I'm hoping to do an actual review but right now I'm too tired and out of it to do a full one now. Here's the grades from the big 6-0 shellacking:
First half grade: B+
RSL in control most of the half, but couldn't hit the back of the net.
Second half grade: A+
All that needs to be said: SIX goals in 36 minutes.
Game grade: A+
Once again, and even though it was against a New England B (or possibly C) team, it was 6 to 0. Period.
Player grades:
Nick Rimando-6 First shutout and didn't have to do much for it
Robbie Russell-7 Got forward well
Nat Borchers-7 As always, a steady force in the back
Jamison Olave-8 Showed again why he is the starter and not W(H)orst. Got a goal to boot
Chris Wingert-6 Meh for Chris
Will Johnson-6 Very up and down, got it together in the 2nd half
Clint Mathis-8 Huge game for Clint and a possible Goal of the Year candidate
(Andy Williams 74)-7 Nice free kick goal for Andy. I'd like to see more of him, but who do you take out for him?
Kyle Beckerman-8 Played really well, controlled the midfield. Defending was brilliant
Javier Morales-7 Weak game until he started getting the corners locked in
(Ned Grabavoy 68)-7 Seems to always give some spark off the bench
Robbie Findley-7 Solid game for Robbie
Yura Movsisyan-6 FINALLY got a goal, but again missed easy ones including a 1v1 that a corpse could have scored on that he put right to the keeper
(Luis Miguel Escalada 72)-7 Showed a little of why J&G decided to keep him
Coaching grade (Kreis)-9 First half was meh, but whatever he did at halftime helped! Plus, all the subs contributed.
Ref grade (Toledo?)-6 I still think Findley should've gotten a PK late in the 1st half, but other than that, nothing was too egregious.
RSL Man of the Match: Clint Mathis
Brilliant game. Even without the goal and assist, he had a very nice game. Add those in and it's an easy call.
Douchebag of the Day is taking a week off out of respect for the NERds. They just got beat 6-0, no reason to add insult to injury.
Showing posts with label NERds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NERds. Show all posts
Monday, April 27, 2009
Monday, November 19, 2007
Another random catch-all update
First off, congratulations to the Creamsicles on winning another MLS Cup. I accidentally slept through the first half, but the second half was quite entertaining and Houston certainly deserved the win. Word is the NERds are in talks to change their name to the Buffalo Bills. Also, Khano Smith's new nickname is "Atiba."
Anyhow, there are lots of rumors floating around RSL-land these days so I'll hit on a few of those and what they would mean.
The most current has Kreis talking Adidas into graduating Jamie Watson out of Generation Adidas early so that he could cut him. While I believe it (see: various debacles featuring the coaching staff/front office this year), I hope this is not the case, as it is VERY bush league. In fact, if true, it saddens me. Kreis gives Watson little to no playing time. When he does play (and plays well), Kreis calls him out for not scoring when Jamie was the only player on the field playing with any of the following 1) heart 2) hustle 3) passion 4) energy 5) courage 6) shots. Everyone else on the team was afraid to even attack! And now, Kreis gets him taken out of a guaranteed contract so that he can cut him. Weak. While I don't think he'll ever be a star, don't be surprised to see Watson land elsewhere in MLS and become a solid role player with tons of hustle (something Kreis says he wants...hmmm....)
AYL filed this rumor report about 3 weeks ago (and I've heard little else since) but has listed Atiba Harris, Steven Curfman, Chris Brown, and Jean Martial Kipre as soon to be ex-RSL players. Here's my thoughts on each, if true.
Curfman-reserve player, never really saw the field. Too bad for the kid, but not a big loss. Good luck!
Brown-Thank God! The fact that he almost won the RSL Golden Boot proves two things: 1) RSL just plain can't score 2) Findley was criminally under-utilized. If he'd been on the field more, it wouldn't have been close.
Harris-Sad to see him go. His toughness/recklessness actually would have served him well in continued play at D-mid. Supposedly going to Norway (I'm guessing on a much larger contract) so I can't say as I blame him.
Kipre-BIG loss. I think this kid was the future at outside back. He had the speed and the moves to keep up on defense and to really disrupt the opposition's plans while on offense. If it is true he is gone, he better be leaving for a big contract as RSL would be painfully dumb (granted it wouldn't be the first time) to let him go easily.
Also in that report was word that Christian Jimenez has been traded. For what? No one knows. I'll wait on final judgement on this until the details come out. Having said that, while everyone says Jimenez has the talent, he has been very injury prone and I can understand if RSL cuts their losses on this one. Good luck to him wherever he goes!
Also, I was thinking the other day and I realized something. RSL MUST retire Eddie Pope's number 23. If they don't, they are a bigger joke than...well, they have already proven to be (or Jack Stewart's defense-take your pick on whatever reference you prefer). It not only would be the correct thing to do for Eddie, as he has been an absolute rock not only for this franchise but for the national team as well, but for the fans as well. It would give us something to take pride in and rally around. Having a GREAT (not good) player's number in the rafters (or wherever you'd put it at a soccer stadium haha) gives your team a sense of history and pride. I see RSL as having 3 chances to get this right:
1) At home game #1 of the season. Start the year off right and with a big celebration.
2) At RSL's home game vs. DC United. Have Eddie's former team help celebrate him with us.
3) At the opening of the Sandy Stadium. No brainer, but if done here, it mustn't get lost in the fanfare of the stadium opening.
Anything else is an affront to Eddie and to RSL (and Pope) fans everywhere.
Finally, just a quick look at my MLS playoff predictions:
Round 1:
Chivas USA over Kansas City - WRONG
Houston over Dallas - RIGHT
DC United over Chicago - WRONG
New England over New York - RIGHT
Round 2:
Houston overChivas USA - RIGHTish
DC United over New England - WRONG
Final:
DC United over Houston - WRONG
As you can see, I did fairly well with the exception of DCU. Their choke in the first round killed me. But I learned something doing these predictions. Don't ever pick DCU, whenever I do, they lose.
Sigh...and there goes MLS 2007. At least we have the Draft and player moves to look forward to, I suppose. Now off to check on my other (soccer) team, the boys in blue of Sydney FC! Farewell until next time!
Anyhow, there are lots of rumors floating around RSL-land these days so I'll hit on a few of those and what they would mean.
The most current has Kreis talking Adidas into graduating Jamie Watson out of Generation Adidas early so that he could cut him. While I believe it (see: various debacles featuring the coaching staff/front office this year), I hope this is not the case, as it is VERY bush league. In fact, if true, it saddens me. Kreis gives Watson little to no playing time. When he does play (and plays well), Kreis calls him out for not scoring when Jamie was the only player on the field playing with any of the following 1) heart 2) hustle 3) passion 4) energy 5) courage 6) shots. Everyone else on the team was afraid to even attack! And now, Kreis gets him taken out of a guaranteed contract so that he can cut him. Weak. While I don't think he'll ever be a star, don't be surprised to see Watson land elsewhere in MLS and become a solid role player with tons of hustle (something Kreis says he wants...hmmm....)
AYL filed this rumor report about 3 weeks ago (and I've heard little else since) but has listed Atiba Harris, Steven Curfman, Chris Brown, and Jean Martial Kipre as soon to be ex-RSL players. Here's my thoughts on each, if true.
Curfman-reserve player, never really saw the field. Too bad for the kid, but not a big loss. Good luck!
Brown-Thank God! The fact that he almost won the RSL Golden Boot proves two things: 1) RSL just plain can't score 2) Findley was criminally under-utilized. If he'd been on the field more, it wouldn't have been close.
Harris-Sad to see him go. His toughness/recklessness actually would have served him well in continued play at D-mid. Supposedly going to Norway (I'm guessing on a much larger contract) so I can't say as I blame him.
Kipre-BIG loss. I think this kid was the future at outside back. He had the speed and the moves to keep up on defense and to really disrupt the opposition's plans while on offense. If it is true he is gone, he better be leaving for a big contract as RSL would be painfully dumb (granted it wouldn't be the first time) to let him go easily.
Also in that report was word that Christian Jimenez has been traded. For what? No one knows. I'll wait on final judgement on this until the details come out. Having said that, while everyone says Jimenez has the talent, he has been very injury prone and I can understand if RSL cuts their losses on this one. Good luck to him wherever he goes!
Also, I was thinking the other day and I realized something. RSL MUST retire Eddie Pope's number 23. If they don't, they are a bigger joke than...well, they have already proven to be (or Jack Stewart's defense-take your pick on whatever reference you prefer). It not only would be the correct thing to do for Eddie, as he has been an absolute rock not only for this franchise but for the national team as well, but for the fans as well. It would give us something to take pride in and rally around. Having a GREAT (not good) player's number in the rafters (or wherever you'd put it at a soccer stadium haha) gives your team a sense of history and pride. I see RSL as having 3 chances to get this right:
1) At home game #1 of the season. Start the year off right and with a big celebration.
2) At RSL's home game vs. DC United. Have Eddie's former team help celebrate him with us.
3) At the opening of the Sandy Stadium. No brainer, but if done here, it mustn't get lost in the fanfare of the stadium opening.
Anything else is an affront to Eddie and to RSL (and Pope) fans everywhere.
Finally, just a quick look at my MLS playoff predictions:
Round 1:
Chivas USA over Kansas City - WRONG
Houston over Dallas - RIGHT
DC United over Chicago - WRONG
New England over New York - RIGHT
Round 2:
Houston over
Final:
As you can see, I did fairly well with the exception of DCU. Their choke in the first round killed me. But I learned something doing these predictions. Don't ever pick DCU, whenever I do, they lose.
Sigh...and there goes MLS 2007. At least we have the Draft and player moves to look forward to, I suppose. Now off to check on my other (soccer) team, the boys in blue of Sydney FC! Farewell until next time!
Sunday, July 29, 2007
7/28 The NERds @ RSL
This review will be a little less in-depth than some others, but I will do my best. The reason being that I watched much of the game in fast forward (yay for dvrs) and with all the new players on the field for RSL, it was hard to tell who was who. Anyway, onward and upward...
RSL came out pretty strong and I would say nearly dominated the first 25 minutes or so. They seemed into the game and ready to really give it some effort. However, even during this good stretch, a familiar problem popped up (one that would eventually cost them a chance at winning the game). That problem is RSL's inability to set up a dangerous attack. When the passes are there, the runs are not. When the runs are there, the passing is not. That having been said, I think RSL missed Esky a LOT in this game. Chris Brown contributed little to nothing and I think Alecko would have found a way to make his presence known. Anyway, at about 25 min in, the NERds finally decided to show up and start playing with RSL. Despite much of what I have heard and read, I do not think the Revs dominated the rest of the half. They outplayed RSL for stretches, but I think the rest of the half was pretty even. The big difference was that NE has some quality attacking players who were able to make their attacks dangerous, whereas RSL's attacks usually just sort of sputtered out. RSL went into the half down 1-0 after another of their trademark defensive breakdowns (it doesn't matter who's on the field, RSL can always throw together a good defensive lapse). A nice pass to the edge of the penalty area led to a beautiful header pass from Twellman to Noonan. Noonan, who had, oh....about 30 feet of empty space around him, made a nice juke move and buried the ball past Rimando for the goal. Where was the defense on the play? I'm not really sure. Who was supposed to be marking Noonan? No idea, they were so far away that you couldn't find them. Is it a good idea to leave Pat Noonan WIDE open on the edge of the six yard box? Not if you want to win. Half time score: NERds 1, RSL 0.
Half grade: B (higher without the defensive lapse)
The second half started out more like an RSL game normally does. With the other team in charge. RSL tried to hang around, but the attack looked very weak and was very turnover prone. In the 59th minute the NERds subbed in Khano Smith who soon after took advantage of another RSL defensive miscue (very similar to the 1st-WHERE is the defense???) to blast a wide open shot on goal. However, this one bounced off the crossbar and to RSL who put it out for a corner. On the ensuing play, Smith got another shot from nearly the same spot (although actually somewhat defended) and put it about 8 miles over the goal. Memo to New England: Don't let Smith shoot from there, he can't hit it. Even fat little me would have buried one of those two shots... Soon after, Andy Williams (or, if he played basketball, A-Will; basketball nicknames are SO clever) was given a debatable straight red on a hard, but not especially dirty, tackle on Dorman. Strangely enough, after going a man down (and after the subs of Watson and K. Brown) RSL picked it up and was actually the better team for quite a while. They finally applied some offensive pressure and it paid off when Beckerman drew a penalty after a nice pass from the wing from Kyle Brown. Beckerman went into the teeth of the defense (with 3 NERds in the area), got taken down, and earned the PK. Carey Talley stepped up and put it away to tie the game at 1. You could color me shocked (or color me badd..."I wanna sex you up!"....ahem, sorry). Kreis soon after made the sub of Harris for Findley (by the way, FSC announcers, it's Findley with an E, find-LEE, not Findlay with an A, find-LAY...stupid...), obviously going for the tie. Harris brought fresh legs, but also his defensive qualities from playing D-mid. Of course, being RSL, it didn't work. About 80 minutes in, the NERds "earned" a free kick after a nice dive by Noonan right outside the box. In NE's defense, Larentowicz hit an absolute scorcher of a free kick that beat Rimando to make it 2-1. After that, RSL played with the usual defeatist attitude they usually do after going behind and coasted in for the loss.
Half grade: C+
Pros:
-The early intensity was something that has been lacking all year.
-Sturgis, Wingert, and especially Beckerman are all obvious upgrades.
-RSL did actually score.
-They hung around even after going down a man.
Cons:
-The announcers-mispronounciations and too much NE love.
-The refs, as always. Can't MLS get some refs who are consistent and don't fall for EVERY dive???
-The same old defensive lapses.
-The offense needs work.
-Esky's injury
Game grade: B-
An improvement, and against a good team, but more work is obviously needed.
Player grades:
Nick Rimando-6 Solid, but unspectacular
Jean-Martial Kipre-6 Made some nice runs on offense, defense was so-so
Ritchie Kotschau-6 Quiet, but I suppose that's good
Eddie Pope-6 (See Nick Rimando)
Chris Wingert-6 Some nice crossing, defense was hit or miss
Kyle Beckerman-8 Good hustle, earned a tough PK
Nathan Sturgis-6 Decent, curious how he'd do on RSL's back line
sub(Jamie Watson 70')-6 Didn't get all the way into the game it seemed
Carey Talley-7 Bonus point for a nice penalty
Andy Williams-5 OK game, but not the good game RSL needs from him
Robbie Findley-5 Has been pretty quiet since DC game-injuries bothering him?
sub(Atiba Harris 73')-6 Had a nice play but was on for RSL's "mopey time"
Chris Brown-4 Was he on the field? Esky may have made the difference in this one...
sub(Kyle Brown 61')-7 Had some nice moments, started the play that earned the PK
RSL Man of the Match: Kyle Beckerman (did RSL fleece the crapids or what???)
Assclown of the week: (tie) Shalrie Joseph & the Fox Soccer announcers
Joseph played dirty, dirty, dirty...some 'nonchalant' elbows, shoves, etc. etc. Play soccer, not "6th grade bully."
The announcers sounded like they were hometown announcers for the NERds. One completed pass became "20 minutes of domination by New England." And learn to pronounce Findley. Seriously...
RSL came out pretty strong and I would say nearly dominated the first 25 minutes or so. They seemed into the game and ready to really give it some effort. However, even during this good stretch, a familiar problem popped up (one that would eventually cost them a chance at winning the game). That problem is RSL's inability to set up a dangerous attack. When the passes are there, the runs are not. When the runs are there, the passing is not. That having been said, I think RSL missed Esky a LOT in this game. Chris Brown contributed little to nothing and I think Alecko would have found a way to make his presence known. Anyway, at about 25 min in, the NERds finally decided to show up and start playing with RSL. Despite much of what I have heard and read, I do not think the Revs dominated the rest of the half. They outplayed RSL for stretches, but I think the rest of the half was pretty even. The big difference was that NE has some quality attacking players who were able to make their attacks dangerous, whereas RSL's attacks usually just sort of sputtered out. RSL went into the half down 1-0 after another of their trademark defensive breakdowns (it doesn't matter who's on the field, RSL can always throw together a good defensive lapse). A nice pass to the edge of the penalty area led to a beautiful header pass from Twellman to Noonan. Noonan, who had, oh....about 30 feet of empty space around him, made a nice juke move and buried the ball past Rimando for the goal. Where was the defense on the play? I'm not really sure. Who was supposed to be marking Noonan? No idea, they were so far away that you couldn't find them. Is it a good idea to leave Pat Noonan WIDE open on the edge of the six yard box? Not if you want to win. Half time score: NERds 1, RSL 0.
Half grade: B (higher without the defensive lapse)
The second half started out more like an RSL game normally does. With the other team in charge. RSL tried to hang around, but the attack looked very weak and was very turnover prone. In the 59th minute the NERds subbed in Khano Smith who soon after took advantage of another RSL defensive miscue (very similar to the 1st-WHERE is the defense???) to blast a wide open shot on goal. However, this one bounced off the crossbar and to RSL who put it out for a corner. On the ensuing play, Smith got another shot from nearly the same spot (although actually somewhat defended) and put it about 8 miles over the goal. Memo to New England: Don't let Smith shoot from there, he can't hit it. Even fat little me would have buried one of those two shots... Soon after, Andy Williams (or, if he played basketball, A-Will; basketball nicknames are SO clever) was given a debatable straight red on a hard, but not especially dirty, tackle on Dorman. Strangely enough, after going a man down (and after the subs of Watson and K. Brown) RSL picked it up and was actually the better team for quite a while. They finally applied some offensive pressure and it paid off when Beckerman drew a penalty after a nice pass from the wing from Kyle Brown. Beckerman went into the teeth of the defense (with 3 NERds in the area), got taken down, and earned the PK. Carey Talley stepped up and put it away to tie the game at 1. You could color me shocked (or color me badd..."I wanna sex you up!"....ahem, sorry). Kreis soon after made the sub of Harris for Findley (by the way, FSC announcers, it's Findley with an E, find-LEE, not Findlay with an A, find-LAY...stupid...), obviously going for the tie. Harris brought fresh legs, but also his defensive qualities from playing D-mid. Of course, being RSL, it didn't work. About 80 minutes in, the NERds "earned" a free kick after a nice dive by Noonan right outside the box. In NE's defense, Larentowicz hit an absolute scorcher of a free kick that beat Rimando to make it 2-1. After that, RSL played with the usual defeatist attitude they usually do after going behind and coasted in for the loss.
Half grade: C+
Pros:
-The early intensity was something that has been lacking all year.
-Sturgis, Wingert, and especially Beckerman are all obvious upgrades.
-RSL did actually score.
-They hung around even after going down a man.
Cons:
-The announcers-mispronounciations and too much NE love.
-The refs, as always. Can't MLS get some refs who are consistent and don't fall for EVERY dive???
-The same old defensive lapses.
-The offense needs work.
-Esky's injury
Game grade: B-
An improvement, and against a good team, but more work is obviously needed.
Player grades:
Nick Rimando-6 Solid, but unspectacular
Jean-Martial Kipre-6 Made some nice runs on offense, defense was so-so
Ritchie Kotschau-6 Quiet, but I suppose that's good
Eddie Pope-6 (See Nick Rimando)
Chris Wingert-6 Some nice crossing, defense was hit or miss
Kyle Beckerman-8 Good hustle, earned a tough PK
Nathan Sturgis-6 Decent, curious how he'd do on RSL's back line
sub(Jamie Watson 70')-6 Didn't get all the way into the game it seemed
Carey Talley-7 Bonus point for a nice penalty
Andy Williams-5 OK game, but not the good game RSL needs from him
Robbie Findley-5 Has been pretty quiet since DC game-injuries bothering him?
sub(Atiba Harris 73')-6 Had a nice play but was on for RSL's "mopey time"
Chris Brown-4 Was he on the field? Esky may have made the difference in this one...
sub(Kyle Brown 61')-7 Had some nice moments, started the play that earned the PK
RSL Man of the Match: Kyle Beckerman (did RSL fleece the crapids or what???)
Assclown of the week: (tie) Shalrie Joseph & the Fox Soccer announcers
Joseph played dirty, dirty, dirty...some 'nonchalant' elbows, shoves, etc. etc. Play soccer, not "6th grade bully."
The announcers sounded like they were hometown announcers for the NERds. One completed pass became "20 minutes of domination by New England." And learn to pronounce Findley. Seriously...
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