Outside of the first minute or two Shelton spent on the field, I thought he was just awful. Salloi, who had been causing all sorts of problems for the Loons defense was rendered all but invisible once Shelton came on the field. Outside of JFR, most of the offense just went away. Like most of you, I really enjoyed watching SKC produce some attacking soccer that emanated from all three of the attacking players and in particular, right up the middle with Salloi handling the ball and taking shots. That was refreshing and actually fun to watch. Unlike many of you, I am still not on board with Ndenbe. I think he tries hard, but I believe that he is still not the fullback answer for SKC. He's young and can get better, but right now, I'm not impressed. Pierre had another good outing, but had some rough spots in the game. If not for Pulskamp, he would have put in SKC's second own goal. However, I am still a big believer in this kid being the starting fullback. Got to give Pulskamp a lot of credit for playing with a lot of courage. If not for Fontas, he would have had a win and a shut out. Duke seemed a bit off tonight. I give him a pass since he was playing out of his natural position. He had some good moments and played well most of the night but looked totally gassed by the 75th minute. Tzionis is coming along, but still hasn't figured out the talent of the defensive players in the MLS are a cut above anything he was facing in Cyprus. He can't just keep dribbling right into guys and not expect to be stripped of the ball. He too needs more time on the field to get his timing down for passes and ball skills. Lastly, if PV didn't get the message about how much better the attack is with Salloi playing the 9 and Shelton on the bench, then I just don't know what else to say.
Watching some of the new players "click" is about the only positive of this disaster season. I agree that both Pierre and Ndenbe have looked good and show a lot of potential as outside backs. Athletically, outside back is the toughest/most demanding position in soccer. It's nice to have guys with speed, stamina and toughness at those spots. They also have some skill. That said, I am most excited about Duke. He's got a motor, has skill, and seems to read the game well. His biggest problem is he is too versatile. Eventually I see him fitting in as the No.8. Moving forward, the core of Pulskamp, Pierre, Ndenbe, Duke, and Hernandez looks like a decent young group to build from. Would be nice if they can keep Salloi and Tzioins as well. Still several holes, most notably center back, but if I put on SKC colored glasses I can at least see a path forward.
I'm 100% done with Shelton. He should never play for KC again. If the team wants to be competitive, the front line is Tzionis, Salloi and JFR. When the new 9 gets here, you can rotate the four of them. Shelton was good against Union Omaha. That team is in a division that is comparable to where SKC II play. That is his level. Not MLS.
I definitely want Shelton on the bench, for sure. Admittedly, I'll argue he's played better in previous years than he's been this season, and that he is less a worthless and terrible player but more a pretty average guy in a miserable slump of both form and confidence. I think he can regain form and be a valuable squad player again. But I'm also very okay if we improve and move on. That said, I have two big qualms about Tzionis. First, as @BenDover brought up, he is a turnover machine. Against a more offensively-capable team than Minnesota, some of his dispossessions really might have cost us the point. And secondly, he is not now--and may never be--good to play 80+ minutes every game. He flagged hard yesterday. Unless Thommy is intended to play as a winger and not a midfielder, our depth up front is pretty much just Duke and Shelton. And lord knows where Duke is going to be needed on any particular game day. Frankly even if Agada comes in quickly and establishes himself immediately as our best 9 at the moment and if Tzionis hits beastly form this weekend too... we're still going to see a lot of Shelton. His versatility and endurance mean he'll be on that pitch, at least as a sub.
And if we clean those glasses, really well, we can add Kinda, Walter, Ford, and Thommy to the prime of their career guys on that roster. I know, we haven't seen Thommy, but he's been playing in the bundesliga and that's a league that translates to MLS fairly well, and he has something to prove, so glasses on, I'm excited. Really, 3 years is a modern game norm and 5 is a career at a single club. I'm excited to see if Agada is worthwhile (give our history, probably not. And i believe that, at least in 2023, Pulido will be raring to go and healthier than he's been. Also: Isi is only around for a max of two more years, but a 30 year old CB is in his prime, and will be for a couple more years.I know I'm not in the majority here, but i really like his game. I think the problems we've had stem to the lack of a true 6. I also think we have to stop thinking we screwed up with Ike. He was great in 2019. He was done in 2020. He's the one guy a cold, calculated professional club sheds at peak when they can see his game won't last long. The problem wasn't trading Ike, it was relying on Fontas (still beautiful on the ball, but cannot defend) and Besler (also should have been shed at that time) and bringing in what's his name from the 2bund. I really, really hope we're looking for a true 6 with the money we save when Fontas, Zusi and roger leave the club after this season
I thought Pulskamp was really good last night. Maybe even man of the match. No? Anyone? The scoresheet crediting Pulskamp with the OG feels criminal to me. Awkward situation there, but Fontas should run stairs....
I thought Pulskamp was solid last night. Giving him the OG as really harsh because it really belonged to Fontas. He even saved another potential OG by Pierre. There was a lot of helter skelter around the goal mouth during the last part of the game and anything could have happened. Only a keeper with a cool head and quick reflexes could survive that.
I think the best use of Tzionis might be as a super sub if we had guys in front of him on the depth chart that were better. His chaotic aggressive style could work well to come in and pressure tired defenses and open up more space for others in the middle.
well i got my wish for a whopping 18 minutes 3 and a half months later @BenDover Agree with you on the Ndenbe bit. Really thought a Belgian U21 player would be a much more polished player already than he is. Generally I would've never guessed that left back would be more of a problem position than right back this year. I thought that at least one of Ndenbe or Sweat would pan out - but Sweat has been definitely worse than Ndenbe. On the other side, Zusi has had some good performances, and so has Pierre. I find his diagonal dribbles to advance the ball really interesting and not something you see very often