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iced1776

Member Since 03 Sep 2010
Offline Last Active Yesterday, 08:44 PM

#1444610 Metro - Miami Game Thread

Posted by iced1776 on 24 March 2024 - 12:57 PM

For backup refs, at least for our games, I thought they've done a pretty damn good job. Honestly not much of a drop, if any, from the normal standard of refereeing. 




#1444590 Metro - Miami Game Thread

Posted by iced1776 on 24 March 2024 - 08:07 AM

I think I'm impressed with Schwarz most of all this game. Columbus caught on to his plan and most of the players requires to execute it we're missing anyway, so he introduced a totally new way to get the ball forward compared to the first four games. He basically took the idea Struber was trying to pull off to start 2023 with two strikers playing off each other, but he actually made it work.


#1444296 Metro - Columbus Game Thread

Posted by iced1776 on 19 March 2024 - 05:51 PM

One thing I haven't seen much chatter here about is how easy it was for CLB to shut down our left side which has been like 90% of our attack this season. They pressed Eile and sat Nagbe and Rossi in between him and Amaya/Forsberg. This highlighted a problem for Schwarz - Edelman sucks at passing the ball. He's going to have to get creative to find other ways to get the ball out of the back.

 

And one thing I think that's flown under the radar everywhere - Morgan was awful and deserves as much criticism as Manoel this game. I'm not sure he settled a single ball all game and was obviously at fault for the second goal with some bad touches.




#1444074 Metro - Columbus Game Thread

Posted by iced1776 on 13 March 2024 - 06:15 PM

We were 25 - 30 goals off the pace last year.   If we get 15 from Morgan, we'll still need a bunch from somewhere else to be "insanely good" (especially factoring in Omir, Luq, and Barlow's lost  dozen).

 

That's 25-30 off the mark of the leading offense, but doesn't take into account our leading defense. We had so many tight games last year that fell short due to bad finishing, those 15 goals from Morgan could easily have translated to another 15 points on the table.




#1443996 Metro - Columbus Game Thread

Posted by iced1776 on 10 March 2024 - 01:31 PM

I was really surprised how much quicker + lively Burke looked compared to last year.  Hopefully its a sign of things to come since he is clearly in the plans.

 

Burke had a few games like this early last season before the wheels fell off for good. His hold up play is ridiculous and he plays with some flair. Unfortunately missing golden opportunities like he did again yesterday has been a constant.




#1443929 Metro - Dallas Game Thread

Posted by iced1776 on 09 March 2024 - 09:56 PM

My kneejerk reaction is that Forsberg is the best player we've had on this team since Henry.




#1443862 Is Vanzeir a bust?

Posted by iced1776 on 08 March 2024 - 11:47 AM

I have no idea why he is ever out wide.   I don't think he is being asked to do that, he just seems to drift there.       The 4 triple deuce and the 5-2-2-1 we've played only have the fullbacks or wingbacks out wide.      

 

I think I've made this comparison before, but he reminds me of Kenny Cooper, who was another striker who only did good things in the box but very much liked to drift away from the box.

 

We need someone to keep barking at Dante all game to get to the box like Thierry did for Kenny.




#1443756 Metro - Houston Game Thread

Posted by iced1776 on 04 March 2024 - 12:13 PM

Despite the win there weren't a ton of great clips to take from this one and I'm trying not to just do a Forsberg highlight reel every week lol

 

Some nice attempts at one-touch target play from Manoel

 

Another good example of creating chances through possession




#1443755 Is Vanzeir a bust?

Posted by iced1776 on 04 March 2024 - 12:11 PM

A lot is made of Vanzeir's partner, but I think the issue is more in how our coaches are using him. Struber wouldn't know how to get Cristiano Ronaldo to score goals, Lesesne let him roam free in the midfield, and now Schwarz has him making more runs to the corner flag or playing him as a right winger.

 

There have been almost no patterns of play since Vanzeir's arrival that include him making a run into the box at the same time that someone is looking to play him in. It makes it really hard to judge him as a player because this is supposed to be what he excels at, and he's not even being put in a position to try.

 

It can't get much worse for Vanzeir than the first 15 minutes of the second half against Houston in that RW spot. Some clips here of him and Edelman coughing it up time after time, mostly Vanzeir.

 

If the game plan will continue to ask him to play mostly in the open field, then swapping him for another DP this summer might be the best move for everyone. But then again, that scares me because I was confident they'd flip Luqui and here we are with an open DP spot. I feel like selling him over the summer just means we end 2024 with two open DP spots.




#1443718 Metro - Houston Game Thread

Posted by iced1776 on 03 March 2024 - 04:16 PM

haven't gotten clips together yet but quick thoughts on rewatch:

 

4-2-2-2 still looks great, team is finding lots of different ways to get the ball to the feet of Forsberg and Manoel. Vanzeir's role here seems intentionally diminished, they rarely look his way even if he's making a run.

 

4-2-3-1 needs work, they switched focal point of attack from forsberg on the left to vanzeir and edelman on the right and those two are not very good with the ball at their feet.

 

really solid team defense once we went ahead, no nonsense packing big bodies back

 

tolkin hopefully is still recovering because he was the only player who really had a bad game, Dorsey bossed him a bunch of times




#1443698 Is Vanzeir a bust?

Posted by iced1776 on 03 March 2024 - 10:28 AM

Vanzeir is a very, very strange player out in the open field. He'll hit an amazing cross one second but then botch a really simple touch the next. And this may not be fair but he just looks a little clunky and unathletic out there sometimes.

 

I was hoping he'd be the line leading striker but not the case so far. Very curious to see if he continues to find ways on to the scoresheet in this role.




#1443661 Metro - Houston Game Thread

Posted by iced1776 on 02 March 2024 - 11:03 PM

Welcome fucking back Lewis Morgan. That's the whole game analysis.




#1443360 Metro - Houston Game Thread

Posted by iced1776 on 27 February 2024 - 05:57 PM

Ive seen this a lot but not sure why people are penciling Harper as a starting right back. Hes 3rd there for me. Also Dylan was good against Nashville are no reason not to start him again

 

Because he got the lion's share of minutes and looked the best going forward between the three RBs in 2023.




#1443338 Some people think Luquinhas didn't suck that much

Posted by iced1776 on 27 February 2024 - 09:10 AM

Forsberg didn't replace Luquinhas on the roster. Forsberg replaced an empty DP spot... They could have, and should have fit on the roster at the same time. That's the rub here. It's not a matter of whether Luquinhas was elite or even average, its that he could have stayed on the roster and is better than the attacking options we have available right now. What would have been the big deal about holding him till summer? Was Fortaleza the one and only team who would have bought him and only at this very moment?

 

As far as the roster itself goes, Gjeengar replaced Luquinhas because filling that U-22 spot is what now actively prohibits us from signing a big name DP this summer. Roster rules say we can only sign a DP that makes minimal salary.




#1443323 Metro - Nashville Game Thread

Posted by iced1776 on 26 February 2024 - 10:34 PM

nashville clips:

 

missed penalty on forsberg

 

forsberg runs/passes

 

eile playing out of the back

 

edelman tackles to keep nashville pinned in the first half