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Lucky Strike
05-16-2009, 05:25 PM
Well it was a piss poor match, particularly in the first half for both teams who couldn't help but give away the ball. On to the ratings:

Frei - 6: Took a step back on the first Chicago goal which probably made the difference. Not much he could go on the second goal.
Attakora - 6.5: Was solid once more and is growing into a good player. Subbed because of concussion-like symptoms I hear. Hope it's not serious.
Serioux - 6.5: Was his usual solid self I thought, I can't think of anything to fault him on. How about you?
Velez - 5.5: Nothing flashy, did a decent job, but did get beat by Rolfe on his way to the game's first goal. Subbed.
Brennan - 5.5: It seems I always say this, but he wasn't all that visible in the match today, either because the play doesn't come near him or doesn't make himself a factor. Can't decide which. What do you think?
Robinson - 6.5: Was by and large very good today, Blanco got away from him once and created a goal. It's a tough assignment, so it's not like you can jump all over him for it. Had a few errant passes, but who didn't today?
Cronin - 6: Didn't know he could play at right back so I'm pleased to discover that, a pretty standard performance otherwise.
Guevara - 7: Though TFC didn't score, he looked like the most dangerous man on the pitch today for the Reds.
Vitti - 5.5: Didn't shine and missed a couple important chances. Subbed.
Barrett - 6: Same work rate as usual, missed a vital chance but also had a cracker on goal, which Busch did well to save.
DeRosario - 6: Frustrated all match long. He was kicked, pushed, fouled all over the place and it took its toll. Can't blame him for trying, however.

Harmse (on for Attakora, 46th) - 5.5: Didn't really have a particularly influential game. No mistake I can remember, however.
Dichio (on for Velez, 69th) - 5.5: Pretty much the same as Velez, though he did have one good head flick on a Serioux throw.
Smith (on for Vitti, 84th) - NR: Still at it with stepovers, put in a strong effort but ultimately couldn't make the difference.

Cummins - 7: Deployed his usual 4-3-3 and it's been effective lately, so no fault there. An enforced change with Harmse, put on an extra attacker with Dichio to try and get back in the game, and probably gave Smith an appearance once the match was pretty much lost to give him some time.

Referee - 3: I was wondering how long it would take us to get screwed by the referee again. A blatant handball in the box by Logan Pause goes uncalled. You know, I wouldn't have such a problem with this, if this sort of thing was called consistently one way or the other. It's brutal, outrageous and simply insanity. While the non-call was really the only major screw up of the match, he gets a 3 because the call completely changed the game. No call, then Chicago goes down and score. Really ironic that the lame "Footie Fan Poll" asked whether criticism of referees was fair. Well we have our answer.

MOTM - Guevara: Simply the most dangerous for TFC today, hit the crossbar.

Most impressed by opposition's - Bakary Soumare. He's big, strong, good positionally and was instrumental in the Chicago effort today.

Notes:

- No player ratings next match as I will be making the trip from Ottawa to see the New England match.
- DeRosario called to get rid of the turf in a post-match interview. I think he's right.
- Funny to hear some of the crowd singing "I'm on a boat" in the second half. Look it up on YouTube, it's pretty funny. That and "Jizz in my Pants"; sounds gross, but it's even funnier.

Now as is customary after a TFC loss, I will be avoiding the forum for the next six hours. I'll be back to discuss what you have to say later. Cheers!

Lennon
05-16-2009, 05:28 PM
I thought we started with a 3-5-2 ...

TFC USA
05-16-2009, 06:04 PM
Barrett a 6?

Him and Vitti combined would merit a 6 for me. So many missed chances. Work rate is nothing when you don't do your job.

Otherwise I generally agree with this.

boban
05-16-2009, 06:15 PM
Well it was a piss poor match, particularly in the first half for both teams who couldn't help but give away the ball. On to the ratings:

Frei - 6: Took a step back on the first Chicago goal which probably made the difference. Not much he could go on the second goal.
Attakora - 6.5: Was solid once more and is growing into a good player. Subbed because of concussion-like symptoms I hear. Hope it's not serious.
Serioux - 6.5: Was his usual solid self I thought, I can't think of anything to fault him on. How about you?
Velez - 5.5: Nothing flashy, did a decent job, but did get beat by Rolfe on his way to the game's first goal. Subbed.
Brennan - 5.5: It seems I always say this, but he wasn't all that visible in the match today, either because the play doesn't come near him or doesn't make himself a factor. Can't decide which. What do you think?
Robinson - 6.5: Was by and large very good today, Blanco got away from him once and created a goal. It's a tough assignment, so it's not like you can jump all over him for it. Had a few errant passes, but who didn't today?
Cronin - 6: Didn't know he could play at right back so I'm pleased to discover that, a pretty standard performance otherwise.
Guevara - 7: Though TFC didn't score, he looked like the most dangerous man on the pitch today for the Reds.
Vitti - 5.5: Didn't shine and missed a couple important chances. Subbed.
Barrett - 6: Same work rate as usual, missed a vital chance but also had a cracker on goal, which Busch did well to save.
DeRosario - 6: Frustrated all match long. He was kicked, pushed, fouled all over the place and it took its toll. Can't blame him for trying, however.

Harmse (on for Attakora, 46th) - 5.5: Didn't really have a particularly influential game. No mistake I can remember, however.
Dichio (on for Velez, 69th) - 5.5: Pretty much the same as Velez, though he did have one good head flick on a Serioux throw.
Smith (on for Vitti, 84th) - NR: Still at it with stepovers, put in a strong effort but ultimately couldn't make the difference.

Cummins - 7: Deployed his usual 4-3-3 and it's been effective lately, so no fault there. An enforced change with Harmse, put on an extra attacker with Dichio to try and get back in the game, and probably gave Smith an appearance once the match was pretty much lost to give him some time.

Referee - 3: I was wondering how long it would take us to get screwed by the referee again. A blatant handball in the box by Logan Pause goes uncalled. You know, I wouldn't have such a problem with this, if this sort of thing was called consistently one way or the other. It's brutal, outrageous and simply insanity. While the non-call was really the only major screw up of the match, he gets a 3 because the call completely changed the game. No call, then Chicago goes down and score. Really ironic that the lame "Footie Fan Poll" asked whether criticism of referees was fair. Well we have our answer.

MOTM - Guevara: Simply the most dangerous for TFC today, hit the crossbar.

Most impressed by opposition's - Bakary Soumare. He's big, strong, good positionally and was instrumental in the Chicago effort today.

Notes:

- No player ratings next match as I will be making the trip from Ottawa to see the New England match.
- DeRosario called to get rid of the turf in a post-match interview. I think he's right.
- Funny to hear some of the crowd singing "I'm on a boat" in the second half. Look it up on YouTube, it's pretty funny. That and "Jizz in my Pants"; sounds gross, but it's even funnier.

Now as is customary after a TFC loss, I will be avoiding the forum for the next six hours. I'll be back to discuss what you have to say later. Cheers!
Next time you rate players please put on a disclaimer : "Game seen with rose colour glasses"

The game was absolutely brutal to watch. Forget the scoreline, the play of the team was shit. Passes were being missed everywhere, late tackles, bad long balls, lazy runs. You name it. Then in the second half they go down 2-0 and the team played on average a 6?? That ain't too bad considering the score and level of play. The team at best played 5.
I understand everyone sees the game differently and are entitled to their own points system, but don't bell curve. For example, when Frie wins (even though he has fuck all to do) you give him grossly high marks, and when he losses nothing less than this 6 today. Why not rate him as he should? - I think it was a brutal game 4 (generous).

iansmcl
05-16-2009, 06:57 PM
Not a big fan of Brennan, to be honest. Never really have been. He looked good in year one, but as time has gone on he's looked worse and worse, especially as the team has gotten better around him.

S_D
05-16-2009, 07:04 PM
I have to go with Boban on this one. This game was a stinker by everyone. Nobody deserves a 6. They all failed.

The only redeeming quality of this game was watching Serioux manhandling Blanco and watching the little bitch whine to the ref.

T_Mizz
05-16-2009, 07:08 PM
Ok I'm glad with these comments so far because I had a feeling that Barrett would be blamed pretty hard for some reason. I thought he playe really well today by his standards, he seemed to be the only one that wasn't just playing hot potato out there.

iansmcl
05-16-2009, 07:11 PM
My question to you though Lucky Strike... is were they just singing the normal lyrics of I'm On a Boat/Jizz in my Pants? Or is it a new TFC song... cause if its the latter...

WIN!

Candu_88
05-16-2009, 07:12 PM
Attakora looked like TFC's best defender first half. Looks like another kid with great potential (7.5 rating). DeRo's work rate was too low and when playing left forward in the 4-3-3 first half he was not consistently offering the team width and kept cutting to the near post instead of ghosting to the far post which is the job for that position (rating 5). Even in possession in the second half, in the new formation that is supposed to generate width, we often were as narrow as the centre circle.

The main problem was Cummins. Switching to 3-5-2 without wingbacks is an aggressive risky decision that puts tremendous pressure on the three defenders and takes away the sweeper. To go this route against a team with McBride and Blanco is plain tactical crazy. Moving Robbo into a 3 man defense makes it insane. I honestly predicted out loud as soon as I saw this change at half that TFC will generate more chances but will lose this game to counter attacks. I was very frustrated being right and seeing all those missed chances right in front of me. Cummins rating 3

Detroit_TFC
05-16-2009, 11:11 PM
Cronin was a mess. Did he do anything right today? I almost swallowed my tongue when he got the MOTM toy trophy after the game. Cronin=2.

If Barrett bagged even one of his near goals, I would have to say it was his best performance ever. He was in the right place almost always, had ferocious hustle going and seemed more focused than usual. Great stuff except for the (not) scoring part.

Mojo
05-17-2009, 01:20 AM
Cronin was a mess. Did he do anything right today? I almost swallowed my tongue when he got the MOTM toy trophy after the game. Cronin=2.

If Barrett bagged even one of his near goals, I would have to say it was his best performance ever. He was in the right place almost always, had ferocious hustle going and seemed more focused than usual. Great stuff except for the (not) scoring part.

I actually thought he was our best player out there. He had a lot of well timed, well placed crosses that gave our "strikers" lots of good chances. I didn't notice anything that made him stand out as a poor performer today, he was one of the few bright spots in my opinion.

Hugh Jazz
05-17-2009, 07:20 AM
I disagree, Cronin was largely responsible for that second goal. He was caught watching Frei make that save while the player he should have been marking walked in between him and the goal. Now, thats not to say he was terrible at RB but you can't be messing up simple things like that in your own box.

Attakora was probably our best player, too bad he had to get subbed.

Lucky Strike
05-17-2009, 10:07 AM
I thought we started with a 3-5-2 ...

Well it was a technically a 4-2-3-1, but yeah, Brennan, Velez, Serioux and Attakora formed the backline, Robinson, Cronin sitting in front, etc...

Lucky Strike
05-17-2009, 10:09 AM
Barrett a 6?

Him and Vitti combined would merit a 6 for me. So many missed chances. Work rate is nothing when you don't do your job.

Otherwise I generally agree with this.

Barrett I thought had a pretty good game actually, no shocking misses, a great effort on target, though looking back on it Vitti getting a 5.5 is probably generous, it feels more like a 4.5.

Pachuco
05-17-2009, 10:15 AM
Attakora looked like TFC's best defender first half. Looks like another kid with great potential (7.5 rating). DeRo's work rate was too low and when playing left forward in the 4-3-3 first half he was not consistently offering the team width and kept cutting to the near post instead of ghosting to the far post which is the job for that position (rating 5). Even in possession in the second half, in the new formation that is supposed to generate width, we often were as narrow as the centre circle.

The main problem was Cummins. Switching to 3-5-2 without wingbacks is an aggressive risky decision that puts tremendous pressure on the three defenders and takes away the sweeper. To go this route against a team with McBride and Blanco is plain tactical crazy. Moving Robbo into a 3 man defense makes it insane. I honestly predicted out loud as soon as I saw this change at half that TFC will generate more chances but will lose this game to counter attacks. I was very frustrated being right and seeing all those missed chances right in front of me. Cummins rating 3

Sorry man, but we came out 4-4-2 at the half. Cronin was playing right back because Nana got hurt. Harmse came into the middle of the park to play where Cronin was playing. Cummins had to react to an injury that was unexpected. The only time we changed formations was when Dichio came on, and we went to 3 defenders at that time. Keep in mind we were losing and it was the 70th minute. I think Cummins did the right things tactically, the players just couldn't finish.

Pachuco
05-17-2009, 10:16 AM
Barrett I thought had a pretty good game actually, no shocking misses, a great effort on target, though looking back on it Vitti getting a 5.5 is probably generous, it feels more like a 4.5.

He had a horrendous miss on the south side. Wide open header all alone at the 6 yard box and he put the ball wide of the net. Just because it was with his head doesn't mean it wasn't shocking. It was a sitter that a 10 year old buries 9 out of 10 times.

Lucky Strike
05-17-2009, 10:17 AM
Next time you rate players please put on a disclaimer : "Game seen with rose colour glasses"

The game was absolutely brutal to watch. Forget the scoreline, the play of the team was shit. Passes were being missed everywhere, late tackles, bad long balls, lazy runs. You name it. Then in the second half they go down 2-0 and the team played on average a 6?? That ain't too bad considering the score and level of play. The team at best played 5.
I understand everyone sees the game differently and are entitled to their own points system, but don't bell curve. For example, when Frie wins (even though he has fuck all to do) you give him grossly high marks, and when he losses nothing less than this 6 today. Why not rate him as he should? - I think it was a brutal game 4 (generous).

Not to worry, I don't take it personally. :D I base my points system on the traditional player ratings you see a lot in England, where players for the most part find themselves in the 5-7 range with a few exceptions. I find that on the board, when we win, everyone seems to be giving 8s and 9s while when we lose, people are saying 4s and 5s are too generous. The mood of the forum swings rapidly, but I don't have to remind you of that.

Both teams were pretty brutal that day and I attribute it to the pitch so in doing my ratings, I omitted that because everyone had to play on it. I guess I probably should have mentioned that, eh?

As for Frei being a 6, I stick by it, with the exception of taking one step back on the first Chicago goal that took away some chance of him getting to the ball first, he was quietly effective. I don't know if you're using the scoreline as a basis, but if so, I would argue there's more details to look at than just that. No offense of course. :D

Lucky Strike
05-17-2009, 10:20 AM
My question to you though Lucky Strike... is were they just singing the normal lyrics of I'm On a Boat/Jizz in my Pants? Or is it a new TFC song... cause if its the latter...

WIN!

I actually only heard them sing "I'm on a boat", I just saying the other song is funny too, but I didn't hear that one.

And I do think they were actually singing the song itself, because it was sung with the same rhythm and inflections.

Lucky Strike
05-17-2009, 10:22 AM
Cronin was a mess. Did he do anything right today? I almost swallowed my tongue when he got the MOTM toy trophy after the game. Cronin=2.

If Barrett bagged even one of his near goals, I would have to say it was his best performance ever. He was in the right place almost always, had ferocious hustle going and seemed more focused than usual. Great stuff except for the (not) scoring part.

I remember him being adequate today, no worse than anyone else. And he was asked to play RB in the second half. I don't know how comfortable he is there, but one thing is for sure, that's not his normal position. That earns him so brownie points in my view.

tfctoffee
05-17-2009, 10:28 AM
I thought Cronin played quite well and put some nice balls into the box, don't really think it's his fault that we played him out of position in the second half and even so he got forward really well. Barrett was good, he's still creating more chances than Vitti and if people get behind him he'll start banging them in soon enough. It's Vitti that I have a problem with, he wasnt involved at all yesterday and isn't creating the same chances as Barrett with half of his workrate, not to mention his finishing has been largely non existent.

To be fair to the entire team it was our 5th game in 15 days, so it was always going to be tough, a week until the next game and hopefully we can bounce back.

rocker
05-17-2009, 10:29 AM
cronin was crap in the first half. invisible for good parts, some really bad touches and passing as well.
second half he played better. not great but better.. the crosses were very good in the second half.

boysblue
05-17-2009, 01:04 PM
I have been critical of his play many times, but I actually thought Harmse played well when he was brought on. He and the guy he replaced (Nana) share my MOTM as nobody else really stood out for me today.

Having said that, it must be extremely difficult to play effectively on a turf pitch that is wet and slippery, with a gusting wind on top of that.

Fushida
05-17-2009, 10:51 PM
Harmse = garbage. Watch the final 20 minutes of the game. This guy plays like he's completely uninterested, zero heart.. it seems to me that he feels he only needs to get his "share" of the work done, which is essentially usually a single touch, then just stands there watching other players do the work.

When he screws up, he slumps his shoulders and doesn't go after the ball, jogging back and making others fill his gap. When he goes forward he makes a (shitty) pass and stands there without making a real run. HARMSE is the worst player in the team hands down, both mentally and technically.... I've officially come to that conclusion. I don't know WHY he's getting games, other than the fact that he's "utility". But playing with him is akin to playing with one man down, like I said, watch the final 20 minutes of the game and just watch Harmse. I did it and I almost smashed my table. Canadian or not he needs to be shown his place ASAP.

GuelphStorm2007
05-18-2009, 12:15 AM
Here are my ratings

FREI 6
Attakora6.5
Serioux 6
Velez 5.5
Robinson 6
Cronin 6
Guevara 7.5
Vitti 5
Barrett 6
Dero 6
Harmse 5.5
Dichio 5
Smith NR
Cummins 6:scarf:

CoachGT
05-19-2009, 07:41 AM
Can't say that I disagree much with any of the ratings. The one intangible, heart, wasn't there much at all, or it was all that was there. I'm not sure which it was. I'll cut Toronto some slack - they've played a lot of games in a very short period of time (5 in the last two weeks), and that takes a toll on anyone. And given that they used mostly the same lineup in all 5 - enough said. Don't know what the issue was with Chicago, unless they are another team content to play for a draw, and got a great result for their effort.

I'd like to see them go straight to the net a little more often, rather than taking the roundabout way. It seemed on Saturday that at times they tried to make a pass when a shot might have been a good option - the perfect pass sequence and play will rarely occur.

Candu_88
05-19-2009, 12:01 PM
Sorry man, but we came out 4-4-2 at the half. Cronin was playing right back because Nana got hurt. Harmse came into the middle of the park to play where Cronin was playing. Cummins had to react to an injury that was unexpected. The only time we changed formations was when Dichio came on, and we went to 3 defenders at that time. Keep in mind we were losing and it was the 70th minute. I think Cummins did the right things tactically, the players just couldn't finish.

Sorry Pachuco, go look at the Rolfe goal turning point. We clearly had back three and Blanco finally found some space and punished us.

As players adjust to provide pressure, cover and balance 4-4-2- and 3-5-2 look very similar. I recorded the game and watched it again. The announcers talked about Cronin playing like a wing-back and full-back but they agreed with me it was more a 3-5-2.