn these things. Let's not write him off just yet. He could be the greatest Canadian Rev since Geoff "The Pride of Red Deer, Alberta" Aunger, or dare I say, the greatest Canadian Rev ever. OK, now we can get back to that age-old argument of who was the greatest Palestinian-American Rev ever, Shaker Asad or Imad Baba? Tom