Behncke worked at center back next to Dunseth. Jesus Christ. There's a tandem to be feared... BY BURN FANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
personally I feel Behncke is a much better center back than outside back. And there really isn't any other option.
Every time I read another practice report, (which are always good, btw), I get depressed by all the "what if's" and "if only's". Why, oh why, can't the skill, communication and hard work displayed on the field during practices be carried over to the games? FOR A FULL 90 MINUTES????? Anyway . . .
Oh this is fabulous. We'll be missing 3 starters from the team last week who gave up 4 goals. In their place we'll start some subs and maybe some injured players. Jesus H Christ. This team has turned into the human form of Dragon Stadium - a big pile of huge stinking crap. This game could single handedly launch Clint Mathis into contention for the Golden Boot. The season continues to get worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse and worse
We will never hit rock bottom because there is no rock bottom with this team, we just keep sinking further.
I know Salyer isn't actually left footed, but he has played a LOT of left back including, briefly, for the Burn. Why risk Gbandi's health in a MEANINGLESS (for Dallas) game instead of playing Salyer on the left? Also, after giving up nine goals the past two games, any chance Cassarr will be sat and we'll see DJ back in the net? And, how close is Jason Thompson to being ready to play and will he get any action these last three games?
I am not sure, but I posted my guess in the report. Maybe Clarke just wants to see Gbandi play. See if he can play through pain. Mental toughness has been a shortcoming for Gbandi this season. It's very possible, but I can't usually tell which GK is starting from practice. If I can find out I will let you know, but Clarke probably won't tell me. Physcially he is healthy, but I doubt you will see him.
Goal Keeping I don't get the whole goal keeper thing. Dallas let Matt leave so that DJ could start. DJ played well, even though his numbers don't show it----but hey what goalie would have good numbers on this team---and then the coach starts playing musical keeper. DJ is athletic, committed and young. What he needs in order to get better FOR NEXT YEAR is time in the goal. If someone else (an older, more experienced, not necessarily better keeper) is going to be starting in the goal next year why in the heck did they go get DJ??? They should have kept Matt! What gives????? JEBREB
I just want Sayler to get some minutes. How about we give Thompson some minutes as well. Morrow, please come back!!!
Keeper It is funny how unoriginal sarcasm is on message boards. I guess that is the "catch all" for no information, no original thoughts, no idea. Perhaps silence would work better............ I know that you can play the guessing game all day long I was just looking for some insight from someone I thought might have an inside track to the staff with the Burn. Ps. My post was directed to 3rdDegree.
Re: Keeper Are you mad at me? or someone else? I can't tell. If you are mad at me I am not sure what for. Which post was directed to me? The one about GK? or this one? Sometimes a coach will tell me a direct answer, sometimes off the record, and sometimes I take a best guess. Often I can’t really say in a post how I know stuff. But in the case of goalkeeper... Matt Jordan was telling me for three years he wanted to go to Europe after his contract ran out. "Take a shot" I believe he said. So the Burn just let him go and didn't fight for him to stay. Yes part of that was to go with DJ. Now Jeffries is gone, part of the reason Cassar is starting some games is for Colin Clarke to get a first hand, personal evaluation. Part of it is also that DJ had some off field issues that made him miss training. I don't think anyone was blaming DJ, but why not try someone else for a bit when there are 5 wins. Will we see DJ again this weekend? I honestly don't know, but it would not surprise me. Let me also say that what was intended at the start of the season is not important now. The new coach (Clarke or otherwise) will need to reach his own conclusion about who will be the man next season. Nothing about these next few games is about getting playing time for next year. It is about evaluating for next year, two different things in my book. There will be big time turnover in the roster I can almost guarantee it.
Re: Re: Keeper That will be the most interesting part of the off-season. The Burn season will be over in about 20 days. Let's say the rebuild starts Nov. 1, even though MLS Cup is later than this, I think. That leaves only 90 days for the players to actually do anything before fitness training starts for the 04 season. They typically get a month off after the end of the season, plus a long Christmas vacation. If 04 is going to be one iota better than 03, the changes will be fast and dramatic. And to me it sort of adds meaning to the final torture of this season...if the players cannot see that the 03 and 04 seasons are deeply connected, they need a dose of reality. A coach is not going to forget that a mere 90 days ago a player was totally not ready to play when they had the chance.
Goal Keeping 3rd Degree: No, that was not directed at you. Thanks for the reply and information. I agree with most of what you said and appreciate the info. A couple things strike me: 1. As a keeper the only way to get experience is to play. The league is paying DJ well, he seems to have all the tools, he needs to play in real MLS games. Otherwise in four or five years he is just another 25 year old keeper with 15-20 games under his belt. 2. Seems to me Clarke knows both keepers pretty well as he has been with the team. Dallas' defense has been banged up and changed up and I think stability in the goal is important. 3. DJ missed what? Two days training? 4. I agree that evaluating for next year is important, but so is building some stability for the future. 5. My bet is DJ sits this week.
Re: Goal Keeping Good points see below. Frankly I agree with most of it. Very true. Fair point. But knowing them and training and knowing how they react in game situations is different. And One game is not enough. It needs to be a series of them. Three I think. I think there will be so much turnover that stability means jack squat at this point. But I certainly could be wrong. Well like I said I really don't know. Either one would not surprise me.
I took a close look at the stats to see if there was a good reason why Cassar deserved to play at the expense of Countess' development. Here's what I found. DJ has the better g.a.a. Cassar – 2.56 goals against average Countess – 2.07 goals against average The team gets slightly more points per game when DJ starts. Cassar – 0.66 standings points per start (1-4-1) Countess – 0.71 standings points per start (4-14-3) Cassar faces slightly more shots. Cassar – 1 shot every 14.05 minutes 40 shots, 562 minutes) Countess – 1 shot every 12.4 minutes (154 shots, 1913 minutes) Cassar has a slightly better save percentage. Cassar – 0.69 save percentage (40 shots, 23 saves) Countess – 0.65 save percentage (154 shots, 101 saves) Cassar is slightly more active controlling his penalty area Cassar – 1 catch/punch every 18.7 minutes (30 C/Ps, 562 minutes) Countess 1 catch/punch every 24.5 minutes (78 C/Ps, 1913 minutes) DJ has slightly better offensive goal support. Cassar – 1 goal scored per game (6 starts, 6 goals scored) Countess – 1.19 goals scored per game (21 starts, 25 goals scored) Basically, the stats are very similar with DJ being better in some and Cassar being better in some. If Jeff was playing dramatically better, I could see going with him. But, since that doesn’t appear to be the case, I don’t see why they don’t just let the kid play and get the experience.
Goal Keeping Sandon: I could not agree more....I think you said it better than I did. DJ is the best, young American keeper playing in the MLS. Unless there is a compelling reason not to start him, I just don't see a reason to sit him. I understand the missing practice thing and sitting DJ for a game....but beyond that I don't see that what they are doing benefits the team long term. DJ will be with the team next year and at this point I believe every game counts. Sure he has games coming up with the U23s, but he needs Pro games to get better. JB PS. 3rd Degree thanks for your follow up and information.
Re: Re: Goal Keeping Let me know when you know who IS starting. By the way I don't think that Colin will get the job. With the new GM starting, a guy who understands what it takes to win, I just don't see that Colin has enough experience to rebuild this team. I don't know much about him but I think his only real head coaching job was with an A league team for one year. Right? JB
Re: Goal Keeping Countess ending up another 25 year old keeper with 15-20 games under his belt seems pretty unlikely, considering the fact that he's currently 21, and has 22 games under his belt. He hasn't exactly been hurting for playing time this season (21/27, more then 75% of burn games). Considering that Cassar posted a clean sheet in Clarke's first game managing, I don't think it's unreasonable to give him a chance to prove himself. However, there's no way Countess is going to rot away on the bench for the next several years; although MLS produces good goalkeepers, D.J. is currently one of the most promising young keepers in the league, and he'll be getting plenty of time in the future, if not for the Burn, then for another team. If he doesn't pan out, it will be because of lack of talent, not lack of opportunity. That being said, it's not necessary that D.J. get played every single game of the year. Yeah, he's sat three straight, but do you really think he's going to be an inferior goalie next year because he only played in 75% of Dallas's games instead of 85%? Frankly, the difference is not very significant. Let Clarke manage how he sees fit, there's only three games left anyway.
Re: Goal Keeping This being DJ's first year as the starting keeper it's probably good for him to get a rest now and then.. Okay, so he's rested, so put him back in please!
Countess vs Cassar Even with all the statistics, one of the things I haven't seen DJ do, that Jeff does, is attempt to organize the defense. There have been serveral times this year, too many, where DJ should have jumped all over the Midfielders and Defenders for letting players enter the box unchallenged or leaving players un-marked in the box. Undoubtedly, Matt Jordan would have thrown a fit, and deservedely so. Jeff does communicate with the defense. Kahn, Seamans and even Fat Tony don't nessesarly have all the physical skills they once had, but they do have experiance and the ability to organize. Jeff does still have the physical skills, remember to PKs in the game against the El Salvadorian Club team.
Re: Countess vs Cassar Don't agree but I guess that depends on what you can see and hear on the field. I would say that you would have to ask the guys he plays with. I know a couple of the guys that he played with at UCLA and on the U23s and they would disagree. However I also think this in one of those experience things. I would hope that Jeff would be better at it than DJ seeing that he has been playing keeper for almost nine years longer. He is what, almost 30? I do agree that this IS very important and something to work on.
Re: Re: Goal Keeping Thanks for keeping me straight....I guess I exaggerated a little about the 25 games! However if Clarke and rest of the league still need to give Cessar "a chance to prove himself" OK! He is almost 30 years old and I don't think that much is going to change. He is the same player he has always been. I also really don't believe that one clean sheet means that all of sudden you get a shot....what about the last ten years? Was that not enough time for him to prove himself? Look if Clarke comes out and says Cassar is the starting keeper because Clarke believes he is the best keeper and that he give us the best chance to win, than I will shut up... I won't agree, but at least something definitive has been done. If Clarke, or the new GM, plan on dumping both Cessar and DJ next year then it really does not matter. However I don't think this is the case. Remember the trade for DJ? I am not for throwing in the towel on the season without trying to do something productive for next year and improve where we still can. Hey it was ugly and there are going to be big changes. I wish I knew who we were going to end up with on this team next year but of course I don't. I just happen to think that one of the areas where we have a guy who has the potential to be a big time player and really help this team in the future (next year!)---is at keeper and I think that guy is DJ. So he sat out a game because he missed practice and then he sat out a couple more--time to put him back in and start focusing on developing for next year. JB
Keeper I should also add that yes I know Cassar is a good keeper. His numbers prior to 2001 were excellent. Many of his issues were due to injury so no disrespect to him. I am just talking about the future and what the Burn need to do in order to be successful next year and for the next few years. JB