Now Jason has the opportunity to put his stamp on this team. Teamwise, I expect him to run a mini-boot camp...raise the conditioning and work on their mentality. He also needs to make tactical adjustments: Keeper: Holy crap, our assistant was an English keeper and we still can't go 1 fricking game without giving up a boneheaded goal...Rimando will probably stay as starter because Seitz is off to the u-20s, but JK drop the hammer. No more bad goals. That includes putting job pressure on Mellor. Back 4: with Kipre playing, RSL has the fastest back 4 in the league (something I never imagined saying)...if you doubt it, watch Torres run down Hercules (who is quite fast). Because we now have speed in the back, we have to change the back 4s tactical mindset of always falling back and giving space. That makes sense when you can't run with the other teams' forwards, but RSL can now. They need to push forward and pressure EVERY ball to checking forwards' feet...invite the ball over the top...just be ready to fly and win it. By pressing forwards, we may be able to lessen pressure on... the midfield: rewatch the Colorado game and watch how badly we were worked in the mid. We don't win 50-50s...we don't win 2nd balls...we don't pressure the ball...we just fall back with our back 4 and hope that the other team gives the ball up. NOW, with the back 4 pressing (hopefully), our mids will have less space to cover and more opportunity to pressure, should they feel the need. We need to give up on the Ballouchi as an A-mid experiment. He is a classic holding mid of the Reyna mold, without anything resembling a dangerous shot or ability to make the final penetrating ball. Let him play a twin d-mid with Talley and focus on winning 50-50s and 2nd balls...he's smart enough. Continue to work the offense through Freddie wide on a big pitch and pinched in on a narrow one. Get Freddie to play early crosses before he takes 20 touches so Atiba will continue to make runs. Allow Klein to continue to work inside/outside and try to combine with the front 2. Get someone else who can spell Klein at the 70 minute mark (Lancos/Sparky Watson) so you don't use up his legs and so you add a change of pace. Forwards Atiba and JC need to practice together, eat together, hit the town together...etc. The talent is there, but they will need time to develop a 2nd nature understanding of what each other is doing at all times. The team...we have a fast back line and fast forwards...but our midfield may be the weakest in the league. Freddie was dangerous yesterday, BUT he has no goals no assists. You don't score goals hitting a keeper in the hands. Klein is WAY beyond his sell-by date and only adequate. Talley is 135 years old and usually has no support from the back 4. It will be interesting to see if he starts to become a ball-winner. Ballouchi is worthless in the final third...and he is almost in his mid-20s...there is no reason to believe he will ever develop that side of the game. JK needs to focus on finding new mids and developing the ones we have. Right about now, Andy would make us a much more dangerous team playing for either Klein or Adu. The coach...his halftime comment was wonderful...if you can't make a quality long ball out of the back, stop trying and giving the ball away. The last few minute of the game RSL was attacking, while tied, on the road. So far, there is good reason to believe that JK is an upgrade...his next 10 days may tell us whether he is the answer.
What will JK do? For starters, let's hope he goes shopping for a new tie. I don't want to be the fashion police, but my hell that thing was hideous. It looked like upholstery from the couch in a cheap disco in Berlin. But seriously, he needs to get his team rested and recovered. Then he needs to hit the fitness - this is a rare layoff during the season, and a good time to work on aerobic capacity. Beyond that, the marking on the back line still stinks and needs to be addressed.
That pic you linked to is truly disturbing. If he played for San Jose I could maybe understand... But yeah little scary. Don Johnson could get away with wearing pink in the 80s, but sorry Jason...
Jason's suit and tie gots nothin' on Craig Sager. (TNT reporter....can't find a good picture of his wacky-ass suits and hypnotic ties...just trust me!)
I agree that I'm seeing a lot to be hopeful about. JK has in the next 10 days the opportunity to seriously work on breaking the mental approach that has been a lot of the destruction of the team. He can build on their fitness which should never be an issue. The end of all games, except possibly Colorado, should be RSL' strength due to training at altitude. I also noticed that the team vacilated between bunkering in the closing 20 minutes at Colorado and building attacks. It was like the bunkering was the habit they fell into but the building attacks was the orders they knew they needed to execute and the two ideas were battling it out in their heads. It was sufficient to keep the game from going entirely bunker, which is what it would have done with JE at the helm. I believe we will see in Dallas a team that rarely bunkers, is fit to the end, and who have integrated Kipre into a backline. If Kreis also manages to get our midfield to play a level above where they currently are, so they make the team continually dangerous, he will be in line to win coach of the year honors.
I am so happy to see our coach in a suit and tie. It is classy and is a symbol that shows the team that he is serious and they had better take game day seriously. DW is hoping that JK's wife steps up to pick some ties for him. I'm hoping a local clothing store will decide that sponsoring JK's suits is a worthwhile advertising expense. In the locker room each game will be a properly fitting shirt (he goes 1/2 inch+ too big on collar) and suit (pants look too long on him) and sharp modern tie. Still, if he showed up every game like he is now, it tells the team the same story: I'm serious and let's get down to business.
So if Mehdi really does need to play holding mid, will we still see Freddy wide, or does he finally get to play A Mid like he wanted? As far as Jason's attire-- the pink tie was very 80's; I know, because I had one then, too. The total effect of the oversized shirt, etc. was to turn a 34 y.o. guy with 2% body fat into a teenager who's wearing his older brother's hand-me down suits. Maybe we can book him a gig on "What Not To Wear" so they can set him up with some Armani and a 36 neck shirt. But really, it's great that he wants to appear professional, and he'll get the image thing taken care of soon. And it's great to have reasons to be optimistic again about RSL!!
When I was growing up Sager was doing local sports in Kansas City. Back then it was wacky-ass hair styles.
I liked the tie also. I didn't notice the ill-fit of the suit, but the slacks do seem a bit long. As for "What Not to Wear", my wife loves that show. I wonder if we could get him hooked up on that program. Although, it would have to come during the all-star break or something - there's no way he would leave work during the normal stretch of the season.
I have never heard so many guys critiquing what another man wears so much before. I didn't know that this was a fashion show. It may not have been prefect but at least it isn't an oversized poncho. It is okay for a guy to wear pink.
I venture to guess that JK will release more players that dont want to be here so much. I am not guessing who they will be however....
You can't say something like that without following up. What makes you think that there are other players?
I have not heard anything about any specific players. Lets just say I was around in Denver and got the feeling that changes were coming. I think its good if Jason plays hard arse and makes the boys work to keep their jobs.
What makes you say that? I mean... I was in Denver once and the only feeling I got was that Denver sucked ass...
I don't think that Stewart is lazy. He is just played out of position. I have heard that RSL has received several calls asking about is availability. Jimenz on the other hand is one that should be worried.
I was thinking Jimenez too but now with all the anti latin crap going around maybe he is safe for the time being. I also heard that perhaps LA is going to release a bunch of players that we might be interested in picking up.
Watson would make a lot of sense. He's pretty far down the depth chart and has seemed to be a bit of a problem.