back on the road where we've been not so good (2-6-3) and Portland is much better (7-3-2). Portland has Ridgewell back. Medranda is out for us.
What does the injury list look like for this game? Is it still Besler, Zusi, Nags, Davis, Mapp, and Melia? With Medranda out, PV has probably got to go with Sinovic. It may be another thin bench for SKC .
The MLS injury report has Besler, Mapp, and Davis out I think, with Zusi, Nuno Coehlo, and Nagamura as questionable.
So, I have really been out of things this season. Why isn't Ever Alvarado with Sporting rather than with Rangers? Wouldn't he be the first choice left back?
Because Jimmy has been playing well enough at the position to keep it in front of him. Alvarado also hasn't been doing great at SPR, just ok.
I watched their last game against San Antonio and he was quite unremarkable. I don't know if it is a question of getting accustomed to the style of play or something else. I saw him take a couple of rookie-looking stabs at attackers and getting beat. He does have some skill and moderate speed, but it didn't look as though he is ready for what the MLS will challenge him with.
Looks like they had most of their starters play 90 minutes last night in a CCL game. It took a 90' goal from Valeri to win it so it's not like they were "coasting" in the game either. Nagbe and Melano came off the bench in the game so they didn't start full strength, but it wasn't far from it. No clue about what their backline will look like though with their new additions and Ridgewell coming back.
This is a pretty good read and analysis of the upcoming game from the Portand point of view: http://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/portland-timbers-vs-sporting-kc-preview-porter-vermes
Kempin, Alvarado both recalled (along with Appiah and Rubio but they were expected). Means Melia is very likely out again Sunday, Alvarado assume is there for cover for Sinovic
F'ing pathetic. We can't finish on the rare chances we create and get punished twice. Where's my checkbook? Time to renew.
It's Thrice now. But ya, who's counting whatever. Crumby game. Stupid soccer match. Adi scoring really made my Sunday.
conversely, I didn't enjoy Adi scoring at all. Bright spot: Despite it being a 3-0 loss, it didn't look like a capitulation. SKC continued to SKC it throughout the match. We're always weaker, a bit disorganized, without Mustivar, though. And we're just not quite good enough at this goal scoring stuff at the moment. Aside from that, only questions: Was that a record for number of consecutive corners? Was it a record for FAILING TO CLEAR THE LONE DEFENDER? I admit I found it kind of funny, esp when Valeri was holding and protecting a bunch of sore spots, but a goal at the end of that mess would have made for a better punch-line than "practice makes meh." Can we blame Espinoza's yellow and coming suspension on Hallisey, for getting tossed aside like a little kid when trying to make a tactical foul? FFS. He was going in to foul the guy and that was all he could bring? I thought Rubio looked to add a spark, is there no way to work him and Dom into the same lineup? I assume Coelho will be back in the lineup next time out, so the notion of Olum, again, really? is pointless to bring up. but in that pairing, it appears Opara is the ball winning, positioning, last gasp and athletic cb and Olum is the other guy? Is there some MLS regulation I didn't notice that requires us to have a designated injured player? is that why we signed Mapp? We really could use a wing. Speaking of which, is this off season the time to deal Zusi, before his value vanishes?
Yeah, 0-3 was disingenuous. We really fell apart at the back after SAS switched sides (when Myers came on) and then doubly so when SAS came out (for Rubio). We did look a lot more creative in the final third when Zusi/Rubio came in, though. My kingdom for a 4-4-2 (Dwyer, Rubio; Espinoza, Mustivar, Feilhaber, Zusi; etc) - how we haven't been throwing this lineup out there instead of relying on Hallisey is beyond me. Guess we're forced to use the B team against Dallas next week.
So just 1 winger in your 4-4-2 or are we playing one of the other midfielders out of position to shoehorn us into a 4-4-2? Yeah Espinoza started his career out wide, but at this point I feel like that's wasting the best of his talents if you do that.
I'm a firm believer in the high press, and in PV, but it does seem he's just being stubborn to make a point, but I'm not sure what the point is right now. Is there any reason his high pressure approach can't work with a 4-4-2? Or even a 4-3-1-2 (or the briefly trendy 4-1-2-1-2).
With Real Madrid's old 4-4-2 approach, Benny would be perfect in the Zidane/Robben role, wide on the right or left. I frankly don't know why that trend died, playing the 10 wide to give your most creative player a bit of freedom (both on the ball and to roam). It was always when Donovan was at his best, as well (IMO). it led to some truly mind-blowing attacks. A diamond of Espinoza and mustivar in the center, benny and ... Zusi or Davis or Mapp (hahahahahahaha) or Medranda even could work well, and leave you with the options of Dom, Rubio, Porter up top
You don't have to look far to see other coach's going away from their preference to fit the personnel. Caleb Porter wanted to start Jack Mac against Sporting. Didn't want to sit Adi. So he played Valeri and Nagbe out wide (both more typical central mids) with Jack Mac/Adi up top and Captain Jack/Chara playing the 6 and 8 roles. Could we not at least try that with Benny and Zusi out wide. I think with overlapping fullbacks it can work and Benny and Zusi both have roaming opportunities to go inside from time to time. Is it perfect? No. And I'm not even saying it lead to any of the 3 goals for Portland (the Chara red changed how that formation played for sure). But at least Porter had the stones to go away from his standard 1 forward system to play the hot hand in Jack Mac to try to create some more chances.
And I totally agree with you. Just trying to desperately find a way to put Dwyer/Rubio on the field together and not have to rely on Hallisey. Although, maybe with Mustivar and Espinoza both out against Dallas, a 4-4-2 is possible. Maybe something along the lines of (Dwyer, Rubio; Zusi, Feilhaber, Peterson, Olum; Medranda, Besler, Opara, SAS)*. Although I cringe to think of what Dallas' counter might look like facing Olum at d-mid. *Availability restrictions apply.
To be fair, that's kind of what Zusi evolved into. I don't know if you can really have one on both sides without breaking up the focus of your attack too much and leaving the middle completely exposed. I tend to think we are a little bit better going forward when Feilhaber and Zusi can play off each other.
I'm not saying this is a perfect, apples to apples comparison, because it really is not, but when they were playing Robben in that role, they were also playing, for a time, Robinho on the other wing. Granted, Robben can play a traditional wing role about as well as anyone, but his skill set reminds me of Benny (yes, a better Benny, but Benny). Heck, Benny has a very nice cross. One issue with Zusi in this role is an issue with Zusi along the top line, he really has a crap cross for a wing. Much better on dead balls, but those floaty things he balloons into the middle ... I guess the problem is that with a 4 man mid, you expect the width to come from a mid, though, again this is a RM example (it may say a lot about what a bad idea this is that I keep referring to them. They really aren't a great club on which to base tactics for mortals) the outside backs dealt with width.
Just watched the replay and am still scratching my head over the woeful finishing by SKC. I have to give credit where credit is due. The winning strike by Valeri was absolute class. There was no way that Kann or any other goal keeper was going to get a glove on it. On the other side, Zusi and Jewsbury had similar chances in front of goal. Jack put his low and into the net. Zusi will sky the ball over the crossbar about 19 out of every 20 attempts like that. Baldo made a dumb call on Soni; should have been a yellow and Benny gets an academy award for his portrayal of a person being shot by a sniper.
Zusi also had a lot more people directly in front of him that he had to get the ball through than Jewsbury.