My game analysis: bring your umbrella. Hat tip to Mike, for tweeting the real kickoff time is at 6:55pm. I still think its crazy after all these years this information is generally found with Jimmy Hoffa.
Melia, Ilie, Zusi, and Thompson all out. Pulskamp with the start in goal again presumably. The only real lineup question is whether Russell and Pulido are match fit enough to start.
If this game does not send up the red flags for PV and company, I’m not sure what will. The Orlando attack seemed to continuously find space behind the SKC defense. With a 1 -1 draw, SKC should be happy because it could have been so much worse. Unfortunately, even being early in the season, the team looked very stale to me. On the up side, Bucio continues to do well no matter where PV plays him. That goal was pure class. Walter is quietly effective doing the right things and connecting passes. Nothing flashy, just solid. Daniel is not quite back, but is showing flashes of what he used to do. Nice assist to Bucio on the goal. Pulskamp was good enough again this week. He had a couple of scary moments, but overall did the job. On the down side, Kinda was so bad that PV pulled him at the half. You can’t give the ball away that much and expect to stay on the field. I am a big fan of Roger, but he needs to be coming off the bench late in the game rather than starting. He just doesn’t have the engine nor the speed he used to have. And the back line.....
They found consistent space behind us in offsides positions, though. In a statistical battle, we improved over last week. Our pass compleition was up to 83 percent, half a point behind theirs. They beat us on xg, 1 to .4, but I'm never sure what to make of xG in a game where the team that is losing by xG is winning until fairly late in actual G. Orlando led in total shots, 11-9 but we led 5-4 in SOG. We lost the overall possession battle, 60-40, but we were winning the overall possession battle before we scored. If you look at the game in 5 minute intervals, we won the possession battle in 13 of 18, with one being dead even. that means we lost the possession battle by a smidge when we won it, and lost by a lot when we lost it. The passing map on Fontas is really interesting. I didn't really notice it during play, but he was spreading play quite a bit. he connected with 7 different players. Considering that he's also a player, that means he was connecting with everyone in the middle and left side of the field. He didn't connect with Lindsey, Kinda or Shelton.The only other player doing that for us was Walter, who i thought was pretty good, esp for his second game with us. I liked Issy's game, as well. He and Fontas both completed 93 percent of their passes. As noted, with Fontas, that particularly impressive because he was including most ot the team in his passes. I don't know how to make much more out of the new stats. But I do think that I very much liked the way we looked with both Pulido and Russell on the field. I think we're a different, and much better side, when they're playing. The goals that were taken back were rightly taken back. The goal they scored ranks high on the xG list because of where it was scored from, but that's just sick skill. I admit, I wouldn't bet on any of our players to score on that back heel. It's early and we are still finding form, still i was concerned about Shelton. His movement was pretty solid last year. Crikey he was off this morning, (last night for you). Someone on twitter I think was noting that it would be nice to be making back post runs, and he blew two of our better chances by not doing that. he and Kinda just gave away so many easy balls. But Salloi looks better than his 2019-2020 self. Liindsey looks good. Martins looks solid. Busio really has taken a nice leap forward. I'm optimistic.
Agreed. The starting line up last night will struggle to make the playoffs. The midfield is overrun so badly with that group. Kinda was just awful; couldn't possess at all and a turnover machine. Espinoza is just something we'll have to deal with until we get more healthy and then he just has to be a bench player, right? Walter seems like he would move into Roger's role when Ilie is back. While it's nice that Pulido can come back for the ball and make some things happen with passes into the final third...it would be great for him to stay higher and be in better goal scoring positions. At one point Pulido had come back almost to the SKC defensive third to gather a ball. That's just too much. We looked so much better with Pulido and Russel on the field. Which is not a surprise. But some of that was getting Kinda off (hopefully just a terrible night for him) and letting Busio play in the midfield. Orlando was playing dangerous with their offside line and got caught. A better team tears us up for at least a couple more goals. Yay for the point and all, but that was a slog.
A couple of times during the game I was thinking; what the hell is Pulido doing so far back in defense. I understand tracking back to put pressure on the other team, but that’s way overboard.