San Jose has been a very up and down team this year, so this is a bit of an awkward matchup. Hopefully we get the San Jose that gives up 4+ goals and not the San Jose that scores 4+ goals.
Hopefully Pulido is available, but if he's not, I hope we don't go with Khiry up top again. Hurtado is the far better striker.
Pulido's injury was minor, i thought. I really like having Gerso and Hurtado as off the bench options. Play them for a full game and they can help, as well, IMO Gerso more than Hurtado, but bring them on against tired legs and they create havoc and panic. I believe we're fully healthy for this one. Minus Felipe G, of course (and he would be a hell of a nice addition to our best 11, wouldn't he?) and maybe Zusi, who is a nice bench option if healthy. I think we're best up top starting Shelton, Pulido and Russell. In the back, I think this season's best outings have been Dia, Reid, Puncec and Lindsey (of course in front of Melia). But in the midfield? If he's healthy, Kinda is a must. I would also like to see Busio, but if you push Busio into the 8 (for lack of a better number, to right side of the triangle) to leave Ilie in the 6. does that work as well as Busio at the 6 and Roger in the 8?
is it? i genuinely don't know. there seems to always be a shroud of secrecy and we never get any information on injuries from this team anymore. it's very frustrating.
I have to say I'm disappointed that I won't be able to watch Wondo play what may be his last match at CMP (and possibly his last ever in MLS). He's just been amazing for this league. And if you haven't read it, you should see the recent piece in The Athletic about him. It's a fun read.
it's probably unfair to him, but i'll forever be irritated by him because of his miss against belgium at the world cup. it supersedes anything else he's done. he's scored so many crap/easy goals in his career and this would've been one of the easiest... and he flubbed it. inexcusable, and i'll never get over it, partly because he shouldn't have even been on the team in the first place. he's ancient now, so if he wants to keep taking up a spot on san jose and weighing them down, fine with me.
Jesus, it wasn't even that easy of a shot or that egregious of a miss. He almost got on the end of a decent chance that would have been a miracle in and of itself. I was angry for a bit too but it's been six years and he has been an absolute gem for this league. I'm hoping there is a day when he is not always remembered for a goal he might have scored instead of a decade and more of excellent sportsmanship, ethic, and really consistent goal poaching. Anyways. Screw San Jose, but Wondo is class.
It was a weird looping ball that really had no business making it to his foot. It did and he missed by a lot. Still, if we're looking for culprits in that match it is tough to pass over our own Mr. Besler, who was owned by Lukaku about as completely as I've ever seen a defender owned by a striker. I've long since moved on about that, though, esp as I find nats games fun but far less so than SKC Wondo is wonderful. Most of us are fans, but this weekend, screw him.
So far, today's game is an example of nearly every call, bounce, and deflection going against us after 15 minutes of outplaying them. It doesn't help that defending on our left and the top of the box stunk up.
Sporting look both pretty shaky and incredibly undisciplined. I'd like to not lose our first game but unless we have a sequence of wild miracles, we're getting nowhere near trophies with this kind of performance. Ready to scrap the entire back line.
where in the absolute ******** did 3 extra minutes of stoppage come from? eat the biggest pile of shit, ref. holy shit i'm gonna murder something right now.
That Melia Magic was just amazing. It's like the San Jose players were pointing to their spot before the run up. How 'in their heads' must Melia be for an opponent stepping up to the spot.