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View Full Version : OB Wan - Is he the playoff Answer?



FluSH
08-16-2009, 02:37 PM
In the aftermath of Toronto's eighth win of the season, O'Brian White, 23, added his name to the team's record book. The Jamaican-born, Scarborough-raised White started his first game in MLS and scored his first goal on a clinical right-footed thrust that found the top-right corner of the net.
-FRANK ZICARELLI (frank.zicarelli@sunmedia.ca), SUN MEDIA


After seeing his play and hustle... I am glad that he started over Gerba and Barrett. If we have any chance of getting into the playoffs my money is on OB WAN

UltraSuperMegaMo
08-16-2009, 02:40 PM
He's improved with each appearance he's made for the team, but I'm not wowed. That said he showed some finishing, a commodity the team seems lacking in other than De Ro. He's lot slower than assumed he'd be.

FluSH
08-16-2009, 02:40 PM
^^^
and yet alot faster than Gerba...

Pachuco
08-16-2009, 02:42 PM
Definately deserves the next start after scoring. But too early to say we can rely on him to score goals. I still think Dichio deserves to start a few games down the stretch. Last on my list of starting strikers is Gerba. I'm definately happy with what Cummins did yesterday. Not because it worked out, but maybe because it will light a fire under Gerba's ass.

Corpand
08-16-2009, 02:43 PM
He looked really out of breath around the beginning of second half. He kept keeling over and trying to catch his breath. Lets hope his fitness improves.

FluSH
08-16-2009, 02:44 PM
Definately deserves the next start after scoring. But too early to say we can rely on him to score goals. I still think Dichio deserves to start a few games down the stretch. Last on my list of starting strikers is Gerba. I'm definately happy with what Cummins did yesterday. Not because it worked out, but maybe because it will light a fire under Gerba's ass.

I agree with choosing Gerba last... he's not my favourite so far for a couple of reasons. I also agree on DICHIO but maybe not starting him... but giving him significant minutes (straight after the half) instead of the last 8-10 mins of the game.

jabbronies
08-16-2009, 02:59 PM
White has finished in a regular season game. So for now I'll say him.

Gerba Hustles though. He may be not get to the ball as fast, but he hustles.
Not giving up on him yet.

UltraSuperMegaMo
08-16-2009, 03:19 PM
Gerba and White have scored the same number of goals for the team, I think it's a little early to anoint either as "The Chosen One" destined to lead TFC to the playoffs.

Darlofletch
08-16-2009, 03:39 PM
Neither Gerba or White have convinced me they're the answer up front any more than Barrett has, probably because I don't think either are at full 100% fitness yet. very nice goal yesterday though.

FluSH
08-16-2009, 03:42 PM
Gerba and White have scored the same number of goals for the team, I think it's a little early to anoint either as "The Chosen One" destined to lead TFC to the playoffs.

At the same time you don't need to score a goal to know you don't belong in the team either... Even with Gerba's goal... his style of play and our tactics to having him play point man position a la Collin Samuel is far from our solution.

TorCanSoc
08-16-2009, 04:41 PM
Gerba and White will push Barrett to work even harder. Lets hope they all elevate their game.

Blizzard
08-16-2009, 05:11 PM
After seeing his play and hustle... I am glad that he started over Gerba and Barrett. If we have any chance of getting into the playoffs my money is on OB WAN

Great job by Cummins for placing him in the Starting XI...

Barrett was suspended for the NE red card. He did start over Dichio though.

Shakes McQueen
08-16-2009, 06:04 PM
White deserves another game to show his stuff, after that good performance. That said, I don't understand how scoring one goal indicates he's the answer to our playoff aspirations. Gerba scored in his first game with us too.

- Scott

Candu_88
08-16-2009, 08:38 PM
OBW is not fully up to speed yet he needs more recovery time and playing experience. What impressed me against DC was his get on the ball, hold it up and distribute back to goal skills. I rank him much higher than Gerba with those and definitely see OBW as the new Dichio moving forward. Gerba is a "Fox in the Box" striker with power (but no heading skills). OBW will soon match Gerba as the fox but with heading aggression too.

I predict within two years OBW will be one of the top three MLS strikers.

twismca
08-16-2009, 08:57 PM
Can't credit Cummins. Barrett was suspended and Gerba didn't practice Fri. (slight knock). However, I was impressed with OB Wan (nice nickname) though. He's a great target man and reminded me of Dichio except 10 years younger.

The best part though was not being nervous about our defense. Nana, Mango (my attempt at a nickname - eMANnuel GOmez), and Serioux made the game very relaxing:)

FluSH
08-16-2009, 08:58 PM
^^^
Yeah Blizzard pointed this out to me... (about Cummins)

Razcle
08-16-2009, 09:03 PM
Can't credit Cummins. Barrett was suspended and Gerba didn't practice Fri. (slight knock). However, I was impressed with OB Wan (nice nickname) though. He's a great target man and reminded me of Dichio except 10 years younger.

The best part though was not being nervous about our defense. Nana, Mango (my attempt at a nickname - eMANnuel GOmez), and Serioux made the game very relaxing:)


They did have a strong game together. That is not to say other teams couldn't figure them out for future games, but it is nice to have a bit of depth to the squad and hopefully be able to change our tactics effectively to beat down our opponents.

Limani_Ole
08-16-2009, 10:47 PM
Gerba is a good striker.. you cant expect players coming into a new team too score every game.. and he did have a knock which is why he didnt start...

and when OB White scores as many goals as Gerba has professionally then we can begin to have a discussion as to who is a better striker.. until then this conversation is premature..

O_B_ONE
08-17-2009, 07:35 AM
I could be the one! :D



Ha!

Kaz
08-17-2009, 08:47 AM
I've had high hopes for OBW, I see him as the future of the Canadian National team, I believe he has the skill, but this isn't going to be his season. (obviously) I was really happy to see him score in his first start though. Once he back to full fitness he's going to be dangerous. Over playing him before that though I think would be bad.

Ossington Mental Youth
08-17-2009, 09:17 AM
never gonna play for canada, has already played for Jamaica and wants to continue to do so. Dont think hes the answer but hes definitely going to help if we get there

S_D
08-17-2009, 09:28 AM
I think you are a bit premature Flush but I like your optimism. Personally, I think if we get into the playoffs which I put at a bit better than 50/50 (after the DC win) a number of players are going to have to step up.




I predict within two years OBW will be one of the top three MLS strikers.

No pressure there lol. I like your optimism, but lets face it, the guy needs the rest of the season to get match fit before anything like that can be claimed. One thing about injuries especially knees, is they can come back to haunt you, and reinjuring it is in the back of your mind for a while. You need a bunch of games just to get over the fear.


Gerba and White have scored the same number of goals for the team, I think it's a little early to anoint either as "The Chosen One" destined to lead TFC to the playoffs.

yeah let's see some reality here


I've had high hopes for OBW, I see him as the future of the Canadian National team, I believe he has the skill, but this isn't going to be his season. (obviously) I was really happy to see him score in his first start though. Once he back to full fitness he's going to be dangerous. Over playing him before that though I think would be bad.

You mean Jamaica. But agree on the over playing.

GingerNinja
08-17-2009, 09:42 AM
There is something about OB I don't like.
Not sure what it is yet.
But I don't think he's our man. My money is on Gerba up front.

DangerRed
08-17-2009, 09:43 AM
Umm, the kid knocked in a goal. That's a good start. Is he going to save the team and put us in the playoffs? That's a bit of a stretch at this point. I've said before, we have good offensive firepower. It's our backline that's lacking.

I think the continuing fitness of Serioux and Nana Attakora will play a much greater role in our ability to reach the postseason.

FluSH
08-17-2009, 09:56 AM
^^^
Wasn't he a prodigy in College prior to what should have been a 'Career Ending' injury?

To me seeing OBW giving us more than 30 minutes is worth more than that goal! I hope his fitness only improves from here...

Pachuco
08-17-2009, 09:58 AM
Gerba is a good striker.. you cant expect players coming into a new team too score every game.. and he did have a knock which is why he didnt start...

and when OB White scores as many goals as Gerba has professionally then we can begin to have a discussion as to who is a better striker.. until then this conversation is premature..


This isn't a discussion about who's the better striker. It's more about who earns the starting role down the stretch. Personally, as it stands today, White should start next game and we'll see how he does from there.

I don't care about Gerba's reputation or the amount of goals he's scored professionally. All I care is about what he does with TFC and how he fits in with the team. Right now, I don't like what I see.

FluSH
08-17-2009, 10:08 AM
Maybe I shouldn't have placed the quote about the goal... Although fantastic... I think everyone is fixated on OBWan's goal...

As I stated earlier it doesn't take someone to score for you to realize whether or not he should be starting...

Jamaicanadian
08-17-2009, 10:51 AM
Personally, as it stands today, White should start next game and we'll see how he does from there.

+1 !

I thought the finish was clinical.....but then again i'm biased!!

:scarf:

JonO
08-17-2009, 10:55 AM
+1 !

I thought the finish was clinical.....but then again i'm biased!!

:scarf:
You may be biased - but it was a beautiful finish...

Section 117
08-17-2009, 11:14 AM
No to rain on anyones parade, but does everyone for get the sitter he missed in the first half from 7-8 yards out? IMO he was invisible for most of the match except for his miss and the goal.

I am happy for him as the goal will only boost his confidence, but I do not think he is the answer at the moment. To fully recover from a major knee injury it usually takes 12-18 months. After 8 months the knee with be medically fine but the problem is the mental aspect. Good for him and I hope that he continues his progress as this is what TFC needs a young striker who can score.

Just my 2 Cents

BFin
08-17-2009, 11:28 AM
No. He's not.
He didn't exactly take the ball all the way down field, run through the entire DC team, and bury a left footer curled in just under the bar.
The playoffs will be determined by the entire team, and the cohesion on the field. Not by a 23 year old with one career MLS goal. It's a team effort from here on out.
Premature? This questioned finished before she even touched it. :)

mmmikey
08-17-2009, 11:51 AM
OBW made a good contribution to the overall team effort yesterday. Didn't waste possession with some needless runs, included his teammates in the play, etc. He is obviously still not up to full fitness, and S_D is 100% right. Major knee injuries are as much about mental recovery as it is physical. His contribution on a whole was encouraging and I hope he keeps his shirt..

I disagree with the sentiment that he personally did a lot better than Gerba though... The formation/tactics employed yesterday were much more favorable to the target man striker than we have played in several weeks. Instead of leaving DeRo out wide with Gerba up top alone, DeRo played more towards the middle of the park as a withdrawn forward. I would attribute part of the improved play to that, as much as I would to OBW's individual contribution. Gerba is slow, but he does work hard, he has just looked totally isolated in most games lately.

Take a look through some of the threads lately particularly the one on tactics jloome wrote up last week. I watched the game wondering if Cummins read this message board. :) Alot of the changes that we were crying for got implemented, and surprise.. a much tidier performance overall. DC sleep walked a bit, but we took advantage for once!

Hitcho
08-17-2009, 12:55 PM
I don't think it's fair to look at individual players for play off salvation, but i do think that the TFC squad is peaking at just the right time of the year - we've got rid of some dead wood (RR, smith, velez, etc), the youngsters are starting to come into their own (draft picks plus nana, gomez, sanyang), players like OBW are back from injury and we've even added a new LB for a bit of balance to the team, plus the bigger names are now all nicely settled (save maybe gerba). so in terms of the bigger picture, the squad is looking great right now, even if i wouldn't want to point at one single player and say "play off catalyst".

TFC RealDeal RPB
08-17-2009, 02:40 PM
Sorry but not one player is going to take to the playoff's.It's a team game and if the team play's like shit then were not making the playoff,i'm glad he got he's frist goal for us but he still need's alot more time to get back to where he was in the NCAA.I'm giving Gerba and OB White a full year of playing befor i say who better and what not

Shakes McQueen
08-17-2009, 04:39 PM
My mathematical projections have Obie Trice scoring 400 goals for us down the stretch. Here's the formula:

Obi Wan + Unfair Expectations * Awesomesauce / Don Rickles^2 = 400

- Scott

trane
08-17-2009, 05:15 PM
He looked good. My money for the long run is still with Gerba. But the two of them upfront with De Ro just behind them. I would be very happy with.


What I like about the team now, in Gerba, OBW and Dichio we seem to have three real strikers. We have not had that in the past.

Kaz
08-17-2009, 06:41 PM
You mean Jamaica. But agree on the over playing.

I hadn't realized he was playing for Jamaica, it's what I get for making assumptions without wiki. Will still be good to TFC :)

morgank1986
08-18-2009, 03:57 PM
Are we calling him OB Wan? If so. We need a Banner Saying

"Help Me OB Wan You're our only hope"

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9Lp273XJu6o/RsL2ZXN35KI/AAAAAAAAAc0/bFaXFvW4ruk/s400/princessr2d2.jpg

James Oliphant
08-18-2009, 04:32 PM
http://gotorontofc.com/jamey/obwhitekenobi.png

BuSaPuNk
08-18-2009, 07:31 PM
^ I love it!!!

gtaguy
08-18-2009, 07:43 PM
I don't think that this team has a magical scorer .. I think that at this point it becomes a tactical dicision in what the coach decides.. there are good players in this team and the whole idea is whether which player takes the best advantage of the situations they find themselves in .. I Like obw bigtime but i think his playing time is still limited.. we need the vittis and gerba's and barrets to produce when they are on the field.. Elevate your level or go home....

dinminister
08-18-2009, 11:10 PM
no offense to him, i think that goal was just him being in the right place at the right time. besides that goal he reminds me of andrea lombardo

Ossington Mental Youth
08-18-2009, 11:46 PM
I do think its a bit of a stretch to say this guy is the playoff answer

jloome
08-19-2009, 12:29 AM
Too early to say. He has one game under his belt; I remain non-committal on the issue becuase I've got a sense about him. But that might just be optimism.

FluSH
08-20-2009, 06:52 PM
http://gotorontofc.com/jamey/obwhitekenobi.png

simply amazing!

Section 117
08-20-2009, 07:59 PM
The FO probably thinks the same way. Which IMO is quie sad don't he suprised if someone dear to all of gets cut very soon