washington times article http://washingtontimes.com/sports/20030322-67772840.htm not a whole lot, just thought you might want to read it.
Marco played stunningly and Ali Curtis might have a shot at a starting forward position!! Ali really impressed me at the open practice. He blew by Petke and looked like he meant it. If he's the best man for the job, I say by all means....
More good stuff from John Haydon of the Times. I was wondering why we were trying to add Mario. To upset the team he'd really need to start, and in Etch, Olsen and Convey we have our 3 attacking midfielders, and Dema has dibs on the Hmid spot, so it would seem that Mario would be a backup. Competing with Eliseo and Chino sounds about right. The club is just about ready to reap the rewards of the Eliseo acquisition (he looks much faster this year) and Chino is a nice team player who can help out at Dmid--where it didn't sound like Mario could. Frankly, I'm kinda glad we didn't add him, particularly with all of the evidence of such good team chemistry at present. -Digital
washington times article -"Ali is emerging as a contender to start in Kansas [City for the Major League Soccer season opener April 12]," Hudson said.- This is my favorite part...the part about Kansas, not Ali.
I don't think it's a matter of us having to rely on Ali. I just think it's a matter of Ali playing well enough to break into the starting 11.
True, but with all due respect, it's kind of odd that a guy who's barely been holding a roster spot the last few years is suddenly up for a starting job on a team that has "improved" so much in the offseason. Ali would only be starting if SEVERAL other people on the roster weren't playing well, in which case, Cweed's right and it's going to be a looooooong year.
Bingo.. Personally, I'd take a ham sandwich before I'd take Curtis to start for United.. Curtis, while admittedly a very nice person, just isn't that impressive of a player.. He has good speed, and that is about it.. His vision is terrible, his touch is terrible and he always has his head down when "dribbling' towards goal, which incidentally is pretty much in a straight line.. I agree he can and will be effective provided we find the right role for him.. Being a 90 minute starter is not one of them.. Most, if not all of his goals, came in a substitutes role last season.. That is where he is most effective..
I think we're all forgetting that Ray said Ali could start in Kansas City. Not for the entire season. Plus, I'd take whatever Ray says about the starting foward tandem with a grain of salt. A few weeks back I remember him saying Alecko and Hristo would be our strike partnership for the season opener.
While I'm generally in agreement with everything Chris has astutely pointed out, I think there is another side to consider. Curtis came on with a flurry in very limited minutes towards the end of the season. His final point per minute ratio put him in the same category with Chris Carrieri (11 goals) and Rodrigo Faria (12 goals), with his trend being considerably better towards the end of the year. So, as a late game speed sub, or as the sole counter forward when bunkering to protect a lead, I do think he has a role. Furthermore, while it is by no means high praise, Curtis did make a nice pass (to Lassiter I believe) at the end of last season that led to a sitter goal. And this year at the Open Practice he made another one for a sitter that Esky finished. While he's definitely not a creative forward, it does appear that he's learning and passing some. Those were the two things that I was most critical of in Curtis' game, so I feel that I should point out his improvement in those areas. Best of luck to Curtis, he's the type of person we all want to see succeed. Maybe Stewart can show him and Devin how to use their speed. -Digital
I think Curtis would make a dynamite wing midfielder. He's a lefty, right? With his speed he could terrorize people on the flank. But I agree with those who say it's a problem if Hudson can't find a better second forward than Curtis to start the season. Remember, however, that Hudson reserves the right not to mean what he says, and if he does mean it he reserves the right to change it five minutes later. He plays major media mind games with his players and for all we know this is a ploy to get Ali's confidence up and see whether it'll spark him to play to potential and earn minutes. A lot of guys are fighting for minutes up top and and logic would dictate that Ali's got quite a few people in front of him.