Catching up on soccer and media
by Steve Davis on Sep 7, 2011 10:58 AM EDT
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It’s a busy, busy day. And still a somber one for Bobby Rhine’s sudden and tragic death. I’ve known Bobby since he was an MLS rookie, when an FC Dallas assistant pointed to him on the preseason practice field and said “He’s gonna be a pro for a long, long time, trust me.” Later, Bobby became a friend and a guy that I, like so many others, enjoyed being around. Immensely. The world is just a little less today.
So I’ll need to put in more writing time later. For now, here’s a quick catch-up on media matters.
Here are the SI.com player ratings from yesterday. I always look to see where my grades differ from a few other guys I respect. We’re usually close. In this case, I apparently thought a little bit more of Clarence Goodson and Steve Cherundolo than others. What say you?
Some of you like tactics pieces. Some, not so much. For the tactically inclined, here is the latest Talking Tactics piece at MLSSoccer.com, about Sporting Kansas City’s “dynamic” system. Generally, “dynamic” is shorthand for a system unburdened by rigid tactical roles. Is it working at SKC? You be the judge.
Here is Jacob Steinberg’s interesting SI.com piece on “Eight finals before the final.” I was lucky enough to be at two of them, including the Argentina-Netherlands quarterfinal at World Cup 1998. I leaped up said “Wow!” out loud when Dennis Bergkamp changed the tournament with those three sublime touches in Marseille. Eight years later, I was on the teeming Dortmund grounds for the Germany-Italy 2006 World Cup semifinal, easily the best atmosphere I’ve ever been part of for a World Cup match.
Finally, I saw a piece on “How Barcelona are destroying football.” Seriously? Classic case of over-thinking. I was going to link to it, but I just can’t bring myself to do it.
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I wore a bergkamp holland jersey
to Holland-Argentina at WC2006.
Some dude offered me 1,500 euros for my ticket. I turned him down.
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Sep 7, 2011 11:24 AM EDT reply actions
Bobby Rhine was
a fantastic guy who cared about the club as much or more than anyone else out there. I had the pleasure of speaking to him many times, and he has always been a class act.
The FC Dallas family has lost a truly great member. His legacy and his voice will be missed.
Chad the Ref
On the ratings
I agree with you on Goodson, thought Chandler played a 6 and is a reasonable experiment to continue. Thought Torres deserved at least a 5.5, and that you were excessively harsh there. Torres is supposed to sit at the back of the attacking third. It’s not his fault if he has no options to pass forward to. Also, given that he’s supposed to be playing 1 & 2 touch to maintain tempo, if there’s no one forward of him to split the defense, he needs to make the safe pass to keep possession. By and large, he did that.
See Rogers, Robbie for the primary reason he had those lack of options. For the second match in a row, he wasted the width of the pitch by playing too narrow. I will be happier when Donovan is playing that position.
I also thought Dempsey was excessively selfish on the ball. Perhaps that was frustration with no one else getting into the attack (though Shea seemed willing to get forward at least). Again, we’ll see when the full lineup is assembled.
I’m not as high on Edu’s performances as you seem to be. Primary reason to me is, for a CDM, he is being caught in possession ‘far’ too often. Also I would point out that in both matches, he managed to stifle the best attacking movement of the team with long-range speculative shot attempts. One is still in orbit, the other was an epic whiff. It’s his job to win the ball and maintain possession. He’s adequate at the first, but below that in the second. I do think his versatility earns him a place in the side. And perhaps he holds that position, or perhaps it goes to Bradley.
It’s hard to guess what Klinsi’s ideal side looks like at this point. But if I had a stab, I’d say: Forwards (L to R) Dempsey, Altidore, Donovan. Midfield: Torres, Bradley, Edu (Holden probably pushes Torres out, if i guess right, or perhaps Edu out with Bradley sliding back). Defense: Chandler/Lichaj, Goodson, Boca, Dolo. GK: Timmy. Subs: Shea, Agudelo, Edu, Hamid.
I've had it with Jozy
If you don’t hit him with the precise pass right on his foot on his preferred right side, then nothing will come of it. He is too lazy to run after balls that are played into space to him. I would rather see Wondolowski get to the ball and comletely miss the finish than Jozy never get there to miss at all.
Chad the Ref
Actually, I thought Jozy's lay off play in the beginning was solid.
He grew frustrated as the match grew on. And I think that may have been being tired, seeing the comments Klinsi made at halftime. It is saying something that he was the only 1st choice European-based regular that was expected to start in both matches. (No, Edu isn’t a 1st choice for the US. He’s expected to play to prove himself.) I don’t think AZ’s coach is without justification in complaining about Altidore’s treatment.
by Shawn Gillogly on Sep 8, 2011 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions
