This is getting goddamn frustrating

With parity the way it is, my only hope is that Jeffries realizes that he needs to focus on the younger guys early in the season and give them some very solid game time. That way, everyone is hungry by the time playoffs begin.

And that doesn't mean the motto shouldn't be Play to Win. Right Now!

 

As Chung scored the final goal, I just kinda sat there and in disbelief, I though this year would be different, I thought we finally had what it took. But in the end it's the same shit different year.


It's gonna be a long winter, go Revs.

 

All us Rapids fans can relate. No gloating here, it is always tough when your team bows out, and I think the Raps and the supporters know we needed a little luck. We NEVER win in Dallas.

Anyway, we can relate cause for years we have been so average. First round of the playoffs and out. Dallas looked good this year, I especially like Kries, Pareja, Morrow, Johnson and Deering. Good group, but ya know with the reduction of 2 teams everyone is good, and we pulled it out with some luck and some good play.

Good luck next year, and I apologize for the "hack" comments. Heat of battle and all, and Saturday's game here did seem a bit rough, but then I am a bit of a Nancy boy.

 

No need for apologies, smack talk is fun AND healthy!
Great series, nice goals and good luck in the semis.

 

Look, I still have a BIG spot in my heart for the Burn. They were extremely entertaining, they got into the playoffs EVERY YEAR, and despite the fact it lacks a jumbotron, the Cotton Bowl rocks! (then again, I've always loved Fair Park and the bars across Parry Ave.)

That said, I was telling my new compatriots that Dallas is a great team... solid play... cool jerseys... etc. But they won't make MLS Cup because the soccer gods apparently don't wish it. That's it. End of story.

Of course, I'm now a full fledged supporter of the Evil Empire and DAMN PROUD of it. I got to witness the resurgence of Alexi (winner of the LA Riot Squad Player of the Year trophy), the post WC comeback of Cobi... and the introduction of El Pescadito: Carlos Ruiz.

It saddens me to think you guys are going for the Revolution as opposed to the team that TRULY DESERVES the treble.

And to think, I stood with you during your amazing victory over the Ultimate Insult to Soccer: San Jose.

Tommy "we'll fly to Dallas next year" Mack

 

Tommy, three words concerning El Pibe, "Sweep the knee."

We miss you in the stands. The Landon Money Shot sign was pure, inspirational genius!

 

No way. The Burn play .500 ball - the Rangers play at levels well below that.

Darn frustrating when you think of the talent on the team this year - but such is life.

Jason Kries said it best: In an instant, the Burn was sent home for the season. Forward Jason Kreis, the last remaining member of a franchise that began play in 1996, tried to fight back tears. He failed.

"It kind of feels like all seven years wrapped into one," Kreis said. "We felt like we were a different team this year; we felt like we were a better team. We felt like we had what it took to make it to the next level. In the end, we end up with the same result – out in the first round."

Go Revs.

 

Re: Re: This is getting goddamn frustrating

Yeah, Jason's really a great guy. But, straight up, he's gotta be thinking about his trend of non-production in post-season play. It's when the team needs him most and he's 'just not there'. Sad, really.

Go Revs.

.

 

Weren't you the one burning the Burn jersey after you moved to L.A.?

?

 

To make the move to the very top you need to have dominating offensive power. With the exception of KC, all of the MLS Cup winners have had dominating offenses. Last season the Burn had no wing play and no defense. Jefferies corrected both of those. The defense could still use some improvement, but it's acceptable already.

Offensively they need to rethink the attack. Kreis needs to be saved more in the regular season so that he's fresh for the playoffs. The Burn need a better aerial game. Set piece scoring needs to improve for the tighter defending in the playoffs. I think Eddie Johnson becoming a starter will solve a lot of these problems, and end the Burn's usual playoff swan. The talent is there, and with two first round draft picks (#4 and #12) the Burn should be able to create depth at every spot on its roster.

-Tron

 

I am still shell shocked about the series loss to
Colorado. This weekend I watched the semi-finals of
the MLS in my game room surrounded by all my Burn
paraphernalia in a semi conscious state of disbelief
that our beloved Red and Black was not playing
anymore.

Reflecting on the series, I am not upset at the
obvious double standard applied by the referees.
Certainly, Pablo should have received a second yellow in the first half of the first game. Valderrama not getting sent off with a second yellow or a straight red for his tae kwon doe front kick to the head of Vaca was a joke. I am not upset about it because it should not have mattered; Dallas still had enough talent to overcome that inequity. What really is upsetting that a simple formation change by the Rapids head coach was enough to derail the Jeffries game plan. What is more upsetting is that Jeffries could not make an adjustment to the wrinkle Hankinson threw at him for more than 190 minutes.

From the onset of game two it was apparent that coach Jeffries did not mind coming back to Dallas for a game 3 given how easily Dallas won all of their matches against Colorado at the Cotton Bowl. A win and two draws would have been sufficient to advance, but that conservative approach turned out to be the most risky way to play the series. The conservative approach cost them the second game when one miscue by the back line of Dallas and one missed call (Fraser handled the ball
before crossing it to Carrieri) gave Colorado the
break they needed to stick it in the back of the net
and send the series back to Dallas even at 3 points a piece. And then the conservative approach in the
decisive game 3 cost the team the series as Colorado struck in the tie breaker game before anybody had a chance to catch their breath after a hard fought 100 minutes of soccer. By playing it so close to the vest, our team was vulnerable to the smallest margin of error.

The playoffs are a time when teams have to have the courage to be great. Good teams assume the
responsibility to go for the victory. Teams that play
not to lose are almost guaranteed to do so. The moves that Jeffries made whether tactical and/or due to injuries were too conservative, and they did not give Dallas the best chance to win. They did not allow the team to play up to its potential.

Game two was scoreless at the half. This would have been the perfect time to bring in Vaca for Pareja, and EJ for either Rhine or Kreis. As it turned out, he waited until the team was down to make these substitutions, and then Vaca was injured by Valderrama before he could make an impact.

In game 3, Pareja had to come out due to injury. But instead of opting for an offensive minded player in Vaca, Jeffries brings on Zarco for his defensive work. Ironically, a couple of minutes after the substitution Zarco found himself at the top of the box practically one v one against the Colorado keeper and botched the golden opportunity. Without Pareja or Vaca, Dallas lost the midfield battle completely. Jeffries not wanting to make a sub for the player he just subbed in decides to take Martinez off the field for Vaca. Martinez, the player that has come through time after time in the late minutes of games this season, Martinez, the player that had owned the Rapids all season long. Initially Vaca on the right and O’Brien on the left proved to be completely ineffective. When these two switched flanks, they created a couple of chances but not nearly enough. The EJ substitution never came during regulation apparently due to an
injury sustained in practice the day before. However,
once he did come in for the overtime period, Dallas
looked better than Colorado and we had to wonder had we brought EJ in at the 70th minute would we still be playing.

A lot of people have been talking about how edition of the Dallas Burn did not win any big games this year. They cite their 0-4 record in games where they could have taken the overall lead of the league. However, I do remember a couple of big games that Dallas did win this season. These were games in which Dallas dared to be great, and played like it. The victories over SJ in mid July, LA in late august, and Colorado in the Open Cup were big games. If they had not won those games
the other 4 would not have mattered. But in the end it was those 4 games and the season ending game 3 lossthat will be remembered years from now.

Next year is the crucial year for Coach Jeffries. The
first season he was learning the ropes, and did not
quite have the personnel that suited his style. The
second season he upgraded the personnel, but still
fell short with his game time strategies. Next year,
he will get to put the finishing touches on the
personnel he wants plus he will have all of the
experience of coaching two full seasons in MLS and all that it entails. The ups and downs of the regular
season, strategizing the fine points of a playoff
series, miniscule rosters, giving key players rest
when they need it, handling scheduling conflicts
between MLS and the US Open Cup, US Nat team call ups (mostly U-20’s at this point), etc. I am hoping that Andy Swift gives coach Jeffries the opportunity to take the next step.

La locura rojinegra

 

Unlike Chamo, I feel things AS they are happening.

The pure 'foreboding' I felt as each point Chamo has made 'happened' - left a bad taste in my mouth... AT the time.

The truth is; I felt this way the whole season. It was the team that swayed my feeling, and NOT the game management. Things went well when the team was working together for a common end. The coaching wasn't really 'there' with the team - for most of the season.

That's why it was so glaring for me to see the 'end' coming during the third game. Like the 'non-resting' of Kreis, and the key rest that Pareja needed when he WASN'T needed on the field... these things left me with a slanted view as to the effectiveness of the decision making for the team.

I'd like to see an ex-player lead the team in coming years. What's Alvarez doing now-a-days? What-the-heck, why not Eck?

 

I am not sure why you think that I did not feel things as they were happening as well. I always maintained that this team was succeding despite coach Jeffries. Every single game, I would scratch my head at the substitutions that Jeffries made and would marvel at how it somehow worked out for him.

I also knew that this team would only go as far as Jason Kreis would take it. I even wrote an article for 3rd degree about it.

I agree with you here.

Once September rolled around, the damage was already done to both Pareja and Kreis. The biggest crime here was the fact that coach Jeffries could have used the month of September to rearrange his team for a playoff run without these two. The upside would have been twofold, one the team would have developed a rhythm by the time the playoffs rolled around, and then they could have used these two rested players as catalysts to come off the bench if the game time situation warranted it.

Leonel Alvarez was playing in Colombia last I heard. I think that one day he needs to fullfil his journey and coach the Dallas Burn.

Ted Eck is selling insurance in Irving. Ted Eck taking over for Jeffries would be quite ironic.

La locura rojinegra

 

Catalysts. Yes, imagine two impact players like Kreis and Pareja getting the rest they need and coming in at the end of the season when they are needed. Given the current playoff arrangement where most 'get in' anyway, it would've behooved us to do just that. AND, it would've, I believe, given the fans something to REALLY cheer about - seeing two stars come in and spur the team on to a head-long run for the Cup.

Exciting stuff.

BUT, the current management lacks the wisdom AND the imagination to do these things (however, on-the-other-hand, putting in O'brien to start was a very 'fan-appreciated' move... no matter what the existing conditions of his position 'suggested').

Is it really too difficult to achieve this 'feel' for the game that so many of the posters here clearly 'see'? Who can we send email to in order to make Alvarez an assistant coach for the Burn?

Can anyone say "Alexei Eck"?