tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198732413882406269.post7312391814969035311..comments2023-10-14T19:01:03.490-04:00Comments on The Fullback Files: I Have Always Relied On The Kindness of Wizards | a DC United Match ReactionAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14548145598767127627noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198732413882406269.post-43605081751041209972010-05-06T12:26:27.845-04:002010-05-06T12:26:27.845-04:00Allsopp - turns out that with space and time he ca...Allsopp - turns out that with space and time he can put the ball on frame. Let's see if he can do a little more; but I'm pleased. <br /><br />Conrad - did we just see his career go down the toilet? He was awful. Four months ago he was a bubble boy for the world cup squad. Now he looks like he could play for us.<br /><br />Hamid - It was nice to see a keeper who wasn't second guessing himself and just went out and did his thing. I think Troy was over-thinking things a bit and maybe this will give him soe perspective.<br /><br />Christman - I agree with break away. He works hard for us up front and it creates opportunities - ot the classic five and go opportunities we are used to; but the central defenders are having a hard time with his size and tencacity and that creates some good chances.<br /><br />Backline - we need someone who can teach our yong guys how to keep their shape. I don't know where that will come from. Probably not Onalfo - maybe Pena or Namoff but isn't there a coach on staff who can just work with the back line?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198732413882406269.post-13822769705829814122010-05-06T10:38:13.774-04:002010-05-06T10:38:13.774-04:00We won. We won through "ugly ball". We...We won. We won through "ugly ball". We won because of hoofing the ball forward. We won because our strikers took shots and worked hard defensively to cause turnovers.<br /><br />We should do that for the rest of the season or until we stop winning. Beautiful play is overrated.<br /><br />When our "possession" guys came into the game our team lagged. Tino and Moreno caused a lot more problems for our defense because when they coughed up the ball at midfield, Kansas was in a better position than when Graye or Wallace's long balls went directly to the Kansas backline.<br /><br />Moreno failed to pass to a wide open Allsop late in the match to make the decisive 3:0 - instead, he slowed the attack and pushed the ball out wide to Castillo, who then passed to the nearest group of Kansas players. I love Moreno and he remains a hero and legend but this team is not suited to his way of playing. This team is built for Route 1 ball - do that and we can win - don't and we'll continue to end up on the losing end of matches.Revelationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15642602362844923834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198732413882406269.post-18995022540038840952010-05-06T10:10:18.098-04:002010-05-06T10:10:18.098-04:00@break away
I think perhaps you read too much into...<b>@break away</b><br />I think perhaps you read too much into my Cristman comment. I actually <i>admired</i> the shift he put in and wasn't intending to be dismissive of his efforts. When I said "I won't sing his praises in this reaction" that was because I choose to focus on other topics. <br /><br />As for the criticism of midfield...granted, but you'd be ignoring the incredible number of times that Graye and Wallace turned the ball over either through mis-played passes or hoofs to nowhere. In modern soccer, fullbacks see an awful lot of the ball--they are, in effect, midfielders when in possession--and while both have promise with the ball at their feet, their passing flat-out sucked last night.<br /><br />It's also difficult for central midfielders (and don't get me wrong, I'm not overjoyed with our choices there) when your wing play is so toothless that the opposition midfield can concentrate on the middle without being stretched.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198732413882406269.post-90334156217483603592010-05-05T23:44:31.269-04:002010-05-05T23:44:31.269-04:00As for Allsopp: he was the sluggish recipient of s...As for Allsopp: he was the sluggish recipient of some well timed passes and a good deflection. Nonetheless, the fellow put the ball in the net twice and worked hard enough to and earn an "atta boy." At the very least, his play with Cristman was at least as effective as the Cristman/Najar pairing. Which brings me to my point: you’d be foolish not to acknowledge Cristman’s stellar contributions to a much improved DCU offense. As I’ve said on Goff and Shatzer’s blogs, Cristman deserves a lot more credit than he’s been getting around the DCU blogosphere. I believe that’s because many in the United fan base favor a fancier and overly-nuanced style of play, as opposed to Cristman’s more direct workhorse style - and that’d be fine, if it worked. <br /><br />We saw Cristman dominate the attack in the Open Cup by creating opportunities off the ball. The guy worked hard and earned his shirt (and as an aside, please spare me the view that Dallas presented a weak team and that because of this we’d do well to dismiss the result. A win’s a win and at that point in the season, it was a fair match-up between two struggling teams. If for nothing else, it was one less reason to droop already downtrodden heads). As for Saturday, well that was one more reason to droop some heads. And I’ll concede that Cristman didn’t finish some obvious opportunities against NYRB, but the guy created plenty of opportunities for himself and his teammates, which is why he earned his shirt again. The point is that United actually had a healthy number of chances originating w/ Cristman, which was a marked improvement. Tonight, Cristman’s hustle was immediately obvious. The guy was predicting errant passes, getting stuck into tackles, and pressuring w/ blistering pace. His one assist could have easily been three. And if his work ethic alone didn’t impress you, he played a selfless game, often choosing to make an effective (and sometimes clever) distribution to a teammate instead of a poorly timed shot. How was he able to do this? Working hard off the ball, anticipating well-timed runs, and using a calm/collected first touch to settle and control the pace - that’s easily the stuff of a starting striker in the MLS. Now look, I’m not saying the guy is the next Agbonlahor, or the answer to DC’s problems - I’m just saying he’s a good start and he’s hungry to win. Until Cristman showed up on the field, substantive offensive chances for DCU were a novel occurrence. Even the beloved Pontius was marginal and ineffective in the first 4 games of the season. But darn the bad luck, you and I were clearly watching different games.<br /><br />I definitely share your praises for Pena. He’s playing extremely well given his injury. Of course, his experience is crucial to his ability to make up for the fitness. As for the rest of the defense, I share your frustrations that Wallace and Graye get forward a little too frequently, but I assure you that the defense is not the problem. Your post glosses over the crux of the issue: the midfield is largely responsible for the transition to attack. Why do we have Wallace (and sometimes Graye) pushing forward? Because we have an ineffective midfield that seems incapable of building a worthy attack. That’s why Cristman is working back so often. That’s why Wallace and Graye are working up so often. I think Simms and Castillo bring some obvious talent, but I’m not sure I see much cohesion in their style of play. I certainly don’t see play worthy of the hype. Morsink is a mess in my opinion, and I think he’d do well to lay-off the whining and bulk up on the playing.break awaynoreply@blogger.com