we do not NEED a center mid/#10/playmaker last time i checked we didnt have one during our MLS Cup run, but previous years we had one [Cate, Alverez, etc.] and we were absent from the playoffs almost every year. Yes, we could USE a playmaker, but is it really that crucial to our success?
the more intersting question for those who think we need this or that is why do we need an amid, and what will this amid have done for us that would have changed our poor showings to date? for all the JMM to midfield people - how would JMM have helped in the middle vs the crew? how would he have prevented rusty/kante from either turnin to swiss cheese or booting the ball to nobody? this team can't play with an amid, because they can't win/posses the ball long enough to utilize one. and if they could - i'd argue that they'd be better off pushing up the wings and spreading the field to open up space for JMM/Twellman on the counter - w/ heaps and franchino overlapping to bang in crosses. this is not a creative possestion team and never will be.
"for all the JMM to midfield people - how would JMM have helped in the middle vs the crew?" Moore would have been more aggressive off-the-ball in terms of getting into open space, winning 50/50 balls, and he would have been an outside threat that likely would have pulled a defender or two off Harris and Twellman, perhaps freeing them up in the process. He would also have given Kamler and Ralston the option of laying the ball off to him rather than collecting the ball and making long runs on their own and up the wings. He would have been the Twellman in midfield: working his ass off as a two-way player, perhaps helping tie up the Crew while in transition, while also pushing forward and advancing the attack. The Magpie
Two DCM works well if both flanks can create offense on their own. However, when the team is behind two DCMs don't work. It really is about balance. Two mids should be attacking by nature and two defensive. It really doesn't matter which two in a 4-4-2 system. On Saturday, Kamler, Cullen, and Hernandez were not looking to attack much or didn't have the skill to get anything done. An inform two-way player like Nowak is really what the team needs. He could attack and defend. A player like John Obrien would be perfect as well. We can only wish at this point. I agree that a pure attacking ACM like Andy Williams is not the answer as a full time starter. However, he would be nice as an option off the bench if needed.
I agree with the John O'Brien notion. And, if only certainly is the case. The midfielder we need goes for the 40/60 ball, wins it, keeps it, holds it while players run off it and delivers it to feet, head, chest or whatever is the best at the moment. Leonel could do that in his prime (although not with the Revs). Cate and Williams never could, neither could Gorter or Naveda. The player we need isn't here yet and while Hernandez on a good day can come close no one else we have is at the same level. So Ralston is playing hurt, Joe Max needs to be up front, Kamler has been ineffective and Cullen is a warm body. Joseph is too raw but might grow on the job, a risky prospect. Nowakl would have been just the ticket but now we have to wait while Nicol decides who to wave $100,000 at. Tough business at best. JIM DOW
The Waiting Game Waiting. That is what Revolution fans do best. We waited seven years for a decent run. We wait every year for a team to be put together. We've waited for three seasons to see if Tony Frias is a real player, and we're still waiting. We wait through wasted preseason after wasted preseason. We watch our team get off to slow starts every season, and wait for reinforces to arrive. The next savior, a real Number 10, is only around the corner and still we wait. We wait and wait and wait, and we are willing to wait for more. So how about having a real team in place before a season starts? We are still waiting for that.
Re: The Waiting Game We have all the guys who contributed to MLS cup final team, plus JMM and a promising rookie or two. Isn't that a 'real team'?
Amen - Couldn't have written it better myself. As a point of info: Though the Revs did make it to the MLS Finals, they didn't win; therefore, there is still room for improvement.
I think it goes further than that I think. In a league like MLS which is still developing and getting better year-by-year, not substantially improving is the equivalent of falling behind. The Revs have brough in some interesting and talented players since last year's Cup run - Joe Max, noonan, possibly Joseph (give the kid a chance). But by itself, this may not be enough - especially if Moore were to get injured. Pure and simple, the revs need more options on the attack. Nicol knows this and has said as much in the press. The key question is can he find the right guy within the existing roster and salary cap restraints, and how long will it take?
i'm not disagreeing with this at all - but the revs can't use this as an excuse for the abysmal performace vs the crew, and a tie against the fire. they should have done better with what they have. the attack in both games made the most of there chances. that wasn't the problem. and when your defensive outlook is bad, my first thought is not to take one of your two best forwards and have him play out of position and have new responsibilites. anyone for gorter @ sweeper?
Let me preface this by saying this isn't intended as any sort of flame or a Rev-bashing message, only an outsider's perspective. 1. The "word" by a number of journalists about MLS this season (at least in preseason) was "parity"--that the teams were close last year and would be close again this year. I have pretty much disagreed with that and still do. I think LA (as long as Ruiz continues to finish) is in good shape. I was also wrong about Columbus. Right now, they might be playing the best soccer of anyone in MLS--they're deep, fast, organized and attack in waves. In short, there are a couple of "haves" at the top (LA and Columbus) and then the rest of MLS (and I don't even see that "rest of MLS" all being the same. I think a couple of teams--SoS for instance, definitely Colorado, probably Chicago, are still very incomplete and major "works in progress" while KC is organized and ready. 2. I wouldn't put NE in the top 2 or 3 teams right now. I wouldn't put NE in the bottom 2 or 3 teams right now. The Revs gelled and got hot at exactly the right moment last year. I think it's fair to look at that third of the season last year and say that: Kamler was outstanding, Cullen and Hernandez were a cohesive pair who made excellent decisions, and players like Ralston, Twellman, Brown, Kante were all at the peak of their game. Look at the people I've just named and you see that several of them are hurt or playing hard or well but not necessarily at their peak. Several of those players are slumping or may have played themselves out of a starting role. And that's got to have a big impact on the team. 3. The rep last year was that NE was a great counter team that killed you on limited opportunities. Whether that was a fair rep or not, what has since emerged from a couple of sources (some of the LDA players, comments coming out of Brazil, the initial MLS games) is that the Revs seek to play a long-ball direct game that isn't especially subtle. Irrelevant of whether or not you like that game or think it's a wise one, to play it well does mean that possession will suffer, that distribution from the back becomes critical (and if it's off you're playing kickball, not long-ball), it involves a lot of running and your frontline is going to get beat up at times (b/c they're trying to hold the ball in a crowd, get little support, and will be trying to win a lot of 50-50 balls). 4. I don't know how much Nowak would have helped. He was a great player. But he doesn't fit well in a direct soccer scheme (though he's superb at counters). And he was also hurt alot. If he had stayed on your roster, he could just as easily be injured at the moment. I don't know if the argument that "we had A-mids before and lost, didn't last year and won" is accurate. Some of those Revs teams were woeful. More importantly is not that having an A-mid works or doesn't work. It's that right now the Revs are attempting to play a system (that they basically played last year) and aren't playing it well. Some key pieces are hurt or underperforming and also the rest of the league is adjusting. While I"m not a fan of direct soccer, if you're going to win with it, you're either going to have to get substantially better performance from about 4-5 field players (b/c long-ball soccer means your GK and backline and D-mids all need to distribute well--it's not just coming from one or two players) or add some talent to upgrade some of those performances.
excellent assesment overall. this is the problem in a nutshell. this is what broke v the crew. not the lack of an amid to spark the offense. or pull a defender off harris/twellman or give kamler/ralston a place to lay the ball off.
I pretty much agree with this. I was never completely convinced that Nowak would be "the answer" either. I'm pretty sure Nicol intended to use him as a role player in given situations and against particular teams, rather than a game-in/game-out starter. The point is though, the dalliance with Nowak prevented the Revs from dealing more directly with an immediate issue - other offensive options. I don't think Nicol realistically thought that the Revs could duplicate their phenomenal late-season run over an entire season either. Duplicating these kinds of things is like catching lightning in a bottle - twice. And opponents tend to adjust. Problem is, the Nowak dalliance cost valuable time, and now the team is starting the year scrambling again. Joe Max may make a big difference next week, and hopefully Noonan gets more playing time. Things aren't too dire unless if players start playing with some organization and intensity. But without some more attacking options, it's difficult to see this team knocking off the better teams in the league.
i'm not sure i agree with this - "the absolutley necessary" part. the absoulutly necessary for the next game is for the mid/dfense to control the ball and move forward effectivly. the way i see it, the revs scored a goal a game AGAINST the run of play. they did that all last year, wining or losing. these guys score w/limted chances. they score plenty when they have losts of chances (- they did score boatloads of goals last year, despite not having another attacking player). they will get thier chances if the d & mids step up. and a few clean sheets in the process.
With so many of the same players playing the same style/philosophy as last year, how can we look so out of sync? That is my major problem. Year in and Year out, the REV seem unprepared to start the season. This is the most off season stability we have ever seen and we still stumble out of the gate. It is nice that someone did such a good job describing the system the REV want to play. But we didn't see even the semblance of a system on Saturday. We saw mayhem. Counting on playing well for only the last third to quarter of the season is a recipe for disaster. So we play well the last 8 games and earn, say 20 points that we can add to the 14-16 points we earn in the first 22 games. Just like last year we will be counting on alot of help to even make the playoffs! Does anyone remember just how close we came to not even making the playoffs last year?
Anybody watched Wolde Harris dribble? And pass? Just an idea that's probably been hashed and rehashed since the beginning of the season, but why don't we put him in the middle? He can attack by himself, he can pass the ball off, he can dribble circles around the back and middle lines of many teams, why not? My lineup: ...................Brown Heaps...Llamosa...Pierce...Franchino Ralston...Harris...Hernandez...Noonan ..........JMM...........Twellman I'm not sure on the footedness of the players, so correct the left-side, right-side, and I think it'd work. Prof
You wouldn't, but I would. The Revs desperately need an o-mid for any number of reasons: Break up the predictable Route 1 method; Actually possess the ball for more than two passes at a time; Create some sense of watchability for the squad. I also think the running in place is falling behind quip fairly appropriate - except the Quakes are definately less talented than last year, but have gotten good results & had attractive play.
I have yet to see the kid play but any chance Noonan could play in the middle of the field behind JMM and twellman? I understand he has a lot of hustle but does he have the skills to pull it off? He is certainly more attack minded than hernandez or cullen. ....................Brown ....Heaps.....rusty...Llamosa....joey ...Ralston....hernandez....Noonan....Moore ..................Twellman....JMM
A lot of the Revs perennial problems are systemic. The team is in NE, for better or worse, usually worse (we can't attract the marquee player to come here, we don't get the teenage phenoms because they don't come from this area, etc.). We got shellacked because we were a step behind Cbus in conditioning and execution all over the field. Why aren't we in shape and ready? Because the weather has been horrible this spring. That's why Nicol took the team to Brazil and it's why the Revs jumped at the chance to bolt NE for Costa Rica. But they still had to come back here for the final weeks of preparation and it's been nothing but interruptions and cancellations because of weather. And we're still having weather problems this week. Scrimmages have been cancelled, the team has spent too much time indoors and has plenty of aches and pains because of it. As for an attacking midfielder, call it what you will, but any team needs someone who is composed and calm in the middle of the field, who can shield the ball, be a threat to beat players off the dribble and make a creative pass to find players with space to attack the goal. Ralston does these things out on the wing, but it's too easy to trap a wing on the sidelines and get extra help on him, you need that threat in the middle to keep a defense honest and force them to back off the midfield pressure.
No Boy Scouts at the Boro Exactly! Every year this team/organization is unprepared at the start of the season. What is preseason for? Isn't the offseason long enough? The decision making process is horrible, and that is before we even start to consider the decisions that are made. Maybe as soon as the soccer season is over, everyone becomes a 100 percent oblong. Because there isn't a lot of planning going on. Maybe everyone involved with the Revos is on a 9 month contract? That might be the only thing that can explain why this team never has all of its players in sinc or foreign player spots filled BEFORE the season starts.
Hers's my 2 cents: Brown Heaps-Kante-Llamosa-Pierce Ralston-JMM-Hernandez-Franchino TnT-Noonan If Noonan isn't working put Wolde in. Sub Shalrie in at Mid if someone isn't up to par and if in the end were desperate (most likely) put Harris back and JMM up. GO REVS
Hernandez is dinged up according to someone on another thread. The idea of playing JF at left wing is an interesting one to me, but I don't think SN is as interested as we are. I'm guessing: Brown Heaps-Pierce-Llamosa(Kante 75')-Franchino Ralston(Noonan 60')-Cullen-Joseph-Kamler TnT-JMM (Harris 80')
jon - i think you are right on - seems like what we'll see vs dallas. given injury status, and what i see as nicols preferences this should be it. i don't think i would make any changes that would be clearly different. and it keeps a reserve ready for the 3 semi injured players.