Perhaps one last post re: the Seattle match, but also applicable to the season in general. It's about Andre. I've always like his game and attitude. But man, is it just me, or has he not really contributed much at all in recent weeks (months?). He often gets the starts and PT, and is one of the reasons there wasn't much room for Benezet over the past two seasons. But while watching him closely at DSGP the other night (from multiple angles), I can't count how many misplays and/or bad passes he had. While he had a few nice dishes here or there, the apparent bad passes seemed to outnumber the good throughout. And this hasn't been unique the Seattle game. I realize he has contributed some spark (and assists and/or goals from time to time). But for being a #9 (literally), man, I just don't know. Only asking this because I believe it's a contract year for him. What's your read on Shinyashiki as of late?
I wish I didn't feel this way, but he's been very disappointing. He plays with a lot of passion and you can see that he's frustrated every time he screws up, but... he screws up a lot.
And after my lambasting his play on Seattle's goal too lol I think the biggest thing with Shinyashiki's production is that he (and a lot of players on the team) have been asked to perform in roles that aren't natural for him. Andre's best success in his rookie year were when he was the CF. And he does really well there. He's got smart runs, good hold up play, and good vision from the top of the box. He's also not afraid to take a shot (even if it goes wide/high) when other players try to dribble it more and end up losing it. Problem is, he's thrown out on the wing a lot - or in the case with Seattle as a midfielder...Andre isn't a midfielder. He's ok on the wing, sure, but we've got better options there. I think the biggest question for Andre - and whether he stays on the team or not - is whether or not we stick with Rubio as our main forward or we move on to other options. Rubio has done a marvelous job of bridging gap between where the Rapids have been, and where we are going. His work rate behind the ball is great. He does a lot of dirty work that most strikers won't do. But he's proven to not be a double digit scorer. We need that in our strikers. We've built up a fantastic midfield and winger core. Our defensive pieces are coming together as well (most of the time). But time and time again our main complaint is we need that lethal scorer. I am 100% confident that we score some of those early chances against Seattle if we have, say, a Ruidiaz making the start instead of Badji / Rubio - and then we're up 1-0 after 25 and it's a completely different ballgame from there on out. IF we don't sign a big striker in the offseason, than hands down we need Andre - or we need to shop for a similar value understudy. He's the next logical step underneath Rubio in that center forward position - and he already knows the system. I know Barrios and Lewis have come in there - but, if we're being honest, they are most effective on the wing. IF we do sign a big striker in the offseason, and Rubio doesn't want to play second fiddle (understandable) than we may also need to keep Andre as the understudy to that guy if Rubio wants out. Of course, Badji needs to get thrown in the mix here too. Would we rather have Badji starting 5-10 games as our backup striker, or Andre starting 5-10 games as our backup striker? Again, this all hinges on who the Rapids bring in - or don't bring in - this coming offseason.
There's a video of the simulation at the link and, yeah, that's simulation. https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/fc-dallas-goalkeeper-phelipe-suspended-by-mls-disciplinary-committee
Not gonna lie, simulation needs to be punished more regularly. It happens far too often in games. That said, I think fining players for criticism is dumb. I can’t think of many institutions/businesses/etc in the US outside of sports where you can be legally *punished* for voicing your opinion on how things are being run - especially in the modern world and where employees are (typically) valued more than as a number on a spreadsheet.
Difference being that part of the appeal of sports is a balanced playing field (inside the lines at least) and no employee is going to be allowed to criticize their company publicly and call into question their product. Not and stay employed at least. Now there's probably a line you could draw between complaints that it was a bad night for the ref and saying its fixed, but I understand why leagues take a zero-tolerance policy rather than try to thread that needle.