As a Stars fan and an apologist for NHL teams in the Sunbelt -- except the Sharks, because ******** the Sharks -- I'll be rooting hard for them. Either a Pens loss or the lengthening of the Canadian 0-for Stanley Cup streak would be an added bonus.
The thought of Nashville (NASHVILLE?!?!) hoisting a Stanley Cup makes me wanna puke. Bettman has tried so hard to kill that league that I almost wish him success, just because.
I get that and I'm not against Nashville or SunBelt teams in general. I'm just upset (ie: crusty old fart, in this case) because Gary's support for these cities has been inconsistent over the years and his expansion strategy (or lack thereof) has left many markets wanting while he's throwing darts in an attempt to simply see what sticks. Feel the appeal of the league as a whole has suffered because of it. But I digress.
You clearly haven't seen a Sounders game. 70+% possession, yet Saturday was the first game of the season where we led at halftime... Possessing the ball just to posses it is meaningless. The value is in actually doing something with the ball and putting it into dangerous positions and executing on those chances.
Yes it's meaningless but watch Man City or Arsenal playing the ball out from the back and camping in the opposition's half until someone makes an incisive run. That's Vieira wants at NYC.
Which is my point. If, like the Sounders, you lack a person that makes that incisive run, or can properly finish the end product that completes that incisive run, you're just time wasting.
4/30/2017 - ATL vs. DCU Atlanta: 74% possession, 26 shots DCU: 26%, 9 shots. Final Score: DCU 3 - 1 ATL I've lost track of how many Arsenal games featured the same trend. *sigh*
But those are examples I don't much find relevant in MLS. Yeah, Man City and Arsenal are going to do that because the only way 2/3rds of the league are going to beat them are by putting a bunch of players behind the ball, conceding possession, and hoping to hit on the break. They are going to lack the players to play possession soccer against them and they lack the players to play an effective high press either. In MLS the teams are even enough that you might not get ripped to shreds if your high press gets broken a couple times. You may concede a goal but you can also reasonably stand a chance to defend it. You do that against Man City then you are likely screwed because the forwards are better finishers than most MLS players (I can be honest about that) but they are also superior than pretty much every defender they are going up against. One of the things I like about MLS is that teams can find their own identity and play it most of the time and be effective with it. But you can also see tactical moves that can change a game because the teams are relatively evenly matched. Viera can play a possession style but there are ways other coaches can counter that. The high press can be countered. Houston's absorbing pressure and hitting on the break can be countered. And they can all be countered in different ways be different teams because the teams are fairly even. The counter to the way Man City or Arsenal play is, for most teams, to park the bus because that is what you do when your players are inferior (by a good margin as well sometimes). So, TLDR of this is that looking at the tactics of the top teams in Europe is less relevant in MLS because those tactics are dictated partly by the gulf in quality between the top and bottom of those leagues. Yes, you can still learn things but the "truths" about tactics are a little less true here.
So much for the "deepest team in MLS history" Great reality check, we're good but were not that good that we can throw on our bench plus some TFC 2 players and beat anyone. Cheyrou's injury killed our midfield though and shifted the tide. Worst game Edwards has played and hopefully will ever play. Total shocker.
Every time? No, wait for a player to make a run or get into position and then move the ball quickly. There's no need to rush the ball forward every time, you're just feeding the opposition. Make the opposition work for the ball then exploit the gaps. My original comment was about an international football competition, not MLS.
Whitecaps leading Impact 2-0. Impact have the weakest defensive spine in MLS this year. Just pathetic.
I love MLS but I can't wait for the CPL and more nights like tonight where I see plenty of young Canadians being given chances on the pitch.