I'm not saying the US is good; quite the contrary. I'm saying that Mexico looked tactically naive by letting the US attack its corners early. Frankly, Aguirre's post-match reaction was amazing. He seemed to think it was cheating for the US to pounce at the start and then play defensively. That's part of the game, and his players should've expected it. In addition, Mexico's own inability to defend a late-game lead has cost it two memorable World Cup victories (Italy 02 and Germany 98). Anyway, I saw the Veracruz-Necaxa game yesterday, and since there's an [R] in the header, I'll discuss is a bit. Hernandez started and went the full 90 in central defense. He showed good skill in sending the ball out of the back, but he also showed his familiar tendencies to over-commit and get caught out of position. (In MLS he was much better in defensive midfield than in defense.) Anyway, Necaxa lost three to two ... Necaxa led for a while but didn't show any sign of bunkering.
Hernandez with another 90 in a 0-0 draw with Tecos last night. This pre-game article says that Hernandez has played well and strengthened the confidence that coach Raul Arias had in him. http://hidrocalido.com.mx/cgi-bin/ver.cgi?noticia=26937
Dear Sr Rdl, and how do u know that Hernandez is not a Tri Material?. You claimed in the past that you dont watch MLS soccer and how do u know about him now?. How did u track his record if you' ve stated many times that u dislike MLS style of play and dont watch it at all. Just curious
he played as a midfielder for the Metrostars, defensive midfielder to be exact, playing in 40 games started 39. About 15 games per season.
His best days for the Metros were in a three back set with Petke and Jolley, in 2001 (pre-ACL injury, when Lothar was out of town). He was less effective in a (shakier) flat back four for the Metros when he came back, erratic as a defensive midfielder, and pretty awful as an attacking midfielder, when OZ was flailing around for a solution.
Mexican league all-star Juan Reynoso is back to health and back in the starting line-up; Hernandez is back in Texas on "personal business."
In spite of the news I reported in the previous post (linked below), Hernandez starts and Reynoso is receiving a massage on the bench. http://hidrocalido.com.mx/cgi-bin/ver.cgi?noticia=27050
I love how people can sit here and call Shalrie Joseph a clearly superior player than Hernandez and nobody objects. Joseph is as overrated a player as their is in MLS. He's a serviceable defensive midfielder, to say great is a serious stretch. Joseph's best doesn't come close to Hernandez's best. Unfortunately for Hernandez, he seemed to let his emotions and unhappiness affect his play on the field. Also, the line about him being "pretty awful" as an attacking midfielder was way off. He played it for a brief stretch in 2001 because of a rash of injuries and led the team on a winning streak that included an assist in almost every game. He was hardly awful but was clearly not in his natural position.
Monterrey-Necaxa I only watched the 1st half closely. Hernandez went 90 as a center back. It sounded like Monterrey needed the points more than Necaxa, but they didn't score. Hernandez made a couple of notable plays and got a yellow in the 2nd half. The announcers didn't seem to have much of an idea who he was. They called him Fernandez for most of the 1st half. He didn't look out of place, and (as noted above) he wasn't subbed out.
I watched Hernandez and Necaxa before the Rapids-Wizards playoff game. I thought Hernandez played pretty damn well at Center Back. He had at least one nice through ball from the back line to Nunez (playing right wing) that started a sequence that probably should have led to a Necaxa goal. He was solid on defense, although he did get sucked in by Arellano and received a yellow for his efforts. Overall, I would have given Hernandez a 8 out of 10 for his performance last night. Good stuff.
Agreed that Hernandez had a solid game, though an 8 of 10 seems pretty high; he won a lot of balls, and he did so without much dangerous wandering. However, in this game, Necaxa definitely played the bunkerball that rdl had talked about. As a result, Hernandez generally had plenty of help in back and wasn't forced to defend much in isolation.
to show how off these statements are, wander over to the Revs board and try your damnedest to find a Rev fan who would prefer Hernandez to Joseph.It is true that Hernandez had a big mouth, but if he could back that up on the field it would be tolerated.He was an OK MLS player, nothing more or less. He did not stink, nor was he good.He is simply not quick enough, nor has a high neough work rate to actually be a good defensive midfielder. Joseph is so much better than Hernandez, that Hernandez was ENCOURAGED to find another team as soon as the Revs got a good look at Joseph. If you doubt the opinion of the people who saw them both the most, I challenge you to put a post on the Revs board that asks Joseph or Hernandez, who is better.
I agree with you to a point, but the choice quickly changed to Hernandez or Cullen, and there was absolutely no question that Joseph & Hernandez together were miles better than either paired with Cullen. The issue wasn't his ability, it was that he didn't (ever) want to be in New England, didn't like the way the team was playing and was pretty vocal about it. I don't have precise verification, but there was a widely accepted rumor that the Revs encouraged Hernandez to look in Mexico because they weren't eager to play against him in MLS.
Does Hernandez really deserve this much discussion and argument? He's a good player, yes, but he will always be a role player, as simple as that. That dosen't me he can't be a vital part of a team it just means he'll never be a superstar or national team player. Moving to Necaxa may have been the best thing for him because A) it allows him to start fresh in Mexico w/out the bagage of MLS and B) can increase his play by playing for and against different systems.
yes, it was.He could not hold a starting position after Joseph arrived and started to be disruptive. He apparently suddenly discovered that he did not like New England after Joseph arrived! He liked it fine when he was playing more.
Hence the inclusion in YA. FYI: Donvan isn't Irish. Beasley ain't English and Preki...Okay, well he is.
Re: Re: Daniel Hernandez update [R] Daniel Hernandez and Rusty Pierce could be a top-notch central defense combination in MLS. The issue was not his ability. It was always his attitude. I've defended Hernandez before and had previously called for his inclusion in the MNT. Not anymore. Goodbye, and good luck.
Necaxa have a chance to eliminate America from play-off contention today, and in the run-up to the game, "El Pocho" Hernandez predicted a 1-0 win. Of course, this gets reported as Hernandez having guaranteed victory. Anyway, hopefully this indicates that Hernandez will continue to see playing time. It's been a long time since an American-raised player had a successful run in Mexico. Incidentally, Necaxa haven't allowed a goal at home since August (543 minutes).
Hernandez is good as his word (at least for once), going the full 90 in a 1-0 win, shutting out Blanco, Abreu, & Co. He drew yellow in minute 30. With the win, Necaxa reclaims first place in its group and is 4th overall. Looks like Hernandez may be the next on an extremely short list of Yanks to appear in the Mexican League play-offs.
I watched chunks of this game, and he looked solid without ever standing out. The announcers seemed to have a clearer idea of who he is, too. I'm guessing Sorber with Pumas and Kooiman with Morelia. Am I right? Are there others?