Harden apparently played a lot of games with a knock on his ankle last season...
Harden apparently played a lot of games with a knock on his ankle last season...
“Years have gone by and I’ve finally learned to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good football.
I go about the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums I plead: ‘A pretty move, for the love of God.’
And when good football happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I don’t give a damn which team or country performs it.”
-Eduardo Galeano
Not sure what the hysteria is over the Kia giveaways. Kia are a sponsor so perhaps they saw an opportunity to grab a bunch of cheap tickets that were readily available and use them as freebies. It's a drop in the marketing bucket for them.
I've said multiple times that I like Harden as well. I think he played well the last 1/4 of the season when his confidence started to pick up. If he had an ankle issue last year and he's back to top form he could be our guy.Originally Posted by __wowza
Larson explains what is the issue with Caicedo in his daily blog for the Sun (Feb 10 entry):
So I don't think we need to worry yet that he's an over-hyped dud.On Caicedo: Looks to be chasing fitness. The Ecuadoran centreback wasn’t involved as much as Aceval, but it should be noted that they are very different players that could eventually compliment one another. While Aceval excels in small-sided possession games, Caicedo will likely show better in space when he can demonstrate his one-on-one defending and ball-winning. As for now, Ty Harden would be my selection to start on March 7 next to Aceval.
http://blogs.canoe.ca/reds/
Somehow a full blog gives more info than a tweet.
Also based on his blog, I'm modifying my expected lineup to put in Silva ahead of Johnson, and confirm Lambe as the starter ahead of Soolsma:
------------------------------ Kocic -----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---- Eckersley---- Harden ---------------Aceval---------------Morgan---------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------ Frings ------------------JDG -------------------------------
--------------------------------- Silva ---------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---- Lambe -------------------Koevermans ---------------------- Plata -------
Last edited by Oldtimer; 02-10-2012 at 10:25 AM.
MLS is a tough, physical league, that emphasizes speed, and features plastic fields, grueling travel, extreme weather, and incompetent refs. - NK Toronto
Winter obviously likes what he sees in Harden, and he's a better judge of talent than anybody here...
Don't we need to have Ryan Johnson out there? I mean the guy has been a beast in CONCACAF matches... is he hurt or something?
Mariner says he doesn't think JDG will be able to play at the dome due to suspension.
http://blogs.canoe.ca/reds/
That kinda stinks.
kinda feel like we got enough depth with Bouchiba and Dunfield
^stinson
yep also stinson, forgot him, dont think he'll play over the other two in this particular game
$@#& no JDG!!!? Shit! He is a huge component in helping us stack up against LA!
OMG! Im in doom and gloom mode!
We need to BOSS the midfield, and against LA the only way we could have done that is with JDG providing a huge link and support for Torsten!
Shit
Shit
The somewhat low odds have droppend even more.We need to BOSS the midfield, and against LA the only way we could have done that is with JDG providing a huge link and support for Torsten!
Shit
Shit
Who would fill the spot? Cordon? Stinson? Johnson?
MLS is a tough, physical league, that emphasizes speed, and features plastic fields, grueling travel, extreme weather, and incompetent refs. - NK Toronto
Probably Bouchiba or Dunfield if Winter decides to go with a point-forward midfield. If it's a point-backward midfield, likely Johnson and Silva starting as AMs, but I think it'll be two DMs in a point-forward formation.
------------------------------ Frei -----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---- Eckersley----- Caicedo ---------------Aceval---------------Morgan-------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------ Frings ------------------Bouchiba/Dunfield ------------------
------------------------------- Johnson ---------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---- Lambe -------------------Koevermans ---------------------- Plata -------
Would expect Stinson to start on the bench as our backup fullback, unless another fullback is signed in the coming weeks. Hall is cup tied (and injured anyways).
JDG is a big loss for us. I seem to remember him having a monster of a game against LA at BMO last year. That's really disappointing.
I hate rules.
Again guys no need for doom and gloom..
Remember the score lines last year... remember how at our worse we didn't loose to this almost exact same team.
Yes JDG will be sad not to have, but we can still work it through. So our team weak ass team last year tied without Frings, without Koevs, without a healthy backline, and with Plata just starting to come into his own.
This year we have some chemistry on top of that. We still are in this. we can still beat them. And we can do it in front of 45,000 fans.... 38100 fans and 6900 kia test drivers.. but still...
We are going to fill the dome for a sporting even with a Canadian Team in it... the boys are going to play a game against a good team to start building things for the season.
Win or Lose we win.
I wasn't aware that yellow card accumulations carry over to the next round. The absence of JDG in the midfield will be significant, but not insurmountable.
^ Love your optimism!
I totally agree. We CAN win this game. It's not pessimism, just point out the obvious fact that without JDG it's going to be a lot harder.
has anyone made ther comment, that now our back line seems to be more stable, full and secure. . . we can finally give frings some OFFENSIVE duties?
the guy was charge with FAR too m,uch last season, and with him in the midfield where he belongs, surley he will be able to help us get that goal tally up.
frings / kevermans / plata/ ecks - fuck im pumped for this GAME!
gonna go FULL NORB on this bitch!
NOTICE: Wager with STB: OVER 2 shots on goal in the First half wins a Pint at HT.
That's pretty good. It may look like that. I'd take out Caicedo in favour of Harden because Caicedo is not match-fit. I still think Kocic is more likely based on his CCL play.
So maybe it will be:
------------------------------ Kocic -----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---- Eckersley----- Harden ---------------Aceval-------------Morgan-------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------ Frings ------------------Bouchiba/Dunfield ------------------
------------------------------- Johnson ---------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---- Lambe -------------------Koevermans ---------------------- Plata -------
This team has pretty good depth, and could probably take on your average MLS squad, but against LA it will be a challenge.
For the second leg, JDG will be back and I feel a lot more comfortable having him in the lineup. Also, with only 7500 fans, LA will not have a significant home advantage.
No matter what, the squad is going to have to play with a lot of heart and have their best games ever to advance beyond the LA Beckhams.
Last edited by Oldtimer; 02-12-2012 at 02:22 PM.
MLS is a tough, physical league, that emphasizes speed, and features plastic fields, grueling travel, extreme weather, and incompetent refs. - NK Toronto
Even without JDG, we still have the Towrads.
It'll be really important not to concede in the home leg. That'll give us a chance.
I'm hoping the Towrads step up soon. Keane is with Aston Villa until Feb. 25th; Donovan is with Everton about that long as well. Time for some minor injuries in the next few weeks; perhaps some Icelandic volcanic ash clouds preventing air travel from Europe; etc.
The cards don't themselves so if you have one its gone.. but if you received 2 in the last round and haven't served your game then it does, apparently. (some understanding to that really, but at the same time bah)
he'll surely play a bit more forward but dont forget hes a DM/CM so dont expect him all the way up the field on a regular basis
well it's not like he's missing the series, just the home half, well have him in LA. If we can win this game without him, we'll destroy them in LA, If we play mediocre without him, we should be able to get it back in LA, If we play like crap without him in the Rogers center... well lets not think about that
i wish i was seeing him at the Skydome, but if JDG can only be in one of the two halves, it's better for the team that he's in the LA game. we need his 'steadying presence' a lot more in a gritty road game than a fan-fueled explosion of goals at home.
3-2 TFC in the first leg, 0-0 in the second. =)
Well with that bad news about JDG here's some possibly good news from our favorite blogger:
http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_b...atch.html#moreBrazilian defender Leonardo*arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday and immediately underwent his physical with the Galaxy. Although Leonardo is not expected to be in game shape till April, Arena was encouraged by what he saw.*
“He looks much further along than the last time that we saw him,” Head coach Bruce Arena told reporters. “He’s been on the gym on the rehab. He just got here yesterday and we’re not that far along yet and evaluating where he is and setting a schedule week to week.”
Also LAG lost 1-0 to Houston in a preseason game.
“Years have gone by and I’ve finally learned to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good football.
I go about the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums I plead: ‘A pretty move, for the love of God.’
And when good football happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I don’t give a damn which team or country performs it.”
-Eduardo Galeano
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