Losing, and emphatically at that, to a team that hasn't won a game in months, is flat-out embarrassing. Suffice it to say, others in the United blogosphere have trod this path before, but I was willing to hold out just a little longer. Now I'm convinced. We're toast. Barring some sort of major miracle--healing waters bringing everybody back to full health, a draught of some liquid that makes us forget our recent pathetic play, and a defense that might stand a chance of keeping out a U-12 girl's squad--it's over for this season. We've got two first-round picks next year. Let's make them count.
Words almost fail me, so here's my condensed talking points.
* Yes, refs suck, and Terry Vaughn takes the suck to new heights, but he can't be the scapegoat in this game. Those were all wearing black or were the men in charge of assembling the men in black.
* Why does Donovan only seem to perform when he's angry or has his back against the wall? And why does it always seem to be us he does it against?
* Once again, because I can't say it enough--our defense is embarrassing. We looked like we could have shipped a dozen or so.
* If Emilio is healthy and confident and in one of his rich veins of striking form and manages to nail that breakaway to make it 2-0, did we ever stand a chance in the notional world of make-believe results? Sadly, I doubt it.
* I'm done. I'm depressed. My effort parallels that of my team.
Is there any hope? Can we pull this one out of the fire? We still hold the last playoff spot, if only by the skin of our teeth. We've got to give it a go against Marthon. If we lose, it's time to let the reserves take some major hammerings in the CCL. Even if we win, necessity may dictate this path. Given the abbreviated nature of our bench, it's either one or the other at this point.
Drink heavily, my friends. That's my real advice.
Ugh.
Our best player last night was on loan from a USL 2 team. That should pretty much sum it up.
ReplyDeleteTry as I might, I don't know why Soehn continues to insist on the Burch/McTavish pairing up the middle. It doesn't work. Martinez started in the middle at the beginning of the year and he should at least try switching Martinez and Burch or start giving some time to some of the puppy defenders in the reserves. It can't be any worse.
Let's hope we draft well this year. Let's also hope we offer a going wage to a good draftee if we get one. Needham was pretty good in an area where we had a major need and he's now playing in Norway (I don't know how well, but he looked pretty good for Puerto Rico last year).
Agreed. Something needs to change at the back. I don't know if they're just hoping Burchy/McT will improve with repetition. Perhaps it's time to get back to the 2 d-mid setup to protect them. It's unlovely, but it seemed to work when we stressed team defending.
ReplyDeleteAlso agreed about the draft/Needham. Not to mention Jacobson, where the league's stingy reputation with rookie salaries obviously preceded it. I'm not saying he'd be a world-beater or anything, but a dude who earned a Ligue 1 contract, even if he's bench fodder, would have been good enough to pick up a few minutes for us, non?
I disagree with you on Marathon. I'm ready to punt the CCL right now. We don't stand a chance playing in Honduras as it is. Moreno, Emilio, Fred, Quaranta, Namoff, Martinez, and Crayton all need to rest. Sunday at Dallas is the only match this week that I care about.
ReplyDeleteMy Marathon reasoning is two-fold. First, do we have enough healthy, non-suspended bodies making the trip to field a team of non-starters? And second, our game in Dallas is on Sunday, giving us three days of rest (if travel can be considered rest). Currently, we're in miserable form. If we can get a positive result midweek, maybe that gives us some measure of confidence going to Dallas.
ReplyDeleteIt can't get any worse after getting mauled by LA, right?