The Crew tried to keep the streak going, but the defense can only absorb so much in the brutal heat. The offense on this team, especially in the final third cannot get the job done. This loss wasn't due to a lack of chances--but a lack of attempting to take those chances. The pressure during the last 10 minutes was great but the shots were not taken. Meram, especially, had a howler tonight--we might have been able to convert our buildups by playing a man down. Renteria coming in as his substitute didn't do much to improve the situation. Hammer did his best through the night. Duka played pretty well, too. Higuain can't arrive fast enough. 1-0 loss. Discuss.
Crew played fairly well tonight. Disappointing not to get a result out of this one. Just couldn't figure out how to shoot the ball when we were anywhere near the box.
That was a genuinely upsetting loss. It is unfathomable that the coaching staff would suddenly find a reluctance to play a target forward when we now have Duka back or on the wing providing service. Arrieta did what he could. Milo went missing. Realize that he's coming back from injury, but that was shocking. Birchall got over run in the middle. Meram couldn't connect a pass. Williams was just out matched. But the most frustrating part was letting DC play that poorly and get away with the points.
We are beneath the Impact zone and still can't get a change at head coach to lead us out of this horrible spot. Why does our most dangerous weapon Duka come off in the 84th, why not a defensive player (Mendes)? If we place enough offensive players in the box it is bound to deflect off one of them and into the goal, well maybe not. Do they even shot in practice or only practice being responsible on defense.
Failure to score failure to win. In this case, failure to be a threat, no one will be scared of that mentality. Is this were we re-commence Crew fan fallout lol After all for some there can be pleasure in pain. Cue S&M Depeche Mode beats!!
If the 90 minutes of my life were worth much, I'd want them back... Is it fair to say we have some good parts on this team but as a whole we are an average MLS team getting average results and not enough consistency?
Maybe there is no "neg rep" anymore. But I am sick of Marshall's antics. He only ever gets furious after we've gone behind (he's verbally assaulted two refs this season and looked like a clown late tonight). Maybe he could play with that sort of intensity all the time? Maybe? At least he cares though, Eddie just seems to give up. What is the saying? Wilting flower? Shrinking violet? Whatever it is, that's Eddie. People will get all over Meram all week, but he was the only one really showing for the ball in his time out there. Birchall took a big step back tonight. Like Norm MacDonald shilling for Safe Auto now (what a travesty that is, btw). Williams is not a LB. Simples. Huge step backwards tonight, DC never even really looked threatening apart from DeLeon, who came alive for a moment and maybe is getting his rookie sea legs.
I'm starting to wonder if Eddie's "fight" left his soul a couple of years ago. I mean, yeah that woe-is-me body language has worn out worst than a cheap suit. You think he's burning out? Perhaps.
Well he's always been one of the most fouled players. But it seems like it's water off a duck's back for him. It shouldn't be that way. It should fire him up. People used to foul Donovan out of games, and he disappeared. But eventually he finally figured it out and could respond in the best possible way. Gaven needs to do the same. Chad needs to be nasty for 90 minutes. It's not good enough to only get nasty once you go behind. I really hope our senior members sort it out this week.
Hopefully the guys will regroup...the intensity is about to begin. KCBus is right, and 6 points from the last 4 matches isn't bad considering who we were up against and how we're playing. However, the top 4 teams in the east are starting to pull away and that leaves the last playoff spot up for grabs between 3 teams fighting right now (MTL/CHI/CLB). We need to get tough because we'll begin the most intense month of the season: 7 matches in 28 days. An average of 4 days rest between matches over 4 weeks in the hottest month of the year. Let's hope Higuain works out and the team stays healthy.
I frankly think the senior members of the squad are getting tired of the way this side is run. Hence, they seem to have just all become more frustrated.
Thoma's point is the biggest of my three points of the match: 1) Remember when Justin Meram remembered which team he played for? 2) If the options are Chad Marshall out with a concussion OR playing like every touch will give him a concussion, I prefer the former. 3) Eddie Gaven is a reanimated corpse.
I wanted to quote this for emphasis. Also, did anyone notice the subs tonight? When Miro came off, he refused to shake RW's hand. When Duka came off, he appeared to "enthusiastically" slap RW's hand..... I guess one could also interpret his enthusiasm to mean that he's pissed at RW and doesn't want anything to do with him. I didn't see Meram's substitution, so I don't know how that went down. To me, this team looks like it doesn't know if it's coming or going. We're 20 games in to a 34 game season, and our team STILL lacks identity. Marshall has always been, and still is, in my opinion, a whiny bitch on the field. He never would have been my captain from what I get to see from him. Miro looks lost. I really think this guy is talented which is what prompted my other post in the "Fire Warzycha" thread. I think he is sooooo frustrated. Our team very rarely plays through the middle. At one point, we had the ball on just our side of midfield on our left. Miro and Birchall were both showing to the ball and open. It would have been one of two sqare passes that opened up the field. Instead, we played a long ball to Arrietta. #goodchoice I don't understand why Duka was pulled. Injury protection? Yellow protection? Williams got flat out out-played on the goal. It didn't hurt that while Williams, Marshall, and Seba were dealing with three attackers, Mendes was jogging toward the goal from the 12. I don't know how much blame I'd put on Marshall, Seba or Hammer on that one. Williams took a bad angle (happened a lot tonight, I thought) and got torched and Mendes was not there to cover him. Meram was atrocious. He would show to the ball, but then act like he had no idea what to do. I sense theRobbieRogers is in him. Arietta didn't show me anything, but not for lack of effort. Gaven would show up in spurts. All in all, this team is, has been, and will continue to be, a mess. I still believe that when we win, we win despite our coach. And what does it say when Danny O'Rourke, probably the most fiery guy on the team OPTS OUT of going with the team? In the NFL, you know a team is in bad shape when veterans start picking up "phantom" injuries like hamstring or groin pulls that just don't ever heal up. Maybe that's what we've got here. ******** One last thing: #grouchypoint
No team leadership. No team unity. That was a half a$$ effort from a group of guys who were told to play conservatively. That was classic warzycha. We're on the road, so don't attempt to win, just hope that we pull off some miracle. Warzycha will blame it on not finishing chances. Fact is we had what 3 chances? We cant create anything. We play like we know we are the lesser team. My favorite part of the night was before the match when warzycha went out to the center circle, got on his back, and spread his legs like the b!tch that he is. He looked like he had done it before.
Maybe I'm feeling nice, maybe I've had too much Rye, but I don't know what more Bobby could have done with what he had on the field/bench to do more. That is not to speak of what got things to that point in the first place, but at some point you have to hold players accountable.
We're not even good enough to be the best at that. Chivas have 14, and Portland have 19, compared to our 20.