Official DC United vs Colorado Rapids PRE Match Thread [N&A] [CO-KC, 6/9 -R-]

Re: Official DC v. COL Pre match thread [N&A][R]

Do we really have to start this?

DC will be without Martins, Quaranta, Quintanilla, Convey, and Stewart. We get back Nelsen...

My guess for a line up is:

----Perkins----

Wanker--Nelsen--Prideaux

----Carrol--Ara----

Olsen--Kovalenko--Gros

----Adu---Moreno----

Of course, I could see Ara sitting with Cerritos or Esky out there with Moreno back in midfield.

All in all, I pray that Stokes sits (he may have been scapegoated as the sole cause of the loss in Chicago but that still doesn't hide the fact that Stokes is not a quality player). That leaves an empty bench though...

Subs: Cerritos, Esky, Stokes, Warren and Rimando. Is that really all we've got?

 

More cheery news: Ben Olsen was on DC101 this morning and didn't sound too optimistic about playing, he dinged up his knee against the Fire.

Without Namoff, I think we could see Eski there, or Quintanilla.

 

Re: Official DC v. COL Pre match thread [N&A][R]

I'd agree w/ the lineup and well Chung won't have Stokes to abuse anymore. Why would we have 2 GKs on the bench? What's the status of Nana Kwame's contract and paperwork?

My Starting XI:
---------Perkins-------------
--Petke---Nelsen----Prideaux
------Dema-----Carroll
--Olsen-----Moreno----Gros

-----Adu----------Esky----

We don't know if Ara is ready yet. He's going to graduate and have fun on Thursday so who knows if he'll be mentally ready yet. Let's hope Esky and Adu can sync up and Esky brings his scoring boots..the ones he had versus the Quakes in the opener.

Moreno will go 70..then off for Ara, or Cerritos and Adu will drop into midfield as necessary.

 

Re: Official DC v. COL Pre match thread [N&A][R]

------------Perkins---------------------------
Not Stokes---------Nellie----------------Not Stokes
-----------------Not Stokes--------------------
Not Stokes--------Not Stokes----------------Not Stokes
------------------Not Stokes----------------------
-----------Moreno-----------Not Stokes

I will turn on Novak is Stokes starts. I would rather see Benny play right back than Stokes start this game. We are going to be hurting this game because of injuries and unfilled roster sports.

-------------------Perkins-----------------------------
Benny------------Wanker-----------Nellie---------------Brandon
-------------------------Carrol---------------------------------
---------------------Dema-------------------------------Gros
--------------------------Moreno-----------------------------
----------------------Esky--------------Adu

We ned to play 4 at the back and stokes can not start so I would like to see a national team play without a right mid formation and make use of benny's hustle to help the Defense and provide more balance on the right. I start Esky for his hustle and defensive work.

Wow is our bunch weak with this lineup. Cerritos, Arya, 17 year old Freddy birthland guy (name escapes me) and two keepers. Scary

 

OK, since it is unlikely that Olsen can go, the lineup may turn out to be the following:

Code:

			Perkins			

	Petke		Nelsen		Prideaux

		Carroll		Ara

Dema						Gros
			Moreno

		Cerritos	             Adu

My logic is that Eski was not ready last week and Moreno was almost ready. Hence, I think Nowak will continue with Cerritos and use Eski as a sub for either Moreno or Adu. Eski is also someone who can play wide midfield, so that is a possibility.

I think that we will rebound well, even short-handed. It is my belief that Cerritos, though inconsistent, has played a few good games and can possibly pull one off against Colorado. At least he's 100% healthy and playing hard.

Tim

 

Just to be the contrarian, Stokes starts . Seriously though. Is Namoff healthy enough? I read he was going to see a specialist which makes it sound like he might not be available. Petke hasn't been lighting it up and Prideaux is a PK waiting to happen. I guess that's better than a disaster (Stokes) in progress. Is Eski ready? He was out last week hopefully he can go. If Olsen is out I would expect to see Moreno in the midfield and I would like to see Eski and Cerritos start up top mainly because they don't come back into the midfield as much to crowd things up. When Adu is in there he comes so far back so often that we end up only playing with 1 forward. Jaime does the same thing a lot, but with him maybe in the midfield, I would like to see 2 forwards who press up high and prvide an outlet for the midfielders. Adu as a sub, Perkins in net.

 

If Eski is ready to go, would we see him in midfield, on the outside left?

That would be a good alignment, in my opinion:

Code:

			Perkins			

	Petke		Nelsen		Prideaux

		Carroll		Ara

Gros						Eski
			Dema

		Cerritos           Moreno

That's the best lineup that I think we can reasonably hope for.

 

Do we even have enough healthy players to field a team on Sat? I believe Eski and Olsen are still out, as is Quintanilla(sp?), Martins - didn't I just read that he re-injured his knee this week? , Quaranta has been out so much that I'm not sure he'll be fit to play at all this year, Namoff most likely out for a few weeks, Convey and Stewart w/ the Nats.
Forgive me if I forgot someone, the list is just too long.
So here is what I see as what we have left, and I am NOT going with the 3-5-2, I don't think the players available are strong enough as a whole to pull it off against Colorado, and I don't mean that as an insult to any of them:

------Perkins------
----Ara-------Petke--------Nelson------Prideaux

----Stewart-----Dema-------Carroll------Gros
------Cerritos--------Moreno

I personally think that Freddy does better when he comes on at half, it gives the defense on the other team time to wear out a little and makes his speed/skills more effective. Other than that, we have Stokes, Warren, and Rimando as subs. Perhaps Dougie can play on the field as a sub. That can't be any worse than Stokes.
Let's hope the team can dig deep this Sat.(and that Colorado can't handle the air down here ) and pull out a win.

 

Per Diceson's report. Nowak stated that he will continue to play the 3/5/2.

 

Of course, that's assuming that we generate any kind of offense to work their D. If all they're doing is hanging around midfield shagging clearances for 45 minutes, they'll still be fresh.

 

Yeah, just saw that. Ok, move Ara into Def. midfield w/ Carroll.

 

Oh ye of little faith

 

Unfortunately, this is the equivalent of the French saying they would play the Maginot Line in 1940.

 

'Playing'? Was it playing when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

 

I support Nowak's stubborn insistence on a 3-5-2 formation. Switching to 4-4-2 would send a lousy message to the players because it would imply that they aren't good enough to play 3-5-2. Maybe they aren't - right now. But they've played that formation quite decently in the past, and maybe they can recover that earlier form.

I think it's even more than that though. It's not just that it would say the players aren't good enough. It would also say the coach no longer believes in the players. Maybe it's just my impression, but Nowak's insistence on that formation almost has a symbolic quality to it now. It's almost like it stands for the team that Nowak believes DC United can be. If Nowak switches formations now it would mean he's lost confidence in his players.

 

Even if Olsen said he's not too optimistic for Saturday he'll probably play. This is Ben we're talking about.

 

I don't agree, although I understand the point you're making. I don't think it's letting go of your ideals to use a formation tailored to your available personnel. If we don't have enough quality backs to play a 3-5-2, we should provide cover by playing in a 4-4-2. You can spin ANYTHING! We're from Washington; we know how to do that.

 

We simply don't have the manpower to run the 3-5-2 right now. We're missing key midfielders that cover for our backs, and we don't have backs that can run the wings and defend adequately. You may be on to somthing as to why Nowak is sticking to his guns, but it still doesn't make any sense. At some point he's gotta see that with the selection he has, he doesn't have the quality to run his formation of choice. When (IF) we get all the personnel back, I would love to see us go with the 3-5-2, because it was clicking for a spell, but after last weekend, I'm frightened by the prospects. That 3 man backline is like trying to carry 20 pounds of ******** in a 10 pound bag, and it's getting really ugly.

 

....and 2002

 

With Namoff out, we also don't have the manpower for a 4 man backline.

 

I thought eski and quintanilla are both injured

 

I was assuming that Eski wasn't that bad off, and I thought that Elisio has been close to returning.

 

Nowak's insistence on the 3-5-2 indicates an inability or unwillingness to coach tactically. Look at Diceson's report, Nowak indicated he knew what the proper response to Chicago's formation was; however, his players couldn't or didn't do what he wanted them to do. At half time he should have made adjustments, instead he continued to try to pound the square peg in the round hole and gave up 2 more goals. I want to give the guy the benefit of the doubt but he doesn't have 10 proven quality field players for Saturday. If he was "coaching" instead of pontificating, he would bunker in and play for a tie and hope to steal three points. If he insists on the 3-5-2, it's Chicago and L.A. all over again. None of this has anything to do with giving up on the players. A "coach" takes the players he has and the physical condition they are in and uses a formation that plays to their strengths and covers up their weaknesses. The goal in this league, as any, is results. A "coach" takes the points when he can and how ever he can even if it means playing a 7-2-1. Jeebus!