So...has anyone mentioned that Jason Kreis is pretty much the undisputed best American MLS coach, if not best coach in MLS in general at this point? His coaching pretty much won that Portland game.
It was about time, since Steele had come in the last few games and sucked. RSL has depth. And yeah Kyle's goal was good and he has a handful of those.
NE looked damn impressive. Nguyen, Guy and Rowe all played well. First time Ive seen Nguyen play, he looked good
He really is. He was Galaxy's defense the last few years. It's pretty rough for Bruce Arena. He built the defense around Omar and now when he is gone, it is pretty evident how good he really was. With Omar the Galaxy was by far the best defensive team in the league and without Omar, we might just be the worst.
Reports of shouting matches amongst Galaxy players including Becks, and players being restrained in the tunnel. Getting dysfunctional around there
Inch perfect through ball by Buddle on the goal. Wasteful on a few shot oppurtunities. LA overall looked pretty jaded. Might also need to consider going to 4231 with two holding mids to shield the backline. AJ Soares was impressive in the back for the Revs. Impressive shot making in the Portland-RSL match. Beckerman: 58 for 59 passing, 5 headers won, and 4 key passes. And the golazo. It'll be interesting to see how he fits into Klinsmann's plans as Beckerman has played well for the US. You look to be correct. Check out the chalkboards of the different matches around the league. You'll be hard pressed to find many teams whose center forwards and strikers are getting significantly more touches. Likewise you'll find it difficult to find many with a better passing percentage. I'm not sure of the fouls drawn comment. He lost possesion by means other than misplaced passing fewer than 4 times. It wasn't as though the opposition were doing anything to stop him.
AJ Soares was very impressive.. CB that can play out of the back and he's got some feistiness in him. Sound defensively too. Just what we need!
guess im somewhat surprised to not hear more about San Jose. Only goal theyve given up thus far is a questionable PK, they have a stout D this year. Beitashour has been good for us at right back, but the real eyebrow raiser thus far is Justin Morrow, who we stashed in the reserves and loaned for two years and is killing it at left back. Cronin has also played like a man possessed this year, hes really coming into his own in the defensive midfield spot. As far as nats chances go Beita and Cronin are pretty far down the depth charts right now. Should be keeping a good eye on Morrow though....
A lot of people have been saying that, and yes, it contributed, but our problems go WAY beyond that right now. We'd still be leaking them if he was in: 1) Juninho is out to lunch. No idea where he is. 2) Team defense has been horrible. Midfield has offered ZERO energy/pressure. 3) Never seen the Galaxy play with such a lack of focus and heart. Last night so many of them looked like they had no interest in being there. Seriously wondering about CCL hangover. 4) Our fullbacks have been having horror shows. 5) That team needed Landon last night. 6) Zero width, Bruce played 4 central midfielders and it showed. What a clusterbleep. We've got to get it together.
sapong strikes! 3 third goal this season, Assisted by Grahm Zusi 5th assist so far this season leads MLS, looking like both of these player are going to have breakout seasons good news for SKC
Hasn't Corrales been playing left back with Morrow at center back? Never the less, San Jose has been pretty good so far and I like both Morrow and Beitashour. I'd like to eventually see Opara at center back with Morrow at left back. But it might be a while till we see that combo. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Yes, although Corrales went off hurt at halftime this weekend, so that's when Morrow pushed wide with Hernandez and Bernardez in the middle. The Quakes have a nice stable of MLS-level talent, but I'm not sure I see any national team material there.
So, (ducking) how close is the level of Zusi's form to what Stu-ball's was when he left for Bolton? To clarify, I was a Stu-ball fan all along. In fact, I was the 1st that I know of to put Stu in the "lock" category in the WC2010 projections. So, I'm fully aware of Stu's ability. Just seems like the Zuzer has been playing really well for a year now, and may garner interest from a Euro club or two
He's been on fire. I would imagine he will garner some interest this summer transfer window. The comparison with Holden is interesting at various levels. Two guys who became increasingly important to their MLS clubs. The interesting precedent to me is that Holden moved to Bolton and became a fixture there before he became a first team regular for the US. I believe Holden is the first non-goalie American to move from MLS and become a starter for a team in one of the Big 4 leagues before becoming a first team player for the USMNT. I believe Tim Ream is the second. It is a sign of progress for the US as a soccer playing country that this is starting to happen. Guys who are not first team for the US going to very strong leagues and becoming first team there. Not sure if Zusi will be able to pull this off. He's a very good player and I could see him doing it. I do think his talent is a pitched at a level a little below Holden. But Holden was one of the best mids in the EPL before getting hurt. This allows room for a player not quite as good as Holden still succeeding in a similar league.
I'm pretty sure Zusi's last name is Italian -- doing a bit of research it seems to originate from the Veneto region -- so I have to wonder if he'd be eligible for a passport. In Italy all it takes in a great grandparent, which is how the Azzurri's Argentine players like Mauro Camoranesi and Pablo Osvaldo obtained theirs. That would certainly make him more appealing to a European team.
Holden had the athleticism and skill to play all midfield positions. Zusi didn't get much time in Camp Strudel but he looks to be centermid only. Can he play centermid in 442? Right now looks like he's excelling in a three man central midfield. Nothing wrong with that but he may need to be particularly choosy when he goes overseas. Example I'd use would be that of Ricardo Clark. As a holding midfielder he would have had a better chance of success in the B1. Instead he was used as a pressing midfielder....
Nice Goff interview with Nick DeLeon. His father, of course, played for the Washington Dips in the old NASL. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/soccer-insider/post/a-few-minutes-with-dc-uniteds-first-round-draft-pick-louisville-midfielder-nick-deleon/2012/01/19/gIQAV5TwBQ_blog.html He mentions his agent had spoken with some folks at T and T but nothing more than that.
Thats whats most impresses me most about Morrow. Everyone was in open panic about our defensive depth going into the season, but with the emergence of some of our guys it turns out we are stacked. The versatility of these guys has been clutch. Morrow is generally a left back but has been playing central defense as you said. We've been wanting morrow to replace Corrales at left back for some time now, hes just better. Even as a quakes fan i kinda get that feeling too. Opara is probably the only exception, but breaking into our defensive line right now isnt gonna be easy, we got a good thing going on. I got a feeling Bingham is gonna be on the level too, but Buschy has been standing on his head lately. he just gets it. Im worried Bingham may bolt because of it.... he should be starting in the league too. Id like to loan him out somewhere if possible.