The [Horribly Unpopular] Soccer Thread

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

If I was going for my true preference, we'd see Nagbe as CAM and Bradley and Kitchen as dual CDMs, but I'm not sure that will happen. As for Zusi, while he has played centrally in the past he's playing better football as a winger in a 4-3-3 for Sporting KC; so I think using him as a wide player is likely. Personally I'd rather see Zardes, Zusi or Pulisic as midfielders/wingers instead of Bedoya, Bedoya is a good two-way midfielder but with two CDMs you really don't need as much defensive strength, personally I think I'd go with Zusi based on his current form and past experience. That said, I think your line up is something closer to what Klinsmann is likely to put out.

Bedoya is a RAM and CAM for Nantes. He's not called upon to defend too much. Though ability wise he can be a box to box.

 

[Talgrath]

USA vs Puerto Rico went roughly as expected with a 3-1 win for the team of youngsters that saw Wood, Ream and Arriola all score, for Ream and Arriola that's their first goals in a senior team line up. Hard to pull much out of the match given how quite frankly bad Puerto Rico is, though Maurice Betancur had a hell of a chip shot to beat Brad Guzan and pull one back for the home team. I wouldn't be surprised to Betancur drafted into MLS in the next few years, he's a freshman with Florida International University's soccer program and that goal will get a lot of MLS scout eyeballs on him.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Have you seen Eintracht Frankfurt play? I have & Chandler wasn't all that. I have to disagree w/ you there. I rather see Marvell Wynne play instead of Chandler @ RB.

This year he hasn't been great. But he's been hurt a lot. Last year he was pretty awesome. Not a star of any sort but very good. He played almost every game for a reason. This year he's been hurt and his form has been terrible. But he's been playing more lately so maybe Jurgen has seen something in those spells that he's liked a lot. I know he's a big fan of his ability.

David Luiz & Marcelo didn't get selected either, but Brazil has amazing footballers. However I don't think this current side would beat Uruguay or Argentina if they met in the tourney.

I don't think missing David Luiz is necessarily bad. He was raped last World Cup. He is extremely talented and can be a difference maker when he's on, and will lose you games when he isn't. Marcelo is a bit of a loss but I think he may be also Olympic bound. I think Dunga is going with a specific plan, but part of that plan is also around the want to win the Olympics so some players will be held out for that. Neymar obviously, but a few others may.

 

[robdogj]

Maurice Betancur had a hell of a chip shot to beat Brad Guzan

that was an excellent goal - that guy on the PR right flank was solid as well

 

[Talgrath]

Bedoya is a RAM and CAM for Nantes. He's not called upon to defend too much. Though ability wise he can be a box to box.

Fair enough, but in his time with the USMNT I haven't really been all that impressed with him offensively; I think if we're looking at it from an offensive perspective we have better options, but overall I think he's very good.

 

[Talgrath]

Ah, MLS rivalry week, the time of the year in which fans get to bitch about their rivalry not being represented because so many of them are multi-directional. Some interesting events this week, as one would expect.

The 7-0 Thrashing of NYCFC Should Be a Wake Up Call
NYCFC's ownership group had to be feelng pretty confident leading into this week, NYCFC was sitting atop the eastern standings seeming to validate their firing of Jason Kreis and hiring his replacement Vieira. Unfortunately reality has a habit of sending wake up calls at inopportune moments, for NYCFC that moment was a 7-0 thrashing by the NYRB at home that tied the MLS record for worst ever defeat that hasn't been matched for 15 years. If anything should serve as a reminder to NYCFC that it's harder to win in MLS than one might think, this game should be it, a game that single-handedly put them at the bottom of the goal differential rankings in MLS. But this game is just an exposition of a larger problem for Manchester City 2 erm, I mean NYCFC, their home record is the worst in the league with a single win; sure playing in Yankee Stadium is a weird situation, but if anything that weird situation should give the home side a better record. For the Red Bulls, the win took them all the way from 7th to 3rd in the tightly packed eastern conference and serves as a warning shot to the rest of the league that the Red Bulls are still a good team.

Waston Loses His Mind After 4-1 Loss to the Timbers
Kendall Waston had a lousy game in Vancouver's loss to their bitter rivals in Portland, but he made things even worse right after the final whistle; delivery a two-footed studs-up tackle to Dairon Asprilla that earned him a post match red card and almost certainly a ban. Waston claims he never heard the final whistle, but even if he didn't that horror tackle would have been worth a red. I expect to see Waston get a longer than 1 game ban for his antics from the disciplinary committee. The win, while great for Portland, didn't get them above the red line, but did get them above their hated rivals in Seattle and could provide the confidence needed for the reigning champions to make a run for the top of the table.

Colorado Are Top of MLS and I Can't Figure Out How
As surprising as Colorado's run to the top of the MLS standings has been this season, perhaps the most surprising thing is that it's impossible to truly point to a style for the team. They don't really play for possession, they don't really high press, they aren't a swift counter attacking team, the only thing you can truly say they do extremely well is defend. I'm tempted to say Colorado bunkers and defends and tries to get in a lucky shot on set pieces, as they did on Saturday against the Sounders, but at home and in other matches they have had more of the ball and taken more chances, against Sporting KC last week, for example, they had almost as much possession and a slight edge in offensive stats. To a certain extent, I think karma, or luck is helping them out; a more focused attack that keeps things on the ground could give the Rapids all sorts of fits, but so far nobody has employed that against them; I think a lot of teams underestimate them as well since they remember the toothless Colorado of last season. Colorado's lack of a distinct style may actually help them though, without a single style teams have a harder time preparing for them. I do think Colorado will regress back to the mean at some point and fall from their lofty perch, but for the moment they're riding high and they deserve it.

In any case, while we ponder how the Rapids are doing it's pretty obvious how the Sounders aren't doing it; the Sounders offense isn't clicking, without the great work of Martins and Dempsey together opposing teams can pile on Dempsey by putting 2-3 defenders on him while the rest of the team largely seems incapable of doing anything in the final third without him. Morris looks great when he can get service, but without it he's unable to create on his own; meanwhile their other designed striker, Nelson Valdez, has ridden the bench and just been called up to the Paraguay national team. With Dempsey also out for the Copa America tournament it's hard to see the Sounders having anything but another lost June, and unlike last season where they had a nice cushion, losing this June means they may be too far out to make the playoffs for the first time in their MLS history. Dire days lie ahead in the Emerald City and Sigi Schmid's seat is probably the warmest in MLS right now, could he be fired midseason?

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

2 things. Waston should get 3 games minimum. I think 5 sends a clear message.

Other is the Rapids have the power of Jermaine Jones. In reality though it's because everyone is solid. They have no top performers, but no stragglers either.

 

[HoppyDaze]

Ah, MLS rivalry week, the time of the year in which fans get to bitch about their rivalry not being represented because so many of them are multi-directional. Some interesting events this week, as one would expect.

Waston Loses His Mind After 4-1 Loss to the Timbers
Kendall Waston had a lousy game in Vancouver's loss to their bitter rivals in Portland, but he made things even worse right after the final whistle; delivery a two-footed studs-up tackle to Dairon Asprilla that earned him a post match red card and almost certainly a ban. Waston claims he never heard the final whistle, but even if he didn't that horror tackle would have been worth a red. I expect to see Waston get a longer than 1 game ban for his antics from the disciplinary committee. The win, while great for Portland, didn't get them above the red line, but did get them above their hated rivals in Seattle and could provide the confidence needed for the reigning champions to make a run for the top of the table.

I was at this game...Portland played a nearly perfect first half then followed with an equally horrific second. It rained like a monsoon three different times...Portland seemed to thrive when the rain fell, it was interesting. That business at the end was complete garbage...he'll get his next time they play.

 

[robdogj]

Portland seemed to thrive when the rain fell

funny because earlier in the season when P-town came to San Jose & it started to rain, Da Quakes played like they were the team from the Northwest & totally dominate P-town. Of course P-town got them back when Da Quakes travelled North. The Playoff race in the West is turning out to be a classic already, especially w/ Colorado coming out of nowhere.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Good game for the Yanks. Great that Nagbe got his first international goal.

 

[Northbank]

Good game for the Yanks. Great that Nagbe got his first international goal.

Horrible first half ...... I have tickets to the UMSNT vs Bolivia on Saturday.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Horrible first half ...... I have tickets to the UMSNT vs Bolivia on Saturday.

I would say horrible first 25 minutes. Once the back line settled in things improved. US looked much better when Beckerman left the game. And even better when Wood moved more centrally. Wood's so on right now I think he has to be the 9. Clint is the talisman for the USMNT, but maybe modify the formation a bit. Like a 4-3-3 attacking. Have the same general starters but pull out Beckerman and have Dempsey basically be a support striker in the middle.

Downside is that it removes the ability for Nagbe to play that role, but the upside is that it gives Dempsey more ability to be in the middle getting the ball and moving it around and playing off of Wood, Zusi and Zardes. But it keeps someone up top challenging the centerbacks.

I also think Pulisic did really well and may wind up pushing Zardes who played well aside from that horrific first touch on what should have been a goal. Zusi is a horse. He puts in shifts and makes things happen, tons of value in that.

After the start of the game, Brooks really settled in, BIrnbaum as well. Yedlin did quite well against Jefferson Montero, and Fabian wasn't seemingly challenged much and when Nagbe came in he really was effective coming up the flank and connecting with him and Bradley.

There's a lot of good to take out of this game, and realize we did it against a really good team.

And I am glad Jurgen has Acosta in camp if Beckerman did pick up a knock as was hinted by the broadcast crew. I wanted him on the roster over Beckerman anyway.

Both teams were largely healthy and fit for the game. US was missing Cameron, Ecuador was missing Antonio Valencia. But it was a good trial for BIrnbaum who overall did pretty well. JK can't be mad at how anyone played really. Especially considering Ecuador is a better team than us typically. Last time we played them we lost, this time we out played them and won.

First half was rough overall but the defense and Guzan got the job done when they needed to and eventually things settled down and the US was the better team for the last 15 or so minutes of the half. Second half arguably the perfect half. It was exactly the kind of game Klinsmann has wanted the USMNT to play. Proactive and possessive.

 

[robdogj]

Christian Pulisic is the Brightest & Best US prospect I have ever seen - If he can keep this up, he will surpass Landon Donovan's start of his career

 

[Talgrath]

Generally speaking I agree with your assessment hippo, though I'm not so sold on the 4-3-3 I could see it working well with Nagbe at the top of the midfield as CAM. I have to say John Brooks deserves a round of applause for tonight though, he's vastly improved from the last time we saw him. Brad Guzan looked positively sharp, being freed from the stress of the Aston Villa nuclear fire seems to have improved his game 100%; if I were him and I can pull off a good tournament, I'd look to get as far away from AV as possible because it seems to be hurting even his national team form when he's mid season.

As far as the possible injury to Beckerman, Klinsmann can pull someone else in at this stage of preparation for the Copa America from the 40 man roster; assuming he replaces a midfielder for a midfielder that means some interesting, mostly attacking pieces could come through,Mix Diskerud, Danny Williams, Alfredo Morales or Lee Nguyen. Personally, while I like Mix he doesn't seem to be getting his head in the right place with MLS megaclub NYCFC, I'd rather see Danny Williams make the cut.

 

[Talgrath]

Surprising news out of Houston, Owen Coyle and the Houston Dynamo have "parted ways"; the official statement says because Owen Coyle wanted to move back to England to be closer to his family, but I suspect it has a lot more to do with their abysmal form since he took over from Dominic Kinnear. My suspicions are even stronger given that assistant coach Sandy Stewart has departed as well. Coyle's bizarre decision to not get much use out of designated player Erick "Cubo" Torres has to be a big factor here but I think it could be overlooked if it got results. It's possible Coyle has also found a new, better job in England...but who would look at the Dynamo's situation and say "Yeah, we want that guy coaching us"? Midseason sackings are rare in MLS, in no small part because teams with a more solid coaching situation tend to do better, so this is a bit of an unusual situation in MLS. A few possible replacements jump to mind though:

Mike Petke
Top of the list is probably Mike Petke, after being chased out of his job by Jesse Marsch, Petke has been an analyst for the tiny "One World Sports" network that mostly gets all of the leftover soccer scraps that the big sports networks don't want. Petke's hard-nosed, no nonsense approach could work well in Houston, where money is too tight for anything other than results.

Jason Kreis
A lot of Houston fans (other than celebrating Coyle's departure) shouted for Jason Kreis and it's true that his name should be near or at the top of the list...but that doesn't mean Kreis wants the job. My suspicion is that Kreis is waiting for the "right" coaching offer to come along and going back to a western conference minnow doesn't advance his career much for a guy with ambitions to be coaching top flight footy in Europe. If he does take the job, it would be a major coup for Houston as some suspect the Sounders could be a likely landing for Kreis next season assuming Sigi Schmid is gone.

The Crappy Ones
Frank Klopas and Frank Yallop are still floating around, both of whom are coaches of a similar sort of staid, defensive style. Their teams are ugly to look at and they suck, but you know, they have MLS experience.

Look to Europe
Both of the franchise's coaches in their history have been foreign-born, it wouldn't be that crazy for Houston to continue to try to tap the foreign markets for a coach and I would say it's worth it for MLS teams to try from time to time, some of them do work out. But maybe Houston shouldn't try to go to the same well right now.

Brian Ching
The former Houston Dynamo legend is currently what could best be described as "general manager" of the Houston Dash, the Dynamo's women's team sister organization. It's possible they could tap the local boy for coach, if nothing else as a means of improving their image in Houston.

Let It Ride
It's not entirely true that Houston's season is done just yet...but it's pretty close, they're 9 points out of the closest playoff spot, which in the tightly contested western conference is a bigger hill to climb than you might think. Letting it ride would be suicide for the season, but it would give them a top draft pick and would let them fully evaluate their options, the three remaining assistant coaches are coaching by committee right now according to their statement, but you could probably designate one of them interim coach and give them a chance to turn it out around without it being a big loss.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

I think Acosta would be the man. He can play CDM or LB.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

So I'm gonna just put this out there, guessing what Jurgen should do given health of players and whatnot for when we face Columbia

I'm thinking of a 4-2-3-1

GK - Guzan
RB - Yedlin
CB - Brooks
CB - Cameron
LB - Johnson
CDM - Bradley
CDM - Jones (though I'd probably rather see Kitchen win this job, he hasn't really seemingly succeeded at that yet)
RAM - Bedoya/Zusi
CAM - Dempsey
LAM - Zardes/Pulisic
ST - Wood

I put the slashes in it because for me Zusi and Zardes get another game to protect their spots. If they fail and their subs come on and outclass them, then they should be replaced.

 

[Talgrath]

Eh, no. Dempsey at CAM in MLS has been underwhelming, to say the least; really he's done his best work of the season while ignoring his supposed position and playing as a striker (the Sounders have basically been running a 4-2-4). Dempsey does his best work as an underneath striker, he's done well (at times) playing on the left. Personally I'd put Nagbe in at CAM in a 4-3-3 with Wood in center, Dempsey on the left and Zusi on the right. Pulisic would be an offensive sub while Kitchen or Beckerman would be a defensive sub. Otherwise I like the lineup.

 

[Grannyknot]

I feel like our best performances over the Klinsmann era have come when he used the diamond midfield & 2 strikers. Obviously the players in form & available have changed, but I think i'd like to see it tried again for a run of games.

 

[Talgrath]

Timmy Chandler is a scratch apparently as his quadriceps strain is too severe for him to play, Edgar Castillo is his replacement.

Timmy Chandler Out

I can't say I'm particularly sad to see Chandler go, sometimes he's brilliant but sometimes he's terrible.

 

[robdogj]

I just checked out a Documentary of Nottingham Forest called, "I believe in Miracles". I came away w/ two things after watching that movie. First, How did England not appoint Brian Clough as their gaffer? I am sure this guy is the Best Gaffer that England has ever witnessed

Secondly, IMHO Mourinho is trying to emulate him. I know of a skinny chicken fan that wouldn't like the style that Clough was using. Build a strong defense & have an effective counter-attacking scheme.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Very exciting Championship playoff final. Congrats to Hull on the fully deserved win. And looking forward to the Champions League final next.

 

[Talgrath]

Great to see the USMNT pick up a win against Bolivia to get them some confidence heading into the Copa America, even if we were/should have been favored to beat that team. Zardes had a truly excellent game, and Bedoya made a strong argument to stay in the starting 11. Nagbe to Pulisic needs to become a thing in the future of the USMNT. My only real gripe is that we gave up a bit too much possession in the first half to Bolivia.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Wish I would have watched the friendly instead of the CL final. Of course I'd planned to watch both, but the CL final literally put me to sleep shortly into the second half. And then too much to do when I woke back up. Oops.

 

[Talgrath]

For me, beer and a lack of sleep might mean I wind up taking a little post match early sleep...

 

[robdogj]

Great to see the USMNT pick up a win against Bolivia to get them some confidence heading into the Copa America

Same here - crazy to think that Bradley is the Captain of this team - Great Veteran leadership from both Jones & Deuce, but what really stands out is the Youth. I hate to hear all of the criticism I hear about Nagbe, especially cause he doesn't score goals. IMHO his greatest strength is creating opportunities. Then we have both Zardes & Pulisic on the flanks & getting the job done - I am starting to look forward to June 3rd & I hope Team USA Shocks The World!!!

 

[Talgrath]

The week before the Copa America break held plenty of drama in MLS, a few observations:

Toronto Could Be in for a Big Slump
Toronto lost 3-0 to the NYRB Saturday, but of bigger concern was the injury to Sebastian Giovinco. The Italian striker came off early in the match and apparently suffered some sort of adductor injury, which no doubt added to the woes of the Canadian powerhouse team against New York. Giovinco's injury looks to be light, but if it's not it could be a perfect storm of problems for the reds. USMNT striker Jozy Altidore is supposed to be out until late June or early July and depending on how team USA do in the Copa America Michael Bradley may be out until July, if Giovinco can't get back by Toronto's next game on June 18th the team could struggle without their three biggest stars. There may bigger, long term concerns about Altidore too, in 8 games played and 6 starts the usually prolific striker has 0 goals and 2 assists; last year Jozy scored 13 for the Reds and was a big part of their first ever playoff season. For the Red Bulls it seems everything is golden though, they've scored 10 goals in the last 2 games and are back towards the top of the east.

Can Houston Save Their Season?
Houston fired Owen Coyle this week, though technically they announced that the team and the coach mutually parted...it's hard to not see it as a sacking, particularly given the second in command also left. With Coyle out Houston may bring in a new coach to try to salvage their season...but can it be salvaged? Houston has the second lowest point total in the league at 12 in 13 games and the lowest points per game (PPG) at 0.92 (second worse is the Chicago Fire, who have 12 in 12 games...). There's still roughly 2/3rds of the season to be played, but it's hard to see Houston digging their way out of this hole even if Jose Mourinho was hired tomorrow; despite Coyle trying to instill a more attack-minded style in the team they've shown precious little tendency to score aside from an early season spike and the only man who legitimately scares defenses is sitting on the bench. Houston tied 1-1 against Vancouver, but a tie at home is nothing to celebrate, especially given that Vancouver looked the better team for much of the match. Personally, I don't think there is a way to save this season, but if Houston is going to try they need to make changes immediately during the Copa America break.

Speaking of Chicago, How's that Rebuild Coming?
A lot of hype surrounded the new coach and "new look" of the Chicago Fire this year, after having a good draft and selling off some high priced/overpriced players to other clubs the Fire seemed to be on track to build again from the ground up. But so far, the rebuilding effort has seemed to be more of the same, the Fire have had their worst start in club history while playing ugly and quite frankly unattractive soccer. The Fire haven't won a road game since 2014! (Holy crap that is so very bad, even blind dumb luck should have let them win at least one in 2015!) The longest streak without a road win in MLS history. A tie against the champion Timbers gave them a point this week, but a tie at home is nothing to cheer about, especially since the Timbers are struggling themselves. The Chicago Fire appear to be still stuck sliding down a hill and it's hard to see how they can get things into gear.

 

[Northbank]

I just checked out a Documentary of Nottingham Forest called, "I believe in Miracles". I came away w/ two things after watching that movie. First, How did England not appoint Brian Clough as their gaffer? I am sure this guy is the Best Gaffer that England has ever witnessed

Secondly, IMHO Mourinho is trying to emulate him. I know of a skinny chicken fan that wouldn't like the style that Clough was using. Build a strong defense & have an effective counter-attacking scheme.

I loved Clough, and count myself lucky to be old enough to remember what an absolute dick he was He ruffled way too many feathers for the FA to make him England boss and it would never have worked either, back in those days the England manager didn't even get to pick his own players ...

 

[Grannyknot]

imo, the man pictured with clough, peter taylor, was the true mastermind of those teams.

 

[Talgrath]

Good news for the USMNT, Costa Rica's top keeper will be out for the Copa America. Apparently he injured himself while playing for Real Madrid in the Champions League finale.

Also, a rumor of note: Galatasaray may be trying to get Gyasi Zardes:

Zardes Rumor

If true, Galatasaray would certainly be a step up and could be a great stepping stone for the young player into Europe.