FAILhaber

*cue RevsLiverpool in 3...2...1*

Anyway, I agree with you that Klinsmann's continual snubbing last year and this year, after 4 straight years of being an automatic callup (with significant PT) under Bradley has had a major mental effect on him, as well as the Revs' continual struggles. It's had a visible negative impact on his play. The constant "just missing" a goal is probably both a cause and result. His statistics are deceiving though, as he's had somewhere between 6-10 golden assist chances so far that haven't been finished.

The other issue is I think both he and Heaps aren't sure where he fits in the system right now. Feilhaber was actually pretty effective under Nicol playing right underneath the forwards - 4 goals and 7 assists in a half-season of appearance is pretty much what you'd expect from him in that spot. The 2011 Revs were also highly effective offensively in the last 2 months of the season when Feilhaber was acclimated.

However, under Heaps he's been playing in a different spot every game - sometimes deep-lying central mid, sometimes on the left, sometimes as CAM underneath the strikers, sometimes almost DM, so it's hard to get comfortable.

The free kick thing - it's an issue where yeah he's not good at it, but neither is anyone else on the team. MAYBE Nguyen should be taking them instead, although minus his one beautiful corner in KC his have been iffy also. Speaking of Nguyen - ever since Heaps moved him into the CAM spot we've scored 1 goal in 3 games, and the one goal was fluky. Maybe Nguyen is better/more natural on the wing with Feilhaber as CAM?

 

Does this make you a FeilHATER?

 

Great insight from Twellman. "One goal one assist, Benny needs to show up. They need more from him, he has to show up for the NE Revolution."

Wow, thanks Taylor.

The problem with this has already been talked about ad nauseum. Benny should have 8-10 assists if a few guys had showed any semblance of finishing skills this season. Admittedly, Benny has been off on his own finishing as well, which for me is one of two areas he has really struggled this season. Finishing and controlling/maintaining possession are two areas which he normally does much better.

His creativity, tackling, work rate and positioning has been excellent though. I feel like many soccer talking heads and fans as well are stuck in the old school baseball mentality of HR and RBIs. I'm not saying soccer should be approached with sabremetrics and intense statistical analysis(though I think it can be helpful to a degree), but goals and assists are such a ridiculously limited view of a player, particularly a non-forward. Luka Modric is about to be sold for £40M, yet hasn't had more than 4 goals or assists in the past 3 seasons.

 

I'm pretty sure he also leads the team in tackles won, recoveries, successful dribbles, and key passes. So again, going back to my point, I say you're looking solely at one stat, goals, which is a horrible indicator of how well a midfielder has played on the season. He's had a bunch of shots of the woodwork and has stuggled to find the net, but he's done very well in most other aspects of his game.

 

He certainly hasn't been great, particularly recently, but I agree people are overvaluing goals and assists with him. His passing range is far superior to anyone else's on this team, I just think he's forcing it and being too ambitious at times and that's led to most of his errant passes. And yeah I love how people to this day try to claim Modric is overrated, some even try to say the same about Xavi too.

 

Failhaer gets the "Most hype and least production" award. BS that he should have more assists cause its the other guys fault. For a USMT player, he has made more bonehead passes than most on this team. Watching him is incredibly frustrating.

 

I'm totally of two minds about Feilhaber. On the one hand, it's undeniable he's one of the most skilled players on the team, if not the whole of American soccer. His ability to operate in tight spaces, retain possession and push forward is a joy to watch. And he doesn't mail it in: he wants to be out there, he wants the ball, and he takes a ton of fouls for the team.

All that being the case, his lack of production is a bit puzzling. Of course the guys around him have an impact, but it's not like more skilled forwards would have plated every single one of the chances he served up. He'd have a few more assists, but would he have enough that we wouldn't be having this discussion? I'm not so sure.

I find myself wondering if he's the Nomar Garciaparra or Joe Thornton of the Revs -- guys of undoubted talent and skill who somehow -- who knows why? -- failed to elevate the team. But like those two guys, Feilhaber brings one sure value to the table: tradability. I know there's a school of thought that says, "Where's the sense in trading away one of your best guys?", and it's hard not to disagree in a sense. But I would say things can't continue as they are. Feilhaber's already wound a little tight. It could get a bit ugly going forward without an improvement in his or the team's fortunes.

Play this season forward to its end, and imagine a bitter Feilhaber staring at the abyss of a further year with the Revs. It's a bad scenario for everyone.

 

For me I put Benny's less than expected showing as part of a similar less than their potential would suggest showing from others players as well. This roster has undergone so many changes and Heaps has tinkered with the formation and player positioning so much that the overall effect has been an on field showing that lacks cohesion and confidence. My expectations of this roster for this year were low. I'm pleased and encouraged with the direction Heaps is taking the team but I'm unwilling to hand out too many poor report cards until the roster gets a chance to mature a bit as a unit.

 

Here's my opinion again on a trade. There is no trade within MLS where the Revs can get a satisfying return on him. Speculative assets (picks and allocation) for a proven quantity (a World Cup veteran and the most-capped USMNT player in MLS not named Donovan) would be a moronic trade, and other teams will not give up their stars unless there's an incentive for them (eg. Hassli and LeToux were traded because they Vancouver had incoming DPs).

Plus, the idea that he's "bitter" is entirely speculative - I'd say there's a 99.9% chance he's bitter about Klinsmann (deservedly since Klinsmann's USMNT has been brutal to watch so far IMO), but as far as his club situation he was capped by Bradley without hesitation while playing for some truly awful teams. Benny has never had a good club situation ever, outside of maybe part of his stint at Aarhus. He seems to get along with his teammates fine (judging by their Twitter interaction) and he always puts his best face forward for Rev-sponsored events.

I still stand by my idea the production thing is a combination of poor luck and inability to find a settled spot in Heaps' gameplan.

 

A bit random, but I DO have some of these stats. I can post them here tonight if I remember to. Off the top of my head, I think Benny, Nguyen, Sene, and Tierney are all close as far as key passes go, and I'm pretty sure Benny leads the team in tackles won (which is pretty good for a midfielder; normally defenders hold that distinction).

 

If he's bitter at Klinsmann, he also has to be a bit bitter about a club situation that has not allowed him to shine. He didn't even make the MLS All Stars, which means his lack of production numbers isn't just striking us, the Revs fans, it's striking the collective mindset of U.S. soccer fans, and presumably Klinsmann as well.

And I just don't buy that he's not tradable. Obviously, if the Revs are desperate to unload him, they'll get little in return, but if they can take advantage of another team's desperation, they can get some very useful pieces.

 

I'm not big on the whole All-Star thing in a sport that alredy has a pretty good network of "All-Star" teams from every country, regardless of their club, playing against similar "All-Star" teams from other countries.

But when MLS used to do the East-West thing, there were twice as many guys who could say they made the All-Star team than if it was MLS vs. Some Big Club format. I bet the guys who have bonus clauses in their contract for making the All-Star team do not like this, not one little bit, to quote the Fish in the Cat in the Hat...

Still, the point being, does your average, non-partisan MLS watcher consider Benny an "Elite" MLS player since he's been with the Revs? And Klinsmann should give him a shot, but there will always be coaches who, for whatever reason, don't ever warm up to certain players. If anyone but Bruce Arena was the makager, don't you think Twellman would have had more caps and a legitimate shot with the Nats?

 

Actually, I read a few years ago (when they ended the East-West thing) that the CBA forced the league to name a second all star team, even though they didn't play in the game, just for the purpose of those bonuses. I don't know if it was changed with the latest CBA or not.

 

Guy shouldn't start as a forward. that's on Heaps. But i get your point

 

I'm a Feilhaber fan. I have a soft spot for American players who score game winning goals against Mexico. But, I have to admit, I'm underwhelmed with his performance this season.

 

He drives me nuts under-performing like this.

But I do think the crappy, unpredictable field turf is killing a lot of what he can bring to the Revs. This is mostly true when it comes to tight, quick team passing.

 

Another game where Benny was man of the match, but will likely be attacked for not having scored or assisted a goal. Nevermind that he created two perfect goal scoring opportunities that are finished 90% of the time.

 

Yeah, I thought this was one of his better games.

 

What a waste of time debate for a team that starts Chris Tierney, Ryan Guy, a rookie and has a "DP" CM who can barely cover any ground anymore. Sure Feilhaber could do better, and probably should do better, but the Revs should fix their other glaring holes before they look at someone who is underperforming. They should look at guys who don't perform at all.

 

and there it is in a nut shell. Arguably the best soccer mind and best talent on the team. the bigger issue here is the players he is surrounded by. Tierney, Shalrie, Guy and Rowe are not starters for one reason or another. McCarthy, Alston and Soares all have limitations.