After reading match reports and first hand accounts of last nights embarassment I would like to see what everyone's thoughts are at this point in the season regarding the futility that is our attack. What can be done? What formations and/or player combinations would you like to see El Hank use?
Keepers: Cannon, Vallow, Foss Defenders: Pablo, Nat, Ritchie, Crawford, Sully, DLT, Stewart(still injured) Midfield: Beckerman, Cann, Chung, Cila, Erush, Henderson, Kingsley, Powell Forwards: Spencer, Pedro, Zizi, Castellanos That's it as far as choice. I like our choices as far as forwards. Even Zizi (though I go back and forth between like and frustration). I think the problem lies in service to the forwards. The best at this would seem to be Chung, Henderson, DLT, and Beckerman. It just isn't happening. I think the biggest difference is to say good bye to the Beckerman/Powell pairing. We have to think more offensively and stop with the defensive mindset. It is maddening to watch this team that I think can still play some nice attacking footbal suck it up repetedly.
LOL ... that's funny ... I don't think there's much left to do with Hanki leading the team. I think Hanki is going to just wait out for Chung to come back. But if we had everyone ... maybe we play a 4-3-1-2 ... DLT Borchers Pablo Kotschau Henderson Powell Chung Spencer Pedro Zizi Leaving us Crawford and Beckerman to come off the pine. Not enough speed in the back to play with three defenders IMO
Well, one obvious thing would be to cut Cila and Castellenos and bring back CC. Or, cut them and sign another forward from somewhere. But the Rapids can't do that because of the transfer window. In light of that, I guess they move Spennie to a withdrawn role, drop Powell and take the handcuffs off Beckerman. Put Pedro and Zizi up top and play Henderson and Chung as actual wingers, where they are constantly staying wide and thus drawing defenders away from the middle of the field. This would give Spennie the chance to create and Beckerman could get forward a little bit more and use the full range of his passes, which Hanki won't allow him to do. In the back, play DLT, Pablo, Nat and Ritchie. I'd like to get Crawford on the field but it should be for Beckerman, not the wide guys. He doesn't have the pace to beat defenders 1 v 1 from out wide but does have the ball control and skill to play in the middle. I don't know if that will really solve anything because the Rapids bench is awful but it might be a little more positive going forward. Can't be any worse.
Either loosen the reigns on Beckerman -- let him play a purely attacking midfield role -- or find someone else that can do this. I mean, there are still 2 positions that de la Torre has yet to play. We have no attack coming out of deep midfield whatsoever, nor do we even have a central defender that can occasionally show up in attack and put a long shot on frame or simply overlap into the box and be a target for crosses. I wouldn't complain about seeing Powell or Beckerman dropped from midfield in order to pull Spenny back as either an attacking mid or a withdrawn forward, playing just behind a combination of Pedro and Zizi. Problem is... that won't fix the offense NOW, with Pedro gone until the end of the month.
I pretty much agree with Joeyclams and Greenie. It's time to drop the duel holding mids setup. The team gets bogged down at the top of the 18, and we don't draw the opposing defenders out well at all. I'm generally impressed by our defense. Despite the lack of success I think our midfield has held the ball well. Maybe too well. One thing is I think in general the teams first touch has gotten much better than in the past. The corralary to that is the guys aren't forced to trap thigh and torso high passes as often as in the past. I think Crawford showed pretty well in the wide spot when he played there against LA. I think if we're going to get guys more width on the field then Chungs the guy who needs to hit the pine. Chungs game generally takes him inside quite a lot. Maybe he can stay wide, but I recall even at KC he seemed to drift inside a lot. It'd make all the difference in the world if he could hit even a poor shot with his right foot.
Just one thing I wanted to add regarding our midfield and its involvement in the attack -- when was the last time you saw Beckerman or Powell (or anyone) making a run, particularly from deep midfield, where they shoot right up the middle, split our forwards and at least try to take a defender with them? To be honest, I don't remember the last time I saw this. Maybe Pablo tried it once or twice in 2003, I don't remember. Especially with a guy like Zizi -- who plays with his back to goal, right against the line of defenders -- it seems very odd that we never see Beckerman or Powell playing a simple ball to his feet and continuing the run. Crazy thing is, I see this all the time in training, especially out of Beckerman. Yet something happens when it's match time. Might be because training so often is on a shorter field, might be because Beckerman is being directed to attack more (or simply not instructed to stay back). I dunno.
BOTTEM LINE WE SUCKED LAST NIGHT AND ITS TIME FOR HANKI TO GO. MAYBE VALLOW COULD GIVE US OUR OFFENSE WE NEED. THATS PROBABLY WHAT WE WILL SEE NEXT WEEKEND OFF THE BENCH.
I agree so far with the general consensus here that the attack needs to be opened up from midfield. I think it is at a point in the season where changes need to be made. Some energy needs to be injected into the team. Midfield changes are good. I would like to see Spenny in the attacking midfield role with Pedro and Zizi up top, however, who comes in as a sub if we need one? Our three best forwards are on the field. Both Castellanos and Cilla seem like poor choices at this point in their carreers, but how do we really know? They are young and have not ever really played.
Once Beckerman made the run, and put the ball in goal with a neat (cheeky) heal flick. Unfortunatley he was called offsides, and it was really close too. I've only seen a run like that since. Beckerman played it wide to Chung who chipped it sort of far postish. It was "sort of" because it was about a foot off Beckerman's head, and just beyond the runs made to the far post. Other than that... none, but it should be happening every game.
The formation that escorts him out the door----Please don't tell me keeping Trembly, Castellonos and Cila even makes sense over keeping Carrieri.....55k what a F&*king joke..Hanki sucks
Another thought. I wouldn't mind seeing Spencer take a shot as a withdrawn forward, or attacking mid. But I'm pretty sure he'd prove that he's an out and out forward.
Well, two holding midfielders isn't a necessarilly bad idea, especially if implemented correctly, it can work wonderfully. Just look at Arsenal this year. However, we don't have a Patrick Vieira who can shut down another team's midfield and still contribute offensively. I agree with the aforementioned ideas, let Beckerman run free or find someone who can. Powell isn't the answer. As far as wingers go, I think Chung and Hendersen are two of our most valuable players and it would be a travesty to turn their games into one-dimensional crossing practice sessions. Again alluding to Arsenal and specfically Pires and Ljungberg, get them involved in similar ways - running at goal with the ball at their feet, not towards the end line. This would certainly remove the inherent problem of Spencer trying to get a head on crosses. I really like the idea of trading for Mark Lisi, who doesn't get either the due or playing time he deserves with the MetroStars. He could certainly help shore up our attack and midfield with his expert passing and get the waste of space Powell is off the field. I wouldn't mind seeing Kingsley, Crawford, Trembly or Kotschau go remembering the Metros need for left-sided players. However, if Hankinson can be declared loyal to a particular player, its Kotschau. Regarding Carrieri, he would not have been content to spend time on the bench between himself, Spencer, Zizi and Pedro and certainly would've made that known. Considering Pedro has already put up as many goals as Chris did last year, I won't lose any sleep over his departure (not that I ever did) and think its time to call an end to bitching over it. At the least, this is a thread about fixing the Rapids problems, not bitching over past debatable mistakes, so let it go.
Ahh ... a trade ... perhaps the only solution if things don't change over the next three game ... Shall the trade bait conversations start?
Who might we trade that would net us a good return? Powell and Zizi are SI's and really haven't shown anything to merit the income the designation requires. I have a hard time anyone would take either. Chung is probably the best bet. He's still got talent, and it may be suspected that he just needs the change of scenery. Who could use him, and what could we get. Chungs nearing the dreaded "trade me and I'll retire" age that makes trading players like him tricky in MLS. Crawford might have played well enough recently to spark interest throughout the league. He's got the most upside. There are moves that might make some sense. Castellanos and Cilla probably need to be released. I don't think either will be trade bait, and it is clear that they won't advance their careers in Denver. I'd guess CC is out of the question now that he's with the Rhino's. Dante Washington an MLS retread that has always scored when healthy might help a little. I think he was near the top in points for the A-League. That would be a bandage for a axe wound though. Things are pretty stagnant right now. The Rapids have a history of falling into a rut. New blood couldn't hurt. New management might be the surest way to jump start things.
I like the idea of new formations, greenie. I don't think having Carrieri around is necessary, but 3 strikers or a withdrawn would be worth a look. You very well point out the weaknesses in attempting to emulate Arsenal's system. As for our wingers and forwards, I think they're more than capable. The biggest problem is we don't have Arsene Wenger on our bench. However, Hankinson is more likely to get fired than change his formation. I wouldn't mind a 3-5-2, moving Pablo back to a holding mid spot. Tono and Kotschau are more than capable of playing as outside marking backs. Hankinson could even keep two midfielders holding, which he seems to like and withdraw Spencer or insert the new Cuban into an attacking midfield role (or trade for Lisi). It certainly would be worth a shot against DC, seeing as how they're down and out and typically play a 3-5-2. Any good attacking midfield should be able to exploit Brian Carroll all day long, and Chung ought to be able to keep Namoff in his back pocket. I'd like to see something new to spark some offense. Perhaps this newest acquisition will do the trick, although that seems a little optimistic.
Even though the Rapids have won more games and accumulated more points than last year (due to improvements with defense and keeper), there is still a paltry display of offense. Last season's breakout game was game #10 vs. New England at home. Right now, we are staring down game #10 vs. DC there, but the similarities in lack of offense are creepy. Through 9 games last year, the team had scored 4 goals and been shutout 5 times. They didn't score more than a single goal in any game. This year's story is eerily similar, with only 6 goals scored through 9 games, including the team being shutout 4 times. Once again, the Rapids have started this year in a hole, playing catchup from last place now that 1/4 of the season has already been played. Sure, Spenny hasn't been 100% and that is part of the problem, but this team is desperate for goals, and the coach seems to be content with subbing in a defender with 5 minutes remaining in a tie game to "spark" the home team. Either this team starts scoring goals or Hanki should go. It's clear that there is goal scoring talent on this roster, the question must be asked why they aren't producing goals, especially at home against tired opponents. Even more distressing, a single shot on goal over 90 minutes, AT HOME!!! Let's hope DC continues to struggle and the Rapids break open the floodgates for 3-5 goals in a game, but I'm not holding my breath. With the absences of Mastro and Nat, I can only picture Hanki opting for an even more conservative approach to the game. Instead of playing for a tie, maybe he'll shoot for losing by only 1 goal??
I wouldn't mind at all seeing Lisi here. As Wes did, he has a great following here, and would bring a few more fans to seats. Also, he has skill in an area the Rapids really need, someone who could attack, but also has the ability to distribute to the other front runners. The reason I think many fans still refer to CC is because there has never been closure. We went right up until the DU scrimmage hearing how great the pairing was between Spenny and CC. With no fanfare at all, CC was released and there was never any kind of explanation. Even worse, we released him without getting anything in return. It is possible that the explanation is something that neither CC or the Rapids want to make public, but not saying a word about it, leaves everyone feeling bad. The Rapids PR people set us up by portraying this great partnership, and then threw it away without a backwards glance. I don't think CC was ready to take Landon Donovan's place on the American soccer scene, but he did provide energy that seemed to affect the players around him. There is no one right now that provides that kind of a boost. I would readily agree that talking about him serves little purpose since he is not likely to ever return, but there must be some understanding that he WAS popular with a number of fans, even though that obviously doesn't include UxSxA Footy. That doesn't make either side right or wrong, just differing opinions.
I'll quit bitchin' when Hanki is fired or Carrieri is re-signed. We all know the latter won't happen. Save for the switching of Pedro and Chris, you do realize the offense of last year is almost exactly the same as the offense of this year, right? What's the difference? Where is this drought of goals coming from? Carrieri did a whole lot more than score three goals. He worked hard, provided assists, came back and won the ball on defense. Rochester seems extremely happy with him and I'm happy for them. When Spencer said last year that he does the little things that make him international material, you think Spencer was lying to you? As far as his yelling at the other players on the field, I'd say right now it's needed. One thing about Carrieri is he was never lackadaisical.
I knew you couldn't let comments about CC go by, Daksims. I readily agree. While he wasn't a player I would like my children to grow up listening to, he is a player I would like to play next to, even if he did periodically make me want to throttle him. Here is a link to the Rhinos after Chris' big match on June 4th. Two shots on goal......hmmmm......more than our whole team generated the other night. http://www.rhinossoccer.com/news/060404-1940.shtml
If the Rapids ever went to a 3-5-2, Nat would be the odd man out. Pablo would play in the center of D with DLT and Ritchie on the sides as marking backs. Put Powell in the holding role, take the handcuffs off Beckerman and let him run the midfield right behind Spennie. Crawford out right, Hendo out left and Zizi and Pedro up front. But, since Nat, Pablo and Pedro aren't available saturday, this is impossible. I would like to see this very much. The Rapids could even play Chung in the withdrawn role and Spennie Pedro up top. That wouldn't be bad either. It will never happen though. Hanki is going to stick to his guns no matter what. He'll be fired before he ever admits that he has gotten this team totally wrong from the beginning of 2003. Oh, as for CC, yes I agree it does little to bitch about his departure but you have to admit, the Rapids could use his skills on the field right now. He is totally committed when he is on the field and comparing his output from last year to Pedro's this year is a little misleading. If Pedro scores 11 goals this year and gets 5 assists, then I'll say he at least as good as CC because in 2002, those were CC numbers. If Pedro gets 8 assists this year and leads the team, then you can argue. But the intangibles that CC brought to the field were worth the headaches he caused in the dressing room. You can't argue with the fact that he was called up to Nats camp for some reason. So for Hanki to dump a possible Nats team player for nothing smacks of stupidity or vindictiveness. I'll stop talking about him now.