It doesn't get more important than this one. No Kamler and Pierce. The team will be rested from a weekend off. Will JMM be ready and able? Can Jason Moore fill Kamlers role? Will TnT have lost his rust? Crew late loss to the Mutts opened a window for the Revs. Can the Revs take advantage of this opportunity? Will the Soccer Gods stop pooping in the Revs drinking water? George
The Crew managed to get themselves done by the Mutts in much the same way that we have done. Yes, Wolyniec's volley from a long, curling cross was a highlite strike BUT who the hell left him free to raise his leg and thump the ball? Bad defending. We've seen this before. Watching the vid of the Revs/Rapids match it becomes pretty clear that our outside players were under wraps to make certain that we didn't expose ourselves to the Colorado counter. People who complain that Ralston had a quiet offensive game should check out the number of defensive gems he pulled off. Kamler (before his red, sadly deserved by the letter of the law), Heaps and Franchino too. In fact, the presdictability of our attack was rooted in the sincerity of our committment to defend. We aren't fast enough to do both. That said, we match up better v. the Crew than v. Colorado. However, losing Kamler takes considerable sting out of our offense. Not just for his goals but for his ball movement and possession. I have no idea how the Revs will come out for this one but I agree it is the biggest match of the season. I also agree, as suggested on another thread, that Rusty needs serious professional help if he is to have a future as a professional player. He has the ability, he has the concentration on the actual playing of the game. However, when it comes to the gamesmanship and understanding of how to protect both himself and his position, he does horribly. We lose him far more often than we should and that is just not acceptable at this level. JIM DOW
While my knee-jerk impulse is to defend Rusty, I have to agree. I have this sinking feeling that Spencer's elbow was premeditated - that he, knowing Rusty's character, played the mind game, and got exactly the response that he expected. I don't claim to be an expert on the British game, but my sense is that Spencer has probably forgotten more than Rusty ever knew about manipulating the attention of his opponents.
I realized after the fact that my suggestion for "professional help" for Rusty might be interpreted that he, too should sneak through the back of the donut shop to meet with Dr. Melfi on a regular basis. Actually, what I had in mind was the kind of counseling that a wise, analytical head like (ironically) John Spencer might provide. A sort of, "look, kid, if you really want to make it as a player you need to..." On the Revs I should think that Joe Max, Llamosa and Cancela would be the voices who could speak from having played outside MLS. I don't know if these players can function as mentors in the current setup. Certainly, in the past, we have had experienced players who were aloof, head cases or just, plain bastards. These three seem quite different as people (i.e. thoroughly good folks) and maybe they can be of help here. JIM DOW
You know what would be an amusing trip down memory lane? To list which of our thousands of ex-veteran players would fit into each of these categories. I'll start: Aloof: Ariel Graziani Head Cases: Walter Zenga Just, Plain Bastards: Diego Serna Who am I leaving out?
I don't know if Graziani had enough time in New England to be aloof. He was here what, two weeks? If he seemed distracted, he was probably thinking about all the unpacking he still had to do....
It's OK, Chip, most people are clueless about our UK cousins and their constituent countries. Same as most Britons are unaware that, while all Yankees are Americans, not all Americans are Yankees.
I'll throw in Harkes name, but that's only a nomination, not a vote. Alvarez was as senior as anyone ever got on the Revs, but I don't think he fit in any of the above catagories. Reputedly he was the type of wise man from the trenches we're looking for.
Harkes was an ass to Rev fans shortly after he departed. I remember him saying there were no Americans on the team, and I fired off an email to the columnist at MLSnet who wrote the quote and he printed my email. From that day, I have hated John Harkes.
Could this be the biggest game of the year? quite possibly. No Rusty and no Kamler. I believe Oughton may be out for CBus as he got a card this weekend. Anyone know the status on JMM? as for lineup: ..........................Brown Heaps........Kante...........LLamosa......Franchino Ralston.......Joeseph......Cancela.......CBrown ................Twellman.....Noonan CBrown and Noonan could switch but if all are healthy this is what i would like to see. JMM comming in late as a sub. Damn,,,i hate to say this but including last week and the next 2, I will be cheering for the mutts for 3 games in a row! Never thought i would say that. The Mutts could actually be out best buddies right now.
I'd like to see Leonard attempting to fill Kamler's role. To me, Moore just hasn't contributed enough and has made critical defensive mistakes. And I think the biggest question is which Daouda Kante we'll see - the imposing, defensive force or his evil twin Dr. Hesitation?
I'd rather see Brown play on the wing instead of Leonard. More offense, and make up defensively somehow with a mid cheating to that side. The Revs need serious offensive danger so the Crew are on their heels most of the game. Brown would provide good speed and 1-v-1 attacking skills that could spread the Crew defense out enough for TnT to make a big impact on this one.
That's a good question. I've seen him take sideline runs on numerous occasions when he was with KC, but didn't really notice if he was 'officially' in a 4-4-2, 4-5-1... Eddie Johnson has played 'wide right' for the last couple of games for the Burn, and was described as being in a 4-5-1, but when Clarke was asked about it, he said it was a 4-3-3. I do know that Brown would spread defenses wide, and that frees TnT more often, and that's what concerns me most. When Kamler went on a tare, it pulled defenders wider allowing more Twellman tallies, and I think that philosophy should be adhered to. Ralston pulls a defender wide because of his great crossing ability, but Brown might pull multiple defenders wide and deep - with his speed and penetrating skills.
Is this match going to be on FSW? The origional FSW schd has it on but MLS WEB page shows the FSW match this weekend is the KC-LA match at 10PM. George