"It's a lack of effort. Certain players aren't pulling their weight."

I would be very surprised if Petke is not traded. Kudos to J.P. and Shep. They are the only MLS announcers who heavily criticize their team before, during and after a match. It is quite refreshing.

 

I know Tim is the 'captain' now, but did he not forget taking off almost a month because he was pouting about not going to the WC....exactly how many weak goals did he let in then???
I know it must be frustrating, but I don't necessarily think that it is a lack of effort on the defenses part....I just don't think the four we are putting back there (in the positions they are in) are good enough.

 

We really need a veteran defenseman back there to shore things up and give the other guys some confidence. Is Balboa that player? Will he ever even play? I think that he can make a big difference for our defense if he is playing and healthy because we sure can't afford to keep having games like this last one.

 

I was at the game last night - what did JP and Shep have to say/criticize about the team? Or are they too numerous to list?

 

Last week I would have said the problem is the midfield -- Andy Williams excepted -- now I say the problem is defense -- Timmy excepted.

The forewards are doing their job, especially since Andy is their only, reliable source for well-timed, accurate passes.

At least we aren't inconsistant. As of last night we are on a losing streak. We we ever see Clint again? Not to mention Tab? I won't mention Balboa; he's an expensive figment of somebody's imagination.

 

Yes, they are too numerous to list. They talked about a lack of effort by the defense (only Ziadie was praised). The word "miserable" was used. "Mental lapses" etc. In other words, they were telling the truth. That does not happen too often on MLS broadcasts.

 

When Mamadou is tracking back to play defense you have to worry! Did you see the look on Petke's face when he was subbed out? He might be goner during the All-star break.

 

unless Celo is ready....I can't seeing Petke getting traded.....and even than, I don't think anything will happen until the off season...at least it better not...This team is getting ridiculous with the trades.....sit him down....move him....just don't start pulling the trigger on trades again...

 

What sticks out most in my memory from last night's broadcast was the West goal. One of the announcers said that West didn't beat Chrono to the ball so much with his speed as he physically bodied him off the ball. That's terrible.

In the game the other day vs the Fire, Wolff megged Chrono seconds before the Fire scored another goal. Game in game out, this guy is making mistakes that lead directly to goals. It's one thing to make a mistake 40 yards upfield, it's quite another to continually make them in the box.

IMHO, Chrono should be on the pine.

Other than that, we should keep Geoff Moore on the field, he is quicker than Addo, and doesn't make stupid red card offenses like last nights.

I would also like to state that the Davis injury has probably hurt more than we could have thought. Deleting Ramos, Mathis & Davis from the midfield is alot to bear. Obviously, Lisi, Paule and Addo are not doing a good enough job defensively to pick up the slack. I'm concerned that even with Ramos, Mathis & Davis, we just don't have the guys that are willing to play good defense that can make a team a title contender. You need to look no farther than Chicago to understand what I'm talking about.

 

Being 1000 miles away from the Meadowlands, I listened to part of the Crew radio broadcast on the web. And you're right. It sounded like a dad commentating on his kid's team - "great play" this and "good effort" that. Oh, and not a few "holy moly"s. (I'm sure he would have been very negative about Metro if he knew any of their names.)

 

Dwight Burgess, the Crew PBP guy, is an ex-Professional player who has been calling soccer games for twelve years, and the Crew for seven. He was a two-time All American at DePauw and spent a good deal of time with the USMNT, including serving as the Captain for matches against Germany and Chile. He holds a USSF "A" License and is a NCAA Head Coach. He is widely regarded as among the best soccer broadcasters in the business.

In short, despite your attempt to portray him as some cornpone version of Keith Jackson, he knows the game a whole hell of a lot better than YOU do.

Your problem, IMO, is that you're listening to the opponents feed, which is always a little odd. You have to remember that their audience wants to hear about THEIR team, so that's who they talk about mostly.

I got a little tired of hearing about Shep Messing's Cheeseburger lunches myself, and I now know more about Clinto's knees than I really cared to. But they don't care what I want to hear, they only care about what their AUDIENCE wants to hear. Just like Dwight's audience doesn't want to hear about the Metros' players, they want to hear about their own.

It's POV my freind. And BTW, Burgess knows your players names, trust me. (PPS: I've been listening to Dwight for many years, and don't recall EVER hearing him say "Holy Moley" but I'll take your word for it)

 

Thanks for checking in Dwight!

 

This can not be the guy I was listening to on the webcast last night. If he's "widely regarded" to be among the best, that's a sad commentary on the state of commentary.

Hm. Well he does hold a USSF "A" License, so I guess I can't argue with that. Still, I'm sure glad I don't have to listen to him every week.

That doesn't speak very well of Crew fans, does it?

 

By the way, just for the record, "holy moly"s and all, Burgess is still a hell of a lot better than our English-language radio PbP man.

 

We need:

Paolo Maldini to solidify the defense.

Nicky Butt to stabilize the Midfield.

Romario (Chapulin) to energize the Offense.

E'nuff said, need I say more?

 

I've heard alot of the radio play-by-play guys around the league, and trust me on this - Burgess is just about the best in the business.

Hell, the guy in New England still says things like, "Rooney at the 35 yard line - ahead to Ralston at the 20." No kidding.

As for the Metros, I agree with Timmy Howard - it's a lack of effort from most players. Jolley and Petke seemingly have had their heads in the clouds for at least a month now.

 

I don't think Dwight Burgess was manning the radio last night as he was doing play-by-play for TV (unless there was a simulcast).

 

Well my point wasn't to put anybody down, only to point out that local guys are, by nature as well as by profession, homers. Have you heard the DC guys? Their guys are all Huge Stars who walk on water, and the opponent is eleven players whose names seem to be "the fullback" or "the goalie"

And honestly, I don't know if Burgess was on last night, cause I listened to the Shootout feed, which meant I spent the entire evening hearing JP and Shep blather on about "Timmy" Howard and how great a game Faria was having while I watched Duncan Oughton eat his lunch.

 

Bring back Tommy Smythe.

My favorite part of the article that everyone is missing:

"West passed to Jeff Cunningham, who blew by Mike Petke and flicked it to West for the game-winner.

Petke was in an animated closed-door meeting with Zambrano and Nick Sackiewicz just moments after the game that lasted for an extended stretch. "

Animated? Yeah.. like Itchy and Scratchy animated i'm sure.

 

Fixed your post.

 

HEY!!!!

I heard that!!!!

Duncan is NOT a hack. He's...er...aggressive. Hardnosed? Physical? Yeah, that's it, he's a very "physical" player.

 

"Petke refused to comment on the meeting afterward, other than to say, "I just had a meeting with Nick and Octavio; it was a good meeting. Other guys are going to have meetings, too."

...right? Hey.. why are you laughing?

 

Screaming Holy Moley is one thing...but it's those on tv like Rob Stone screaming " boom shaka lacka " to describe a hard shot is what makes my stomach churn.