Will be really interesting to see if we can re-establish a home form here. With the season being so short, we have to capitalize on these more than usual.
For sure. Dallas is also kind of a mess, so I think we have a shot here. Just gotta watch that counter. Considering our midfield gaps, this might be one of the more defensive home games we'll have seen in a minute?
Will be interesting to see who the third midfielder is tonight. Busio and Hernandez are two of them presumably, does Duke get handed his first start and we have an all HGP midfield with the oldest being 22?
That would ring pretty poetical against Dallas, who is possibly the most efficient user of homegrown players.
This game (literally) put me to sleep. Thank you Dallas for being terrible and terribly boring. By contrast, the RSL vs Seattle and LAG vs Portland games were much more interesting. Back to SKC. Martins had a nice assist on the Dallas goal. Is there such a thing as an own assist (like OG)? Outside back is, has been, and will continue to be this teams weakest position. Our trio of young mids did reasonably well. Zusi back in the midfield was weird but welcomed, as I stil think CM is his best position. Shelton's finish (outside of his right) was clinical. Gerso's assist on the goal was just as nice. The rest of the game was forgetable and a flash back to the cross it in the box and hope days that I thought we had evolved beyond.
I think your assessment is a little harsh, Luke. Most of the game had the whole Dallas team sitting inside their box. That's hard to break down in general, but more so when we're missing three of our four best creative players in that situation (no Pulido, Kinda, or Gutierrez is always gonna mean much more straightforward play anyways). For all that, though, I saw some pretty promising play at times. Both teams were pretty squanderous when it came to some big chances, but SKC more than Dallas. So I see why it felt like a game of old, except that we were much less solid at the back than in days of yore. Shelton has been magnificent. Russell is a workhorse, and Gerso is hilariously dynamic. Shelton's finish was good but each of them had a really good chance or two they blew. Duke was the only one in the midfield who looked to struggle a bit, but really they all acquitted themselves pretty well. Busio is growing into a more reserved role surprisingly well--I hope this is trajectory and not just context. I don't mind Puncec and Smith at CB, though when Besler came on the quality of passing out of the back went up significantly. I am minding pretty much any fullback we trot out there. Martins was the bad guy yesterday but he seems to put together 89 good minutes most games. If the rest of the defense were solid, he would be just fine. I'm much more concerned about RB, as Zusi can't maintain the pace there and Lindsey is just still very raw at the MLS level. I'm somewhat hopeful for the latter to pan out, but letting a kid get shredded by attackers does not necessarily help them learn. Anyways! The surprise to me was the solidity of an improvised, young midfield. The disappointment was the finishing, not the defending. The true delight was seeing players like Besler and Zusi come off the bench and make an impact--their transition to that sort of role is gonna mark how the rest of their careers go.
I’m really excited about Busio’s trajectory. He’s turning into a very calming presence there, and I’m not sure ilie has been that for the last year. He has the incredible pass in his toolbox but smartly just plays the simple smart pass most of the time. As for Lindsey, I like his one on one defending, and he’s solid in the low block. He is going to have to learn how to handle the transition but that’s what was killing Zusi, so why not give him a run.
I don't have much to say other than Busio was an interception machine in the midfield yesterday. He read the game well and anticipated spaces opening while maintaining defensive positioning which stymied so many attempts by FCD to either transition to attack or relieve pressure out of their own half. Really excited about that since it drives so much of our pressure and helps release our wingers well.
I don't think anything I said was all that critical. The game was boring and put me to sleep. Most of that was due to how Dallas appraoched the game. The quality of the later game (especially RSL vs Seattle) was much higher and more entertaining. Mainly because the visiting team actaully tried to play. My player criticsm was directed at Martins. What the hell was he doing playing an interior square/back pass back to his CB in SKC's defensive third? Outside back is a liability on this team no matter who we put out there. The big positives were the young midfielders and Shelton. Busio at the 6 has been a reveleation and I'm fine with keeping Illie on the bench. Unfortunately, if he keeps this up, he'll be in Italy very soon. True, but by the time Besler had come in, Dallas had already given up. It's easy to pass out of the back when not pressed.