Practice Notes 4/4 (Dyson, UnitedMania)

Great report Diceson.

Thanks for the link Marco.

 

Thanks for the report.

I was there on Thursday, and from another thread this is my complete injury report:

Prideaux will be out for a week or 2 still, maybe more if it doesn't get better. I helped him out with some rehab work on his leg yesterday, and he said straight ahead running was fine, but just the overall game situation still caused pain.

Devin Barclay probably has a stress fracture in his foot and will be out up to 4 weeks.

Doug Warren injured his PCL recently but is back training at full strength.

Nick Rimando is back at full strength.

Ryan Nelsen practiced at full strength and then did some extra rehab work as well.

Alecko Eskandarian had a pulled hip flexor, the extent of which was unknown.

Reyes and Kovolenko both had tweaked hamstrings, but both seemed fine during practice.

Ivanov saw a doctor today, and should be able to being riding a bike and then jogging very soon. 2-3 weeks before he's back in the picture.

Hope all this helps. Accurate as of yesterday.

 

We get a better picture of the team's health from the injury report in the last post.

Thanks Thamlin.

ps-They might have to dress you up if all the injuries continue.

 

No problem man.

Hopefully it doesn't go that far!

 

Re: New from Unitedmania

I liked the predictions. Anyone putting money on the LA-Dallas final?

Ed

(Disclaimer: This post leaks sarcasm from all sides).

 

### MODERATOR'S NOTE ###

I just fixed the link above to go directly to the article. It's a fine difference but linking only to the front page of a website is generally considered spam. Linking to a specific page or article for discussion is generally considered informational.

I know, it's a fine distinction but on this site it is an important one.

I also modified the thread title to be rather less "spammish" as well. I know it wasn't intended to be but I'd like to avoid possible confusion.

Thanks,

 

Huh? Convey on the left side of defense? For club as well as country? Did anyone else notice this? Did I miss something? Did I use enough question marks?

Would this put Kovolenko or Olsen on the left side of midfield with Stewart or Q1 on the right? If we're talking about putting square pegs into rounds holes anyway, I think I'd put Kovolenko in at LB before Convey if injuries dictated it.

 

These are the post GW scrimmage quotes from RH . . . sort of related:

Quotes
Alecko Eskandarian
How are you fitting in now that you’ve been with the team for 2 months?
“Yeah, for sure I’ve started getting used to the guys. I started out real well. I was happy-go-lucky. We’ve just been growing as a team. We went through a hard pre-season down in Florida. We went through a couple of games where we struggled. We tried different things with our formation and stuff like that. All of us have been working hard the entire time. I think our biggest strength is our team chemistry. I think all the guys get along very well. We’re just looking for the right mix of starters.”
“I feel a real difference as far as I’ve learned a lot . . . a lot from the older guys. There was a 2 to 3 week period where I was struggling, and I looked at the older guys and what they were doing, and learned a lot. I got my second wind and I’m trying to make an impression.”

You seem much more confident and comfortable out there. Is there anything the coach has asked you to work on?
“Not really. It’s more just recognizing . . . I mean guys like Marco Etcheverry they’re paid to be the play-maker, so it’s pretty wise to get them the ball. I’m just learning to play off of guys like Marco, Bobby, and Earnie. They get a lot of money to do what they do, so I’m just trying to put myself in good spots. I think I am getting a lot more confidence now in my abilities.”

With world-class players like Stoichkov, Etcheverry, and Stewart around you is it that much easier to play, or are they such a step above that you find it hard to read the game as they do? For example, how often have you seen 50+ yard passes before hitting the team?
“It’s unbelievable. It’s awesome! It’s fun on my part just making runs all day just because these guys can get me the ball in such tight positions. And I’ve got to make those runs because they can get me the ball. It’s fun if anything else. That’s the best way I can describe it. It’s also incredible.”

Has the Stoichkov incident affected you as a younger player?
“No. It was an incident that happened. Honestly, I don’t think anyone has the right to comment on unless you’re the kid, or Stoichkov, or the families, or something like that. So, I’m really in no place to say anything.”
“But, as a team we’re moving on. It was pretty disgusting to see, but we’re all moving on, and hopefully we’ll get on the right track.”

Do you feel ready for the season? Do you think you could step in and be a starter?
“Yeah, I can’t wait. I’m just praying that the coaches give me an opportunity. I want to play as much as possible. I’m pretty confident that the more I play, the more I’ll learn, and the more comfortable I’ll get. So, I just need the opportunity to get out there, and I think today was a good start. I got a good 90 minutes in instead of coming off the bench in the last 10 minutes, sometimes that’s more difficult. But, I’m still learning, and I’ve got a lot to learn. But, I’m definitely ready to play, and have an impact.”

Ray Hudson
- How did you feel about today’s scrimmage?
“I was real pleased with the first half how the young boys came out with the right attitude. It’s so important in these games to come out with the right attitude, and to show up well. Then in the second half the older heads came in and really turned the heat up. Apart from the score line it was the manner we went about ourselves was good, individually and as a team. Convey was tremendous today. About as good as I’ve ever seen him play. And little Eliseo looked very good. And the young guys all over the field showed up well. Eskandarian looked very sharp. The “Sampson Effect” in reverse – he cuts his hair off and he gets better. But it was nice without Earnie and Dema in there. The guys performed well. It was a good working exercise that we got real benefit out of. They’re a good, young sporting team that put up some challenges to us. But it was the manner you go about it and we did well today.”

- There are some areas of concern, particularly the left back. You’ve tried several players back in that position, now including Stoichkov and Convey. How are you going to go about solving it?
“It is a concern for sure. . . . Don’t rule out Bobby being there at the start of the season. I still think he’ll be at the advanced position in front of the fullback, whether it be in the center or out wide. It showed today if you put Bobby inside that athleticism, that greyhound that he could be is going to get bogged down in the middle. So, we’ve got to play to our strengths, and I think Bobby will be out there for us. Whether it’s Milton taking the left side for us, or Mike Petke . . . We’ve got enough bodies to put a player in there, but I’d like there to be a much more settled offensive back. Not just a good defender, but somebody that is going to leave his position. That’s why Bruce is playing Bobby where he is. It would certainly enhance his development in the international situation. But, I’m not saying I’m going to do it. I think he’ll give us greater benefit in his left midfield position.”

- With Quaranta having a sub-par pre-season and Eskandarian having a better than average pre-season is it a realistic possibility that Eskandarian will be the starter?
“Absolutely. That’s why we’ve had words with Santino trying to get the message over to him. He’s had a lot going over on him in his personal life and I think it’s been bit of a damping effect on him because he doesn’t look the sharpest or most active even. He shows good glimpses, but he’s still coming to terms . . . he’s trying to find his game . . . trying to get in the groove that he was in early last season. It’s undeniable that last pre-season he was sharper, hungrier, and more menacing than right now. It’s good to see Alecko and Stoichkov have got that in them right now. I still think he’ll come around. You know what I think of him, he’s wonderful. But we’ve got to challenge him, and he’s got to challenge himself to a greater extent than right now.”

- One of your keys was to find “legs” around Etcheverry during the pre-season. Do you feel that you’ve found that with Convey, Kovolenko, Olsen, and the others?
“Yeah, and I think you’ve got to throw in Eliseo. He’s a kid . . . We’ve rattled his cage and he’s responded well. I think he’s another one along with Kovolenko, and Bobby, and Benny. That part of it is heartening.”
“We hope that that will click around Marco and he will be hurtful like today. . . . He doesn’t need carrying. He just needs supporting around him, but without it I’m kidding myself. I’m not deluded that Marco needs that athleticism around him, he just does. That compromise is for our team. But, when he’s producing it’s a benefit for all.”

- Even though you’ve been moving players around at different positions, there are some players such as McKeon and Dante Washington that are available now. Do you have a plan for this?
“They’re tough temptations if players like that become available. How do we improve, even if it’s one notch, you have to take that into consideration. . . Brandon’s a big miss. He’s been a big frustration this year.”

 

Someone may want to inform Mike Martin of Unitedmania.com that an LA-Dallas MLS Cup final is impossible..

East vs West.....

 

Thanks for the update Diceson!

The interviews certainly clear up a lot of the questions other posters had and more importantly for all DC United fans, give us a lot of optimism about the coming year.



ps-LA-DC...

 

Cweedchop,

MLS final does not have to be East vs. West. Remember 2001 San Jose and L.A? Slightly different playoff structure but you can still have L.A. and Dallas. Playoffs if you remember last year, have the winners of the east and west as the top seeds and the remaing six "wild card" spots determained by total number of standings points earned regardless of conference. So there does not have to be an equal number of eastern and western sides in the playoffs setting up east vs. west. There were quite a few scenarios that could have led to an all eastern or western final last year. So Dallas, L.A. is a possibility.

 

Sorry to break the news to you, but they have changed the playoff format again..

It is now the top 4 teams in each Conference making the playoffs, not the top 2 seeds and the next 6 teams, as was the case last season..

Additionally, the first round series (1 vs 4; 2 vs 3) will be a two game total goals series and the winners of those series play each other in a one game Conference final at the home of the highest remaining seed..

Again, sorry to break the news to you..

 

Frankly I like the East v. West setup. Growing up on the NFL, NBA, MLB I've grown quite accustomed to the rivalries that build from playing divisional opponents every year and the few elite team of each conference build their own playoff rivalries. Then the championships are something different entirely, as often the teams have little or no idea how to play against one another. I think that's kinda cool.

I'm not a fan of the 2 legged system though, it doesn't reward regular season performance enough IMHO. Also, it promotes bunkering away. If the lower ranked team knew they'd have to win one of two away, they'd play to score rather than to tie or lose by 1. But given the time frame of the playoffs (directly competing with both NFL and NCAA football) and the pitiful attendances, it's probably best to wrap up the playoffs quickly. I'd prefer a 1 game knockout approach at the higher ranked team, but it's a good compromise to do that in the second and later rounds I think. At least everyone that makes the playoffs gets to host one playoff game this way.

-Digital

 

Doh! Don't you love it when you say something without thinking about it. I had forgotten the whole plan about changes to number of games/playoff format etc. again this year. It would be nice if the league would keep their site up to date with all of their changes. I kind of like those last 6 playoff spots being decided based on overall points earned. Wouldn't you love a chance to crush metroscum in the cup? Then again I like the idea of a straight tabel for the regular season. I've been too busy giving myself ulcers over whether we'll get a chance to worry about playoffs or not. Thanks for setting me straight though. Cheers.