Revs--Wiz (R)

Sloppy game but the pace is good and watchable.

Ralston was wide open 6 feet in front of goal but the ball was in his wrong foot. Somehow he thought he has time to bring the ball to his right foot to shoot. What a stupid play. Someone needs to hit him with a wet noodle after the game or something.

 

I really hate to watch Kansas City play. They have talent, but they cripple themselves with their ridiculously negative soccer. They are anti-soccer.

 

hernandez

so for the beginning of this season i was not my usual self, that is up untill this past saturday i had not seen a revs game. however, i did read some posts here, trying to keep up through finals, and i have to say i think many of you maybe dreadfully wrong. hernandez is the closest thing this team has to an attacking midfielder. he is a calming presence in the midfield, and yet plays attacking balls well. he is strong enough to win the ball and hold it to slow things down when necessary (to create some possesion and control), yet good enough to play dangerous balls that created scoring situations (both goals saturday and the one tonight came from an initial pass from hernandez into the box or to the player who scored themselves). now i'm not saying that he is the greatest player in the league, just the greatest midfielder on this team. where as joseph has looked helpless in midfield these last two games. he has done well winning balls, but as soon as he looks up field he either passes the ball to the other team or just loses it. i started keeping track in the second half tonight, and from about the time hernandez came in on EVERY ball he played was to the other team or 20 yards high and wide of the goal. again, all of this is based on the last two games, so it's possible that joseph started the season really well and has had a slump. either way, hernandez is playing the way he did last year when the team started to really come together (again, not to say he was the star, rather just a very useful part of the team). it seems to me that with him in the middle with cullen we are a legitimate contender in every game we play against any team in the league.

 

Is it just me or is the Revs' color guy pronouncing Hernandez's names "Danielle" instead of "Daniel?"

 

What a goal!

TnT's goal the other time in KC was goal of the year material.This one in the 90+ minutes, flying with the grace of a chicken, still managing to wrong foot Meola, was priceless. The build up to the goal was something and DH and JMM passes were great.

JMM for the rest of the game showed some rust, pass the WD-40.

Pat Noonan was caught short in the the Wizards goal, but I do not blame him, where were Sr. Llamosa and Joey?

The first half was not bad, but I think DH and Noonan were the extra spark needed.

 

I'm thankful for the point, especially considering the "flying chicken" goal that earned it.

 

I think we hustled, won 50-50's and generally outplayed KC for 75/100. I like Noonan, but you can't come in and not have your head in the game, yet where was Franchino on the goal?

I disagree with the comment that Joseph was not performing out there, he was hustling all over the field and played some very nice balls. He cut out quite a few thru passes and started the offense. I would actually like to see him play an entire game with Hernadez. And in the end of the game after Harris came on it was obvious that Nichols was having Joseph play deeper and just clearing dangerous balls like the other backs.

We deserved a win, but on the road, with KC's offensive threats I will take a tie.

ON to the Fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I thought both Hernandez and Joseph played pretty well tonight. I give Hernandez credit for not sulking and making nice contributions to the team the last two matches.

Twellman's goal was great. He's got an opportunity and finished it. I think he and Joe Max are going to be a blast to watch once they figure each other out.

The KC goal reminded me of the type the over 30 team I play on gives up all the time. Everyone collectively loses focus for a split second and the ball winds up in the net.

That aside though, I thought the Revs played pretty decently.

I'm starting to like the idea of Wolde off the bench. I think he gives the team a little spark when he comes on.

 

It was a nice game, a little sloppy as weekday games often are, but both teams played well. However don't you think your Rev's sneak out of town with a point after a questionable passive offsides call???

 

I really don't think the goal was that questionable. Yes, there was a player(s) in offside position, but Twellman looked to be even with the last defender. Obvisoulsy no one else went after the ball besides Taylor...isn't this the definition of passive offsides?

Monster: They are correct in prouncing his first name like "Danielle" or "Dan-yell"...if you feel like going back a few weeks there is a thread where I brought up the same question.

 

I thought Hernandez did a very good job. He was good at calmly holding the ball and making a good pass. Joseph contributes a lot, but he's got to stop taking those wild shots. Also, too many of his passes went astray.

The rap about Twellman not scoring late or crucial goals is proving to be baseless this year (not that it was well-based last year). He has two late goals (Dallas and KC) that provided a win and a tie, his goal against Chicago produced a tie, and his goal against LA was the second Rev goal of the game, not the first.

I've seen Tony Meola several times this year and he looks a bit slow to move. He gave up some cheap goals to Chicago earlier in the year, including two rollers, and he seemed unable to move on Twellman's flying chicken shot last night.

 

How about the play of Joey Franchino last night?
It was fun to see him going forward and doing something besides long aerial entry passes and crosses. I almost fell out of my chair in that one sequence when he danced, stumbled and bumbled through about 3 or 4 defenders on the dribble! He seemed to be playing with a surplus of confidence, although that same confidence got him burned a few times on the defensive end, diving in on tackles at inopportune times. All in all you gotta love a hard nosed guy who looks and plays like drill sargeant!

 

I also strongly disagree that Joseph looked weak. Other than the two pitiful shots he took, he was very valuable. JMM and TnT had similar shooting gaffes. In fact, I thought Twellman had the worst touch on the field for either side for most of the game. Then TnT scores and saves the game. What can you say?

I lost track of the number of times Rev players fell down. Is that the greasiest field in all MLS?. The Whiz players seemed to have figured it out, and dressed accordingly.

Do I remember correctly that
- this wasn't the first time this year the Revs have given up a scoring chance immediately after a sub, and
- almost all the Wizards' scoring opportunities starting on the Revs' left flank?

My two girls were singing "There was a farmer had a cow, Meola was his name-o, M-E-O-L-A..." for the first 15'. No lack of atmosphere here.

 

Re: hernandez

I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn't think that DH is our best central midfielder. Clearly more composed on the ball then Joseph or Cullen. I think most people's problem with him is that he's a ticking timebomb...

I think you are wrong on Joseph, though. He almost never gives up possession. His rate on the dribble and on passing is well over 80% - excellent for a central midfielder. Part of this is because he doesn't try anything daring... he dribbles only until challenged, and he's got Ralston as a safety valve for his passes.

Oh yeah, I think it's time we stop talking about a-mids and d-mids. We don't have either. Cullen, DH and Joseph are playing as just plain mids. We've got a flat 4 man midfield. There is no appreciable difference in the amount of time any of these guys spend in an advanced or withdrawn position. It just depends where the ball falls, if you will.

Lee

 

It's funny, after charting the last game, I was calling on him to take a few shots. He frequently was getting the ball within 25 yards of goal with space to shoot, and I couldn't figure out why he didn't. Now I know.

Maybe a few less shots are in order until he gets more practice time in on long shots.

Lee

 

I agree that he played well last night and should have had two assists if JMM and TnT could put their head on the ball. But, he also got burned by being too far forward and it cost them a goal.

I see the problem being Leo Cullen. He does nothing, ever! How many 50/50 balls did Joseph win last night. Most of them. how many times was Leo even in position to wiin a 50/50?

The team was different the last two matches with DH in the match, BECAUSE LEO IS OUT. He's the weak link! Did you see Franchino forward as much after Leo went out. No, because DH was active.

Wake up SN and see what we are seeing.

 

i actually thought that the revs moved the ball pretty well through midfeild but couldn't seem to do anything in the last third of the feild.

Joseph continues to impress me. He always seems to be in the right position to recieve the ball, is always composed and never seems to give it up.

I still think the revs are trying to get a little too cute into the box. While there were some nice forward balls played, guys were doing a lot of back heeled flick ons and things like that.

Overall I thought it was a pretty entertaining game to watch, good ball movement.

KC's goal was excellent, completely handcuffed brown who otherwise had a fine performance and made some nice saves.

Twellman's goal was awesome. I described it as a Karate Kid Goal.

MLS' overtime really seems kinda akward to me. I keep forgetting that they have it. In each overtime all I'm hoping is that the revs can hold onto the point, not that they can press forward for ten minutes and score. Just seems that the two five minute periods are a little silly. Either extend them or get rid of them. Though i do realise what they're trying to do with them.

 

i was a bit shocked to see the relatively ho-hum comments this a.m.

• whoever this ref is....sign him up long-term asap!!
  
  joseph played well i thought. with exception to his attempts on goal, he got the ball...looked up...moved the ball. you can tell he's playing on almost pure "skill" right now. i'm guessing with some more time out there "instinct" will follow (although, who knows, that may be detrimental?)
  
  jmm max looked a bit out of step....what happened to the jmm of the dallas match?
  
  adin's save turns out to be huge!! hopefully, more usmnt looks his way soon.

lastly, why i said "ho-hum" at the start:
personally, i can't see how anyone could be less than ecstatic about what we saw last night against what is turning out to be a legitimate mls side this season! given the personnel the revs have....to see them dominate much of the run of play with a mostly ground attack mixed up with some long balls....play down both flanks and thru the middle....defenders making relatively effective runs up to give guys in the middle a break during a very up and down match....def's using the midfield to push the ball forward....timely blocks by these guys in the revs own end....quick short passing at the top of the box.....patience being displayed quite frequently.....i really could go on here.

after awhile, i didn't care if they won or lost last night. a point?...bitchin'. they played balanced. it was clean soccer. it bodes well for the system. they played together (watching hernandez knowingly/willingly pass the ball to shalrie numerous times almost made me cry). if they can find a #10 that fits...i don't see why they can't challange again this year.

 

Agreed about the pitch conditions, and that KC seemed better prepared for that. The Revs staff should pay better attention and dress their players appropriately.

Shalrie Joseph: The good news is, he was not afraid to shoot at will. The bad news is, Will was sitting in the fourth row.

Joey: A solid game, but as captain, he should have taken extra caution when Noonan came in.

Adin Brown: Top-notch stopper, but holds on to the ball too long afterward and loses any chance at a quick counter.

Referee: A solid game. Can't say I strongly disagreed with any of his decisions, save for whistling a KC foul when Joe-Max would have preferred to play the advantage.

Rusty: Has been getting out-Rustied lately. By which I mean he's been letting opponents get under his skin instead of getting under theirs. Needs to check his temper before it costs the Revs an ejection.

3-4-3: I like it. Really makes the game exciting. But I think I'd rather see Wolde withdraw and keep JMM forward.

 

This was an odd game to watch... as John Lewis says, I "really hate to watch Kansas City play." Granted, they have some talented playerss and can produce some scintilating efforts... Preki's pass and Simutenkov's finish were excellent, but it was a rare moment in a game where Kansas City seemed content to play bunker ball, looking to disrupt the play of the Revolution rather than taking the match to them.

Mainer5 nailed it when he said, "I think we hustled, won 50-50's and generally outplayed KC for 75/100..." but man was it ugly at times. Too many players in the middle of the pitch clogged things up, and the Revs found it difficult to move the play out wide... to step back from the play and switch the angle of the attack.

Too many times it looks like a scrum in the middle of the field.

Random thoughts & observations

* I really like what I'm seeing from Joseph. Clearly he's still much the raw talent but I like how he's composed on the ball, has a pretty nice touch, and reads the game well, perhaps too well. At times he very much looks like a kid after having been told by his coach "don't move from this spot!" So while Joseph may think about moving forward as he did several times last night, he always seems to check, rather obviously, to see where he is in relation to his teammates.

* The opposite of this is Noonan. If you're going to come into the match and you damn well better be mentally, as wel as physically prepared. So while he can jog up and down the sidelines to stretch out his legs, he also needs to follow and observe the game, not just passively watch it like a fan. He should have seen all match long how Kamler was tracking up and down the left-flank, playing two ways, perhaps more so even on defense, this with the Wizards seeming to favor play down that side of the pitch. Instead, he came onto the field and found himself out of position and caught upfield, giving K.C. all the space they need to allow Simutenkov to duck in behind Franchino who clearly looked like he was expecting Noonan to be there... much as Kamler had been all game. It's a rookie mistake, and Noonan did redeem himself somewhat later in making some nice moves down the flank, but even then, there were one or two times where he and another Revolution player looked to the same space, went for the same ball... just not the best communication. Play with your head up, know where your teammates are, be mentally prepared.

* Hernandez really seems to have some synergy with Joseph. Wouldn't have believed it if I really didn't look for it, but they do seem to be on the same wavelength at times.

* What was up with that pitch tonight. Last times I saw so many people fall down was a practice session with Tonya Harding.

* Liked the spark Harris brought into the game. He's going to create something, rather than passively waiting for the ball. Lots of movement and kept the pressure on late.

* Think the Revs are taking one too many touches at times, especially in closer to goal. If you have some space take a quick shot, sometimes you have to play instinctively.

* Moore seemed to get a bit furstrated in this match and fell away from it for a bit... just feels like he's looking to get a monkey off his back or something.

* Don't think it's been mentioned yet, but Adin Brown had another solid, if seemingly understanded game. Some very nice saves and good command of the box.

All in all I'm happy with the effort as well as the result. Kansas City's the hottest attacking team in the league at the moment and save for one mental hiccup, shut them out for the match.

Hopefully the Revs can recover in time for Saturday's match.

The Magpie

P.S. Who were the Revs and Wizards players who completely clothes-lined one another later in the match. Hell, I heard the play before I really saw it, OUCH!

 

Maybe the rule is questionable, the call wasn't. I thought the ref did an excellent job.