Afternoon game, which is really nice for me, because that means 9:30 pm start time, so watching one live for once. the MLS site predicts the same lineup they predicted last time out. Gerso, Shelton, Russell Kindo Busio, Sanchez Dia, Ried, Puncec, Lindsey Melia. i do think it is safe to assume that Fontas will not start back to back matches. As I assume Pulido is out for travel or quaranteen or whatever reason, I do think it's just about our best lineup. For Chicago. we will see our old friend CJ. I always liked CJ. They're also starting Calvo and Beric and some other guys. the mystery numbers once again favor SKC, 185 to 135.
Correct, Pulido is back but in quarantine, PV said yesterday in his press conference that he may be available this coming weekend vs Colorado. As for the lineup, I wouldn't be surprised if Puncec gets a rest with Smith or Besler entering for him. Same with Dia getting a break for Martins.
so since when is interrupting the game to do a VAR a thing? besides from that, Duke clearly gets pulled before Beric gets to the ball. We sure are getting f*ed recently.
what a truly impressive way to finish that game. we just can't help throwing points away, can we? ******** these guys.
I'm not sure I've seen us took that tired and slow in a match since 2004 (and the match that popped into my head was also at Chicago and in Soldier Field). The reason might be as simple as the fact that we really are exhausted. The schedule would justify that. It might also be that Wicky's press really did cause us serious problems. I would suggest the reason behind that would be tired legs and tired minds for SKC, but maybe they're just suddenly a dangerous defense side. We no longer have access to the Audi index numbers on the MLS site, so the opta numbers would be helpful in understanding this, but I don't know where to find them now. O where, o where have our little numbers gone? That said, I wonder what the difference would have been had Busio been at the 6, where he sees his role as a table setter, instead of the 10, where he sees his role as being the new Messi on the dribble. Busio was excellent at stepping into passing lanes last night. Sanchez was less so. Duke had a couple moments with the ball when I went all gibbery. Not long before he sat, he pulled off the kind of ball move that defenders stay awake reliving. A bit more understanding, a bit more experience, and we might have a star in him. That said, we do not have a star right now. He looks to be unsure, quite often, on his off the ball movement and positioning, and as such he's not as much a part of the attack as he should be. Hurtado is, somehow, one of those blazing fast players who manages not to look blazing, or fast, at all. That said, as the announcers over here kept insisting, he does put in a very honest shift. Reid: Was he at fault on the goal? He sure as hell didn't cover himself in glory. but beyond that, is it now our road tactic to lump every ball long down the wings? Also, the Cobi Jones memorial kill off a game by standing in the corner strategy is fine when you're winning, or tying, a better side. But Chicago was not that, and we should have actually been making something of our vastly superior field position in the last 10 minutes. Or maybe it wasn't a strategy, and that was all the run Johnny Russell had left in him..