Not quite every other game. A 4-3-3 comes out to 1.5 PPG. For the remaining 26 games we need slightly better than that - maybe around 11-8-7 (for 41 points), or 11-7-8 or 10-10-6 (both for 40 points). It's very hard to see where those wins are going to come from. --- Anyway, there's another problem on the horizon. We've got 10 days of rest right now. And then after that United faces, at a minimum, the following 32 day schedule. 04/28 FC Dallas (USOC) 05/01 New York 05/05 Kansas City 05/08 @ FC Dallas 05/15 Colorado 05/22 @ Houston 05/26 AC Milan (Friendly) 05/29 Chivas USA Indeed, I believe it's actually technically possible that there will be one other game during this 4 week period. If we beat FC Dallas on 4/28, then we'd go on to play RSL in the next stage of USOC qualification, and that game (I'm pretty sure) would be scheduled sometime in May. So at a minimum we're looking at 8 games in 32 days, or one game every 4 days. If by chance we beat FC Dallas next week, then it's 9 games in 32 days, or one game every 3.5 days. Last week I was talking about those opening 3 matches in pretty positive terms. Along with Chicago, they were a good opportunity to stage a turnaround. But a lot of that was premised on getting a result - any result - against Chicago. That, of course, didn't happen. And now injuries are mounting. To me this schedule used to look like a potential ladder up. Get some results against Chicago and Dallas, get some big wins against NY and KC, and move on with the season. After the loss to Chicago and with the injuries, it's looking more and more to me like a bridge too far. Our roster is not healthy enough to play one match a week. And they're going to be asked to play two a week? At least there's a slowdown in the middle. That's something. But that opening series especially is just brutal: 4 HUGE games in 11 days. Two of the toughest teams in the league in KC and NY. And twice against FC Dallas, which though it hasn't exactly been lighting up the league because its offense is a little unreliable, is still playing a lot better than us.
Oh, and one more thing: May is our big, regular season home stand. Code: League Games Home Away May 4 2 June 1 2 July 2 3 Aug. 2 2 Sept. 2 2 Oct. 2 2 This heavy home stand, which under normal circumstance should be very favorable to us, could not come at a worse time (unless it started this week instead of next).
Agree, this is a sad, sad year for us. Let's see: Onafool: Fired from KC. Many named is "style" the most boring in MLS. Why the FO would hire him is beyawn me. Talley: Daryl Talley would be a better pick-up. Dude, don't you know the USL is out there? Why couldn't they do a loan with the Charleston Batts or Rhinos or somethin'? Morsink: Actually played decent, but for goodness sakes wasn't he working at Thrifty Rent-a-car prior to signing? Najar: I don't wanna see any 17 year take the field for MLS unless he is in the American player pool. Sorry he ain't there yet to deserve time. Castillo: Showing his second Mex division stuff Moreno: Starting every game and playing full 90. Wasn't it 3 years ago that coaches stated he couldn't do this anymore? And we wonder... Perkins: I was very skeptical about this signing. Shoring up the back - hrmm. Like the guy and he will get better this season, but it is almost too late now. He looked Mickey Mouse against Chicago. Well, had to complain and get off me chest. Fellas/Gallas, this is gonna be a long year. Wild-eyed conspiracy theory (stated this prior to season - still thinking it might have a nodule of credence): I think the FO is trying to self-destruct so that they can have an excuse to move the team to another city. DC's government is flat out pathetic and nothing is gonna get done for the stadium. They move, change kits....MLS will then dangle the expansion tag to the DC area and resurrect the team with kit, proper stadium (I LOVE RFK btw) and all. 2 years later (2014) we are back to the power house ways....putting down the Meth Pipe now....
Via Steven Goff: A few minutes with D.C. United's Dave Kasper Call in the Red Mist. He works 25/8. Thx, Jay!
This quote from a RedBull explanation about their attendance last week: So if I fix their post with United in mind, it comes out like this: So the RedBulls have a plan to gradually fill their stadium. What is our FO's plan's objective?
Not sure this analogy works. We already outdrew them by nearly 30% with a bad team and an old stadium. Whatever DCU's problems are, attendance is not one of them. It might become one down the road, but it isn't one now. Red Bull should be very concerned.
I'll tell you though, if the team starts getting results, that stadium will start to fill up. Totally anecdotal, I realize, but: My sister (not a soccer fan at all) lives in Jersey, her middle son just started playing soccer (he's always been in the shadow of his older brother, who is a much better baseball player than the middle one) last season, and he really likes it. I was telling her how cool that is, being encouraging and all that, when she mentioned that she was even thinking of taking him to a Red Bulls game so he could see a real soccer game...and she added "NOW THAT THEY HAVE THAT NICE NEW STADIUM." Word is out. It will take awhile, but if they can field a winning team, that place is slowly but surely going to start filling up.
You don't think Juan Pablo Angel is high profile? I prefer DPs like him - ones who can actually play the game. There's obvious benefit to having a marketing boost, but my preference lies with the soccer side of the equation. There are VERY few players like Beckham who can move the needle outside the stadium.
And in the NYC metro area, it's not like you could market to a select ethnic group like you can in a lot of other metro areas where a handful of traditional ethnic backgrounds dominate. So that strategy is out; so you're stuck with the "big celebrity" signings, of which how many are willing to come here when they're not at the tail end of their career?
I think JPA is kind of DP actually fits better with teams like DCU. JPA might be a good DP for teams like DCU, but not a 'high profile' DP. I'm talking more in the line of Thierry Henry or Ronaldinho type of high profile DPs. That's what NYRB needs I think. They want the momentum going with their shiny new stadium.
The red bulls needa beckham signing to get people to the stadiumns is what you are saying? I guess that does make sense, but I think they are hoping with good soccer, it will bring people. Although it would be nice if they bring a high profile player to bring more main stream media attention to the league again, like when Becks first arrived.
They have the money to get the kinds of DPs that can do both; play well and be marketing magnets. I'm sure they'd like large crowds for a while to help pay off that expensive stadium.
Shiny new stadium: check Increased performance(good soccer): working on it High profile DP: planning on it I think RBNY is kind of team that needs these holy trinity more than anybody else, and it can be a huge team.
On a different note... This might sound crazy, but I really think out problems comes to one simple issue: scoring first. You might call that an oversimplification, because most people realise that in a large percentage of games for years around the world the team that scores first tends to win the game, but that's really all our current streak comes down to. If we had scored first, don't you think we might have won at least 2 of those games? NE? I saw a lot of people posting that if we had converted early chances we may have won. A lot of people said the same thing about Chicago. Early goals in KC and Philly made the job that much harder, of course, and perhaps you can throw those two out. But even if you think back the last year or two, the problem has always been scoring first. How many games last year were we chasing the result for most of the game, or giving it up near the end? Most of our games, I think. So why is it that we are always chasing games? Lack of scoring prowess to make goals, or lack of defense to prevent them? Both? I think the problem is patience. I love our style, controlling the ball and tempo are great to watch, and we preach everyone to try to always be cool on the ball and patient, not afraid to make a pass to keep possession. But what about a desire not to be patient and "let it come". We have been hearing "it will come" for two years. Maybe there should be an impatience in the team. A desire to take the ball down the field immediately, go right at defenders, shoot at the goal immediately. Where is that mentality? If we do that, other teams are on their heels backing up, instead of turning from side to side. I realize players have to perform and people have to be healthy, and all that, but maybe we just need a change in mentality more than anything?
Yea, I hope they do bring some big names this summer. Would be good for the league, and yes to pay off that stadium. Isnt Red Bull doing awesome right now too in F1??