If the type of goals they gave up weren't a pattern, I could see how one would write up the game that way. But they were very much in character.
Yea. That was my initial reaction as well. Merely one half of a sentence to summarize the most glaring problem of the 2019 season and the rest of the article talks as if the Rapids dominated (even though the offensive chances that were described were a direct result of Rapids mad desperation and DCU packing it in on defense after DCU ramped it up to 3-1... which goes back to the original point. Defensive collapse. Yet again. After all these months. Just a case in point on an earlier point that some beat writing coverage seems to paint a very misleading picture to fans of club status and what’s been going on... which is dished off to a half sentence in passing. Sigh.
Meanwhile it was a beautiful day in London and it sounds like I didn’t miss anything on the plane last night.
Game ended poorly, as you have seen. However, the crowd seemed into the game a bit more than usual. Particularly given the result. Rod
Wait till next week. Kroenke will have the match delay-broadcast from a studio featuring some dude re-creating the match on a flannelgraph.
You could find it on an IPad but not phone or vice verse. My kid figured it out. But it took him 10 minutes.
Watched the replay of the goals against today. Man oh man was that terrible defense. Marcelo kept saying they need to tweak a few errors. Those are small errors on a U12 team; not this level. Players running through multiple players in the box. Ugh. Remember three years ago when the Rapids had the best defense in the league and a rock solid Howard anchoring it. The complaint was we were boring—which we were. Boy I miss those days.
I thought it was a decent crowd considering the team record, the mild cold, and the fact that both the Avelanchers and the Nuggets had playoff games. It was actually an OK game, if the team didn't have the record they have, not a terrible performance. They looked much more like to get the tying goal than not for the last 20 minutes. But the record is there, this team has better players than last season, and so I still blame the coach. I'm not going to get on Altitude's case, partly because I was at the stadium so didn't have skin in the game, but also because the Nuggets and the Ave's play-offs games are obviously a big thing for them.
Well, per Marcelo, it's a matter of tweaking of few errors. And per the club-friendly official game recap article put out by Burgundy Wave over the weekend, those three DCU goals just kinda magically happened as a matter of fact with zero explanation, critique, or loose attention on how, why, or the defense's trend (the 3 goals were all captured in a very verbose half-sentence). So, I guess the dead last defense rating and the MLS-high 19 conceded goals over 7 games (yep, that's 2.71 per game) is just a minor issue that relates to little player screw-ups... even though just about every midfielder and back line player who have minutes in 2019 have participated in the little, individual screw-ups. This certainly isn't a broader coaching issue. Certainly not. Entertainment Recommendation: Read what Padraig's 2017 "Rapids Way" says about defense. Pablo's 2016 defense meets that standard. As for Anthony Hudson's defense over 44 matches? Um. Not quite. But, you know, it's just a few minor tweaks away.
Minor tweaks like: Stopping the opponent from walking right through the defense and for the goalie to make saves.
I say "mark the follow-up runner" as a main focus. Seriously, if I was an opposing coach I would just say "don't worry about the first shot, make sure someone is trailing for the rebound which Howard can't do anything against".
Yeah. Was that a great play by him or terrible defending? Should one of our guys seen he was on a roll and fouled him?
It can be both. I was sort of laughing at the announcers saying someone had to take a professional foul and bring him down. I thought the defenders were probably saying, "Hey, he can't beat four of us. No reason to give a free kick when someone is going to tap the ball." I get Axel not starting or playing. He's given up a goal a game on mental mistakes. At the same time, he's the best defender the rest of the time. He actually anticipates plays and breaks them up before they occur. Talk about frustrating.
Was at the match Saturday night. Yes, it was a very disappointing result. Very disappointing given that the Rapids played very hard much of the night, even with the horrible gaffes defensively. The second half in particular there was a determination of the Rapids part that just couldn't get the ball in the net. As in the previous match the Hudson went with a 4-2-2-1-1. Interestingly, Feilhaber was playing just behind Kamara with Rubio in the midfield. Not sure this was a good idea as it kept Rubio further from goal. One Rapid that really impressed me was Acosta. Playing deep he was a factor breaking up plays and getting things going forward. I really this this is the best possible role for him with this team. He really is dynamic when he has the freedom to go box to box and read the game. Bassett I believe put the pressure on which led to the corner which the Rapids scored on early in the match. He is becoming an impact player in the attack with his positive movement of the ball. The one thing he has to work on is 1 v 1, he didn't have any success in that department. Vines was a surprise starter for me. He looked okay, although Arriola got the best of him a few times. It will be interesting to see if he is a regular at left back. Can't complain about the physical effort by the 'Pids in this match.
I agree with the effort was there, especially in the second half. The second half subs were my players of the match, I didn't think Bassett, Acosta, or Vines were special, but not from lack of effort. It was an entertaining match, disappointing the Rapids couldn't get the tie, but the results hardly matter now, and anyway, they needed three points, not one.
Effort without results reminds me of song lyrics . . . Sometimes I feel like a dog, Chasing its tail; The effort is strong, The method is stale. --Hokus Pick, "Fading Away" (1995)