10 replies to this topic

[cesar]

Montreal is at home with a good crowd. 0-0 at half.

[Zero Cool]

58,912...
Not bad attendance numbers

[cesar]

1-1 draw. The impact look like an expansion team. Good crowd though.

[cesar]

houston beats the Quakes 1-0 with 50 people in attendance. it was in downtown SF before a Mexico game too. what a shame.

[cesar]

RSL looked good again. Seattle won. KC won but NE played with 10 for most of the night. Dont know who is worst, NE or Chivas. Goats are down 1 with seconds to go.

[Cristobal Guillermo]

RSL looked good again. Seattle won. KC won but NE played with 10 for most of the night. Dont know who is worst, NE or Chivas. Goats are down 1 with seconds to go.

Have the Whitecraps won an away game before?

According to the goats' broadcast, not until now.

[batrost7]

Just watched a little bit of the RSL - RBNY replay... Salt Lake is good, but they are scrappy. Both of their goals were created from RB confusion rather than amazing skill and tactics. They aren't really a conventional cross-header type team, which causes teams like the dead bulls issues in discipline. And as we saw a few weeks ago, make a mistake and they will make you pay for it. On defense, I didn't think they very patient. When NY started to string some passes together defenders started to panic, sliding into tackles and having to scramble back behind the ball.

Synopsis: RSL is going to be difficult to beat, but they ARE beatable. No question.

[Catamount]

Just watched a little bit of the RSL - RBNY replay... Salt Lake is good, but they are scrappy. Both of their goals were created from RB confusion rather than amazing skill and tactics. They aren't really a conventional cross-header type team, which causes teams like the dead bulls issues in discipline. And as we saw a few weeks ago, make a mistake and they will make you pay for it. On defense, I didn't think they very patient. When NY started to string some passes together defenders started to panic, sliding into tackles and having to scramble back behind the ball.

Synopsis: RSL is going to be difficult to beat, but they ARE beatable. No question.

You make a couple of good points. People see RSL making passes behind the defense that look like Barca or Arsenal. What they don't see is that RSL gets those chances by forcing errors high up the pitch and transitioning into attack quickly (what some people like to call a counter-attack). Cap O made a comment the other day about RSL being a better team. I'm not sure I agree. Defensively the teams use a different shape (diamonds and triangles versus blocks of 4), but the tactic still involves pressure points and numbers around the ball. Offensively the G's tend to transition wide hoping to play the early cross, a long pass, or run at the defense and get off a shot (like Keane's second goal). RSL likes to switch the point of attack and play through the middle and in behind the defense. Based upon what I saw from RSL and the Galaxy against NYRB both teams play transition (counter-attacking) soccer. This is not what Barca and Arsenal do. It is what Real Madrid and Man U tend to do.

[Captain Obvious]

I think we are much more a counter attacking team that RSL. They look to build through the midfield constantly. Beckerman always has the ball and is looking to feed Grabavoy or Morales whenever possible. There's very little blasting from deep and hoping.

We did a better job against DC of moving through the middle. Beckham didn't drop nearly as deep as he had in the previous matches and I don't recall him being camped out at left/right back too often waiting for the ball so he could launch a 70 yard diagonal ball.

[Catamount]

I think we are much more a counter attacking team that RSL. They look to build through the midfield constantly. Beckerman always has the ball and is looking to feed Grabavoy or Morales whenever possible. There's very little blasting from deep and hoping.

We did a better job against DC of moving through the middle. Beckham didn't drop nearly as deep as he had in the previous matches and I don't recall him being camped out at left/right back too often waiting for the ball so he could launch a 70 yard diagonal ball.

Perhaps LA plays a more traditional and direct counterattack. Beckerman had the ball fewer times against NYRB than Beckham did in last fall. Neither one were able to break them down with possession, and Henry didn't make it his personal mission to shut down Beckerman the way he did with Beckham. Perhaps RYRB would do better against RSL if he did.

Still both teams scored their goals in transition or on set pieces. The way each team executed it was influenced by the players making the plays and the diamond versus the empty bucket formation. Espindola, Gil play facing the goal more, and company versus Beckham, Donovan, Keane Buddle and company who play to a forward checking back in that area of the field. LA is much faster in transition putting a premium on technical quality in the final third. If you play quickly you have to be sharp. RSL plays with more guile and finesse. Still the long diagonal ball is an important part of what they do. They just don't try it from the top of their own penalty box like Beckham does at times. Usually it comes from near the center circle.

Agree on Beckham further up the pitch. It makes all the difference with this G's team. It connects the defenders to the midfield and allows the outside backs to get forward more. For me LD running at the defense is still the most dangerous way the G's attack. He plays at such pace and generally makes good decisions and provides quality passes, but he needs good runs off the ball. Keane and Buddle provided them on the second Keane goal. His pass to Sarvas (or Keane, not sure) on the third goal was downright brilliant. The G's need to get LD in transition like that ten or twelve times a game. Then Beckham can get the ball in the final third with time and space to play the killer cross.

[fredo9]

For me LD running at the defense is still the most dangerous way the G's attack. He plays at such pace and generally makes good decisions and provides quality passes, but he needs good runs off the ball. Keane and Buddle provided them on the second Keane goal. His pass to Sarvas (or Keane, not sure) on the third goal was downright brilliant. The G's need to get LD in transition like that ten or twelve times a game. Then Beckham can get the ball in the final third with time and space to play the killer cross.

Amen.