I don't even want to hear anyone try. There is no excuse whatsoever to lose a game three to a lower seed AT HOME. No excuse! I may sleep on it and reevaluate later, but right now I'm more convinced than ever that Jeffries couldn't coach his way out of a wet paper bag. He had an entire game to watch what Colorado was going to do, and was still helpless to make any kind of effective adjustment. Last year with that fetid 4-3-3 and this year with his offense where our forwards never even attempt to make a dangerous move towards goal, but only serve to hold the ball and move backward waiting for the team to slowly move up. Every week, I have to watch teams come in with forwards who lay off on one touch and then STREAK towards goal, looking to open space and create a dangerous play. Imagine that! Any schmuck could coach this group of players to some mid table position and then lose in the first round of the playoffs. Did we even have a single shot on goal besides Rhine's goal and Zarco's shot right at Kramer in the second half? It doesn't matter what you say, or how you spin it, no team should ever, ever, EVER lose a game three at home to a lower seeded team. Period.
That's the bottom line. We let the Rapids hang around and hang around and hang around and never put them away. We deserved what we got in the end. I think that what epitomized the entire game was bringing Zarco for Pareja -- when the score was 1-1. Yo Jeffries, I'm suggesting that you get all wacky and hopped up on goofballs over there on the sideline, but maybe you could've brought on Vaca for Pareja? And when he did bring on Vaca, it was for Chivas. So to recap, we've got Pareja and Chivas out, and Zarco and Vaca in. Brilliant.
It was my impression that Dallas hung back and let Colorado maintain better possession. Was it hot and humid and therefore Dallas thought they might be able to wear down the Rapids? Just seemed kinda strange to me. I'm not looking to gloat here at all. Sucks when your teams season ends. But just trying to understand all the possible reasons for the outcome of tonights match. Rhine seems to be subbed quite regularly with Johnson, is this the case?
The television comments from Dir and Stout indicated that Pareja was possibly injured or at least hurting with the knee and that was the reason why, although they too thought the sub was off a bit.
No, for a lot of the season it was Kreis that was pulled, because he was chronically nursing injury. Kreis went almost half the season half-injured, and played through it. But yea, Johnson should have started the game. Rapids got possession cause the Burn did not match their intensity. Rapids used slide tackles the entire game to win 50-50 balls, the Burn did not until the final 20 minutes.
Well, that was sort of my point. I can understand substituting Pareja. He's playing through a knee injury that'll require surgery in the offseason. And if they had brought in Vaca for him, that would be understandable and forgivable. But Zarco? The mind boggles.
We should have been trying Vaca (or even O'Brien) at No. 10 all year. We should have started Johnson for most of the year that he wasn't hurt.
I wondered why EJ didn't even show up at game time till overtime at the Burn bench. I was within shouting distance, and couldn't, for the life of me, figure out why Rhine wasn't pulled in the 60th - per the usual scene in the last few games. I had a real forboding feeling when I didn't see EJ anywhere. I even told the guy in front of me that "this doesn't look good" going into the 65th minute with no EJ in sight. Granted rhine got a goal, but he also trapped passes poorly and gave away a few more passes. But the BIGGEST kicker for me was that our central defense looked VERY weak for both Colorado goals. I saw T-Bone and Ryan flat-footed while Chung was high in the air above them. That was the biggest disappointment of all for me. I've considered our central defense to be our strongest feature (Morrow was forced to the corner to guard the service, so we were actually 'out of position') and it hurt to see that Ryan could not cover Morrow's area effectively. Oh well, I guess Ryan won't be the 'stay-at-home' defender I'd hoped he'd turn out to be. Maybe it's just too much to ask. Anyone know the story behind why EJ wasn't on the bench till overtime?
I also wondered why Dallas looked more sluggish and fatigued than Colorado. At first I thought that maybe they were more tired from playing the same lineup all three games in one week. But Colorado only had two players who didn't do the same thing so that couldn't be it.
Rhine looked especially tired after 30 minutes; he would make a run, take three steps, then pull up when he realized he didn't have the gas. He should have been pulled earlier, like after 60'. Dallas gave Colorado way too much space in the midfield. That's probably a function of the rest of the team being tired. There's no excuse for that.
There is undoubtedly a problem with how Jefferies motivates the squad for big matches. Other than Game #1 was there another match this year when the stakes were high that we won, or even managed a draw?
Might also be overtraining. I don't know cause I don't go to practice, but since Colorado was not gassed at 30 minutes and the Burn was, what are we supposed to think?
Johnson has a strained hamstring and came out of practice tuesday with an ice wrap. I would guess he could force it for about twenty minutes maybe.... not capable of starting.
You guys did well against DC when you won in overtime to at least force the Rapids to win their final game for home field. I thought that was a particularly stellar performance that came during a bad stretch for the Burn. As for Jeffries and his subs, Hankinson was also surprising in taking out Spencer and Carrieri going into the OT. Granted, Spencer had been out for half the year hurt but to replace him with Kingsley, who Chivas smoked like a pack of Kools in game 1 was strange. And then taking Carrieri off for Trembley, who has played about 30 minutes all season. It worked out for Hankinson, but if it didn't, Rapids fans would be asking a lot of the same questions. BTW, the Burn had a great season and played well last night. It always sucks when the season ends without a Championship. They will be up there with the favorites for 2003.
I want to be sure that I don't leave Jordan out of the list of culprits for this loss. 2 goals allowed on 4 shots on goal. Nice work. I was especially disgusted with the first goal. A keeper is never supposed to be beaten to the near post, right? Either way, he didn't even move on the shot. I'll give him more of a break on the second goal which was struck very hard, but it's not like it was in the upper 90. I can see a Howard, Cannon or Thorton stopping it. But what does it matter? Unless we went to penalties we weren't going to win anyway. We had four shots on goal in 101 minutes. Four! Between Jordan's shaky goalkeeping and Jeffries feeble offensive tactics, we currently have no chance in any meaningful game against quality competition. Unless Jeffries learns from his mistakes and develops as a coach, we can count on more of the same next year.
Dallas surprised me last night with a totally uninspired performance. I thought they'd come out with jets running but they seemed to play with the same low key, defensive mentality they played with on the road in Game 2. In fact, it seemed like they hadn't recovered from Game 2. If it hadn't been for the set piece goal (in which the Rapids were completely disorganized and caught napping, though it was a nice goal), the Burn would have been done before OT. Don't know why their energy level seemed down...or at least any more than the Rapids'. Also, Jeffries and the players never seemed to adjust to Colorado's 4-4-2, particularly Chivas, who had a largely miserable performance last night. O'Brien got free but had some horrible crosses. Anyway, was jsut surprised by the lack of energy from the Burn in such a do or die situation.
It seemed to me that the Burn were often making one pass too many near the Rapids goal. I wish I had had a megaphone with me to yell at Kreis and some of the other Burn players, "Shoot the friggin' ball!!!". Granted the keeper is going to stop most of the shots directed his way, but if your team shoots often enough it'll typically pick up the "lucky" rebound goal or perhaps a bad bounce goal. The Burn need to realize that a goal, is a goal, is a goal, and that garbage goals like Colorado's first one count just as much as a pretty cross & header score.
I was sitting right behind the Colorado bench and after the first OT, Carrieri was looking real gassed. He had a brief conversation with Hankinson and then sat down. I was surprised to see him out as well, but he looked cooked.
I'm with you Jambon: There were at least six times when O'Brien brought the ball up in the second half where I expected that as soon as he passed to Kreis or Rhine, that he would make an overlapping run to the corner and put a high ball on the box for someone to head into the net. I couldn't believe it when it didn't happen. That would seem like such an instinctive move for a middie or a forward. Therefore, my conclusion is that they have been coached not to work those types of situations. I find it really ironic that it was Henderson's drive to the corner and subsequent cross that put us out for the season. The other issue: What was with the corner kicks in the second half. My 10 year old son can put up a better ball than that. I counted three corners that came into the box as knee busters. With all that traffic in the box, how can you even think that you can try to turn on a knee high ball and foot it in. Do we not have anyone that is dangerous on the headers. What about Morrow? Weren't all of his goals against Colorado this season on headers off of a set piece? I so badly wanted a gaLAxy-Burn semi so that I could have a major league identity crisis (plus I wanted to see more games). I'm pissed, but I'll be back next year.
IMHO, Main reason for the disaster......Mike Jeffreis, he will be out next season and because of that he played with his friends only, players wasn't motivated to play with a coach like that, MJ was afraid to win.......Kreis....injured the whole year and played, Deering.....yelling at everybody and trying to be the player coach(getting new enemies) played....Suarez......"injured" for almost two months with no practice at all.....played.......and then you have the other side.......Zarco best defender for 4 years...didn't played......Cerritos......didn't played.....EJ after the trip with the USNT...didn't played and how you do you want player to be motivated to play for a coach like that...
Well, the Rapids training facility in Westminster is at nearly 6000 feet altitude. I've only been to Texas once (for business, not soccer), but I go to CA regularly and running at sea level feels pretty good after being at altitude. Anyway, it's just a guess. It sure looked hot and humid on the tube. What a hard-fought game...
Not really, 'cause he was putting Kingsley in up top with little/no expectation of any defense. I mentioned this elsewhere, but it was well-thought plan -- "Look, kid, you're young, you've got fresh legs, and you've made some great offensive plays for us this year. Don't worry about defense now (where you've had some issues)... just go out there, try to out-run their defenders, and make something happen." Same idea, though I think Carrieri being wiped out was different than for Spencer. Carrieri was a mad-man out there, with the intensity knob set to 11. IMO, he did some things to wear himself out needlessly. I don't think he'd have seen yellow after that foul call if he hadn't come unglued at the ref the way he did.