It is nice to see us look like a professional team. Not a very good one, but at least the game was entertaining. Agree with the others... play the kids and let them take their lumps this season.
Too bad that crossbar-rattler in the first half by Asad(?) wasn't 1--2 inches lower. 3-2 DCU, Full time.
That was great goal, goal of the week candidate certainly. United looks like they have some space now, certain guys can create their own and the ball isn't sticking quite as much. They've given up something on the defensive end but are so much more lively, I'll take it. Gressel was garbage, turnover machine, worst player in black. Get it together, man. 1 point isn't enough, but I personally don't think this season is about that. I can see a future now where a couple of weeks ago I didn't. Pines, Paredes, Nyeman and Yow all look capable. That's a helluva group of homegrowns. I hope there's more where that came from, but if not, that's a nice bunch anyway.
A few thoughts. While this was "more" entertaining than the usual BennyBall-fest, it still was dire for long stretches. One thing that is apparent from BennyBall is that it runs players into the ground as the match progresses so that DCU's anemic attack gets weaker. It was no surprise that the dynamism of the last quarter of an hour all came from the subs, because the starting attackers all were gassed from playing defense about 2/3 of the time. Gressel is proving more and more that he was a system player in Atlanta. He's OK, but he's not a playmaker and his vision isn't the greatest. He's Segura with a better struck ball, not much more than that. Asad should have been left in Argentina. He's lazy on defense and he dribbles into traffic far too often. Both Paredes and Yow have better soccer sense than him. Segura is a smarter player than Asad as well. Asad has been largely useless since mid-season 2018, he needs a change of scenery. I think the Reyna pickup shows that Asad is on the way out. Pines is a work in progress. He really needs to learn to stop flinging his legs at balls in the box. The first Toronto goal last night looked like a David Stokes moment. Pines needs to use his body more, throwing those long legs here and there will lead to own goals by redirecting shots past the 'keeper. Better, but this still is a crap team with no identity. Too bad Pipa isn't 25, DCU really needs someone out there with a soccer IQ who can move the ball and calm things down.
I agree with the first paragraph, but I thought the dire play was shorter and less frequent in the last two games than anytime so far. I thought Gressel was really bad but the more I think about it I think he might be tired. He looked really stuck in the mud, like his legs just weren't up for it. Asad I really like as a reserve. He will score some goals this season and I like him late in a game just free to attack. I do hope Reyna, or Yow, takes his spot as a starter. I definitely laughed at the David Stokes shout out. Nice pull on that one. Pines is dynamite hunting guys down with his long strides and killing plays, but the other stuff is going to cause some pain. As for the last paragraph, it seems like their identity is changing some. I've said that before only to see it all go back to zero, but there are a lot of young players trying to play through pressure, even Hamid, which is a big tell to me. Olsen's going European. I like the IQ of our midfield, but the team should always be looking for better players. Moreno, for example, is a fine player, but he is limited athletically. Give a player who's faster, bigger, and stronger Moreno's skills and I think you've got a really strong player.
Agree that Pines has quite the upside. He just has to realize that good defending doesn't necessarily mean trying to stop every ball coming through. Just maintain your position and trust your teammates to plays theirs. If they don't, it's on the coach to fix it.
Not just with his goal, this was a good game for Kamara. Someone on another forum stated that he at is best in a two forward system. I can’t understand the prevalence of a One Forward system. There’s only a few forwards who can effectively do that. There are just a glut of coaches who would rather sacrifice offense for clogging the midfield and sitting back on defense.
I repped this "post de facto" because his HAD been my take, but I'm beginning to come around to the possibility that the players are going to push back against that.
I am aware the defense has struggled a bit the last two games since Olsen switched to a 2-forward system, but I think he needs to stick with it. The team suddenly looks more dynamic based off just that switch.