I haven't read much on when TT will be back. Is he progressing well with his rehab ? I think last I heard, he would be back for the July 4th game. Accurate anyone??
He better. With Ralston, Avery, Dempsey and Noonan out, the Revs would be pushing even their luck without him. Smith and Twellman upfront.
Why are we convinced that Edozian is better than Smith? Sure Edozian hussles, but Smith has produced. I think they are both quality, just looks like Smith is producing more.
Smith is a wasted space. I would rather see dorman starting at forward rather than Smith. A guy his size should dominate in the box,,,I have yet to see him with a header. He does not know how to position his body...Give Edozian another start or start Dorman up front.
There's no way to know who's better. It's just that Smith hasn't really made an impact during his time on the field. Yes he scored a nice goal, but more often than not he has looked awkward in front of goal, both getting on the end of crosses as well as build up play into the box. So you look down the list and the next option is Edozien, and you read Magpie's reports from the reserve games that he's played well and you want to see him out there for a few games.
From today's Globe: Twellman (left hamstring strain) practiced at full speed yesterday but Nicol has not decided whether he will be in the starting lineup against the Galaxy. ''We are happy with his progress but we don't want to jump the gun." That muddies the waters a bit. I'm guessing that we'll still see him play.
I hate when people pigeonhole someone. Because he's tall he has to be dominant in the box? It takes a lot more than height - like strength, for instance. He's a skinny guy - pretty easy to push out of position or hold down. I do think that he needs to play with a little more "reckless abandon", but how many tall, skinny dudes do? If he went diving and throwing his body around, he'd be on the IR in no time. He's got some talent, but Nicol's still trying to figure out how to take advantage of it. OTOH, I like some of the things Edozien does. His problems in his start were mostly misreading his teammates, along with some tentativeness - not surprising since it's taken so long for him to even get a chance. I think his 60 minute start isn't enough and I'd like to see if he can build off that performance. Then bring Smith on later if we need a change of pace.
As usual ( well, most of the time but not all the time) I agree completely with your assessment. I think both Edozien and Smith have ability but are still struggling to get comfortable with the style and intensity of play in MLS. Most new additions to our league who have played elsewhere struggle for awhile to adjust. I for one think Edozien has what it takes and just needs rnough game time with the first team to start to click.
i don't think its too much to ask of a 6'3-6'4 forward to challenge for headers in the box. thats what he is suppose to be doing. That should be an asset for him but its not. Its not pigeonholing, its expecting him to use what he has to the best of his abilities and unfortunatly he does not know hot to use his body as part of his game. its unfortunate. If you watch him closely he very rarely even jumps for headers. when he does they are usually mistimed. He is not starting quality, he has no tenacity and will not give himself up to win balls. Jury is out on Edozian as I have only seen him play for 60 plus minutes. I never judge someone on their first start. I have seen enough of Khano to realize that he does not have what it takes to be a forward,,,,left mid? maybe, not a forward
Peter Crouch wins balls in the air and he's a freakin toothpick. And he does it against much more phsycal defenders as well. Smith is junk.
Give Smith a break. Twellman is a short guy. Short guys are supposed to dribble around people. Twellman can't dribble around people. Shawn Wright-Phillips is shorter than Twellman and he dribbles around people all the time. Twellman is junk.
Yup. If he wants to stay in MLS he's going to have to learn to use his body to be dominant in the box. He's not on the team for his blinding speed, or dazzling foot skills.
Re: Give Smith a break. Twellman hustles, and has a nose for the goal. He will chase every ball, and make something out of nothing. He keeps the defence on htere toes, and always finds those open spot where he can slip in behind the defence and before they know it the balls in the net. RRRREV IT UP
Re: Give Smith a break. Who wins headers and sacrifices his body and has almost 50 career MLS goals. You're comparing Twellman to Khano Smith? How ludicrous.
Eric, REV IT UP, and Dr. Jay - Perhaps I didn't make my point well, but in any case you missed it. I was not comparing Twellman to Smith. Nor was I sincere in saying that Twellman was junk. His ups, hustle, etc. are irrelevant. I used Twellman as an example in fact, because he isn't junk, and I thought that was obvious. I was only trying to say that it is absurd to compare Smith to Peter Crouch just because both are tall. Crouch is one of the most successful forwards in the one of the best leagues in the world. It would be nice if Smith were Nate Jaqua and Carlos Ruiz rolled into one player, but if he isn't, it doesn't make him worthless. "If he wants to stay in MLS he's going to have to learn to use his body to be dominant in the box." - Who says? There's more to playing forward than the aerial game. How many MLS forwards are dominant in the box? The reality in MLS is that you get who you can afford. We could afford Smith, who has had good stretches and may improve. So why do people constantly b***h about him?
I don't think it's so much that he's not getting headers as it is that he seems to run out of steam when he gets to the box, and that he holds back instead of plowing through defenders. It's like he's afraid he's going to break if he makes a really commanding charge for a shot, and that is not to his benefit in this league. Probably because we've been hearing about him since the team's preseason tour, and, as such, there've been some expectations building.
No, the comparison of Smith and Crouch is not absurd. The agrument was that Smith is to skinny to muscle up against opposing defenders. Crouch is also a scrawny-ass forward, but he wins balls in the air. Both players make me cringe, but at least Crouch can win an arial battle. If he can do it, then why cant Smith? He might not be as skilled as Crouch, but neither are the defenders he's up against. There is no reason why he shouldn't at least try to fight for balls in the air.
A simple mean streak will see a significant change in his game. Some hard tackles, a little elbow on the way up to a ball, some kicks on the ankles, you know, something to make him look like he cares. He doesn't have the skill to give himself space, so he needs to either burn people or get physical. He can get physcial, just chooses not to. Hopefully Mariner can teach him that his job will be alot easier if he plays more like Twellman and takes the knocks (as well as give them out).