He’s got to step straight in and put his foot through it. Even if he takes Mullins and everyone else with it. Can’t afford to whif on a play like that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultra & Proud
He’s got to step straight in and put his foot through it. Even if he takes Mullins and everyone else with it. Can’t afford to whif on a play like that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultra & Proud
Bono saved the game. Lol.
Take the win and fly back home.
Lots work to do, but a lot of progress out there.
Yeah great save, hopefully he gains some confidence because who knows how long Q will be out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Canary10
Maybe just new coach bump, but who cares, nice to get a win. Soteldo coming good it seems.
With the win Javier Perez catches Armas for league wins as manager.
Those winning percentages
https://i.imgur.com/PK38jgv.png
I agree. Don't know why a replay was never shown. Not even at half time. As Calwell said it is not offside because a NE defender played the ball keeping Ayo onside. This would have finished the game off.Quote:
Originally Posted by Thomas
Singh looked nervous tonight but his read of the game ahead of him and his athleticism both top anything Zavs has to offer.
I am glad the boys managed to hang on for the win. At least we can enter the break in a positive head space and hopefully begin the long climb back
Great performance. Everyone worked their asses off. Bradley and Delgado are the fittest players we have ever had. The miles these two put in every game needs to be commended. We need probably two CBs though if we are gonna make a run. Omar was okay tonight but he is basically toast. Singh is not ready. Zavs is what he is. A 4th centerback. Mavinga has been bad, but we'll give him a pass based on his track record.
Bono is awful. That one save he made late on was clutch, but every ball in his general direction is turning into an adventure.
Can't believe I had to miss this game. Couldn't believe it watching the highlights. Great win. Hopefully we can keep momentum going over the Gold Cup break.
Going forward:
We are top 3 team in the league, when Poz and Yefe are playing.
Defending:
Our defensive unit is horrible, shambles, utter shit, almost inexistent. Bono is a sad clown, with zero self confidence, even if he had that 2 points saving intervention at the end.
Worst than these is that when in the 2nd halfs for 30-40 minutes almost without exception our full team is defending, we cannot keep goals out. Every match we need to score at least 4 goals to not have those painful last 20-30 minutes.
Condition (physical) / conditioning:
This is a problem that looks like it is ignored forever, swept under the rug even on these boards. Is connected with the too many injuries we always seem to have.
Fire that full physio team already, this has been an issue for 3 years and counting.
IMO we have one of the worst if not the worst physical conditioning in the league. No matter what happens in the 1st halfs, by the 50th-60th minute too many players on the team are so gassed already, that nothing can be expected realistically more than just to defend colectively.
A number of young or relatively young guys are never able to play (like they should) full 90 minutes because of this substandard conditioning, becoming walking pylons closer to the match conclusions, if they can not be replaced.
2 most important things IMO the present interim, the next full interim coach, Curtis and Manning shold be concentrating on (forget everything else for about 4 months):
a. Create a defense, which can be called defense...
b. Solve the conditioning problem
Conditioning has been poor for years now. That's one thing I figured at least Armas would address.Quote:
Originally Posted by PizzaEatingYeti
As for the defense: Alonso.
If you are talking about Diego Alonso, he was not good at Miami & that wasn't all the fault of management.
New #1 and #3 cb’s and a return of Altidore and it’ll feel more like 2017 then it has for a long time.
Last night we had the Soccer gods on our side, but we deserved to have then finally.Quote:
Originally Posted by PizzaEatingYeti
I agree with the CB 100%
I will also say it because I have been a bit of a critic, that was the best and hungriest I have seen Akinola, he fought for every ball and did some really great hold up. Things we used to take for granted with Jozy, giving Gio and Vasquez the time and space. If Akinola can do that with Poz and Soteldo look out. Quality does drop off significantly afterwards.
Looking forward to the rematch with Orlando on the 17th.
I second that, re: Akinola.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bushmancan
He was a real battering ram last night and absolutely bullied the New England CB’s for the first 45. Gassed early but I will take that performance every day of the week.
If we had another capable target man we might have rolled New England in the second half. They must have been absolutely exhausted chasing him around
Not sure TFC deserved that one, but they were due a little luck. There's an easy narrative to push with this win, but it largely came down to some poor goalkeeping from a backup and a rare moment of brilliance. They were outplayed for large stretches. The defense is still unwatchable and will certainly be the club's downfall unless significant additions are made. But gotta start somewhere, I suppose.
Mullinho at left midfielder was a visionary decision.
One thing that concerns me beyond the poor defence is the health of our defence. Look at our bench yesterday, there were no defenders at all (Okello, Shaff, Nelson, JMR, Mullins, Dwyer, Deleon)
Dunn, Romeo, Morrow, Mavinga injured?
With Zavs, Kemar, and Richie going to Gold Cup, if those 4 aforementioned guys aren't fit then we only have Auro, Omar, and Singh. Are we going to be forced to use Deleon or Endoh as a fullback? Bradley as a CB? We're weak at the back as it is, even weaker if we have to use guys out of position.
Morrow had back pain so that shouldn't last too long. No idea what's up with Mavinga since injuries are a secret. Same for Dunn. I know he was injured but haven't heard an update in ages on him. As for Romeo, he could play but I guess he's too raw.Quote:
Originally Posted by rydermike
Let's give New England a little credit, though. Gil, Buksa and Bou are some of the best attackers in the league.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobo
The difference last night was that we defended as a unit. Even when someone got caught out, there was usually help nearby and not much excess space created.
Multiple times, Gonzalez actually took control and led the line, barking out instructions to the others. He has NEVER done that in the past, probably because he's next to Mavinga who has had, arguably, a better career and has, probably inarguably, more talent.
But I wonder if his oft-stated headcase reactions to shit -- He has been a hothead his entire career, going back to Liverpool -- were why he didn't dress last night. That or giving up on that tackle in the game prior. He's an emotional dude, and you get a range from "locker room cancer" to "passionate and inspiring dude", sort of like with Jozy.
That's not usually the guy you want around when shit is complicated and requires a reset.
But Omar was miles better last night, as a result.
Singh was.... well, he was kinda lost, let's be honest. He's not reading the speed of the game around him yet. But he has a huge and fairly obvious upside athletically and he makes enough odd smart little decisions about stepping up or challenging for headers early that suggest he has serious potential.
I dunno, I still think we're really only one more good centre back away from having a decent defense, someone to force whoever is starting to compete with them for the job constantly.
I only watched the extended highlights but this looked to me like a classic shambolic MLS game that should have ended 4-4 or 5-5.
It didn't say much to me except that we can score goals with Pozo and Yefe out there, which I think we knew.
Not quite right - nice to see us hold on, for a change.
Perez said afterwards Mavinga was left out as a precaution. Something was tight.
:deadhorse:Quote:
Originally Posted by OgtheDim
Its been awhile since I've used this emote, but what the hell is up with injuries and general condition of our players.
I don't mind holding out anyone when we go to New England.Quote:
Originally Posted by OgtheDim
Any time we go there with their plastic pitch I am always worried that anyone of our players that has had anything wrong with their hammys in the last 15 years will reaggravate it and be gone for a month or more.
The highlights didn't do it justice. We totally dominated from the opening kick off, were compact and smart with the ball, and scored 4 - one incorrectly called back. New England coaching staff (Arena) were going nuts and sent out written instructions in the middle of the first half to change tactics - which didn't help much and we continued to slaughter them. The second half was very different - we were less aggressive - not quite bunkering, but close, and New England took over the initiative. Plus several players were gassed, including Poz. Which was weird. New England weren't.Quote:
Originally Posted by ensco
PS I don't agree with the rule that would have given us the 4th but its been called against us before and is often called that way in the premier league - about defensive players deflecting the ball to an attacking player already in an offside position
Not sure why we're still so poorly conditioned. I understood it with Vanney as we spent more time on tactics than fitness but with Armas we had no tactics and he is like a gym teacher so I expected him to be full on Preki style running hills and such. No idea what was actually done by Armas during his stint. Looks a lot like nothing.Quote:
Originally Posted by MightyDM
I would guess he probably had them running drills related to pressing, so neither tactics or fitness, lolQuote:
Originally Posted by Ultra & Proud
That's probably it. Just 5 on 5's working pressing shapes. With all the injuries it makes sense that we did minimal conditioning. I assumed it was over training since we were the most out of shape team in MLS for the past few seasons. So the one positive I was going to take from Armas; high level conditioning and fitness is moot. Therefore all Armas accomplished was abject failure and injuries.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kamp Berg
Well with TFC2 playing NER2 tomorrow at Foxborough and Okello/Priso/Nelson/JMR/Shaff all didn't play yesterday and both 1 and 2 off until the 17th, a couple of them probably stayed behind to play tomorrow for 2