Was the offside after the first PK an actual offside? The goal keeper made a deliberate play which should have reset things?
That's not unfair. Another way to look at it is that despite playing a team set-up very defensively who tried to make things difficult for us (17 fouls) we still scored in the first 5 minutes, earned two PKs and had multiple other chances to score. Puig's run was something special, but just a few minutes earlier we had 3-4 chances that I have no idea how they stayed out.
and their goalkeeper stood on his head to keep Maya out, who had quite a few golden chances, especially on corner kicks.
Dejan makes Team of the Matchday for his brace. Puig and Aude make the bench. Team of the Matchday: Atlanta, Nashville make statements in Matchday 17 | MLSSoccer.com
If I'm remembering correctly in that game he had already removed our other stars - Dejan & Joe. At that point also taking out Puig was just dumb.
I make the comment thinking of improving to the point that we are able to compete for something, We are clearly not there, yet. But I am aware we are keeping a high position in the West. Berry not withstanding all of our players are doing well and/or improving (Aude, Pec) or becoming a danger to other teams in their own right (Yoshida, Yamane) so that is something to be excited about. But again, if we had to meet Miami, NY City, Cincy, LAFC, Columbus would we be competitive with where we are? No, not at the moment. Hopefully this team will continue to take a polish and what reinforcements Kuntz is cooking up will not upset the apple cart but continue to add to our competitiveness.
Yeah, I agree. I feel the same as a lot of folks that we haven't QUITE put it all together quite yet, there's another level the team can get to by just fixing some of the small things that are still holding us back. Seems nit-picky but I agree, it's the difference between good and great. But I am starting to be convinced that this is a good team. Pec is really coming to his own now and has had what 4 goal contributions in 3 matches? Our DPs are performing and, as a team, we're stat leaders in several categories. Our achilles heel obviously is defense, which is probably the worst of the other top teams (measured by GD)...but I'm starting to become convinced. This is a good team.
I am so behind on reading threads but I’m diligently catching up. Watched all the games but….life. we’re not too shabby!!!!!!
This is a game where I didn’t mind the starting lineup and I liked the subs that Vanney made and when he made them. Feels weird…..
This is the LA Galaxy entry on the player status report for tomorrow's game LA Galaxy The LA Galaxy have not submitted their Player Status Report and the report will be updated once submitted. Makes me think they are still trying to decide what's going on with Brugman's knee
No surprise. Brugman is out for the Chicago game LA Galaxy Joseph Paintsil - Hamstring (Out) Gastón Brugman - Knee (Out)
Now I'm confused. Is it a *used* diaper factory? Why would that exist? I know we're on the shittiest timeline, but... Back on topic, I still see a team that values possession over getting goal-scoring opportunities. As a tactic, I think I can understand what the thought is: if you have the ball, you can score and the other team can't. That's true -- we even say that to the U8s. The U8s also intuitively understand that you can't win if you don't score goals. Striking an appropriate balance between safety and risk is one of the things that makes it fun. This is why Riqui is so valuable to us (and why he gets triple-teamed once he gets in the offensive third). Not only does he have the skills to keep possession and make 99% passes, at any given moment he can try a 10% through-ball. Fans are howling because he just lost possession, but in that 10% of the time it's successful, it results in a goal scoring opportunity. Like this one: If you crash the box like that, sometimes you're going to score. Unfortunately, we're still prizing safety over risk. So instead, we float out to the wings and do nothing. Since we have no aerial threat on offense, we can get shut down just by preventing the low pass to the arc. So we recycle it back again and try the same tactic (to the same side) over and over again. TLDR: I know we're 2nd in the West right now, but unless we start to play more dangerously, we're not going to be there for long.
That's vanneyball philosophy right there. Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. Well, we got the floating part down. Hopefully the stinging will come along once Paint is back and teams have to account for him also. Not just Puig. The players and their quality, chemistry and knowhow have to figure a way to be dynamic and dangerous. This is where team construction comes into its own because I don't think Vanney has a plan B.
I get what you're saying but keep in mind -- we're 3rd in the league in goals scored. So it's not like we're a toothless team. BTW, the team with the most goals is Miami by a solid margin of 39 goals, but they've given up as many as we have.
I was thinking about Dallas' recent turn from being one of the hottest teams in MLS to, well, what they are now. Just a couple years ago players like Ferreira and Arriola were really hot commodities (we even tried to get Arriola at one point) that have really fizzled out. Arrola is in his prime years, but it's very concerning for Ferriera, who many projected along the same pipeline as Pepi. It sounds harsh, but the team is full of USMNT has-beens (Arriola, Omar, Lletget, Ferriera).
The penalty we did score looked like it would've been a good goal for us (hopefully). the lofted pass to the middle was gorgeous and we had 2 boys right there but I think it was Diego who was chopped from behind.
Players who were "up and coming" during that missed generation. I still feel if Lletget didn't get injured we made the world cup, his career and player development was improving. He was the bridging the gap playmaker we needed at the time. Of course after his injury I honestly feel his play stagnated a bit. Sure he was still a capable player, but he just wasn't as aggressively forward playmaking as he was before that injury. Ferriera is an interesting one. He's still very much quite in his prime he's just stagnated in terms of development. Personally I think he's reached his ceiling and I'm not sure he's cut out for any of the top leagues in Europe. He might do ok in a league like the Eredevisie or Belgium or maybe Austria, but not any of the big 5. Arriola has already reached the ceiling of what he can do. I thought he was a very good MLS level player but I wonder how much of it was all speed and now that he's older and the speed isn't there, his technical ability is lacking.
That's what I was thinking. Lletget is in overtime and Omar just doesnt want tlet go and make those last few buck which I cant blame him for. Arriola I don't follow so I don't know but Ferreira a has-been!? I am not with that. Ferreira could be one of those players that would benefit fromgoing somwhere else, like maybe Galaxy.
I may be in the minority but Brugman’s knee may be lucky for us. In previous seasons Brugman had been one of our best players, but this year I can’t put my finger on it but he doesn’t mesh in the midfield. It’s not that Cerillo is better, but he might be a better fit. Maybe it’s just Delgado and Brugman are too similar and Delgado has been so good this year he should start over Brugman.