HoppyDaze
Well-Known Member
Clearly the Japanese players should fire a sword through themselves to save the last bit of honor they have.
A short week in MLS, mercifully so, as the Gold Cup absences are already being felt, here's what's going on:
1. MLS's Refusal To Take Time Off Hurts Quality and Parity
We all know that MLS not taking time off for international breaks hurts the quality of the game in MLS, naturally most of the best players are gone with their national teams. One thing that is often overlooked is how much it hurts team parity though, each team is hit differently in a very tightly matched league. For teams with lots of North American and Central American talent, the Gold Cup is devastating to their rosters; three teams, Toronto, FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake are missing five players for the gold cup, many of them players key to each team's success, but some teams aren't missing anyone and others aren't missing any starters. I can certainly understand not taking off for competitions that you might not have many players in, the Cup of Nations, the Euro and Copa America generally don't include a lot of MLS players, but when you draw most of your talent from North and Central America not taking time off for the Gold Cup is ridiculous. The loss of five players by RSL with three of them being regular starters seems awfully unfair when DC United is only missing Michael Seaton(who? Exactly) doesn't it?
2. MLS Teams Reload
The international window opens on the 8th, but MLS teams are already (re)loading up on whoever they can get that fits their needs or wants. Steven Gerrard and Andrea Pirlo are the big names so far that are official, but other teams are aiming to pick up midrange talent, the Sounders for example signed former player and fan favorite Erik Friberg. If the much rumored "Core Player" mechanic comes in before the international window opens up, expect a very chaotic and busy July for MLS teams scrambling to work out the math to add a new shiny DP while making someone else a "core player".
3. Kaka Sees Red
For the first time in his career, Kaka sees a straight red...and it wasn't a deserved one, in my opinion. Some people are saying he "stomped" on Morales, but if anything his feet got tangled with the RSL player. A yellow was well deserved...a straight red, not so much. Orlando City won't file an appeal because it's hard to get a red card overturned when there is clearly a cardable offense (a Disciplinary Committee rule that I don't have a problem with), especially since you only get two appeals per season. Nonetheless, it's a damn shame since OCSC relies on the Brazilian so much and he always brings some impressive plays.
4. Fabian Espindola Needs to Calm Down
Fabian Espindola was shown a straight red in the match Friday against the Sounders after throwing an elbow towards Zach Scott's throat, this is, I should note, the second suspensions he's served this year for discipline issues; his first was a six game ban carrying over from last season when he shoved an assistant referee in the second leg of the eastern conference playoff against NYRB. The thing is, Espindola has always had these sorts of discipline issues, even when he played for RSL. Espindola seems to be good for at least one disciplinary suspension a year in MLS, and that's not a good sign. At some point one of his coaches needs to tell the fiery forward to calm down, just a bit, maybe have him do meditation or something. A forward is no use if they're sitting in the stands, after all.
I thought our 2 center backs + Chandler were crap.
Tim Ream needs to be playing. He is quality.
That was our toughest game until probably the semi final.
I'm not interested in seeing a defensive minded midfielder like Beckerman start until then.
I'd like to see Bedoya more.
There you go. Take that & rip it to shreds. Please write a lengthy rebuttal complete with bullet points.
I thought our 2 center backs + Chandler were crap.
Tim Ream needs to be playing. He is quality.
That was our toughest game until probably the semi final.
I'm not interested in seeing a defensive minded midfielder like Beckerman start until then.
I'd like to see Bedoya more.
There you go. Take that & rip it to shreds. Please write a lengthy rebuttal complete with bullet points.
I mostly agree with you...but I'm going to strongly disagree on Timmy Chandler. He had a few of his usual "brainfart" moments and his positioning was wrong a lot throughout the night, if it wasn't for Yedlin covering for him I think Chandler would have been smoked multiple times. Zardes, I think, just isn't good at midfield, as a striker? Sure, he does fine, but he has no clue what to do on defense; you can work on that but the Gold Cup is not the place to learn. Personally I think Jozy might have taken a knock or two from Honduras somewhere along the way, he looked good (but not great) for the first half, but the second half he was out of it. Alvarado looked pretty bad to me, but in a "this can be worked on" sort of way, I'm not so sure I want him starting in a match against more talented opposition though. Overall I thought it was an ugly game and an ugly win...but with the ref not calling anything and Honduras playing rugby, I'll take a win with no injuries. Haiti and Panama should be less violent and less challenging opponents, fortunately.
Tim Ream? I just threw up in my mouth.
LOL.
What is it about him that you don't like?
Have you watched him play on the national team? I get it he's been really solid with club. But he has been horrible for the national team. Seems like almost every game he's played significant minutes he's made a boner move that concede a goal. Whether it's because he didn't hold the line, or made a poor pass/clearance, etc.
Some players don't succeed on the national level, just like some are better on the national level. I am of the opinion that Ream is one of those guys who hasn't succeeded at the national level.
Chandler was alright. I think he gets put under too much of a microscope given his past. Yedlin did help a ton. He was tasked with marking their best player and Najar really didn't do too much.
I think Zardes is a solid mid, but I don't think he can do it for 60. I think he's good for 30-40. I would rather him be a winger. I don't think he's an out and out striker either.
I don't think Panama will be easy by any stretch of any imagination. They've been in better form recently than Honduras as well.
Personally, I didn't care about the Chandler drama when it happened, I just think he makes too many mistakes, mostly in positioning; he doesn't have the speed be able to get up as far as he does against fast opposition like Najar and still get back in time and he doesn't recognize it. Chandler's issues are fixable, but so far he doesn't seem willing to fix them.
I think Panama will be easier than Honduras, though they aren't going to be as easy as Haiti. Panama did make it to the final last Gold Cup but I think that was more of a fluke.
Haiti won't be a total walk over either. We got the tough group. Hopefully we win against Haiti and Panama/Honduras draws so we lock up the number 1. Hopefully the 3rd place team we get will be easy. Canada or Cuba wouldn't be bad and probably are realistic.
Well, no team is a total walk, at least in my opinion, unless it's Germany vs Micronesia or something like that. But Haiti is about as close as you can come to a total walk in the Gold Cup.
Mexico really took it to Cuba who was missing several players (6 and coach were left on flight, one defected)
Go Guatemala!
Any suggestions to watch the USA match tomorrow on a roku? We don't have cable.
What do you know, Tim Ream gets smoked on Haiti's best chance of the night
I actually thought Ream played pretty well. Besides a poor clearance that led to a shot from outside the box, I thought he did almost everything asked of him. Had some good interceptions & tackles, but his man marking was really good. Always seemed to be on the right side of his man.
Hoppy, I know you don't like him, and that you would be looking for any half chance to blame him for something, but my point is when you look at him compared to our other center back options, I think he should be considered for more playing time. I don't think he's ever going to be world class or that he needs to be playing for a better team, I just think that overall, our center backs are so bad that he really isn't far off being a starter.
Ream wasn't horrific, but that's got less to do with his play and more to do with how not very good Haiti was. Him letting up 2 chances to Haiti doesn't look very good when they only had a few chances the whole game. Ream could have been worse, but he was certainly one of the worst players on the pitch for the US. Not quite Jozy bad, and Garza was probably the worst overall defender, but after those 2 he was next in the firing line.
ANd that doesn't include the fact that he was caught behind not holding the line several times and Haiti wasn't good enough to take advantage of that. Mexico will be. Maybe he pairs better with another style of CB, I'm not sure, but he certainly didn't give me any confidence when it comes to playing the big boys.
Let Jozy stay out there longer, don't know if he's healthy enough for 90, but keep him out there to try to get a goal to get his mojo going the right way.
Screw that! Jozy has played absolutely horribly the past two games. He looked like a house league player out there. Get him off the field and start somebody else. Maybe that will light a fire under his ass.
I guess we just have to agree to disagree.
Every single article I read said he played well, and most gave him a rating higher that Omar. If you think he was one of our worst players you are clearly blinded by trying proving a point.
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