The FC Dallas Thread

If they keep playing 3 at the back, Che seems tailor made for the RCB role going forward.

 

Maybe but they've stopped playing that formation except to preserve leads at the end of the game. I'd say Richards, Cannon, Reynolds and now Che can all play that or right back in a four back formation. Cannon may be the only one whi won't play pure CB but Reynolds is TBD. RB is now as prolific for FCD as midfield I think. McKenney, Pomykal, Servania, Cerrillo, Tessman, Roberts plus some real talent at the younger academy ages. Toss up?

 

I wouldn't call Richards a RB, at least in the FC Dallas context.

Che will be interesting. I tend to want to move faster, talented players down the defensive spectrum, in the sense that a CB with his ball skills and speed would be something special. But most here want to move them up it (Che to RB; Dest to RW).

But either way, the talent keeps coming for FC Dallas.

 

@gogorath, I agree, but I think Che's particular skillset calls for a RB. He's not bad at CB, but I don't find that he does anything overly good at the position. He defends pretty well, he's mobile, but not a very good passer of the ball.

At RB, he's much more aggressive in using his ball skills, and his lack of ability to hit a 20 yard pass on the mark through a few opposing players marking a teammate or switch the field doesn't matter much. If he can overlap at the right times, and knock the ball past guys with pace and power (he's 6'1 and fast), thats going to work.

A fullback also is more likely to use shorter passes than longer passes. They don't have to be the most incisive passer. With some practice, it's a lot easier to be able to get better with executing the combination passes for a player like Che as opposed to learning how to send the LW in on goal from the RCB position.

You can also tell he has some attacking 1v1 skills (he's a former forward). He can run with the ball pretty well for a defender, but how much does that help at CB? At CB, you don't want him to try to beat players 1v1. All you want him to do is bypass the pressing attackers, and get the ball to the midfielders or fullbacks.

I tend to think the formula with where to place players with these basic skills (tall, athletic, some semblance of ability with the ball) is that you start out with the idea that we need to keep guys who can pass the ball well in the center of the field. If they don't do that well, you then ask how their dribbling skills are. If they are good and they have good offensive instincts (former forwards often are good in this area), they are better off at fullback as opposed to CB. I'm all for having mobile CB's who are comfortable with the ball, but there needs to be more of an analysis than that. You don't just throw anyone who fits that profile at CB. Some of them will fit better at fullback.

 

I got all excited because I thought he was starting for NTSC in their game against Fort Lauderdale this weekend. Then I saw it was Nicky Hernandez.....................

It seems to me that a good barometer of the players that FCD would like to sign to HG deals are those they're giving lots of opportunities to with NTSC. This weekend Bonilla and Redzic started again. I don't know if they'll be able to sign either, but its a good place to start projections from. Colliin Smith also still getting minutes, although he came off the bench this time. The truth is they don't really need another right back at the moment. THey just sold one, have a good young one in Reynolds, and still have players like Munjoma in reserve. Redzic? I can see him as a player in a position of need. Its just whether he wants to stay. If FCD thought it was a totally lost cause like some on this board think....................then they wouldn't be playing him with NTSC as much as they are. They'd be starting the Rodriguez brothers, who both came off the bench this week, or somebody else.

Diego Hernandez doesn't turn 16 until next February. I'm not the biggest fan of signing 15/16 year olds. But I think that's a good guess too.........................

 

If theyre going to sign him at the same time they would’ve signed Pax, Jesus, Sealy, and Pepi then we should expect to see them sign him this off season. I am also expecting to see Jordan Jones and Anthony Ramirez be signed as well. Less of a chance because he’s an 06 but Dallas should be attempting to sign Matthew Corcoran this off season also because he is that big of a talent

 

I don't consider Richards a right back either but he's played it for Bayern reserves and just started a game at RB for the full Bayern team so it's a position he can play at a high level. I hope he gets some game time at CB for Bayern soon. Maybe at first in blowouts or matches that aren't Bundesliga to get used to his teammates and the faster speed of play. I'd love to see him and EPB in the next camp for friendles if that ever happens again.

 

Cant happen. We have to suffer through Zimmerman and Ream instead.

 

Richards was called in for the January camp, but Bayern denied the call-up. I suspect he would have been called in for the canceled March camp in Europe.

Having watched Richards at RB for Bayern ... I'm not sure that play at RB is going to cut it for the US even if we didn't have Dest and others. He showed some offensive skills, and wasn't a train wreck or anything, but he also wasn't incredibly tested. Hertha didn't have much of the ball and when they did, they went straight down the middle mostly.

I'd like to see him actually defend as a RB -- which I'm not sure I saw more than thirty seconds of in this match -- before I'd ever consider him there for the USMNT.

Bayern provides a lot of cover. He'd have less backup with the USMNT.

 

!!

As we know, young players sometimes have to get on the field wherever they can. That's what's going on here. The Bayern first team has plenty of options at CB, and other good young players there. Right back is where an opportunity is for now. One hopes that he's moved back to CB at Bayern or elsewhere.

Thomas Müller on Chris Richards (20) 🗣

“If I weren't so clever as to stand offside, Chris would've had two assists today. Let's hope he can build on this and I hope he hasn't hurt himself, I don't know what happened.” pic.twitter.com/iIPVX9FU0c

— OneGoal (@OneGoalUS) October 4, 2020

 

Hurt himself? One thing I noticed was as the game went on his teammates became more comfortable passing him the ball. Also if those sort of floating crosses were good enough for assists wait until BM see Reynolds hard driven ones. Seems like hype but dare I say Reynolds may have the most consistent hard, accurate driven crosses since Beckham was in the league.

 

Not sure he is better than Lennon or Zusi, but it's great for his age and experience.

 

Brad Davis and Ralston were also great.

 

Yes, but there was "since Beckham" in the original post, so Ralston is definitely out, but, yes, Brad Davis still had a few great seasons post Beckham time.

 

Zusi and Lennon are good to bring up as comparisons. They both send in hard and pretty accurate crosses. Reynolds has real movement on his 'ala Beckham. Just a natural zip that makes the ball dip and perhaps swerve. I am surprised as I'd never noticed it before this year but maybe he just didn't get opportunities to cross in the scraps of games I'd seen him or as he matures he's adding real whip to whatever he had. Someone whose watched him a lot more than I could answer this easily. He's also a lot faster than Zusi and Lennon so maybe he gets the Roberto Carlos speed zip added

 

After watching NTXSC a little lately I started to think things are heading south for David Rodriguez. He wasn't getting much playing time before his brother was sent back from the loan deal at Monarchs and now I heard he may be getting bumped down to play on the U19 DA today against Solar U19 DA.

Will see tonight if he is playing in the DA but if so, that has to be a major set back for his trajectory.

 

He isn't with North Texas today and has gotten about 300 minutes so far in USL1 this season, his last meaningful minutes were back in August. I think you'd be correct about things heading south for him.

 

https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/1...cused-of-injuring-3-in-bb-gun-shooting-at-byu

Former FCD Academy Player in the news.

 

Reynolds assist

🅱️ig 🅱️ad 🅱️ryan with the cross and Ryan Hollingshead with the finish!#SomosFCD | #FCDvSKC pic.twitter.com/UcFtrYg1KU

— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) October 15, 2020

 

Tessmann needs to start more. He drives play in the middle far better than Acosta. Reynolds is a joy, gonna miss him when he goes next summer or winter.

 

Reynolds is progressing nicely. IMO, the U20s RB spot is his. Araujo was one of the brighter spot on a Galaxy team that suddenly forgot how to play soccer.

 

So you're starting Araujo at center back to cover that weakness next to Otasowie?

 

FCD has won 5 of the 6 games that Tessmann has started. Simple as that.
It really looks to me like he might develop into a #6, which the pool can desperately use. We have real quality at the top (Adams, etc.) but the depth isn't good there.

He's definitely leapfrogged Servania in the pecking order, and I wasn't expecting that when the season started.

 

Tessmann is incredibly accurate with those long switches. You put that skill with that physicality and he is showing a floor that’s playoff tier mls quality already