The Eskandarian Substitution [N&A] [R]

Personally, I would have subbed Moreno to protect him from injury, but I just saw Alecko talking on the replay telecast about his hamstring a little bit, so maybe that's what it was about.

 

I was thinking the same thing. What does Esky have to do to avoid the inevitable 60-some minute sub by Adu? ...Then we wife pointed to Esky getting a big bag of ice taped to his leg by the trainer.

I don't think he reinjured it, but I think Novak is playing it safe. With the next few games for DC, there are a lot of injuries and Nat call-ups, and I think they're playing it safe with Esky so they can get more performances like tonight.

 

If I were Nowak I would want to use Moreno as little as possible seeing as he is getting older and has had injury problems. I understand if Esky was hurt but I agree wholeheartedly that Esky is getting the shaft if no injury is involved.

Regardless, we had one extra sub and I think it would have been wise to use it on Moreno to save him.

 

Maybe since Esky has been out a couple of weeks with injury, Nowak didn't want to push him to go the full 90 and risk re-injury.

Esky had run his ass off all over the field for 60 mins. He was probably spent.

Also, the TV cameras late in the game had a shot of him lying on his back and appeared to be receiving treatment.

Game was over, we were up 3-0. No reason to take chances and it gave Nowak an opportunity to give Freddy what he needs most -- game experience.

Good grief, we won. Be happy and stop second guessing.

**Edit to add**

This may have something to do with it as well...

From Goff's Post Article http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55096-2004Jun19.html

So that plus being out 3 weeks with a hammy strain probably explains it all.

 

I think it may have been the hamstring. I don't know how many others saw it but Eski was shown on the big board lying on the ground with a grimace on his face. It looked as if he might have been getting help in streching, likely behind the bench somewhere. Anyone on that side of the stadium see that or did anyone else notice the video on the big screen???

 

He also had to go to the hospital Friday to get antibiotics for strep throat.

Like gocaps, I was thinking it would be for Jaime, but I had absolutely no problem with the sub. It's a long season, and we were up 3-0. It's not like this is an aggregate goals series.

 

Eski aggrevated the hamstring. Immediately after he was taken out he was trying to stretch it out and was icing it down. I think he might have even left the field before the end of the game.

I was pissed he was taken out but it became pretty obvious he was hurting. If you are Nowak, and he just gave you that effort, why push it and risk him not playing against Dallas.

 

Given DC's luck just this past week (see Martins) We can't burn our forwards particularly ones in Amazing form the full 90 for no good reason, just to pad stats. I wanted Esky to come off..but not necessarily for Adu. I'd rather Moreno come off for Adu..but given the subs on hand..you must make do w/ what you have.

 

Tactically I understand you question, Adu is not a hold the lead kind of player. But we were up 3:0 at that point, pretty much in control of the game, seems like a good time to give select players a run out.

The real reason for Esky being pulled though I'm sure is health related. He was limping around a bit on the sidelines. As soon as he came off he had hiked up his shorts on the left leg (IIRC) and seemed to be having some issue with it. All things considered it seemed like the right play for Nowak to make.

 

He was taken off because his hamstring was bothering him.

 

At the end of the game they showed him on the bench and his leg had been wrapped.

 

Yeah, they showed it on the new TVs too. I looked around and finally saw him down at the corner by the dugout. I think there were two trainers with him and he was there for a good 5 to 10 minutes.

If he keeps having games like that, maybe he should be injured every other game

I too was surprised/frustrated by the sub until I saw the attention he was getting after he came off. I hope all is well with him and he can do it again in Dallas next week

-dave

 

As others have said, it looked like Eski was taken off either due to injury, precaution, or plan (maybe they had talked about Eski playing 60 or so in his first game back). And I saw a trainer take him to the corner and work on him.

I agree that outside of Eski's health, there were better tactical options in the 60th minute. And at some point in the first half, like the 20th minute, I turned to my friend and said, "Cerritos has his assist, they should just sub him out now, because he's not going to contribute anymore". He had that attempt at the beginning of the second half, but was as you say impotent.

 

While his tender hamstring had a lot to do with it, I would also say that having a yellow card also played some, albeit small part. Esky is a fiesty guy and got that yellow within a minute of scoring his first goal. He plays really hard and somethimes that gets him in trouble. I saw Nowak pull him over at one point, I think early in the 2nd half after a rough tackle and while I couldn't read his lips I think he was telling Eski to cool it a little. I'm hoping once he's fully fit from the hamstring that he will get the opportunity to go longer than 60 minutes. Everyone knows Nowak wants/needs to give Freddy minutes, but to do it just for the sake of doing it is not good for the team or really for Freddy.

 

I get Knave's basic sentiment but a 3 goal lead is exactly the time TO put Adu in.

That and the fact that we all knew Alecko was gimpy from the start. I was amazed to see him start b/c of the hamstring.

A better question towards Nowak will be, if all jobs are open and if play is to be rewarded will/should Stewart and Convey be on the field next week at other players expense?

I don't care if they were playing for the NAts, the two of them shouldnt be treated any different then any other players on this team....

We shall see.

 

I still think that if we have a 3 goal lead Moreno should be one of the first players off because of his age and injury history.

 

I agree but wonder at this point (with Alecko's bad hamstring) if it simply wasnt simply the lesser of two evils.

Alecko is still tender.

Moreno is relatively healthy...

 

For one thing, everytime we play the Doo, Esky starts..

 

it's so eski would get the ovation, it's done often

 

i have a big issue with the substitution.

If this were the only game in which esky has been taken off early, then i would chalk it up to a precautionary move by nowak to keep his player healthy after returning from injury, and its no big deal.

But esky ALWAYS gets pulled early. it doesn't matter if he's playing well or playing poorly, if he's scoring or not scoring, injured or not injured.

this is just one of the things that nowak is stubborn on. the forward who is not named Jaime gets pulled around the 60th minute. The same thing happens to ronald and also to freddy.

IMHO, the forward who usually is in the most need of being taken off is Jaime who is pretty much done after minute 70. but he never comes off. His injury history is well documented, and he's already had a quad injury this season, and he was holding his back at the end of the game. during the span where we played 3 games in 8 days, jaime played all 90 in each game, and a couple if not all (dont remember) were played in midfield where he has to do alot more running. nowak is gonna end up wearing him out.

In regards to this particular game, i saw no evidence that esky's hamstring was bothering him. He would have received ice and a stretch from the trainer at whatever point he came off. if he was pulled at halftime, he would have gotten treatment. if he had played all 90, he would have gotten treatment. while he was on the field, there was no evidence that anything was bothering him. If it was just for an ovation, you can take him off after 85 minutes and at least give him the chance to get the hat-trick which would have been a huge boost for confidence not just for him, but the whole team.

i really dont know why nowak insists on doing this every game, but it is really irksome, and truly the only issue i have with nowak as a coach.

 

About three or four people have said they saw exactly this thing happen. Plus he was at the ER Friday to get antibiotics for his strep. Plus we were up 3-0. I honestly don't know why this sub is troubling to anyone after looking at the evidence.

 

A few minutes after he was taken off, I saw a trainer and Eski head for the corner where Eski was stretched out.

This was a sub based on his health.

Nice argument, though. You might want to keep it handy for the next time that Alecko gets subbed out when playing well while two old guys huff and puff the last 15 minutes of a match.

 

I can understand pulling Esky off due to his (and his hamstring's) health. What I don't understand is leaving Jaime in the game, after about minute 60 (and maybe even before then) he was done and just watching balls go by him. I guess we just really had no substitutes. Who came off for Ara, I might have taken Jaime out and either dropped Cerritos back or moved Freddy to Jamie's spot since we were up by 3.

Watching scenes on the tape where they showed last year's game when Esky scored two goals, I really cannot wait until we see Quaranta up playng forward again. He had a sublime assist on one of Alecko's goals.