I agree with most. I think Tyrone has been hit with injuries and still needs to find his feet. Suarez only gets a C for his recent play. I still think he should slide out wide if/when Califf is healthy. That is his position. Hartmann has been less than impressive this season. In my opinion, he should have had a shutout this past weekend. That second goal was a nice shot, but from 35 yards, only the best cracks should get by. It was low, he should have got there. I think we would be a better team with Ned and Whoopi on the field all the time. Lots of energy and movement. Ned could learn a lifetime's worth in five matches with Herzog. He is our future. Same goes for Whoopi.
Agree with everything you said for the most part except I would give Tyrone a B and Moreno a B- Since coming back from injury, Tyrone has definitely sparked an improvement in our defense and should only get better as his conditioning improves and he adjusts to his teammates. Moreno helped carried the load while Ruiz was out and gets an A from me during that good run he had for a couple games, so with a C for the rest of the season, I balance those out to a B-.
Ngwenya a B? I may be harsh, but I give him a "C". He takes on the defenders but chokes it up in the box when trying to set the perfect pass or tee up the perfect shot. Kind of agree with Kiro's grade of C. Sure he's scored goals, but he doesn't seem to have good chemistry with Ruiz or others.
Way too harsh on Kiro. If you're grading on a flat scale and not curved by experience, salary, etc., he is one of our better players. Now, taking into account his potential, etc., I think he deserves a C-. Otherwise, a B.
I think you're grading on your own expectations and you had higher expectation for some players. The unknowns surprised you and you're giving them high grades based on that. It's not really fair, though, as even players who have slipped from a high standard are really above some of the up-and-comers. They've just lost the "cool" factor.
I agree that you're a bit harsh on Marshall. He's been fairly solid in back, but he's also a powerful force when he needs to come forward. I'd give him at least a B-. Moreno? C'mon. He's not a show-stopper, but he's deadly. The reason we are where we are in the standings is because of him. When Ruiz was out, he turned on the Afterburners, and managed to make the most of Herzog's accuracy. I have a feeling a lot of people grade him on the game in SJ, when everyone was completely burnt out. But what about last weekend? Against KC, he was on the field for about 1 minute, and all of the sudden, the KC defense looked like they were made of glass.
I would generally agree with all your grades, with a couple of added points: Herzog, I would have to say more of a B, as he as definately disappeared at times. Marshall, I would say a B- when he has been healthy, he has been solid. Unfortunately, he has really been fighting the bug. Kirovsky, a B- I think you are overlooking the most important aspect of what he brings. That is taking attention away from Ruiz. We are not seeing Ruiz triple teamed every time he touches the ball as he was last year. Although inconsistant... he does provide a threat. Finally, I cannot agree more with your points about Grabavoy should be playing all the time and Victorine, that is not up to MLS standards is taking playing time away from more deserving players.
I'd rather take my beloved childhood pet out back with a shotgun than agree with a bad Gato grade, but you're right. His game against Kansas City was indicative of his year - unsteady, poor decisions. He carried the defense last year, and now we see what happens when he has merely mortal output. It's an absolute miracle that the Galaxy are in contention, let alone in first, with Hartman having average games. I can't get to where Moreno's grades are anything but too harsh. I start him over JoKi at this point - I agree wholeheartedly with your Kirovski grade. The past couple of games, the guy has given up on balls and given up on plays. We all know Fish is Our Lord and Savior, but Moreno can provide another target and Jovan, apparently, doesn't want to. We could stick Jovan in full on midfield (where he should be anyway), but who do you bench? I think Cobi's been more effective that a lot of people - he's carried the team at times when the rest of the team was either tired or not producing. I'd like to see him go up the middle more than the old to-the-sidelines, beat-the-defender (hopefully)-and-cross routine, though. Sasha, to me, is exactly what he should be - an effective defensive midfielder with a modicum of offensive skill, worlds of hustle, and a willingness to play whatever role necessary. If someone like Sasha is, say, your target forward (like in 2001), or someone you hope to run the offense, you will lose. But you find guys like Sasha on championship teams - ask Steve Ralston. Sigi and Herzog have come through in a big way - Sigi for managing to get wins with a thousand-year-old international playmaker (sounds familiar), and Herzog for being so much better than he had any right to be after something like a year out of the game. When Andy runs out of gas, it's an ugly thing to see, but the last KC game showed he can now give 90 minutes. Love Ngwenya, love Aloisi, love love love Grabavoy. I always look at rookies through rose-colored glasses, but their net contributions have outweighed the big mistakes each of them have made. They're already ahead of - well, I hate to be yet another guy to bash Ricky Lewis, but what can you do? No one else is worried about Chris Albright in the slightest? Take the Chicago Fire game, where he got the goal and the assist. He gave up one of the dumbest penalties I've ever seen. He got us out of a hole he dug himself. I don't mind if he turns into Ezra Hendrickson Mark II - both Sigi and Bruce Arena have come around to how nice it is to have a wingback going forward, and it's great fun to watch as a fan. But when you have a guy like EZ, Albright, or Frankie Hejduk charging forward like the Panzer Korps, you need central defenders who can take on the counterattack. It's not that Chris can't cover, so much...although he can't, not even as well as Ezra could, and Ezra was and is a DINO. It's that the guys left behind act like the Seventh Cavalry with Crazy Horse coming up the hill. Which brings us to Ryan Suarez. I'm thrilled he's on the team, I love his heart, but he has lived up to every scouting report ever on him - good and bad. Now, he's been great since the Fire game, where he not only saved our bacon, but served it a delicious sandwich at a value price. But inconsistency is his watchword, and he'll have to go the rest of the season at that level before the doubters are silenced. He makes Tyrone Marshall look consistent, in other words. But, he keeps Bo on the bench, so Suarez for Hall of Fame.
Actually, I don't think Bo is all that bad. He's not speed, but neither was Lalas. He reads plays well, and damn if he wouldn't have been the effing hero if that crackling thirty yard low shot he hit a few weeks ago wouldn't have been luckily saved. I think the guy gets a bum rap, especially from the Riot Squad cultists. Topper
I'm sure when he feels like it, he can still play. Just like Campos. But the guy retired a year and a half ago, and he's treating us like his sandlot team.
Dirt And though Memo was not graded.. shows clearly that Memo Gonzalez died almost a year ago in a freak pinata accident, and Doug Hamilton hasn't been able to formulate a proper press release to subdue the skeptics. Agree on most grades.... Disagree on Big Kev. All the injuries have desimated his confidence in this defence... And Albright, nothing is scarier than the McDonalds Moon Man running 10 yards behind Justin Mapp to cover back for a turnover he most likely created. Other than that... Still want to see sigi fired for no other reason than he still has a chance to Fvck up this season still.
My grade for the Galaxy As long as the team wins at home, takes points on the road, and stays in first place, my grade for the team is an A. That includes Sigi, for bringing in players who have created an atmosphere of constant competition for a starting spot on matchday. I have a problem with our players contesting every whistle and flag. OK, MLS officiating is not top notch, but when the Galaxy players argue every whistle and every decision by the linesmen, it makes the team look amateurish. Referees hate being shown up by players, and when our players wonder why they don't get calls, regardless of venue, one does not have to look far. A prime example of this occurred last Saturday against the Whiz. In the fracas, we know who the instigators were, but who was the only one admonished? Pescadito. It's one thing to grind the refs in an attempt to gain an advantage, but it's another thing completely when our players are screaming at the refs at every call and trying to show them up. Refs respond better to class and respect than petulence. Let the coach and captain do the screaming.
Re: My grade for the Galaxy I totally agree with this, but I doubt it'll ever happen. At least as long as Suarez is around. Oops, sorry Ryan. Topper
In agreement with the above. I used to tell my players, "soccer, like life, isn't fair. Deal with it." You can't take your head out of the game due to reffing frustration, etc.