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View Full Version : Bradley Can't Take Free Kicks



sidney
09-09-2014, 12:18 AM
...anyone but Bradley must take our free kicks. Gilberto, DeRo.......anyone but Bradley!....I Love Bradley & how he makes our team better, but if he's taking free-kicks he's making our teaam worse!...


I STAND CORRECTED....& very happy to have been wrong!

khso11
09-09-2014, 02:30 AM
Bradley can certainly take freekicks, remember this (http://www.torontofc.ca/video/2014/03/01/michael-bradley-goal-march-1-2014)? You're right, Gilberto and Dero can too but they all have different dimensions on their freekicks. I think the bigger problem is that the coach (Nelsen and Vanney) does not realise each individual's set piece abilities. My opinion is that they should have Bradley on mid-long range free kicks and Dero and Gilberto on short range freekicks. This can give options for Bradley to either cross or shoot as well as giving opponants a headache on short range freekicks.

portu
09-09-2014, 07:26 AM
Gilberto is by far and away our best direct free kick taker.

His shot in Philly from, what, 35 yards couldn't even be held by McMath it had so much pace and had it not been for a Philly head his free kick would have definitely gone in on saturday

Bradley for me is more of a guy to provide service from left and right sides of the box.

gdg_9
09-09-2014, 08:35 AM
I've been screaming this from the stands and at my TV for weeks!!!

Bradley has been horrendous at short-range free kicks.
He's put most of them straight into the wall!

Just because he's arguably the best player on the team, doesn't mean he should automatically be the guy standing over every dead ball!

He's fine on long-range free kicks where he's providing service, but short range direct free-kicks should be going to Gilberto, or even DeRo or Bekker.

Fort York Redcoat
09-09-2014, 09:25 AM
I've been screaming this from the stands and at my TV for weeks!!!

Bradley has been horrendous at short-range free kicks.
He's put most of them straight into the wall!

Just because he's arguably the best player on the team, doesn't mean he should automatically be the guy standing over every dead ball!

He's fine on long-range free kicks where he's providing service, but short range direct free-kicks should be going to Gilberto, or even DeRo or Bekker.

I noticed this 2 games ago so looked for it in the last one. It wasn't into the wall last time but teams have his number because it was a defender clearly waiting for him to strike it low in the gap and so he threw himself into it.

Small difference but same result.

pdubs
09-09-2014, 10:15 AM
I think Lovitz should be in the conversation. Takes our corners when on the field for the in-swinger. Especially if you could line him up with Gilberto/Dero because the left foot changes the way the opposing team may handle it.

Yohan
09-09-2014, 10:56 AM
I'd say Gilberto for long range free kicks, anything over 25 yds and power them in. There is no really finesse short range free kick takers on the team.

sidney
09-09-2014, 01:12 PM
Every time Bradley takes another free kick it will be another wasted opportunity for a goal (a win or a playoff spot). Can we afford to waste anything at this point?

jloome
09-09-2014, 03:37 PM
DeRo's always been a phenomenal free kick taker and it's not a speed issue. Either he or Gilberto should've been taking them against Philly.

The reason they have Bradley take them from wide is that he can choose to exploit a cover flaw and curl one in to the back post if he sees something he likes. But it's a low-percentage call, as he's going to take the shot from anywhere near the box most of the time; we've seen that.

Alonso
09-09-2014, 06:39 PM
I'd say Gilberto for long range free kicks, anything over 25 yds and power them in. There is no really finesse short range free kick takers on the team.


Plata was pretty good at short range free kicks....

fergiejr
09-10-2014, 07:25 AM
Bend it like Bekker??
http://www.mlssoccer.com/video/2014/04/12/post-bekker-bends-free-kick-past-irwin

Mark TFC
09-13-2014, 02:31 PM
Actually, free kicks are one of Bekker's only redeemable qualities.

sidney
09-15-2014, 10:01 PM
Actually, free kicks are one of Bekker's only redeemable qualities.

Bekker is better than Bradley on free-kicks But not even close to Gilberto or DeRo.

OfficeGuy
09-16-2014, 01:51 PM
yes..Bekker should take them - but he has ben unable to get on starting 11 tho

speckles
09-16-2014, 03:04 PM
yes..Bekker should take them - but he has ben unable to get on starting 11 tho

Yeah one of the reason is he kept missing them...

OgtheDim
09-16-2014, 07:15 PM
Gilberto. Lovitz. DeRo.

Graeme
09-23-2014, 11:15 AM
Two of Bradley's were on target Sunday, at least to my eyes.

Ruffian
09-23-2014, 12:23 PM
Two of Bradley's were on target Sunday, at least to my eyes.

One almost went in. Looked really good!

Red4ever
09-23-2014, 12:47 PM
Also, distance is a thing. Bekker lacks power but has the finesse and placement. I have no objection to him taking any kick that isn't striking distance.

gdg_9
09-23-2014, 12:47 PM
Two of Bradley's were on target Sunday, at least to my eyes.


One almost went in. Looked really good!

Even on the one that almost went in, he still hit the wall!
The deflection was probably part of the reason it almost went in!

Ruffian
09-23-2014, 01:10 PM
Even on the one that almost went in, he still hit the wall!
The deflection was probably part of the reason it almost went in!

Had to re-watch that kick to see the deflection. I did not notice that at the stadium on Sunday.

Graeme
09-23-2014, 06:33 PM
Even on the one that almost went in, he still hit the wall!
The deflection was probably part of the reason it almost went in!

Was that the one at the north end?

gdg_9
09-24-2014, 08:13 AM
Was that the one at the north end?

No, I was talking about the one in the south end, at about 53'.
Took a deflection off the wall and almost went in before the keeper got hands to it.

(I just re-watched the highlights, and the deflection off the wall wasn't as noticeable from the TV angle as it was from my view in Sec 113)

Ivy
09-27-2014, 03:08 PM
Turn down for what.

razor787
09-27-2014, 03:27 PM
Maybe I should make a 'there is no way we will win the cup' thread.

It seems as if this type of thread gets shut up fairly quickly. Probably shouldn't push our luck though haha

Shakes McQueen
09-27-2014, 09:33 PM
Aside from the goal today (which was admittedly more great fortune than a great kick), I thought Bradley took a couple of really dangerous free kicks. He had the one that curled just wide of the near post, that was really nice.

ensco
09-27-2014, 09:49 PM
I love Bradley. He is a special player.

Red CB Toronto
09-27-2014, 11:42 PM
I love Bradley. He is a special player.

Hail To The General !!

scooter
09-27-2014, 11:48 PM
funny how that works thank fucking christ bradley took our free kicks today

burlington Red
09-28-2014, 01:26 AM
he did well today, but his wayward pass ultimately led to their 2nd goal

ag futbol
09-28-2014, 09:50 AM
Aside from the goal today (which was admittedly more great fortune than a great kick), I thought Bradley took a couple of really dangerous free kicks. He had the one that curled just wide of the near post, that was really nice.
Bit of fortune yes, but they try to set them up this way. In-swinging FK where the keeper has no good options: come out for it and be left awkwardly out of position, or play the bounce / wait for the header and hope you don't guess wrong.

OgtheDim
09-28-2014, 11:43 AM
Ricketts has a history of over compensating and then watching stuff go by.