1-1 final... Starters for the Charge in a 4-5-1 formation.. Moore in goal Benson McVeigh Tiejten Mitts in defense MaNamara (Rutgers grad from last eyar in the Fair role, Tullock, Scasna, Monroe and Smith Arrington up top.
First ten minutes is a fairly even match, with Kelly Smith basically letting the other players get involved. Maryland has difficulty in open play creating much offense. However, on long throw-ins, the Terps create several dangerous chances, as Maryland is winning most of the head balls. One long throw in goes into the goal, as Moore desparatley tries to punch it out. She manages to tip it after it crosses the line NO GOAL, but really poor defending by the Charge in these situations. Corner to Maryland.... free header GOALLLLLLLLL!! Maryland.. Poor marking, Erica Iverson presence in the air is sorely missed.
Charge attention is grabbed, and a more crisp game follow. Dee Arrington is a dominating presence up top, playing a game very similar to Pichon, making slashing runs at the defense and STAYING onside... Breakaway Arrington, keeper comes out, Arrington triies to go around, keeper makes exceptional grab to prevent Arrington the tab in goal. Scasna palying out wide on the right, picks up a turned ankle, Hall replaces her. Smith keeping more involved, creating a lot on the left, still not quite clicking for the next clear chance. Note on McVeigh, started out on defense, very solid and composed on the ball, nice distribution, covers space well, but in the dead ball sitiiations, needs to get better coordinated with the rest of the team. McVeigh is not as strong in the air as one would wish. Charge lacks that physical presence in the air. More on this later. Maryland player goes down with a serious injury... could be a knee, play stopped for about 5 minutes.. halftime 1-0 Maryland... should be mentioned Monroe had a great chance to tie 1-1, nice move to free herself, but witht the keeper only to beat, shot at the keeper from anout 10 yards out. MAryland a well earned 1-0 lead.
2nf half... Solo on, in fact she came on late in the 1st... Kraus Borisjuk Tietjen and Hall... McVeigh more to midfield Spinelli and Kruze on, with Misaki and Monroe... Kelly Smith goes to forwrad replacing Arrington, and seizes control of the game... 5 great scoring chance, 3 great saves, one on a breakaway, and a couple one touch shots just missing... Charge seize the game, Kruze extremely effecting assuning the Tullock role. Spinellis out wide on the left, Misaki assuming a more central play making role. total control of play be the charge... Borisjuk should be pointed out as being very effective defensively in central defense, doesn't possess the mobility or ball skills of McVeigh, but a far more physical presence on a team devoid of such a presence. Borisjuk is needed on this team. Kraus was very timid afraid to move up on theleft, the charge were controlling play and a handful of times, play begged her to overlap, which she failed to do.
Smith came off as did Monroe, with Scasna and Arrington coming on... Arrington has jets, but reads very well, and she is a beast in the air, very physical for her size, and attacks the ball in the air. Look for Arrington to be a major offensive force. When she came on again, another breakaway, got around the keeper this time, but hit the side netting from a difficult angle. Charge control possession, shot on goal by Spinelli??, ball just lays there, Arrington quicker than everyone else, just taps it in.
So what's to be learned: 1) Kelly Smith is back and ready to take off right from last year, she toyed with Maryland 2) Arrington will be a major factor, in fact Scasna played more in the role Clemens did last year, and seems to player who'll give width to the Charge technically, Scasna doesn't have the blzing speed of Arrington nor Pichon, but her early turned ankle may have slowed her down. 3) McVeigh is a risk against physical teams, Borisjuk seems the only other option. Mcveigh in the 2nd half skill was evident in midfield, but the Mcveigh test in defense is far too risky for my liking. 4) keepers, Solo had little to do, Moore gave up the goal on a free header, and wasn't as authoritative on the long Maryland throws. There should be a keeper battle. 5) what to look for this season, lots of scores like 4-2.... 6) go with 3 forwards, SMITH ARRINGTON and PICHON... triangle in midfield with Hoffmann at the point and Fair and Tullock as the bases, Mitts, Tietjen and Benson are solid, and the question is, McVeigh or Borisjuk, or is there something else in the cards... Mcveigh cannot play against teams like DC nor Atlanta as a defender...that's where Borisjuk fits in... anyone else see stuff I missed??
there are some others regular posters who were there... since Dwight and scott have their Charge gig now, who knows how much they are willing to contribute versus how much they're saving for their stories.. sebe was there, and with real action to discuss may emerge from her long hibernation.. and Charge was there... g4m was MIA... A comment on Solo, I didn't realize how big she is, and she had little to do.. Shillig played the last 15 and made one outstanding save on a long throw, where maryland won it, and Shillig prreserved the tie.
Nothing much to add beside what Adam wrote. Janel Schillig was the best goalie out there today. See, I can be objective when the need arises. Arrington whiffed, however on the game-winning shot at an empty net when she drew the Terrapin goalie out of position as full time approached. *takes deep breath* This is almost a totally new team with one potentially fatal flaw - corner kick defense. As it stands now, the Charge simply do not have the size in the box to counteract corners as three of the four goals given up by the Charge this pre-season came off corners. That's going to have to be worked on as best as humanly possible. Seeing the game today will require me personally to have a Solomon-esque amount of patience in the first third of the season. The losses of Iverson and Lihong will be a double dagger right through the heart. So much is uncertain. If we do make the playoffs, it will be a road game, I suspect, and we're going to need a lot of things to break our way, luck-wise. Another troublesome sign; Mitts, Benson, Scasna and someone else all had icepacks around an ankle of theirs. Benny seemed OK, to be honest. Way too many balls out of bounds, passes with too much mustard on them, they just seemed out of sync today. In fairness, this was the first really nice day maybe in the entire training camp time (and that's certainly going back to voluntary camp which began mid-last month). But the scrimmage season is just that - scrimmages, and it takes days like this to reveal what needs to be ironed out, what can be ironed out. With better weather and everybody on board (read: Hoffmann), there's hope for improvement. And Hope really wasn't tested at all when Moore got a somewhat quick hook after the Maryland goal. John T, it's up to you to give us the scoop if you could on the U-19 visit to Villanova 3/25 as I will not be able to attend. Paul
Solo Solo is a formidable opponent. At times brutal. She will take all comers getting to the ball and take them W/ if needed or not! As far as I can see watching her play collegiate ball this past year her focus is much improved also. She'll be fun to Watch when she gets pressured. Again hard to get a good view playing exhib. and college. I have no doubt she will contribute well when called to do her thing.
Scasna turned her ankle down in the right corner near the flag about 15 minutes into the match. KAryn HAll took her slot on for about 10 minutes, then Scasna played till the end of the half, and the last 20 minutes of the match. Basically she was doing what Clemens was asked to do last year, Scasna seemed more the creator than the finisher. Paul, Arrington had an exceptional match, the whiff she broke behind the defense, went around the keeper and at a sharp angle almost score. All at 100 mph... Was she ever offside??? Schillig save was a good reflex save. Also, this was the first good weather day of the year, let them get some work together in the back. I'd agree about dead ball situtations, but with some experience McVeigh and Borisjusk will find their way. KAryn Hall hit the weight room big time in the off season. She played on the right side for Scasna and at left back the 2nd half. Also, Mitts played the final 20 minutes for Tietjen in the middle.
When Solo came on within 10 seconds Mitts was pressured, and turned back to Solo to pass it to Solo, but Mitts get heading back and back to Solo and there was total miscommunication. Solo had to stand at the top of her box the rest of the time she was on the pitch. Not much work, as Kelly Smith was operating at her ever best then.
A little typo on the game recap, I suspect.... http://philadelphiacharge.com/347282.html I know there were more people at this game than both exhibitions I saw last year, but I'm pretty sure there weren't a thousand of them... Paul
First of all, Scott and I haven't stop posting because of other commitments. Just didn't have anything to contribute. Second, I thought the numbers for attendance were a good approximation. And now to the game. Adam, I hope that we can agree that we disagree. My opinion of how the game went varies significantly from yours. I must congratulate the coach for not letting the score effect his game plan. Exhibitions games are for assessing talent, not wins and loses. I was glad to see Smith and Monroe play the way they did. They both seemed fully recovered from surgery. They both played very strong games. I thought all five draft picks showed why they were drafted today. Arrington has blazing speed. Time with a regular midfield will only improve her play. I think she is going to score alot this season. I was much more impressed with McVeigh than Adam. I thought she looked good in the back and the midfield. But, the Charge need her in the back and I think that is were she will end up. She covers a lot of ground and has good ball skills. Some quality time with Mitts, Tietjen-Prozzo and Benson is what she needs. Four of the invited players had very good days today. MacNamara, Spinelli, Schillig, and Borisyuk all played well today. I don't envy Krikorian for the decisions he has to make in the next month. There were plenty of miscues and missed opportunities. I think it was due to some key players away at the Algarve and limited play time. Today was the first outdoor game of the year. There are still three preseason games left before the opener. As we get closer, line-up experiments will decrease and chemistry will develop. The Charge have always been fast starters. I see no reason why this year will be any different. Dwight
What about the corners issue, though? Self-explanatory Paul (if you're a bit confused, just check out my take on the game a bit further up in the thread...)
Dwight, I think our view on the scrimmage is more similar than different. The Charge will have an incredible array of attacking options, Smith, Pichon and Arrington re elite level scorers. Technically, I agree with the style the Charge play, where skill is of upmost importance, and the Charge have a number of extremely talented players, almost every player out there knows waht to do with the ball, and can play an entertaining stylized game. Defedning dead ball situations is a concern. McVeigh lacks physical strength in the air, so when Atlanta or DC or Carolina and even San Jose have corners and free kicks, there is a clear area of concern. McVeigh definitely has good skills, but hitting the weights and experience are needed. Karyn Hall, defenitely hits the weights big time, and spend time at right and left back, and replacing Scasna on the right side for 10 minutes. I'd like to see her given a shot in the middle. Also, I agree Borisjuk looked solid defending, and offers the style defender the Charge are lacking. She has roster potential. Also, I liked McNamara filling the Fair role. She has some ncie size too, and some time in the middle is a definite option. Right now, the Charge are searching for an answer in the middle. There are a number of candidates. On the whole, the Charge will be a spectacular offensive side. But they have ONE weakness, and elite level players can expose weaknesses. I see the Charge season being more high scoring than last season. The Charge will need to domimated midfield possession, and minimize the dead ball situations for the opponent. Still players like Prinz and Wambach and Parlow and Chastain will be very dominant in the air. Maryland had far too much control on dead ball matters than we would like. I expect the season to be explosive. And it's the growth of McVeigh and Hall and McNamara and Borisjuk, which will eventually decide the success. Still, I prefer the story, the challenge and the battle, over winning and losing. And the Charge definitely have a good story to unfold. Again, Dwight, I think you'd have partial agreement on the area of concern I'd raised.
First half possession was weak. With the talent the Charge have, they must be able to possess against a mid-level college team like Maryland. Second half was better with Kelly up front and Spinelli at left mid. Much more dangerous in attack, with better crosses and through balls. My player "thumbs up" list: Kelly, Arrington (even with some poor finishing), Misaki and Spinelli (played simple, yet effective) My player "thumbs down" list: McVeigh (didn't win one head ball from the back), Scasna (didn't beat a player all day) and Monroe (missed two set-ups from Smith). Last thing--they have to get rid of this ridiculous 5-4-1. When Maryland can shut down your offense by marking out your striker, you're in trouble against WUSA teams. Plus they keep trying to go over the top, "hoping" for an opportunity. Whether it's Pichon, Smith or Arrington, it's just not good soccer. I don't want to be overly negative, but this was a top-level PRO team vs a mid-level college team playing in spring season. This MUST be a 4-0 victory in any situation. Mark has some work to do.
So, it sounds like the trade Kraus was not very effective? Not much was mentioned about her. Can you give us some insight. Thanks.
Scasna twisted her ankle early on and looked out of sync playing on turf. She does have some nice in close touch though. Scasna has only been here 7 to 10 days, so I think she's adapting to how the Charge play. Markovski kept giving her instructions about what to do, so I think this is more a matter of time. Monroe's role is to hound the other teams best offensive player in midfield, that's where the Charge defense begins. She did have a couple good chances, but she's just got here from UCLA where she was taking 22 credits. I sat with her parents for the 1st 30 minutes. McVeigh isn't the prototypical defender, but with the ball on the ground, I think she was more than adequate, and she has good mobility and can defend space ok. 4-5-1 should NOT be their system, with the weapons the Charge have. Pichon and Arrington are claer forwards and Smith looked exceptionally good at foward. Finishing was poor, Arrington should have had 4 goals, and Smith could have had 5... I would go 4-3-3 with this group... and my mids would be Hoffmann and FAir and Tullock.
Kraus played right back the entire 2nd half. She didn't have much to do defensively. Smith moved from midfield to forward, and the entire play shifted into the Maryland defensive half. There was 3 or 4 times where Kraus should have been making an overlapping run so the pass could go to her and she'd have been free for a cross. She hesitated every time, either from lack of confidence or lack of familiarity with what to do. She needs to play better against the U-19's. Borisjuk and McNamara, two try-out players showed a lot more. Hall played at left and right back and is familiar with the Charge system, so Anna has a lot of competition.
More from the source... Coach K's take on yesterday's game: "We will be pretty quick this year. You know it is different without having Pichon right now, but we do have pretty good quickness, speed and agility up front. So, hopefully we can use that to our advantage this season." Arrington: "I got some good looks today, but I couldn’t finish. I guess I am saving the up for the real thing." Jen Tietjen-Prozzo: "Arrington is one of the fastest players I have ever seen. We got to see Pichon do amazing things up front last year, this year Dee gives us a different look up top. With her speed she is tough to mark." Krikorian again: "I am not necessarily happy with where we are, but there are a lot of circumstances that have led us to where we are right now. I don’t think Mother Nature has helped us a whole lot during pre-season. We’ve had to cancel a number of sessions and have a number of sessions indoors, which is not ideal. I don’t think we’ve been out on the field for even 10 sessions. Last year at this time we had probably been out there for 30 sessions. "I think it is just a matter of time. The timing isn’t quite right, and we are just not sharp enough in the box. Some of the general ideas are pretty good, though. We just have to get a little better. We’re not where we want to be, but we will get there." On finishing: "We had a lot of chances today and just couldn’t finish. But I expect we will get a lot of chances with this group of attacking players. As we progress, hopefully we will finish those chances." http://philadelphiacharge.com/347387.html for the rest of the story. Hopefully, since RMG folk do perhaps read this board , a good followup would be to ask them about what more than one fan on here thinks is a lack of a physical presence and the vulnerability with defending dead balls, specifically (for me anyway) corners. Paul
4-2-2-2 is the way to go. Or if by some luck we are losing then it should be 4-2-1-3. Smith behind the strikers will be the other team's worst nightmare.
I agree, Smith behind the strikers is the way to go. When Kelly was put up top alone, she was beating 3 defenders by herself regularly against Maryland. I think we need to emphasize the positives of this team, an incredible array of attacking talent . The one shortcoming, needs to be placed in perspective against what the team does well. Ask yourself, what other team has defenders to mark Pichon and Arrington and Smith. So the Charge dead ball matter needs to be weighed against how other teams shortcomings are defensively. McVeigh does add ball presence in the back. Let the story unfold this season.