Interesting that the Mutts' announcers (OK, so it was JP who is a good commentator regardless) are the ones to point out to me the Pepe is likely to be redundant on the Revs. They commented that Ralston and Leonard make the 3-5-2 look like a 5-3-2 at times. Couple with that the fact that Bully and Hernandez make that something like 7-1-2 at times, I realize that Nicol, defender that he is, builds a team from defense to offense, meaning that an attacking mid like Pepe is out of place in Nicol's plan. On top of that, it was JP who pointed out that the Revs nats (Dempsey, Noonan, Twellman, Ralston) have only played 7 games together this season (I assume this makes game #8) and in those 7 games they have not lost (5 wins, 2 draws). That is an incredible fact, showing that the Revs have exceptional depth and talent that bodes well for a great playoff run that will include the best talent the Revs have. Even with the current score of the match not being encouraging, there is good reason to believe that the Revs are poised to make a great run to the MLS Cup. Unfortunately, this probably doesn't include Pepe as a valuable player. So what do you think, is Pepe expendable?
I think he adds something, but Nicol is loathe to use what Pepe brings. I believe Dempsey will emerge as the preferred "attacking mid." But more than that, Joseph and Dorman are both great two-way mids in a manner familiar to the English game. But for the 3-5-2, Cancela will not get on the field. Being a Senior International, Cancela's roster spot is really too valuable to be held by someone who will not start most of the games. If his place is as Dempsey's substitute, or replacement when Nats call-ups decimate the roster, then he's going to have to go. This will happen sooner than later if Lochhead proves worthy of _his_ "senior" international roster spot.
Oh, man, I completely forgot about Ricardo Phillips. If his loan deal is for longer than this season, Cancela is definitely out!
It is entirely possible that I simply have a soft spot for Pepe, but I think there are things that he offers that nobody on the team does, and for that reason, the Revs should think long and hard before letting him go. Cancela is pretty clearly the best possession-style player the Revs have. Only Joseph, Ralton and Parkhurst approach him in that regard. Maybe Nicol doesn't see that as the Revs primary game any longer--or perhaps more accurately, maybe he no longer believes that he needs that possession game to flow through one player, but I think there are certain games where that very thing is not only desireable but necessary. Tonight's criminal performance vs the Mutts is a perfect example of a game that needed to be s l o w e d d o w n, right from the first minute, and we seemed incapable of doing so. Daniel Hernandez, for all his merits, served very little purpose in that game because the Metros weren't trying to play any combinations in the middle third for him to bust up. As a result he spent most of his time sprinting out of position or pounding aimless 40 yard blasts into the seats. Philips and Khano Smith fill essentially the same role. But nobody does what Cancela does. So for that reason, I hope he's not on his way out of town.
Great reasons for him to get out of town. As it is now, he is going to sit on the bench 60-70% of the time. Then, when he gets in, he'll have to put on a miracle performance if he doesn't want to be questioned as to his value. He should get himself sent to a team that will appreciate his skills, not question them. Someone mentioned that JP Dellacamara called the REVS a 5-3-2 at times because of the defensive posture of Ralston and Leonard. A 7-1-2 when Hernandez and Joseph get pulled back. I think they can stand to have Pepe in the middle without giving up too much on D. It certainly would have been hard for the D to be MORE pourous last night.
To be fair, JP suggested the 5-3-2, it was my addition that with the strong dmid play it can look even stronger in the back. My hope in starting this thread was to discuss the defensive nature of the team now and wonder if we may be starting to see too much of a good thing, especially if it is at the expense of a player as talented as Cancela.
First off, I've been in upstate NY for the better part of three seasons and I've gotten my fair share of JP ans Shep. As my knowledge of the beautiful game has grown, my respect for JP and Shep as announcers and analyists has diminished. That comment was made to take Matt Reis and the Revs defense down a notch (like the game wasn't doing it enough). Shep doesn't think Reis is a good goalie and JP was pontificating on why that is. It was just another attempt to artifically inflate the Metros to superclub status. This kind of brief discussion about opposing teams usually takes place twice a half. The rest is all Metros, baby. The funny thing is I used to love the two on Metros Soccer Report back in 2003 because it kept me up to date with the EPL, Spain, and Italy as well as the rest of MLS. They concentrated on one solid Metros segment a week which is plenty. Now the show (if it's even on anymore) is 30 minutes of kissing the butt of a team that sucks it more times than not.
i for one like pepe. dempsey, joseph and pepe in the middle with ralston and hernendez on the flanks would be nice to see. i do not think hernendez works well with demps and joseph. i can see replacing pepe with dorman if things are working out during the game. pepe, joseph and dorman is nice to see when demps is with the nats.