Post-match: Why Can't They All Be Richmond Kickers? - Crew @ New England - Match 8 - 4/18/26 7:30 PM

The kids have been alright for NYRB. Theyve been starting a kid at the 6 all year, and he turned 17 two weeks ago.

Better academy and all that, but Presthus and Brown should be getting regular play time.

 

You'd have some growing pains for sure. And it would be very helpful to the youngins to have a better CB back there than Camacho. All of our kids arent necessarily in the most consequential positions, and really their mistakes shouldnt affect the game too much, but then again, when one player has made a mistake this season, we havent handled it well.

 

Our current PPG would make us Wooden Spoon winners last year. It's ok to think this season is a bust.

Would I play a full Crew 2 lineup? Of course not. I'd rather see though:

- Cheberko. He hasn't broken into the first team after how long? Let's give him a run and see if he can do it or not (probably not)

- Ruvalcaba. If Cheberko fails, let's see what Ruvalcaba has. Giving him the random cup game and 10 minutes every two months doesn't do shit. He's looked decent.

- Brown. Thanks for the memories Amundsen, but he's not the future. Probably shouldn't start Brown right away, but I'd much prefer him to play left back as a sub the final 15-20 minutes than Picard did this season.

- Taha. He should just start every game or play at least 30 minutes. Non-negotiable.

- Adams. It's Thiare and no one at striker. This is just common sense, use Adams as a sub. If he has four or five terrible appearances, just move him back to Crew 2.

- Chambost. Dude just ain't it. We paid Bangoura money to come here, for the love of good give him a start. Don't tell me he can't understand the tactics, his job is literally just win the ball back and give it to someone who can do something with it as quickly as possible. That's it.

- Akhundzade. Dude probably ain't all that, but FFS why is he only playing 5 minutes a game? What's the point of that?

I feel like those are no brainer options for things I'd rather see than whatever the hell HR is trying to do. And even if all that backfires horribly, the results literally can't be worse than they already are.

 

One of the reasons, IMO, is because we do not have 100% commitment by the players. Whether it is mandated, inspired, or natural, a small market team needs a system and 100% buy-in, 100% of the time.

People can hate Nancy if they want, but among other things, our 11 players busted their freaking asses. In particular, what stuck out to me was the constant sprinting in support of your player, knowing that 80% of the time, you will not be getting the ball. The player's fitness and commitment to that mentality that Nancy instilled was quite something to watch. A player always had options and he always knew he could trust that his team mate was going to be busting his ass to the ball to receive it.

Not so much now. We've put together some nice forward and lateral runs in a few spurts this year. Last night's first half had some very cool movement (granted, to your point, NE looked hapless.) But, our foot is not on the gas in support of each other.

So, it looks to me like our guys get a bit stranded back there in the corners. Maybe two guys avoid a tackle to two, but then looking for that next layer of contact, and it's not there.

That's what I think I'm seeing.

And Gomes floating around ain't helpin'. And he is more visible that his DM counterpart. Tough to bring it out back there with out a combination of aggressiveness, commitment, and quality.

 

No ... it's not OK to think of the season as a bust. Not yet.


Beat One Knox and the Crew are 2 wins from the CCL ... with semis in September and final in October.


Less than 25% of the season has been played.
Crew are still over 50% to make the playoffs.


The season this year doesn't really begin until post-World Cup.


If the Crew win a few games in August and September ... will you knee-jerk as usual and change your avatar to Rydstrom?

 

MLS is a DP league.

When they are productive ... you have a chance.


2 of the Crew's 3 DPs in 2026 are non-productive.

Crew DPs were productive in 2020 and 2023.


Cincinnati, Atlanta are two more examples of DPs underperforming.

Bouanga and Son are going to push LAFC, regardless of who the coach is. Miami.


Get a difference maker or two on the Crew and watch the team get better, regardless of what Rydstrom is blabbing about.

 

Chambost, IMO, is also good at service on free kicks and corners which goes with the get it to someone who can do something with it.

 

I'm still confused about why Gazdag was used as the 9 when we have an actual 9 on the bench... maybe it's because Rydstrom played both for significant minutes midweek against a team several tiers below MLS, who were so obviously overpowered that Picard was able to score a brace against them.
Taha being out sucked, because I think he's already a better creator than Rossi is right now, if Rossi is going to be the main creator on this team. Rossi worked last year because the entire system under Nancy was the 10. This year, he's been asked to do a lot more, and it's a mixed bag.

I do think Gazdag needs to play with an actual 9 and then another attacking player. The 4-4-2 doesn't really allow for that, so he doesn't fit in super well. Rossi can't be that other 9 either, because he's not that. Both Gazdag and Rossi are really at their best making dangerous runs. They are a bit redundant. That said, Gazdag wasn't terrible, just not DP level. His pass sprung Rossi, which led to the goal, which was nice to see.

MLS gave Gazdag an assist on the goal. That puts him I think one away from matching WAA's total since joining the Crew. There's a likelihood that Gazdag will have more goal contributions for the Crew since joining the team than WAA by the end of the season. Let that sink in for all the talk about Gazdag being a bad signing. You can score in every game you play in, but if you aren't available, the net result is the same.

This team is going to look awful if/when Max leaves after the World Cup.

Basically, Doom.

 

There's no doubt that's the case. For that initial double sub we made in the 66th minute, Herrera and Thiare on for Picard and Gazdag, it has to be pointed out that all 4 players were starters against Richmond. It definitely had at least some effect on the lineup against NE.

As to your apparent complaint that they even played in the USOC, I'll disagree with you. MLS games are definitely more important than early round cup games, and I think our lineup showed that. But the USOC is clearly our "easiest" path to a trophy this year. I am glad Rydstrom put out a team good enough to win and I hope he does the same against Knoxville. Maybe even one or two more regular starters.

 

We gave up on this season in November.

 

Easiest path yes, but we’ll still need to beat some mls teams eventually and that seems to be an issue for us right now. I guess I’m not holding my breath for us to win anything this year.

 

All correct. Which I why I say this season was over in November. They had an opportunity to get rid of Gazdag before the end of the league year using one of their two annual buyouts. By keeping him, they effectively punted on 2026.

 

I havent always agreed with Patrick Arace's tactical analysis, but I do here. He hits on why the 4-4-2 isnt quite working as a 4-4-2 should https://www.thedisrespected.com/cre...lade-stadium/?ref=the-disrespected-newsletter

It includes a critique of Chambost. Ive decided chambost is a luxury player on a good team. A clear nancy choice where his technical skills surpasses his physical and defensive abilities, which really doesnt work in this system.

 

Nope, I'm more pointing out about how the WAA signing is also just as rough if Gazdag ends up with more goal contributions for the Crew overall than him.