Ok board, here's a chance to show your stuff. You are the coach. Your team has a game this Saturday against a team you have beaten once 2-1. Then on Wednesday you have a Open Cup game against the same team. What would you do to prepare for each game? Btw, this is actually the Carolina Dynamo - Raleigh senario.
additional info Dynamo has a problem. Because of a rainout they played their first game in two weeks last Saturday and it showed. It might be a good strategy to sit some players Sat, but team needs some minutes together. Dynamo is in a solid position with only 1 loss for the season. You never want to intentionally lose a game, but Dynamo has the luxury being able to weather a loss. In the first game Raleigh was apparently without two key players. Don't know enough to tell you who they were or positions, but 2 key players make a difference. The first game started being pretty much all Dynamo and ended with Dynamo keeper blocking a PK late in the game to preserve a 2-1 lead. Raleigh hadn't taken over the game, but had showed they could get dangerous on occasion.
I'll go first I am not a soccer coach, just a fan, so this may be total BS. Strategy may be simply put your best 11 out and have at it. Here goes any way. Raleigh has an attacking player that is flat out a pain in the butt, a whiner, and seems to end up in the middle of confrontations. He is not a starter. I would start him and see just how far he could push any of the Dynamo defenders. My experience is pros get pretty annoyed with schoolboy antics. Throughout the game I would move around attacking players to see how they matched up against Dynamo players. If I found a good matchup I would change fairly quickly hopefully as to not show my hand. Defensively I would stay exactly, formation wise, as I did in the first game. Any changes would be saved for the second game. As for the Dynamo. Need of playing time takes priorities. Starting 11 stay pat with what I am doing for the season and get a full 45. There is a change or or that is normally done a half and I would go ahead with that. Then around 60 I would start getting in the other keys subs, having all the players I want getting minutes in by 75. I know the coach has been looking at several different formations over the last few games. I would stay with what Raleigh saw the first game and hold any changes for Wednesday's game.
The question is what does Raleigh do Saturday? The previous game in Greensboro was not one-sided (very few shots taken by either team) and a quetionable first goal was the only thing that separated them. Raleigh also missed a PK in the last 5 minutes of the game. Why play your best players (whoever they might be) and potentially win a meaningless game causing the Dynamo to get 'up' for the Open Cup game? Wouldn't it be better to play a more complacent possible overconfident Dunamo team. My guess is both coaches will play subs on Saturday and not show all their cards until Wednesday.
dynamo vs elite The original game between the elite and dynamo was a lackluster showing on both teams part in my H/O...the dynamo came out strong attacked well and combined for some good play in the first half, but with the substitutions they made in the second half they barely seemed to crawl around on the field, one sub was a horrible ball hog and simply gave away possesion in the middle of the field too much, did a couple creative things that were quality but his lack of discipline in his position seemed to outweigh his skill, couple backline changes didnt seem to work out either as a high school kid from Raleigh ( going to Carolina I believe ) ran free for days in the second half and was unlucky to not get a quality ball to his feet so he could create.....about the kid with the antics, probably not the best idea, as you said pro's dont like hot-dogging etc on their fields ( especially by young college players ) and sometimes it can get dirty and you end up getting a Hristo/Dema Kovalenko esque' foul that runs a young kids career and snaps a leg in half....my best take on the first game that seems to have no meaning to either team - check out some players you have wanted to see get a full run 90 minutes....but keep the real leaders of the team (starting sweep, goalie, D-mid) on the field for their leadership roles......
ruin career GC, that didn't really cross my mind. The Dynamo don't really have that kind of player, but do have players that can run a little hot and do stupid things as in the case of the player now serving a 4 game suspension. I too see Sat's game as meaningless except for the Dynamo needing PT. They looked very rusty, not bad, against Greenville. I think we see the previous game pretty much the same way. Dynamo showed they could be dominate but could not sustain, for whatever the reason. With the addition of Nansha back from injury coach was looking for his place on the team. The second half subbing and subsequent formation simply did not work, I agree. Second half against Raleigh was very similar to how Dynamo played in the Greenville game, so now you see my concern that Dynamo need some competitive minutes to work out the kinks.
You are right the game was nothing to write home about. "Lackluster" may be too kind. I did think a couple of he Dynamo tackles were very dirty - not in the Stoichkov class - but really uncalled for in that type of game - especially when you're ahead. A red card was given towards the end of the game to a Dynamo player. I think Saturday is meaningless - Wednesday is the real game. Raleigh has difficulty scoring - and if they fall behind like game #1 - they are in trouble.
a little egg on my face. Was lining up the weekend at home and saw Dynamo has a game Sunday also with N Va. That completely eliminates the playing time delima and the Saturday Raleigh - Dynamo game really does become meaningless for both teams. Thanks for the posts.
Meaningless match I believe Saturday's match does count for Raleigh for the purpose of the PDL standings (each PDL team is supposed to play two D3 teams????) ... so maybe it's not entirely meaningless. Their earlier match also looks like it's accounted for in the D3 standings too. Anyone know for sure how these matches affect the regular season race?
standings Games aginst PDL teams do count in the PSL standings. I do not know what is done in PDL. I deemed the game meaningless for the Dynamo in that they could live with a loss because of their good record. If you rate the importance of doing well in the Open Cup over the regular season then the game also becomes meaningless in that a coach would not want to show his hand. I have actually had this thought. It could turn out to be a great game if both coaches decide to use subs. Subs excited about getting PT go out, play hard and give us a good show. We'll see.
rap up Well it looks as if my inclinations on stategy was pretty much BS. I was at the game and both coaches played it like a regular game. Dynamo coach made 1 tactical sub at the 70th minute and then made a weak attempt by clearing the bench in the 85th minute. This was after an injury to one starter and a second yellow to a key starter very late. On to Wednesday.
yellow card DQ's gpf, do you know how the double yellow card dq's affect the match on Wednesday? ... Dynamo lost one starter and CASL lost 2 starters to a very card happy ref ... if the dq's are not eligible for their next match, then I assume the Dynamo starter and the two CASL starters will have to sit on Wednesday. Or do they count Open Cup matches separate from regular season matches from a card perspective?
cards In the USL, players actually have 1 week from the time office is notified (which is usually Monday), so in regular league play they would not be affected. I've only heard conversation, nothing firm, the Dynamo are planning on sitting Armas next weekend.