CBA is wrapped up, game is on. Not sure what Marsch's game plan is for this one, but it probably involves begging KC to take it easy. My best guess at the starting lineup: --------BWP---------- Kljestan-Peguy-Sam -------------Felipe---- ---------Dax----------- Miller-Per-Zubar-Duvall I'd celebrate a draw like its a win for this one.
[QUOTE="iced1776, post: 31881841, member: 160773" --------BWP---------- Kljestan-Peguy-Sam -------------Felipe---- ---------Dax----------- Miller-Per-Zubar-Duvall[/QUOTE] I think we'll either see this or we'll see Grella replace Luyindula and play at LM with Kljestan shifting into that center attacking midfielder role. I'm very worried about the lack of a true left-sided player. All the options over there will want to drift centrally so it will put a ton of pressure on Roy Miller to provide width. We really need Sam to stretch the defense on the opposite side for this to work. Like everyone else, I'm pretty scared by our defensive unit and the lack of depth. I think Zubar can be a solid CB in MLS, but like all guys coming over from Europe there will be a period of adjustment. I agree that a draw in this game may be our best-case scenario.
I'm not too worried about having an inverted winger on the left side, that's how we spent most of last season with either Alexander or Henry. I don't remember who it was against, but Alexander and Miller had one phenomenal game on the left side where they constantly overlapped each other, and combined to create at least one goal. What scares the shit outta me is Miller overlapping, and relying on Damien "running through mud" Perrinelle to cover that whole side of the field for him.
Fox Sports 1 has coverage schedule from 7:00 to 9:30. It could be good to wait to start the game until after the Big 12 Women's Basketball Semifinal that's on Fox Sports 1 immediately before it.
Can I just say that this is not the message to be sending out ahead of your team's first game. Whatever Marsch's decision is regarding who gets the start, he needs to play things a little cooler in public. As it stands, this seems to presage the types of defense-by-committee that usually spells a backline that leaks goals.
So we signed a few more guys: Shawn McLaws, Karl Ouimette, and Cameroonian striker Anatole Abang. I guess Ouimette provides cover at left back and maybe at CB in a pinch. McLaws will provide depth at RB but will probably see a lot of time in USL. Abang may be the closest to the first team simply because we don't have a lot of depth at striker. From the clips I've seen of him he looks like a legitimate athlete, but like all 18 year old forwards, he needs a lot of polishing. Maybe USL can provide him with the game time he'll need to develop.
My prediction is... 1. This: 2. Duvall reminding everyone it's his second year. Not in a good way... 3. ...Resulting in Sam being pinned back to help Duvall... 4...Resulting in Dax Felipe and Kljestan getting frustrated due to lack of credible wide options... 5. ...Resulting in BWP being left on an island since KC only has to worry about balls coming straight up the gut. 6. General disarray, miscommunication, and panic on the back line.
wow... I guess I haven't been the only one not contributing to this boards. What ever happen to the days when there would be 10-15 pages of comments for opening match? On a side note, I was watching all of yesterday's matches via MLS online... and noticed how Olave was playing for Real Salt Lake at The Timbers grounds on Fake Turf. So I guess he's good enough to play for them on Turf but not for us...? wtf.
Too many terrible moves by Ownership. Fans don't give as many f#cks as they used to. Didn't he and Henry both play away games vs. the Timbers? They have the best turf in MLS. I think it was only places like NE, Seattle , etc. where they sat.
Looking forward to another season where people try to convince me that Miller is an above average left back for MLS. Can't wait til he goes and we replace him with a guy who can defend and cross. Getting something out of this game will be an accomplishment. Part of the "no stars" team really appeals to me after seasons of Henry taking games off and screaming at everyone - too bad RB had to sour it with the offseason moves.
I have no idea what that means. Thought Red Bull looked semi-competent, especially after watching the two expansion teams. I thought that was a decent result.
Like most of the games this weekend, that was ugly... guys looked like they were still very much in preseason form with their touches. Even our more skilled players on the ball like Kljestan, Miller, and Felipe were sending their first touches all over the place. Tough to even know what to take away from that game because of how sloppy it was on both sides, some good and some bad but nothing amazing. The good: Midfield spacing was good even if the touches weren't. Dax was his usual reliable self, Felipe looks great at making runs from deep to help spark the attack. Zubar hasn't proven himself to be Olave-quality yet, but he was very good tonight. One of the only guys in the back line tonight to actually clear the ball properly. Sounds so simple, but failing to clear KC's set piece is what led to their goal. Considering his limited involvement, BWP's movement and passing was still sharp. Its probably going to take a few weeks for the midfield to figure out how to get him the ball behind the defense. Zubar and Perrinelle weren't a disaster. The bad: Kljestan's ball control... I keep harping on the first touches across the board but his was the worst. And this from the guy who is supposed to control the midfield for us. LM is clearly going to be a spot in need of an upgrade ASAP, Grella and Zizzo are aggressive players but I don't think they have the skill to make a real impact. Both guys had simple chances in on goal and took atrocious touches to run the play. Grella also tends to take far too long to make decisions in the box. It only took Miazga a few minutes to remind us all why he lost his spot last year... Didn't like the play out of either fullback. KC attacked Duvall pretty hard in the first half and he kept getting himself caught on no man's land, Miller was just caught flat footed defending a few times and made no impact offensively.
Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Jesus H. F#cking Christ. Mr. Curtis you're making these predictions way too easy. Said it before and I'll say it again: If this season blows it will be because... 1. Lack of credible moves on the backline. Both our outside backs have zero legit competition for their spots. That is NOT good. CB pairing was fine this game, but remains to be seen. Miazga still doesn't look ready for prime time. 2. No threat from LM. 3. No backup if BWP goes down. Midfield will control the ball but the problems on the back line will pull our creative attacking midfielders back resulting in BWP being left on an island all season. He's a striker that needs repeated service. That's why he and Henry worked so well.
Klejestan is reminding me of Claudia Reyna except can,t do all the little things. Guy looks like crap. We used 1st allocation slot on this. Average player in Europe looks like less Han average player in MLS.
My thoughts.... 1. Kljestan was just OK but I'm not too worried about him. I think he's being played out of position a bit as he is certainly not an attacking mid (though his shooting is pretty solid). I would much rather see Sacha deployed in a deeper position but at the same time I don't feel confident with Felipe playing underneath the striker. Losing Luyindula, especially at this late juncture without a proper chance to acquire a replacement, may be the death knell. 2. Grella looked like a lower division guy. He's not good enough to be anything other than a depth option. The failure to land a proper LM (especially after creating the void by trading away Oyongo and Alexander) is absolutely inexcusable. Zizzo is also nothing more than a depth option. We do not have an MLS starting caliber player to slot in on the left. 3. The backline needs some time to gel. Zubar looks the part, Perrinielle played decently, but they will need to up their game considerably going forward because Marsch's high pressing tactics will lead to lots of situations where opposing teams, upon breaking the initial line of confrontation, will be running with numbers at our defense. Suffice it to say I'm not overly confident this particular grouping is ready for that level of bombardment. Side note here: Dwyer should have scored at least a hat trick. 4. Robles is good.
Pretty sucessful result for the first match. Tieing KC on the road is a job well done. *We had good energy. We pressed a lot. Players look like they are all in. *Real nice goal from Lloyd. Especially answering back. Winning teams come from behind. *The D looked 'okay', but let's face it; we probably should have lost this match 2-1. They were not a total horror show though. Robles is gunna be busy this season. *I knows its early and players need to gel, but we are lacking ideas up top. BWP will likly have a frustrating season. I watched less entusiastically than I nomally do. Long season though, we will see how things develop.
He is what he is. In the end I suspect he will be an average MLS middy. Which is why I found the fanfare at the guys arrival go strange. Like why am I getting all these emails about freakin Sasha.
Yup, we got lucky. That said, both of those misses from Dweyer were not gimme's. One play he was sliding in and on the other that he shanked, he was at a tough angle. He could have scored on either or both, but they were not easy tap ins that he missed. I think all of us know the defense we have. We are going to leaking a lot of goals and be chasing a lot of matches. Not necessarily each match, but after we look back after 10 matches, it should be pretty apparent.
I think what were seeing is the consequence of trying to go all tabula rosa in the short period of a couple of months. A smarter, more experienced management team would have built a new team incrementally out of the old one. When you make wholesale change, the result is you have donkeys like Grella playing key roles greater than their pedigree would suggest. The case can be made that the available players weren't sufficient to meet certain needs and it just takes time to scout for the kind of players you really want. If that is the case, then keeping the better part of a solid team from last year would have been the smarter move. Quite a few of the players on this current squad feel like so much mud thrown against the wall. In the end shedding a player like Oyongo, even to get a much solidified central midfield feels like a forced issue that in the end creates a hole rather than fills it.
True. They were not tap ins. However, a forward of his quality is expected to score one of those. Also, Duvall was not good. Also, Miller was not good. Also, Miazga made a horrible mistake. Zubar and Robles looked like the only competent players out there. Some of this can quite possibly be corrected with more time together...but we say that every f#cking year about our back line.