Pierce to Portugal updates????

Wasn't there something in the Globe a month ago about how Pierce was going to need surgery on his groin? I also got the impression that his somewhat surprising return for the play-offs wasn't going to change that.

 

I know that he is doing local soccer clinics starting in December. Don't know how he can have surgery , go to Portugal (unless for a vacation) and do these clinics.

 

I have not heard anything about this. I hope Rusty is ready for the CCC tournament. Although I dont kno where Rusty fits into this team except as a reserve.


SUPAH REVOLUTION!!

 

Before Pierce was injured, he was our best defender. We should be able to find a spot on the pitch for him...

 

And then came Daouda Kante.
There are only three spots I see Rusty capable of fitting into on this team. Central defense is locked by Kante and Llamossa, Right back is Heaps, and the only other shot for him is in CDM, and I think Leo Cullen has shown that he deserves to have that spot.


SUPAH REVOLUTION!!

 

Llamosa wasn't exactly a rock in central defense, and Heaps looked fairly shaky when Kante wasn't next to him. It's probably not worth arguing about because we need at least 5 defenders. Cullen, Hernandez, and Downing all spent too much time mucking things up on defense, and Rusty is versatile enough to play any spot on the back (he has played left in a pinch before, although he doesn't prefer it). He can also play right back in a 3-5-2 if we ever went with that formation.

 

I agree,,,I think a healthy Rusty should start over LLamosa. He is not exactly the fastest person and did look suspect at times.

 

If only a healthy Rusty could be a common for the revs. I like Rusty, but he is not going to play over Llamossa and Ralston wants Heaps behind him. Rusty woul dbe great have on the bench for emergency purposes.


SUPAH REVOLUTION!!

 

Why would you want (with the possible exception of Kante) our best defender on the bench for emergency purposes?

 

I was interested to see that Ralston prefers Heaps behind him over Pierce. IMHO, I like Pierce as a first choice at the right back spot. Now, near the end of the year with Jay playing so much back there and us having success, I understand not changing that. However, from the beginning of the season I would look for Rusty to be the starting right back....

 

Rusty is not good on the ball. bad on the ball actually. 2nd comming of Blooter in fact.

that said, he is among the best man markers in the league - truly can mark just about anyone out of the game when he is healthy.

sohe is not the total package. Heaps is not as good as a man marker, but has better range going forward & getting back. He is a better passer, shooter, crosser etc.

Makeing him a more natural right back behind ralston.

I would rather see Joey (who couldn't seem to complete a pass all year, and probably the weakest link in the back) sit if rusty could do the left side.

or keep rusty as the 5th back, and go to man marker.

besides he's a nutjob that makes Serna look as sweet as your grandmother.

 

Well Said


SUPAH REVOLUTION!!

 

Jay Heaps is better at going forward than Pierce, but Rusty showed good improvement in that area last year. He's also a much better defender than Jay, and he's much more instinctive and tenacious. However, while Jay (and Joey) aren't great defensively, the person that I'd sit on the back line would be Llamosa. He'd be a good late game sub when the team is protecting a lead, pushing Rusty or Joey up into the midfield. He can't cover large areas when the team pushes up and was mistake prone last year. Also, he'd be more durable if he were playing 15-20 minutes a game.

Since Rusty's never been ejected from a game and the extent of his discipline problems was getting tossed from a few practices, we'll be in great shape at forward if this is true.

 

Rusty's penchant for mindless fouls and malintentioned kicks has gone way, way down. Most of the time the person who gets hurt now is himself. However, he certainly has mastered the art of the psychotic stare, mingled with the dismissive sneer which certainly makes him look completely out of control and bent on mayhem, or worse. In his first year we used to compare him to Stuart Pearce, the great old Notts Forest/West Ham? England warrior who had the same, out of control look and sacrificed his body on various pitches all over the place for 20 years. He even play WITH a broken leg, if I am not mistaken, when he was around 38 years old! He had more skill on the ball than Rusty but I didn't start watching him until he was the finished article and our Pierce is still a work in progress. Old Stuart was always called "Psycho" and we have taken to calling young Rusty "Baby Psycho."

Yes, his game needs work but he is a fine, young player who has and will benefit from have had Fernando and Steveie Nicks as coaches. I think he will continue to improve.

JIM DOW

 

I think Rusty's natural position is dmid. He can be a valuable man marker but I dont trust Rusty too much on the back line. Afterall, in college I believe he was a dmid and even with the Revs he was a mid until FC put him to right back.


SUPAH REVOLUTION!!

 

I don't think Rusty distributes well enough to regularly play DMF. With a ~40 game schedule and an 18 man senior roster we need flexability and it's nice that we can go to Rusty as a DMF in a pinch.

 

This might be the next step in his progression. He showed a lot of calmness and intelligence in central defender this year, and often seemed to break up offensive chances with ease. He can cover a lot of area. As Soccer Doc mentioned, he needs to work on his distribution. He is composed with the ball, though, and while he's not fancy he can dribble past a lot of people. He'd certainly free up Hernandez to come forward into the attack more often.

 

Vittoria Setabul? Isnt that the club we got Conde from a few years back?A positively dreadful club as I remember always in the middle or bottom of that league.5000 butts in seats on a good day.Hate to see what would happen if Rusty lost his temper at one of those practices.

 

i may be missing something, or way out touch - but I would not put him in mid field. he is nowhere near good enough on the ball. in college maybe - no way as a pro.

that said, I like him on the back line in general, he is one of the better MLS backs out there, considiering that chumps like Dunseth is an mls starter...