Charge- Courage [R] To start off this thread, I will quote a fact for you from the WUSA.: "Due to injuries and national team call-ups, Philadelphia has not been able to field the same lineup in consecutive games this season... " crux.
Charge- Courage [R] Right. I'm just saying that's the beginning of our problems. Of course, one rarely sees the same team starting for more than a couple of consecutive weeks starting.
But if you think about it, Kelly Smith really hasn't played much with the Charge, so her being injured this year isn't that new (i'm not saying she wouldn't help, just that the team has played without her pretty much so far). Arrington was a rookie who hasn't scored yet. The rest are the team Krikorian wanted.
don't forget the Chinese are gone and so is Iverson.. Zhao and Iverson were key players from last year.. and with Scasna, Arrington (she did score against NY) and Smith out, the options for attack are limited... my thought is the wing play is key, and the best wingers are Mitts and Benson... Misaki and FAir had troubles against SJ.. so 3-5-2 with Tullock, Hoffmann and Makinen in the center with Mitts and Benson as wingers, and I think the play in midfield would be better... fair Titjen and mcveigh as three in the back.. San Jose played very well, their possession play was exceptionally good Saturday.
My point was that maybe Capt. Kirk didn't choose wisely, or released players who could have been helping now. Were Makinen, McVeigh and even Arrington really smart choices?
My problem is with Makinen. She is one of those players who's always been tabbed as a great player with great ball skills. However, she hasn't accomplished anything. Krikorian has been high on her since his days at Hartford!!! I thought that with Philly's style of play she would finally succeed. I guess we all thought wrong!! Even Krikorian. How much longer can she have this lable? I think it's time we call her everage.....even though she counts as a domestic player.....There are plenty of mid-fielders I would grab before Makinen!
right now, the options are to put Fair or Tullock into Makinen's slot... I think going 3-5-2 and having 3 central mids is the 1st solution I'd attempt... The coordination in midfield gets strung out too much, with a loack of cohesiveness... putting Tullock there helped some on Saturday, but fair and Misaki just don't give you enough on BOTH wings, so this puts huge pressure in the middle. And San Jose took control there. My view is get three players in the middle... so it's either 4-5-1 or 3-5-2.... 3-5-2 is my choice.... you get better wing play and better chance to control the center... If you can't control the center, then every thing else falls apart... finally, you can only worry about players you have now and what you can do with thsoe players... the past is the past...
I agree with the mid-field solution. If the team can control the middle then maybe the rest can fall into place. The other front runner also needs to be clever enough to create space for Pichon. Realize that she is not the focus, and move off the ball to take defenders with her. If Pichon is 1 v 1, I like her chances!! 3 in the back frightens me a bit!! Benson's strong point is NOT 1 v 1 defending!! she does not have the pace to recover if she is beat. Also with 3 in the back she might hesitate to go forward as often because she is aware that she has to get back. Could she give the team 90 minutes? i don't know... Biggest problem this year......DEPTH! First 2 years..... 11 strong and 3 deep This year......7 strong and ???????
The Fork-in-the-Road Bowl... Melodramatic in spades, yes (clubs, diamonds & hearts, too), and I’m the first to say so. I just don’t have too much to say which isn’t already out there and is clear to see (or should be, anyways), so here goes: 1. Lose Saturday, and you’re now staring at 3 of the next 4 on the road; at San Diego, at NY, SD here (w/o Aly or Foudy, likely, due to NT callup), at Atlanta; 2. As bad as Carolina is, they still have the twin towers up front, Fotopolous and Prinz. Neither can be left alone to their own devices. Look for the Courage to try and force as many corners and set-pieces as possible for obvious reasons; 3. Melissa needs to be in goal on the basis of her favorable history against Carolina; Mostly, this is about choices. Do the Charge choose to get their act together, and I’m saying the team AND the coaching staff? Or not? Do they want to get into the post-season, or not? Do they want to challenge the ’02 Power for WUSA futility? Or not? Between 8:55 and 9PM next Saturday, we’ll all find out if this game was the Charge’s Waterloo…or its Normandy, and that the season is salvageable after all. As Buffy Summers said in the series finale of one of the most well written, impeccably-acted shows on TV, "Are you ready to be strong?" Paul
Not at present... Refer to my remarks in the Washington post-match thread about Atlanta pulling a 'Gaslight' on us and making out like they wanted Arrington, when they targeted Withers all along. Look at Clemson's NCAA Women's College Cup results in Arrington's career; a regression from the final 8 in '99 to first-round bye-bye last November. Paul
baggio10, SJ had Bryan following pichon all over the place and doubled and tripled her a lot... the one really good chance she had she shot high, when she had Hoffmann running unmarked on her right... For me, it's pressuring in midfield and maintaining posession there... two center mids isn't working... so I say add 3... and it's either 4-5-1 or 3-5-2... the 3-5-2 would be like how arena went when agoos could hurt... the two wingers some times become the 5 defenders, yet need to have mobility to get forward... and you have two mids sitting in front of defense... you attack with transition...right now that's burt and pichon..and you try to get Hoffmann into the attacking mix.... makinen gets stretched too much, so adopt a system which plays into her strength..
I think the 3 mids IS the way to go.....However, will the outside mids be disciplined enough to get back and tuck in like they are supposed to in a 3 back system? Who has the pace, the knowledge, instincts to be out there? By the way I don't think Carolina is the game to start this way!!! I would play with a sweeper in this game. Get bodies in there to deal with the 2 BIG girls. I don't think that this is a must win as far as standings are concerend, but it is a must win as far as team morale. Just get the win and go from there.... Paul, remember that the charge have only played 6 games to everyone's 7 or 8!!! All is not lost. Not yet!!!
Bingo! The pony-tailed one Baggio10 has also seen the light re: Makinen. This thread is an interesting read. However, the best-laid plans regarding tactics and systems will be rendered useless when you have at least two turkeys on the field.
Charge- Courage [R] 4-3-3. Mitts, McVeigh, Tietjen, Benson Makinen, Tullock, Fair Pichon, Hoffmann(Trina as sub) and Burt uptop. Take that back. 4-3-3 with Tietjen as a sweeper and move Mcveigh forward to almost midfield where she is more at home.
you can only play those on your roster who are healthy enough to play... and you put your best out there and arrange them in the fashion which best suits their skill... worrying about spilled milk doesn't address the current state of the team... schadenfreude is ok with me, but eventually it's a sad life that pleasures in others misfortune...
Discussing the team's current sad state of affairs is not schadenfreude . The team has lost 5/6. I suppose things can go on as usual. From what I've seen so far this season, I really can't say that Mark has fielded a competitive team. Yet, a coach can only do so much. The players play, and their play determines whether they win or lose. But how can you win when the 11 you field play like only 10? It's kind of disappointing, and disheartening, when the best XI includes Mak & McV, and how they're played. True, one could find solace that injuries have played a part in the losing. However, McV & Mak have started since day 1, before injuries took their toll. And playing balls in their area(s) have been an adventure ever since. Why go to Six Flags or Hershey for a thrill ride when you could develop cardiac arrest in 'nova watching those two play every week? If they played on any other team, McV & Makinen would have played themselves out of that particular team. The first order of business is to identify someone else other than Mak who can win balls and/or someone who can move it up. Perhaps the team can find inspiration tomorrow watching Davids, Zambrotta, et.al., as they play against the Rossoneri in the Champions League final.
Good to see Mandy Clemmons get a shot to play against her old team. Krikorian thinks that the grass is always greener on the other side of the field. As far as Makinen, that's about as good as she gets. Gabarra loaded her off on the Charge. The hardest working player out there is Mitts. The rest play like they don't give a hoot.
I noticed that Carolina made a couple of changes today. They picked up Wallis from Boston and another player I wasn't familiar with. Maybe the Charge needs to look for a better defender and a better defensive midfielder (assuming Hoffman is the offensive). Or a stronger wing. But Tullock played in the center and we did nothing. I have to say, though that I thought Clemons did not help the Charge much. Of course, Fair doesn't really either!!!!
About that… We had a game in hand on the rest of the teams last year until July 24. The difference here is that same advantage ends this time, I believe, on June 11 (the weeknight game vs. NY). That’s why you've got to start winning now, so when that game in hand disappears, you've got at least a fighting chance to eke out a playoff spot. Paul
Am I the only one who remembers how much people on this board were gushing over the Frenchie/Mandy pairing up top about this time last year? Especially considering they didn't get many chances to practice together, with Pichon hopping across the pond every other weekend for a France World Cup qualifier? Or before that even happened, the strong finish to the first season? 4 goals, 3 assists in 5 games, including a play-off match? No, she wasn't the same player after Smith went down. That might be because she was barely on the field after Smith went down. When she was, specifically the play-off match, she was played in an unfamiliar position, in an unfamiliar role, without much match practice in the previous month or two. I can't think of too many players that would have a great game in those circumstances.
Charge- Courage [R] I have always maintained that Mark didn't play Mandy in the right position. She was great with Marinette. Bad coaching. She played pretty well against the Charge this time.
Mandy Clemens is a complementary type player. There are certain players you want to run everything through, players like Katia or Kelly Smith or Pichon. Clemens is NOT a focal player like either of those three. However she can play off players like those. She's NOT the prime initiator of a good attack, creating the initial thrust, but does perform well with those who can. LAst year when Krikorian dropped her to midfield, she did very well defensively because she can run all day, but the creative element, seeing others on the pitch, making the killer pass, and timing runs forward to get into dangerous places, well, she was at best average. on another note, the Lincoln Financial Group has been added as a sponsor of the charge... the pennsylvania beef council had been added earlier... reading between the lines. getting Lincoln on board could be one step to moving to the Lincoln stadium and one step closer to being partnered with the Eagles and mls??
Charge- Courage [R] And let's hope the Beef council is not going to be asking players to do any advertisements. "Eat More Beef and you can be a professional soccer player too".
From today's Trenton Times: WUSA's Charge keeps fighting to develop fan base, acceptance Thursday, May 29, 2003 By JON MARKS