KC @ Dallas Post Game thread [R]

Bo's distribution, even with his feet, is MUCH better this season. Exponentially better. That's a credit to John Cone and what he's done as goalkeeper coach.

Seriously, Diego Sala's distribution was absolutely the worst I've ever seen from any goalkeeper at this high a level.

 

The expectations for two of the higher paid guys in the league are high, so we tend to be a tough crowd. We also have good guys on the bench like Sealy, so the criticism will be a little more than usual.

We're almost there, and if Josh and EJ can start seeing that shot a little quicker I think we'll be fine.

 

I agree, I think Wolff's quotes in this article may shed a little light on the situation as well. He talks about not quite being on the same page and not being set on exactly how they attack. It sounds like they're still working stuff out. Which makes sense when you consider how little time the starting 11 got to play together in preseason with all the missed time for Nats camp.

http://www.mlsnet.com/MLS/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20060423&content_id=57230&vkey=news_mls&fext=.jsp

 

Weren't Eddie and Josh in Nats camp together?

 

Then you stopped reading my post after the first sentence. I have stated Bo wasn't at fault for us losing in Dallas. Bo is rarely at fault for us losing.

The reason we need a new keeper is that Bo almost never does the superlative. Bo makes the saves he's supposed to make and he gets beat by pretty much every shot he shouldn't be able to save. Sounds fine, but somehow other goalkeepers seem to rise above it and make the saves they have no business making when the team needs it most. Bo doesn't do that. Bo has never done that.

I like Bo. I'd like to keep him on the roster.

 

Yes, but all indications are that Arena didn't pair them together in camp. They didn't see any time together in the matches.

You should see them in practice, they really aren't on the same page yet. And they both just can't seem to find the net as regularly as you'd like.

 

No, I read your whole post... I was simply asking what in the "last few matches" made you decide that Bo wasn't the guy. In two wins and a loss, you suddenly decide that Bo can't make the big save? He had one chance to make that "game-deciding save."

My contention is that if we all generally agree that Bo's game has vastly improved this season, that we should give him more than one chance to make that big save before we decide he's not the guy. If things continue and that part of his game doesn't appear to have improved with the rest of his play, then I can understand talking about it.

And FWIW- I disagree about every other keeper in the league making those big saves more than Bo. Scott Garlick certainly didn't come up with that "big save" for RSL Saturday night. The problem with a "big save" like that is that you often don't know it's a big save unless the keeper doesn't make it. As a goalkeeper you're taught that every save is a "big save" and the slow rollers are just as important as the shot labeled for the upper-90.

 

I don't need them to put it in the net as much as I need them to get it going towards the net. We aren't putting enough shots on frame. I want to see Kerry Zavagnin shooting even. Shoot from everywhere. Jewsbury could hit one from 40. Why don't we try?

 

EJ and Wolff aren't even putting shots on frame in practice either...

I agree we need more shots from all over the pitch.

 

Sad thing is, other then the goal that was our best scoring chance of the game, even better then the breakaways because he actually forced a save.

Course Nick has hit some decent shots before there was the one last year against NE I believe that he hit the post on.

 

As a USMNT fan, I was disappointed with EJ and Wolfe's effort and form. In my opinion, either played worthy of a USMNT jersey, even though everyone considers them a lock. Zavagnin and Conrad, who are on the bubble, played with much for heart. Considering virtually every position on the USMNT is up for grabs, you'd think the KC forwards would try harder (like that Kenny Cooper kid!)

 

Cooper wasn't really all that dangerous either this week to me. Kudos on the goal, but he was the on the end of a series of defensive errors. I am very hopeful for his future though.

 

Re: KC @ FC Dallas in game banter [R]

Rags got one shot of the traveling KC fans at the game.
http://christinematt.com/FCDallas/060423/

 

That slap shot seemed to occur at the instant he had his feet taken out from underneath him by (I believe it was) Conrad. Bo probably did well just getting his mitt on it.

 

Who was wearing the armband yesterday? I think the lack of hustle during the game needs to be addressed by the captain during the game.

Is this part of our problem - we've got a bunch of nice guys but no field leader who can get in his teammates' faces and get eveyone to elevate their game?

 

I think Kerry's been fine. Everyone's been pretty good. We dominated long stretches of play but couldn't do much in the final third. Outside of a few isolated incidents from the forwards, I don't think the hustle's been bad. It's just not quite there yet.

 

Even if they played together at Nats camp Arnaud, Victorine, Jewsbury, Burciaga, Garcia, Groenwald, Bo weren't there with them. They need to gell with the whole team not just each other.

 

I had the exact same thought.

 

Even though this game sucked, especially having it ripped from us late, I don't think it is a HUGE cause for concern. The team basically played 2 and 1/2 games of great soccer, only playing poorly in the last 3 halves. If we continue this week at Columbus and then drop points at home to Chicago before the WC players leave, then we should be concerned. But let's see how the next 6 points fall before we go trading Wolff, ripping our attack that had previously been praised and worrying about a backline that until now was averaging less than a goal a game. We'll be fine, we played poorly in a game, that happens.

 

Josh Wolff would've had a goal yesterday had he not got screwed in the middle of the first half. Gbandi got away with a handball in the box after getting beat right in front of us. We were screaming at the linesman who despite not really having manboobs got to imagine the idea.

EDIT - Well I guess a PK is really only a 50/50 for him .

 

I think a lot of the reaction around here is a direct result of the end of the season last year. It made cynics out of a lot of us.

 

Let's face it, Josh would have missed the PK anyway. Jack should have taken it.