On an individualistic basis, it has been fascinating to follow some of our players as they have developed over the year. Please share your experiences.
Results aside, here are my few shined diamonds in the trash:
Bendik - Finally got a decent opportunity without getting injured. Big physical presence who has gotten even better at claiming rebounds and second-balls since pre-season. Decent reflexes too, good head on his shoulders so the more he plays, the more he will learn.
Lambe - Turning into a grown adult man now, physically he is bigger and defensively he has improved. Nelsen has stated that him and JH have improved leaps and bounds compared to some other players. All he needs to work on how is handling 2 defenders, he has the speed and some of the trickery to put in a cross. Gets nervous under pressure and passes back to Richter too often, that has to change. He was more effective when Ecks was around, their overlapping really gassed opposition defenders. What do you guys think he needs to improve most on? Still does not feel like an all out winger.
Hall - Has always stated that middle of the park was his position. Now we see why.
He is not very smart on field (reflected in some of the passes he makes) but his current position is perfect for him, has more rigidity with less thinking involved. Cuts out lanes well and hustles. NEVER saw him as a RB, he was not built for it physically. Too tall and awkward, was easy to get around on the wing. In midfield on the other hand, his physicality comes in very handy. He is still relatively young so has more room for improvement. Pleasantly surprised, keep it up.
Silva - I feel he drifts out of games sometimes but play him centrally and he has made some of the best passes I have seen from a TFC player. Even under pressure, he knows how to hold the ball and how to release it with just the right angle and weight. He is not a striker. He is not a winger, does not have the speed. Its odd but I feel I need to see him much more to confirm my judgement, very inconsistent some games. With Koev in, I think he will improve even more.
So far that's as much positivity I can squeeze out from our proverbial TFC lemon. Real shame about Morgan, what is going on with that kid's confidence?