I'm going to keep this mercifully brief, or at least I'll try. Why brief? Well, I could pretty much point you to a couple dozen match reaction posts from last year that would sound almost word for word what I'm going to say here. Defenders who didn't appear to speak the same language? Check. Lots of possession but no idea what to do with it? Check. Excessive vulnerability to the counter? Check. Big zilch in the finishing department?
Big ... fat ... check.
They're all there. All of last year's squalid crew. The stench of 2010 was all over this abomination. You remember the feeling? That one you got 5-10 minutes into the match when you realized there was no way United was going to get a result, no way they were even going to find the net? Damn if I didn't have that feeling. Normally when I watch a team I'm heavily invested in, I've got this fluttering combination of excitement and nervousness playing havoc with mind and body. This match? Not a flutter to be found. Much like last year, the result felt pre-determined.
Talking points? If I must...
* Our fullbacks suck. Suck at marking/positioning. Suck at crossing. Both were caught wrong-side of attackers on the opening goals. I think Korb even managed to lose an aerial "battle" to the tiny Luke Rodgers...with Rodgers winning the ball with his foot. Ugh. Now Korb is a rookie and probably #3 on the right back depth chart, forced into action by injury. What latest excuse can we dredge up for Burch? You'd maybe forgive his defensive shortcomings if he could contribute to the attack, but my abiding memory of the first half was hearing Olsen shouting "Burchie! Forward!" after yet another pause, survey the field, cut it back, negative pass sequence. He's the "ugh" that keeps on giving, and no one's willing to put the lame horse down (at least I assume he's lame, why else would a professional soccer player only use one foot?)
* No cutting edge. Sure, we've been scoring at a decent clip thus far, but here, against decent opposition (much like against LA), we were found out. The dual problem? Lack of ideas and quick feet in midfield combined with some mis-timed runs (or runs not even made though the space and ball were on) by Davies (though he was mistakenly called off on what should have been a one-on-one when United were only down 1-0), who still isn't all there yet. Wolff had the opposite problem. Great runs, but nothing to show for them, even on those few occasions where the ball was delivered. There comes a point when, for all of his useful hustle, off-the-ball work, and connecting play, he needs to step up, be a forward, and put the ball on frame. Too many times he got caught with the ball at his feet or couldn't pull the trigger soon enough. Ngwenya? Runs a lot, I guess. Didn't ever feel like he was going to be a threat. And Pontius? Lots of endeavor, but was it him who whiffed on that glorious crossed chance at the back stick in the first half? Still, he's the only guy in a black shirt who looks like he really wants to take defenders on, and, until Boskovic arrived, the only one who looked like he might pose a threat to Condoul's net.
* Molasses on the passes. Last year's big bugaboo, the slooooooow play, not only in the build up, but on those occasions where United actually mounted something resembling a break. McCarty had a few positive switches of field, but those were completely overshadowed by his dwelling on the ball in useful positions. Of course, the other thing that was too slow was another that haunted us last year—the closing down, particularly of the opposition midfield. Sure the spacing and communication of the back line were sub-par, but with the opposition midfield and fullbacks given ages on the ball, it looked much worse as they were able to get their heads up and pick useful passes.
* What does Boskovic have to do to get a goal? If there was anything positive to be taken from this dire match, it was how dangerous Boskovic proved after his introduction at the half. Unlike in the opening stanza, where the ideas in midfield were limited to Fred, who often arrived at said ideas after spending a few long moments with the gears sparking and spinning, Boskovic came in looking to get the ball moving into dangerous spots. That said, he often as not failed to connect. But he more than made up for it by having his shooting boots on. Only the crossbar, post, and a strong hand from Condoul kept him from finding the net in a performance that really deserved a goal.
I suppose I could point out here that the referee seemed to have missed the "call anything physical and card half of it" memo, but both teams were hurt by that. I guess if nothing else, it made the 2010 bad vibes resonate even more strongly. I think I just want to bury this hurt now and move on, so let's wrap this up.
United had their reality check delivered in painful fashion. They're firmly in the third of four tiers of teams in MLS, that group of 4 or 5 that are probably going to be scrapping for those extra two playoff spots come season's end. Could they step up a tier if Boskovic really started asserting himself, Davies got his sharpness back, and the defense got organized? Quite possibly. Until that time, there are going to be some painful lessons, though hopefully none so painful as this.
Ugh.
Injuries, Numerology & the Perils of Being Chris Korb
So I'm glancing over the latest Goffblog United injury roundup and feeling a little paranoid for Chris Korb. Not only is Zayner, the prospective starter at right back, still down, but McTavish, a utility man but putative right back, continues his concussion troubles as well. As a right fullback myself, that has me a little spooked.
But not as much as when I think of who else has been in that spot recently. Namoff and his concussion woes. Graye getting double-traded into oblivion in Houston. Kinda makes you wonder if trialing double-knee-damaged Barklage in the role is tempting fate a little too much, no?
And while we're on the subject of possible curses, I'd like to revisit my curse of the #2 theory (don't forget to visit the comments on that post for further info). For those that don't want to bother with the back story outlined in that post, I'll lay it out quickly...
I wore #2 for most of my playing career, such as it was, and noticed United #2's tended towards the lackluster (Peralta ... Stokes ...). As #2 is the "traditional" number of right fullbacks, the memory of this curse was stirred by the current right-back injury pox.
So naturally I went to see who's wearing #2 this year for United. Turns out there are only two jersey numbers between 1 and 31 that haven't been claimed. Namoff's #26 and ... #2.
Hmmm. Suspicious.
So if the curse can't hit #2, where's the next likely place it falls? Double the damage with double the twos, perhaps? Who's number 22? Oh dear...
I've got my fingers crossed for you, buddy.
But not as much as when I think of who else has been in that spot recently. Namoff and his concussion woes. Graye getting double-traded into oblivion in Houston. Kinda makes you wonder if trialing double-knee-damaged Barklage in the role is tempting fate a little too much, no?
And while we're on the subject of possible curses, I'd like to revisit my curse of the #2 theory (don't forget to visit the comments on that post for further info). For those that don't want to bother with the back story outlined in that post, I'll lay it out quickly...
I wore #2 for most of my playing career, such as it was, and noticed United #2's tended towards the lackluster (Peralta ... Stokes ...). As #2 is the "traditional" number of right fullbacks, the memory of this curse was stirred by the current right-back injury pox.
So naturally I went to see who's wearing #2 this year for United. Turns out there are only two jersey numbers between 1 and 31 that haven't been claimed. Namoff's #26 and ... #2.
Hmmm. Suspicious.
So if the curse can't hit #2, where's the next likely place it falls? Double the damage with double the twos, perhaps? Who's number 22? Oh dear...
I've got my fingers crossed for you, buddy.
Shellacking or Softball? | a DC United Match Reaction
So the question runs something along the lines of … Was this a big response after a challenging week or were we pitched a softball by a TFC side that’s clearly struggling tactically and was coming off a mid-week tilt? I’m going to split the difference and take a little from both piles. United clearly came ready to mix it up and put pressure on a back line that TFC head-man Winter has been coaching to play things short, controlled, and on the deck. That gets them into trouble, a familiar scenario for United fans over the past couple of seasons.
Let’s round up the talking points, shall we?
Some Quick Hits?
So the take home message here? We were good. TFC was bad. No matter how bad they were, 3-0 on the road in MLS is a big result, and you’ve got to be delighted with that as a United fan, particularly with the clean sheet despite finishing with three rookies on the back line. I was worried that there would be a let down, first after the two early goals, but more so after the sending off. There were certainly wobbles, but the intensity2 remained. With a little more quality on the break, we might have had more than three.
Oh, it’s going to feel so good to say this without any quibbles or equivocation …
Vamos, United!3
Let’s round up the talking points, shall we?
- Two of last year’s biggest issues (amongst the wealth we had to choose from) were final balls and finishing. We’re still struggling a bit in the former, some evidence from this game to the contrary, but the latter seems to have been addressed. Pontius took his two goals beautifully. During his initial campaign, many, yours truly included, were urging him to put in extra time on the finishing drills. We saw some flashes during an injury-plagued 2010, but if he can consistently finish (and make damaging runs) like he did tonight, he’ll take some of the opposition’s focus away from Najar and Davies, making both of those players more effective. Speaking of Davies, his goal tonight was exactly the sort we’ve been lacking since Emilio was firing them in: the predatory strike. Right place, right time, beat the defender to the ball and hit the net.
- One of my frustrations with the midfield has been how narrow it is. Tonight, that worked in our favor. With Fred and Pontius consistently pinching in from the wings, we were winning the numbers game in central midfield against TFC’s central three. Normally, that hurts us when the opposition punishes the exposed flanks. That didn’t happen here. TFC’s fullbacks didn’t get forward much in support of their wing forwards. Part of that was due to the movement of the United forwards pulling into wide spaces, but I can’t help but think it was a TFC tactical failure as well.
- There is a glaring weakness in this United side, and pretty soon everybody’s going to be exploiting it: we can’t defend set pieces. Every long throw, every corner, every free kick swung into the box. They all set the alarm bells ringing, particularly when we fail to pick up runners at the far stick. Think I know what I’d be focusing on in practice this week … and the week after that, and the week after that …
- Did Jakovic pick up a knock? I was more than a little confused by Olsen bringing on Kitchen for Jakovic at 2-0. Sure you’re up a man and up two goals, but that left two rookies with a handful of MLS starts between them in central defense. Hell, three out of four on the back line were rookies. Throw in second-year keeper Hamid and (sigh) Marc Burch, and that looked either like a huge show of stones or suicide from the Bearded Bombardier. At 3-0? Sure. But after nearly conceding twice at 2-0, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one starting in on the fingernails.
- McCarty is gritty. He wins balls and gets around the pitch. But he was so, so wasteful with the ball, and it’s part of a larger pattern that I’ve been cutting him some slack on as he settles with the team. I can’t ignore it any more. The most noticeable was the break just before he was subbed off. Four black shirts with numbers on the counter. McCarty runs with the ball towards the middle and the pass is on to an open runner steaming into the box. Result? McCarty holds it too long, can’t get the pass off, loses possession, and TFC break the other way. That’s crap for a guy who’s supposed to be pulling the strings. And it wasn’t the only occurrence. I’ve got at least four heavily circled “McCarty, bad pass, bad spot” notes on my pad from this game alone. That’s bad news if we’re relying on him to be the engine that drives the team.
Some Quick Hits?
- Made an early note of my surprise at how well Ethan White was passing out of the back … in the first five minutes. Things rapidly sank back to normal from that point on. Solid play cutting out passes and runners plus goal line clearances in back to back games? I think Brasesco just got bumped as the #3 center back option.
- Wolff with some creative flicks in the build up play, particularly to set Pontius free to draw Harden’s red. I’m still not sold, but I’m seeing his value. Still should have finished when Charlie played him through though. Also, is it mandatory for DP’s to clatter him from behind now? Does he have a bullseye on his ankle?
- Fred looks slow and doesn’t cover as much ground as he used to. Still does some magic in tight spaces with the ball though1. Useful option, but wouldn’t want to depend on him as a starter. Reminds me a bit of Andy Williams for RSL. Wonder what he’s doing to justify starting over Boskovic?
- Can’t believe TFC couldn’t exploit Burch more. Martina screwed him into the ground a couple of times, and I’m shocked they didn’t go to that well more often. In Burch’s defense, he did make some solid stops. (Great — now I feel unclean for defending him.)
So the take home message here? We were good. TFC was bad. No matter how bad they were, 3-0 on the road in MLS is a big result, and you’ve got to be delighted with that as a United fan, particularly with the clean sheet despite finishing with three rookies on the back line. I was worried that there would be a let down, first after the two early goals, but more so after the sending off. There were certainly wobbles, but the intensity2 remained. With a little more quality on the break, we might have had more than three.
Oh, it’s going to feel so good to say this without any quibbles or equivocation …
Vamos, United!3
- And with passing. Best quote pulled from my notes (after the third goal and McCarty’s subsequent substitution) … “Fred shows McCarty how to provide on the break, and Olsen shows McCarty the pine.” ↩
- Rhymes with “in Ben’s city”? ↩
- Be even sweeter if we can repeat the trick on Thursday against the Metro-hiefers. ↩
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
