OK, what did I see out there on Saturday?? First off, it was a tale of two halves, the first being a woeful defensive display by the Charge, the second, being an acceptable brand of Charge soccer from the past season, although the end of match mistakes harkening to the first half... The lineup... Moore in goal...although Solo seemed to be taking the 1st keeper warm-up routine prior to the match...and Misaki and do Mayo were also in the 5 v 5 warm-up routine too, so was their anmy gamemanship from Krikorian there... back-line Mitts McVeigh Tietjen-Prozz and Benson.. midfield Hoffmann at attacking mid, Fair out wide right, Tullock out wide left with Makinen in a d-mid/holding mid role... Pichon and Smith at forward... Krikorian wants so badly to get wide play, he's leaving the center of the pitch to the other team. last eyar, Monroe would shut it down, and you never had to worry about the other team getting a free run at central defense..of course, Iverson was there to take away the other teams best offensive player too... so we have Fair out wide right, where her mobility can be used, and Tullock on the left where her possession skills can be used... but the whole middle is left to Makinen...this is quite a task for anyone whose name is not Davids... Hoffmann actually was the best player out there for the Charge, but getting into sync with the rest of midfield is going to take some time.. You might want to complain about Moore, but she made 3 really good saves the first half.. a bone head play ff Welsh, but Kaey Keller did the exact same thing against Mexico on April 20, 1977 in Boston in a WCQ match... so the best have done it.. Pichon looks even more fit than last year, making lots of runs which went unrewarded.. Kelly Smith took a tumble at the 10 minute mark, and took sveral minutes to shake off the obvious pain, her goal was nice, get her on her left foot and she rarely misses...still she'll be fighting through the ACL..we can only hope the warmer weather treats her more kindly.. and we can hope Scasna planta fascitis doesn't hamper her too much.. sermani had welsh running at mcveigh most of the time, trying to overpower her...and milbrett using her speed to attack tietjen... that's what it's all about, match-ups and exploiting them... at this level, and weakness will get attacked and when you cover that weakness you create more pressure elsewhere... it does look dismal this coming week...smith ailing, scasna injured, pichon away for france... type of situation for a team to collect itself and become a team... play the soccer they did the 2nd half, and this team will come around... the fire power this team has is incredible, and it reminds me of the Brazil teams who didn't care about defending at all because they knew they could outscore you... if we let this team come together, the quality of football they will display will be magical...
well, since g4m ain't here to defend himself, we can fight over the good and the bad... still saturday had equal portions of each... on the uptside though, when the Charge get their act together, they will be scary good offensively... I'd go with a box midfield with Tullock and Monroe in the box, with Hoffmann and Scasna on the top with Scasna giving some wide play on the right.. Pichon and Smith up top..and since both like the left, having an other mid clog that area up seems silly, Benson getting forward there will provide the service Smith and Pichon need. Monroe peskiness in midfield would do wonders defensively in the middle. Right now, there's far too much space, Krikorian is asking far too much of Makinen. Monroe is a one trick monster, but it's the trick this team needs right now. Add her to the mix and you'll see far less disorganization defensively.
OK, I waited a couple of days before posting to calm down and rationally post some remarks... I think the whole debacle Saturday can be boiled down to 1 thing, NO DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD!!!!! I thought that the 4 midfielders all played a great offensive game, but they sure didnt play D, and left the defenders all alone. When either Benny or Mittsy is running up on the attack on an overlapping run, that usually only left 3 defenders against Welsh and Milbrett. (It really only left two defenders, because McVeigh was overmatched all game.) I cant remember a play where a midfielder other than occationally Fair would be in the defensive third of the field being a ball hawk. Makinen and Hoffman were great ball hawks at the midfield line, but I dont remember them venturing into the defensive third too often. I agree with an earlier post that staed that we were so intent on attacking the wings, the Power just strolled down the center of the field at will. I'm not quite sure what formation the Charge were playing, whether it was a 4-4-2, a 4-5-1, or a 4-4.5-1.5, but the midfield had no depth to it and once you got past it, it was free sailing straight to the D. I hope Coach K concentrates this week on making sure that one of the midfielders stays back in the defensive midfield, and provides some defensive presense. I dont care who it is, Fair, Monroe, or Makinen, but it needs to be stresssed. I remember last year Fair was always a ball hawk in the defensive midfield, granted she usually turned the ball right back over, but at least she messed with the flow of the opponents attack. On the offensive side of the ball, I thought that Tullock, Hoffman,Smith (while she was in) and Pichon were really clicking. I wouldnt mess with the chemistry here!!! KSP
The solution to the midfield is to put Monroe in it. Or we can have the 4-3-2-1 with Tullock and Smith together. Tullock could go back when she wants to and attack as well. Give her the space in the middle and she will use it. Not on the flanks but in the middle. "but the whole middle is left to Makinen...this is quite a task for anyone whose name is not Davids..." Or Makelele for defensive purposes at least. Similar to the Charge in some respects. Defense sometimes not the best but scores a bunch of goals and we will after Saturday. g4m is not here? Probably still in mourning after Sunday.
I thought that Hoffman was the only one controlling the ball and passing out there. Our stragtegy seemed to be kick the ball through to Pichon or Arrington. I was watching on TV and I started counting the times the fullbacks just kicked it and I didn't have enough fingers and toes to keep track!!! Actually Tullock made a few passes and even Pichon had a few, but the main plan seemed to be to just boot it. Makinen was nonexistent, but I have never thought Monroe did anything out there. Fair played like she always does, not contributing a thing to the game. Mc Veigh looked out of her league. What was/is he thinking? I thought it was an ugly game to watch.
Yes, the defenders would boot it forward to Pichon and she'd get a head to it and headed it forward to either the goalkeeper or a defender. Can't do that anymore. Need another forward there so that Pichon can pass it.
Is anyone familiar with Mak's play at Notre Dame? Was she a good defender there? I know she was a center mid, but I am wondering what her strengths were there.
The second half, the Charge played far better a possession game than the first half. I agree Hoffmann played extremely well. The tactical problem to me, is the idea of playing Tullock and Fair out wide on both sides, in roles they're NOT fully comfortable with. It's nice to attacked with width, but there wasn't enough of that going on successfully. And in this desire to play wide, the center of the pitch was conceeded, putting far too much responsibility on Makinen. Krikorian needs to settle the middle defensively, and putting Monroe out there is the first step, then moving Tullock into the holding role, gives Hoffmann a partner to work with... I think they'll be able to work together and provide dangerous service to Smith and Pichon. Kelly hasn't fully recovered sufficiently to play attacking mid. Letting the service come to her will let her play longer. Eventually Scasna can play wide out there on the right. Haviung Tullock and Monroe in front of McVeigh would make McVeigh's life far easier. She's been placed into a difficult situation, replacing Fitschen and Iverson. She does some good things, and she's learning on the job, so mistakes will happen. One option is a backline of Fair Mitts Tietjen and Benson... but Krikorian made a decision and I don't see him changing it until June. The question is how well and quickly McVeigh learns. her lack of strength is a problem. In the first half she played poorly, but in the second she played far better. To me the season ios a trimester of 7-7-7, with the first 7 being let's learn about one another, the enxt 7 getting into the play-off hunt and the final 7, being a push for play-off position. A haste to judgment will cause many to look foolish once August rolls around.
I think she was 'Player of the Year' during her time. Then again, the Heisman doesn't mean much once you're in the pros. So what's up with MF? Is she injured?
sorry for the mistake, but I do have to disagree with you on monroe. She has always been solid in the midfield, breaking up play from attackers. Would like to see her play in a game this season and see what happens.
I watched the tape last night. Zero service from Fair the entire game. And doesn't take the first man down in transition. Tullock played a bit better, with that service to Pichon. But there were turnovers too, & miscommunication with Benson.
Well, last year Monroe was Krikorians favorite running her out there to tale away the other teams best mid, not let them run there offense. Krikorians had this conversion to the beautiful game, but the team isn't quite there yet. The object is to dominate possession in midfield, and they aren't doing it with the current formation and where people are allocated. to me McVeigh is Agoos, and along the lines of what Arena did, let's go 3-5-2... my three backs would be Tietjen Makinen and Fair.. wingers are Benson and Mitts and they'll need to play the entire length of the pitch.. Tullock is in the holding role right in front of Makinen. attacking mids are Smith on the left and Hoffmann on the right... the skill of Tullock with Hoffmann and Smith would give the Charge the possession they need in midfield ... and then I'd have Pichon and Arrington as the fowards, although a healthy Scasna would be where i'd go... given what saw on saturday, that's my approach
Well, I had thought of a 3 player backline but it turned out that our 4 player backline was great together. However, we could do a 3-5-2 which we often have already with Mitts or Benson moving forward on the attack. Now they would be great as wingbacks. They combined a great attacking curiousity with a strong marking ability. Tullock in middle alongside Smith and Hoffmann is a good idea. She could attack and defend whenever it's called for. I still think my 4-3-2-1 would be along the same lines for Tullock as an attacker. In fact, now that I think of it. How about a 3-4-1-2? Backline as Fair, Tietjen with Makinen with Benson, Tullock, Hoffmann, and Mitts in midfield. Smith in playmaker's spot and Pichon and Arrignton(until Scasna is better) upfront. I have standing up for McVeigh but I recall that I generally do not like rookies starting. It's the Catch 22 for experience. McVeigh is going to get better and I would put her in the midfield. Like Tullock she can defend and attack. For this saturday, I would use the 3-4-1-2 with Trina and Arrington upfront. The week after I would change it to a 3-4-2-1 with Monroe and Hoffmann as the two with Pichon alone upfront. Arrington comes in as a sub.
I think the general problem with Tullock and Fair BOTH on the wings, is there's too much space in the center of midfield for makinen to worry about. So basically, the other team can sit there, not get pressured all that much, and then run whatever they want. Taking that away from the other team is the highest priority to me. If you give up the center of the pitch, it's far too hard to win. You lose possession and your chances are lessened
The two things that were glairing to me were Tullock is NOT a winger and McVeigh is NOT a central defender, id almost say move tullock to CD where she was originally drafted to play even if it would be a major waste of ball skills. At least get rid of tullock on the wings maybe have her replace mak as the dmid. she is being wasted on the wings, then again kirk thinks bench before move, just ask Clemens.
My concern is defending the center of midfield. Having Tullock and Fair as wingers, basically leaves Makinen all alone, too much for her to do. Either adding Monroe or moving Tullock into a more central position is my first move. It's far too easy for other teams to get through the Charge midfield, and the problem is more where the players are, rather, than who the players are. McVeigh has a far better chance defending 10 offensive scoring chances, than 25-30.
agreed first move HAS to be makinen out Monroe in, makinen is too slow to be a good pure DMid and that just exposes the defense, if a 5-4 game that was 3-3 at the half didnt illustrate this please tell me what would
Makinen had far too much space to account for. If she had a helper like Monroe, then she'd fair far better. The eagerness to get wide play on both sides of midfield is where all this trouble in the middle is emerging.