I didn't realize that Boca and Armas missed so many of the regular season matches with DC. That helps. Razov has been historically anemic against United, but at the same time, Mike Petke is not as good as he thinks he is, as evidenced by actually letting Preki score with his right foot last week. And if Ivanov plays, we win. It's just that simple. The guy is just not good, and had trouble with Carey Freakin' Talley last week. DMB will eat him for lunch, and hopefully put on some pounds in doing so. Some DC fans have been projecting lineups without Ivanov in it, but I don't know if that's wishful thinking or many returns from suspensions and injuries from the KC match. DC's defense just isn't very good. Ours is. Later, COZ
T minus 28 hrs and counting So, Dave's got no serious injuries and no suspensions. He'll get to choose his fave 11, and therefore whatever formation he prefers. I wish I had some way of comparing our results with the formation used, but half the time those morons on MLS wrap get the formation wrong anyway... my guess is we see: Razov - Ralph Beasley-Armas-Marsch-Whitfield Bocanegra-Curtin-Gray Thornton you may notice a missing player there - I've been wrangling this in my head all day, and I can't even hazard a guess about who that 11th player will be: Perez in the back outside of Carflos in the 4-4-2? Mapp on the left, pushing Bease inside of a 3-5-2? Mapp or Jaqua on the right in midfield, Whitfield at right back in a 3-5-2? Shock start from Brown at right full in eiuther formation? Any ideas? I'm pretty confident that you could throw me on the field with the ten players above and still come out of DC with a draw, but does anyone whos been paying closer attention have a sense of which direction Sarachan might go with his full roster and essentially 2 weeks to prepare? m
Re: T minus 28 hrs and counting Agreed Have no clue what Dave will do, but this seemed like an interesting solution and one I had considered as a possibility too.
...hmmmm - who came up with those lineups, I wonder - Hudson has already said he won't start Stoitchkov (of course, Hristo may have threatened his way back into the first 11 by now). That said, I agree that this is a likely scenario - especially given Mapp's lack of experience and defensive shortcomings and the situation - initial road leg of home-and-home tie. My beef with that is, while Mapp rarely comes back effectively on D, and often loses his place, Perez rarely goes forward well, and gets beat easily one-on-one. I think you're right, I just wish you weren't... Perez just makes me too nervous for words. m
I think I had nothing to do with it. And so what if Hudson said Hristo wouldn't start, you don't think he's pulling every string to try and outthink Dave? He's starting a rookie goalie who has yet to win a game with one of his top offensive threats out with a knee injury and a quality defender out for the entire season limiting himself to slower players, he's going to use everything he can to get to the second round.
From USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/columnist/dure/2003-10-31-dure_x.htm Home playoff attendances: 2002 Q2: 9434 (v New England) 2001 Q1: 8314 (v Dallas) Q3: 12811 S1: 10388 (v Los Angeles) S3: 13444 2000 Q1: 10476 (v New England) Q3: 5972 S1: 7141 (v Metrostars) S3: 10133 1999 Q2: 13197 (v Dallas) 1998 Q1: 12610 (v Colorado) S2: 32744 (v Los Angeles)
Re: T minus 28 hrs and counting If CJ is healthy, he's still ahead of Gray on the depth chart, so I'll say... G Thornton D Brown Curtin Bocanegra M Whitfield Marsch Armas Beasley Perez/Mapp F Razov Ralph My guess is Perez on the road, Mapp at home, with Williams on deck to replace either and slot DMB out left if we need more offense. AW also a not-quite-long shot to start in my book. Later, COZ
...and my guess at the correct DCU lineup is: G Warren D Petke Nelsen Prideaux M Stewart Kovalenko Convey Etcheverry Namoff F Cerritos Martins -Stoichkov will be a sub. -It's possible that Ivanov starts as a defender in a 442 with Namoff sitting and Convey on the left. -Stewart starts at right wing to deal as best he can with Beasley. Any other possible starter there would be a silly mismatch.
the PbP is...Williams with a superb first-time volley from about 22 out, beats Warren... 1-0 Fire, with one of the best goals of the season.
Please people. If you're going to do a PBP put an R in the thread title. Please. Either that, or refrain from posting scorees on this thread
It's half time. No score change. The Fire outshooting DC by 11 to 3. Valenzuela being pretty liberal with cards having given out 5 already: 2 Fire - Marsch and Beasley! (Beasley for taking out Kovalenko, if you can believe that) and 3 DC.
At the half FIRE playing 11 against 12 as Ricardo Valenzuela pulls everything imaginable out of his ass except his head. Starting in the first minute with failing to card a typical Kovalenko hack on Williams, on to lots of heel nipping and hacks from behind by DC defenders waved on, and finishing with dubious bookings to Marsch & Beasley at the end of the half, Valenzuela is declaring hacking season on FIRE players is open in RFK. He even pulled three minutes of stoppage time out of his ass. Even with all the help the center ref could give, DC barely troubled Zach. Beasley and Ralph (twice) missed gilt edge opportunities to extend a lead in a half that was owned by the visitors. Methinks we don't finish 11 on 11 here.