Gian-Luca Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Spot the problem .. You can see all the numbers on the backs of the red team's jerseys. 8 men in the box and everyone is ball watching. Nobody picks up the goal-a-game guy coming in on the far post, nobody is looking for anyone to cover True although you often see this happening during a scramble when teams are panicking & their soccer lives are on the line. Germany did something quite similar on Italy's winning goal in the 2006 World Cup semi-final with half their team focusing on Pirlo with the ball and the top of the box off a corner and nobody paying attention to Grosso who promptly puts it in the net and wins the game. Most of those players don't have someone to mark so they should be paying attention to what is happening with the ball. The exception is Jackson (who should be covering the right side) & Williams (who should be looking for Drogba). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1996 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Oh come on now with this MLS defense bashing and it not being quality football, and before I go on any further me to I've been following Canadian and North American soccer for over 40 years religiously, I realize peoples dislike of MLS because it is a mainly American league and all the things that go with that, and how people would rather have an all Canadian league, but I don't think that is happening anytime soon and even if it does the 3 Canadian MLS teams are not leaving the MLS to join unless the MLS goes under or something. But to say that the defending is atrocious across the board is just showing this bias, yes the MLS is not the Premiership but it is what it is I could go to many top leagues and show you many highlights of bad defending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unnamed Trialist Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 2 yellows in the playoffs = 1 game suspension. That is a huge advantage for teams getting a bye. For Portland Ridgewell, Wallace, Fochive and Valeri are all on cards, one more and they miss the 2nd leg, is that right? I can hardly believe it. Three started last game. Have to run at Ridgewell tonight and hope Valeri's temper gets the better of him too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub Narcotic Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Valeri looks out-of-form right now, unfortunately Nagbe looks like one of the best players in the league recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub Narcotic Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 4000 tickets still remaining for the Crew game that starts in a few hours. Yikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Spot the problem .. You can see all the numbers on the backs of the red team's jerseys. 8 men in the box and everyone is ball watching. Nobody picks up the goal-a-game guy coming in on the far post, nobody is looking for anyone to cover Very true, Findley is the only person with eyes on Drogba... but he's not even making an effort to cover him as you can see him pulling up his run. What I like to call "pretend defending". Another problem on this goal was that Morrow made a great play to block the initial Bernier shot off the goal line and despite that he was still the first man to challenge Bernier on the follow up! Full credit to him but he could have used some help from teammates there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fussball_eh Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Heading to Montreal in an hour and a half. Hoping this will be a fun game! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unnamed Trialist Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 I watched Whitecaps, live in my living room, amazing Eurosport, then a repeat of Impact. I thought both showed a more competitive spirit and, since I've been chirping about it, proper defending. I'm a bit amazed so few commentators have said the Caps result was poor, we needed a goal. I don't think the Caps played that well, but they have this back line that absorbs everything and then Ousted, and then a bit of luck. Parker was coming off the back line and challenging the 2nd striker constantly, it was very quality tactically and he handled it well, he's going to be USMNT starter, he's great. Waston too, a real beast, a serious player. We failed to challenge Portland where we could hurt them, or at least in the 2nd half we failed, the 1st was okay, right to defend hard and be cautious. We never challenged their sub keeper, we did not look at the goal. Laba was poor, missing passes in critical moments, and Manneh, well he is atrocious. He has no football skills, or at least so few shown so rarely it's ridiculous. He can't pass, makes terrible choices on the field, he basically has yet to be developed. Just has these flashes that work every so often, but he's a liability never connecting with anybody. I'd sell him and look for a winger with proper skills, sacrifice that speed for someone who can play the game. The Impact-Crew game was very well fought, I even loved the bad blood and chippiness, it was great. There was some very edgy stuff out there, for me a very good quality MLS game, probably one of the best I've seen in a while. A high level of tension and pretty good play from both sides, in all lines. A much better quality display than WC-Timbers. In the end, this whole tale about the East being worse, weaker, well maybe it was true up to August. Right now it is not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub Narcotic Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Good observations, although I disagree about Manneh. The West is much better overall than the East but the top few teams at the East are good quality as we saw last night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soccerpro Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Good observations, although I disagree about Manneh. The West is much better overall than the East but the top few teams at the East are good quality as we saw last night. it seemed Manneh was incapable of completing a 5 yard pass. I think he's somehow regressed this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Aside from the Canadian match ups, did anyone see the Dallas - Seattle match? Fabian Castillo is unbelievable. I also thought the ref should have blown a PK for the handball by Mears in the 2nd half, definitely thought Frei handled the ball outside the box on the build up to Ivanschitz goal and that Hedges foul on Valdez that led to the winning FK was a horrible call. Akindele came on for 20 minutes and showed nothing honestly, but this was at a point when Seattle was taking control. It's pretty impressive that Pareja rates him enough to sub him in ahead of Blas Perez. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Aside from the Canadian match ups, did anyone see the Dallas - Seattle match? Fabian Castillo is unbelievable. I also thought the ref should have blown a PK for the handball by Mears in the 2nd half, definitely thought Frei handled the ball outside the box on the build up to Ivanschitz goal and that Hedges foul on Valdez that led to the winning FK was a horrible call. Akindele came on for 20 minutes and showed nothing honestly, but this was at a point when Seattle was taking control. It's pretty impressive that Pareja rates him enough to sub him in ahead of Blas Perez. I enjoyed the match. Quite a gripping affair. I thought Dallas could have used a d-mid sub but the only option off the bench was the defensively/pace challenged Michel (with the young Acosta out injured). It was a pretty tired challenge by Cirigliano on the run leading to the tying goal but I thought he and Ulloa were fairly diligent in their double holding mid duties. Castillo's not the only fun guy to watch out there. Diaz is clever playmaker and that pass to release Castillo was exquisite. Seattle really battled hard and a final moment of inspiration by Dempsey sealed the points. Really looking forward to the second leg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 I also like how Pareja's not afraid to go with a young'un between the posts. Can't think of any other MLS coach who would start a playoff match with a 20 year old of limited MLS experience (granted, the U20 Mexican keeper) ahead of a respected MLS vet in Kennedy. Also, props that Jesse Gonzalez is a Homegrown, along with Ulloa, Acosta, and a couple of other squad players on the current roster. Somehow, I don't see Quillan Roberts earning the same opportunity at TFC under this current management. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Jesse Gonzalez is not a very good keeper (yet), I'm shocked to see him starting to be honest. He looked lost out there and didn't really come close to either goal. Dempsey's effort was great no doubt, but not as good as Valeri's on Ousted... Gonzalez looked like an outfield player trying to stop that, very comical. He throws his arms up and kind of falls over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 This is the first time I've watch him play so it's hard for me to make judgement. He looked awkward/flatfooted on that deflected shot by Martins. However, he has the confidence of the coach and I don't read about the supporters being uptight with his performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruud Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 All the games have been good. Here are my observations: 1. Castillo - yes, he wont be in the MLS next year - everyone is already scouting this guy to death. 2. Columbus-Impact - great game. Neutralizing Finley and Kamara is not easy. Good refereeing too. I'm surprised that Mapp hasn't seen the pitch as a sub for the games yet. I thought he may have come on instead of Venegas, but Johan proved his worth with that second goal. 3. Whitecaps - seems to me that the forward line for Vancouver is out of ideas and plain exhausted. Does Mattocks starting sound like an option instead? 4. What happened to Ouimette - he wasn't even on the bench on the weekend? was he injured? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 It's funny that commentators were referring to Rivero as the key piece and the rest of the players as "supporting cast". Rivero had a hot start but since then he's hardly been the centre piece of the Whitecaps, it's a total team effort. He has just 5 goals since April and the way Twellman was talking about him you would think he's the Giovinco of Vancouver. I know Twellman had a few head injuries but he's all over the place. At one point he said he couldn't understand subbing in Rosales and Morales and literally 5 minutes later he was gushing about how much he loved the move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unnamed Trialist Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 It's funny that commentators were referring to Rivero as the key piece and the rest of the players as "supporting cast". Rivero had a hot start but since then he's hardly been the centre piece of the Whitecaps, it's a total team effort. He has just 5 goals since April and the way Twellman was talking about him you would think he's the Giovinco of Vancouver. I know Twellman had a few head injuries but he's all over the place. At one point he said he couldn't understand subbing in Rosales and Morales and literally 5 minutes later he was gushing about how much he loved the move. Twellman sounds like Keller, another guy with no idea what is happening on the field. I ended up watching in Spanish, lately I am finding the Spain announcers are better than the Brits for MLS on Eurosport. The season started with both sets being terribly eurocentric, as if they were teed off to have to do the games and slagging everything about MLS, odd way to sell a product to your audience. And have ended up more knowledgeable, with good observations and strong research (Cascadia rivalries, the 401 and other Canadian details) and with a lot less "he was almost going to sign for Burnley" stuff and "he hasn't been the same since he left River Plate in 2002". When watching Canadian announcers, I really like De Vos, he is pleasant, not arrogant, and pertinent. I hate the way so many US announcers have to call goals in a fake Spanish style,, with a drawn out gooooooooool: if you don't feel it don't bother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Whenever possible, I keep the mute activated, especially if I've PVRed the match. If I know the starters and the subs, that's all I need most of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 I really like De Vos too. Everyone slags on him, I suppose because he doesn't have an accent and people tend to hate anything Canadian related when it comes to football for whatever reason. He is probably the best North American analyst in the game right now, as Unnamed Trialist said he doesn't have the typical arrogance of some announcers... in fact for someone who has pretty good experience in the game he is incredibly humble, you would think he was a Pub league player when he is forced to talk about himself. He breaks down the game with no bias and makes great points that the typical NA viewer wouldn't notice. I suppose this angers Euro snobs who think they know everything there is to know about football, how dare he! Even during Euro 2012 they brought in Darren Anderton as a "name" but De Vos was still the top analyst and you could tell even Anderton had massive respect for Jason. Many of the play-by-play guys have no clue what is happening at times, if not for their accents there is no chance they would be announcing. Every match I need to count on two hands the amount of times they get a call wrong... i.e. saying a Goal kick is being taken when really there was an offside or foul called. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Akindele came on for 20 minutes and showed nothing honestly, but this was at a point when Seattle was taking control. It's pretty impressive that Pareja rates him enough to sub him in ahead of Blas Perez. I think that has more to do with were Perez stands with the group, rather than anything Akindele has done. Teixeira has become the first choice CF, Castillo has unsurprisingly locked down one of the wide forward spots, and the other one initially belonged to Hollingshead, but now it belongs to the Colombian, Barrios. Akindele had never really held onto a starting role for more than a game or two all season, so I am actually a little worried about that. Here's to hoping he can make the most of his chance when it comes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtlMario Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 All the games have been good. Here are my observations: 1. Castillo - yes, he wont be in the MLS next year - everyone is already scouting this guy to death. 2. Columbus-Impact - great game. Neutralizing Finley and Kamara is not easy. Good refereeing too. I'm surprised that Mapp hasn't seen the pitch as a sub for the games yet. I thought he may have come on instead of Venegas, but Johan proved his worth with that second goal. 3. Whitecaps - seems to me that the forward line for Vancouver is out of ideas and plain exhausted. Does Mattocks starting sound like an option instead? 4. What happened to Ouimette - he wasn't even on the bench on the weekend? was he injured? Pretty sure Mapp is still injured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unnamed Trialist Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 3. Whitecaps - seems to me that the forward line for Vancouver is out of ideas and plain exhausted. Does Mattocks starting sound like an option instead? No. Rather watch Rivero miss properly than Mattocks not even get close to missing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub Narcotic Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Robinson is teasing starting Mattocks or Earnshaw but he'll almost certainly go with Rivero again. They are watching Juan Pablo Angel tapes together to learn about proper forward movement, not a very encouraging sign for your DP forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unnamed Trialist Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Robinson is teasing starting Mattocks or Earnshaw but he'll almost certainly go with Rivero again. They are watching Juan Pablo Angel tapes together to learn about proper forward movement, not a very encouraging sign for your DP forward. I think Rivero has proper forward movement, he is fine. The problem is how the mids and wings connect, that needs work. Techera has shown ability to do it, though often starts too far away, on the touchline 45 yards out. Playing on his wrong foot, right side for a lefty, he is supposed to turn in and find Rivero. Same with Kekutah on the other side, but he is a lot further away from doing it right, since he's so sloppy. Then your mid had to slip in as well, and having Morales injured and not on form since before the summer has not helped. That said, Rivero has missed too many sitters. The least you have to do, like with that shot vs. Portland, is put it on net. But he's young, if his brain clicks in I am pretty sure he can turn it around. I would never say I think Rivero will be worse next year--he'll be better. Techera too, I think he'll have a great year, if the loan is renewed or they sign him. Manneh, most likely, will be the same old same old, or worse. But I'm pretty sure they'll keep him, he just needs some competition for his position to wisen him up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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