The Coaches' Union

I have so much disgust about the direction of our beloved Union that I am not sure where to start.  After this last weeks game, narrowing down one specific area for the lads to work on is difficult.  Here’s the Cliff Notes version of what is to come.  Possession?…Sucked, Creating Chances?…Sucked, Going Forward?…Sucked, Clearing Crosses?…Sucked in the last 15 minutes, and Shooting on Goal?…God Awful.  That should sum it up for you.  This is gonna be a real “feel-good” piece.

How about this for a strategy…play 90 minutes, try to get 2 or 3 shots, and pray that 1 goes in.  Then you hold down the fort by batting down the hatches for the remainder of the game.  If your team performs this tactical strategy you will win 1-0.  Sounds like fun huh?  Italians were successful at it for decades.  It is about as entertaining as watching paint dry though.  These kinds of tactics are considered “anit-futbol”.  It is negative result oriented play that takes the joy from the game.  The Union are basically utilizing this style of play.  Since the boys cannot hold possession for long stretches they rely on their ability to clog passing lanes and make the most of the rare opportunities that come in the final third.

The Union’s lack of possession could be the real culprit for the loss against San Jose.  Danny Califf explained how tired they were because they had to chase their opponents for the majority of the match.  The end result was an inability to hold on for the draw in the waning minutes.  I am less concerned about the defense for this very reason.  Our defensive play has been solid for the last few games.  There is virtually no attack though.  When you can only manage 2 or 3 shots per game, you have real issues with your offense.  The Union cannot penetrate into the final third.  Worse yet, they have not shown any ability to break through into the opposing penalty box.  You can place the blame on Pajoy, after all he should shoulder some blame.  He is the lone forward in the bunch.  He is not the only one to blame though. Pajoy needs help.  It takes an extremely special player to play affectively as a lone striker.  Some of the best forwards in the world struggle to run without a mate to combine with.  The Union desperately need 2 forwards.  If it is Mwanga, J-Mc, Martinez, or Adu makes no difference.  Any combination of these players could provide more firepower than what has been on display.  Pajoy by himself is not working and I am beginning to wonder about his soccer IQ as his runs are not sharp.  His inability to read what the defense gives him makes it difficult for the midfielders to find him in space or to feet.

I have said it before and I’ll scream it this time in hopes that someone for the Union might hear me.  “You’re taking too many touches!!!!”  How many players lose the ball on their foot?  Maybe I should count in the next game but I’ll need my calculator to do so.  Sure possession has been cheaply given away in every match, but when you take unneeded touches that is what happens.  This is something that Piotr can fix on the training grounds but I have yet to see this  improve.  In practice you limit the touches to a man in everything the players do.  If you spend the weeks practices with nothing but one touch training, your players will have no choice but to get the ball off their feet.  Granted they’ll hate it, but it would be the best thing for them.  Players love to get their touches on the ball,  but too much of it leads to a team that doesn’t move the ball fast enough.  Listen, if you lose the ball in your attacking third, no problem.  However when you lose the ball in other parts of the pitch, your lack of possession can be a spring board to the opponents counter attacks.  Common boys, get it off your damn foot and keep it moving around the pitch.  The old saying is that “no man is faster than the ball”.  It holds a lot of truth that this young team could stand to learn.

To be frank, I’m pretty irritated with this team.  I still believe that there is talent there, but they make the same mistakes over and over.  Fix the formation, fix the touches, and you’ll fix your results.  Figure it out boys before it’s too late!

What an interesting game in LA this last weekend.  The screws came off but the result stood anyway.  If you would have told me that the Union could find a way to beat a west coast team on their turf, with only 9 men, I would have told you to stop smoking that stuff.  There was so much bad intertwined with positives in this match that it is difficult to figure out where to start.  On one hand 3 points on the road is never easy, but on the other hand this team showed their immaturity.  As a player you must always be aware of the situation that you are in.  Rash challenges when you are up a goal is just not smart futbol.  You put yourself at the mercy of the ref.  Both players got into challenges that did not need to happen.  Luckily the Union survived.

Hots

The defense:  MacMath, Valdes, Williams, and Gaddis have been incredible.  Stringing together a multiple game shutout streak is a very challenging task regardless of the league.  Garfan would have made this list if not for the momentary brain lapse that saw his exit from the game. This unit was solid from beginning to end.  Ratings:  8

Marfan:  He is beginning to show signs of brilliance.  His set up on the goal broke the defenders ankles multiple times.  If he could add a quicker distribution game with a little higher quality seem ball, he could be the attacking midfielder that the Union have been looking for.  As it is, I think he is a better wide player but he may prove me wrong just yet if his creativitiy continues to grow.  Rating:  7

Nots

Garfan:   He has been playing so well but he does have a bit of “thuggery” in him.  He seems to get caught in reckless challenges in nearly every game.  His red card put the team in a challenging situation.  Still like him as a left back but the mistake at the end damaged a good performance.  Rating: 4

Daniel:  Keon got the ball rolling with his ugly foul that put the Union down a man.  His tackle was surprising because Keon is usually a very clean player.  Before being sent off Keon had a modest day.  I wish Nowak would push him into a wider position so he could use his pace to exploit space.  In a central role he is a good player but his speed of play could be quicker and I wish he would try to hit more penetrating balls into the forwards. Rating:  4

Nowak:   He put out a consistent line up for the first time this year.  Although it was not the most beautiful futbol, it was effective.  Nowak’s ideas of packing the midfield made it difficult for Chivas to get their attack moving forward.  In the end he got a red and the team will be without him this week.  I like that he fights for his players but I am not sure that he should be sticking up for his players when they slide in with 2 fully exposed, well studded boots.  Rating:  5

The Union really showed their youth in this game.  It is not surprising that the players made some horrific mistakes.  When you are caught up in the action it is easy to lose your focus; just ask Zidane how that works.  Still, this team needs to learn that 1 person’s poor mistakes effects everyone.  The great news is that it did not hurt the team this time around.  If the lesson can be learned without any impact on the results then maybe this valuable learning experience wasn’t so bad after all.

Now there is a W to go with the previous draw.  So what will be next for the Union?  Last weeks game was extremely important for many reasons but the greatest may be the stretch of games that the Union must tackle now.  It starts this weekend with an inconsistent but talented Chivas side.

The Union have never travelled well to the west coast.  Sure they have had a few moments here and there, but the over all body of work is not anything to feel overly excited about.  There is renewed optimism in the Philly camp though.  With young players confidence is one of the biggest factors for success.  If the Union are feeling a little more relaxed about getting 3 points, then there is that much more reason to think that Nowak’s boys can get a result in LA.  Chivas have won a few games but oddly enough none of them have come on their home turf.  This is yet a second reason to believe.

If the Union are to pull off a second win some important things will need to happen on Saturday night.  First, the most recent stout defense will need to continue its effective play.  It looks like young Gaddis will get another start due to Califf’s nagging injury woes.  It will be a good opportunity for him to test his “metal” away from home.  Gaddis looked bright in his first game and showed more willingness to go forward the further the game went on.  After the previous games, there is no reason to think that the defense and MacMath cannot have another solid  outting.  The attack must also build on their combination play.  Despite the win last week, I still think that the speed of play is too slow.  The more one or two touch futbol that was played, the more potent the Union attack looked to be.  If they can keep their possession simple while looking to hit dangerous balls when it is available, they will create chances against a Chivas team who has not been stingy in the back.  Finally, and most importantly, the Union must find someone who can play closer to Pajoy.  Asking him to play down 4 v 1 everygame will spell trouble for the team in the long run.  I am okay with a 5 man midfield but Pajoy needs some options up front.  This is why I said last week that Adu should play the point in the five man midfield.  Freddy offers combination play that could spring Pajoy through the back line.  If Pajoy has someone who can play off him in a quick fashion I think he’ll find some chances.

Let’s hope that the Union can build on there two previous games where they received some points.  If they can stay organized and play with a quick tempo they may get the full 3.  I tend to think that they will pull out a 1-1 draw which would be okay as well.  Get your nap or set your DVR because it’s gonna be a late one.

Finally the Union get all 3 points.  It’s a start for the young squad.  Take a look at who did well and who needs to get it together.

Hots

Carroll:  He was man of the match for me.  I loved the way that he continuously switched the field through out the second half.  Playing him in a deep position allowed him to read and react.  He cut out many balls and distributed very well.  His quality play enabled Gomez to play in a more advanced position.  Rating: 7

Valdes:  Carlos was a rock.  He anchored the center of defense.  His power combined with his ability to come out of the back with skill make him a  necessity for the back four.  Rating:  6.5

Williams:  Another solid day.  Considering the knocks that he took combined with the stitches that he picked up in training this week, you have to believe that he was nothing short of a warrior out there.  Lost his mark a few times but steady considering that he was not planning on playing centrally.  Rating:  6

Adu:  He was pulled in the 60th minute but made his mark on the match by creating the penalty.  Freddy showed well for the ball and tried to run at people.  He also served some quality balls into the box.   If Freddy would have been more decisive and whipped in the crosses earlier he may have created more chances, but a good outing for him otherwise.  Rating:  6

Gaddis:  How about this guy?  Thrown out there in his first start of his professional career.  He looked calm and confident throughout.  Gaddis was lucky to not have his mark knock in a couple headers off of set pieces, but his positioning and ability to close down the widest player kept the back four strong.  Rating:  5.5

MacMath:  Zach did not need to save much but shut down a great opportunity by making himself big and closing down an angled shot.  MacMath also was clean with his handling on crosses into the box.  He is looking like the confident net minder that played between the pipes last year.

Nots

Pajoy:  Although he cannot really be faulted for his lack of production because he was down all game 4 v 1, Lionard did not really make an imprint on the game.  I am not sure if others are having a hard time finding him or whether he is not putting himself into the right spots.  Either way, he did not see enough of the ball despite being able to hold it up well when he got it.  Rating:  4.5

Martinez:  He came on as a sub but did virtually nothing to provide any kind of spark for the squad.  Josue cheaply gave away possession and his main highlight of the afternoon was putting up a yellow card.  Rating: 4

All in all, it was a nice day for the Union.  The team established some nice possession in the second half, and despite a nervy ending, were deserving of the full 3 points.

Are you ready to hit the panic button yet?  Clearly 4 games into the season should not be the time to go into shock.  The coach in me says to slow down and make tactical changes that improve the team on a steady basis moving forward. With a couple of weeks to train and steer the cart back on the tracks, this team should have enough time to recuperate.   After all it is a long season and there is so much more ahead.  Unfortunately, over the last 2 weeks the fan in me has been saying the opposite.  I keep thinking that Nowak won’t make the appropriate changes.  Who knows, maybe this weeks 11 will have Hoffman, Hernandez, and McInerney lining up.  To say that my trust in Nowak has faded over the last year and a half is an understatement.  So is it time to panic or is the glass half full?  The answer probably lies somewhere in between.

There is plenty of time left to right the ship, but the team has not looked good through 4 games.  Furthermore, the Union will not make it out of the basement if they can only score a goal out of every 4 games.  Before the season, I said that finding the net would be the key for the U.  If they could find a way to replace the scoring and set up production of LeToux, they would probably find a way to make the playoffs.  A month later I still feel the same.  If Nowak can motivate his boys to go forward with a bit of urgency and take the game by the scruff of the neck, it could turn around.  We can only hope.

There is some luck on the horizon.  Columbus is coming to town!  Fresh off their thrashing at the hands of the Red Bulls, they do not have a lot to be confident about either.  This brings hope and promise for a team that has stumbled out of the shoot.  The Crew have yet to find a way to replace Scheletto.  Sure they have 6 points but they are far from fluid offensively.  Sound like any team that you know?  Yep, that’s right;  if neither team can find their legs we could be staring at a nil-nil snooze fest on Saturday.

Still, for some odd reason I am leaning towards optomism for Saturday.  That’s not to say that the Union will completely turn it around and play beautiful futbol.  I just think that the Union will grind one out for the first time this year.  What needs to happen to get 3 points?  MacMath and the back four need to build off their first positive outing of the season.  More importantly though, Nowak’s boys must develop some rythmic play that goes forward with meaning.  If you believe that the Union are a possession team it must be because you think that playing balls negatively  is a good way to keep it.  Possession that does not go forward is pointless!  The Union must play aggressively.  Since the Crew have given up early goals in multiple games this year, Nowak needs to have the lads barreling forward from the opening whistle.  If there is urgency in this young squad, they will find a way.

So I am not panicing yet, but if the Union loose to a Crew side at home that is lacking confidence, I just might begin to sweat.  To say that this game is important is an understatement.  Win and the pups gain some confidence in themselves and the coaching staff, lose and the wheels could come off already.  I say let’s get a win and make it a week of optimism.  At least I am hoping for optimism.

So I had fully prepared to break down a comparison of Adu versus Torres battling for the creative playmaker role in the Union midfield.  Now that Torres is out for 6 to 8 weeks I think that has been decided for me.  The Union are in desperate need of a playmaker.  I am not sure if Freddy is the answer but someone needs to fill this role because the Union have zero creativity.  Up to this point the offense has been searching for a guy that can be an outlet to spur on the attack. With Adu on the pitch it is hard to tell how much better this attack will be.  Much of it depends on how Nowak uses Freddy.

Make no bones about it, Nowak loves grinders.  I’m not talking about the sandwich kind either.  Piotr prefers players who can disrupt the flow of the game and put in a heavy effort on the defensive side of the ball.  It is what he was all about as a player too.  Nowak loved to get stuck in and test the power of those around him in the middle of the park; so it is no surprise that he wants that  of effort coming from all his players as well.  For Freddy, this is an area that he has worked on over recent years.  Adu’s trials and tribulations have been well documented. He had to learn that if you are in the midfield you must play both sides of the park.  Freddy was benched many times in Europe due to a lack of defensive help.   That said, if you have watched him the last 2 years, you may have noticed one glaring difference…he is at least attempting to get in on tackles and track defensively.  This is a start.

So again, where does this leave Freddy in a crowded midfield?  Adu’s best spot is just below the forwards in a central #10 role.  He can play wide and actually is very gifted with his serving ability, but his style of play opens up space for others when he is used at the point of a diamond.  He is capable of picking up the ball and driving through a defense while setting up others around him.  He really does have a gift for stretching a team’s defensive shape.  The problem…he has never done it consistently.  If he is to start on Saturday it will probably be in a wider position because the coaching staff is not ready to give him the keys to the car just yet.  Unfortunately, there is no one else to give them to.  The Union need a driver like a cab driver needs fare.  Without the right gifts the car’s not going to move.  The team has been predictable and has sorely lacked any quick combination play from the middle to the frontrunners.  In fact, I would venture to guess that I have seen more long balls so far this year than any  4 game stretch in the clubs brief history.  With that said, If Adu can find his form similar to what we saw in Olympic qualifying, the Union could have a player that would play with some urgency.  Rarely have players had the confidence to take people on so far.  The Union could benefit from someone who wants to barrel forward.  He may or may not be successful but you can be sure that he will drive North to say the least.

Going into Saturday, how does Nowak get Freddy on the field with an already cramped situation?  You know that Carroll will start and it also looks like Gomez is a personal favorite of Piotr’s as well (for the same reasons listed above).  It would be difficult to leave Daniel off the pitch.  Both Keon and Pajoy have been the lone bright spots in the attacking end.  That only leaves one spot in your typical 4 man line.  Although Marfan has looked miserable this year, I have to think that Nowak is high on him as well.  With all of this said, here lies the major dillema.  It may be that the only way to get Freddy into the 11 is to start him underneath a lone forward in a 4-5-1.  As can be read in a previously written article, I do not think that this shape is the best option for this team.  However, Adu brings a different style playing underneath the striker.  It might just work because Freddy is mostly a set up guy.  Pajoy has had little help trying to find a mate that he can play off of.  There has been little help trying to play him in behind the defenses because no one is capable to hit the the dangerous ball that splits open defense.  This leaves Mwanga on the bench, but that might not be a bad thing because if you are down a goal you still have a weapon to bring on when the team switches to a 2 man striker pairing.  Piotr, just bring him in before the 81st minute for God’s sake!  Tough to make an impact in a 9 minute cameo.

So do I think Freddy will start?  Who knows.  Has anyone been able to figure out Nowak’s line up madness this season?  As I am not a huge advocate of the 4-5-1, I do think that it might work against the Crew if it looks like this.  Let’s hope they can come up with something that adds some creativitiy. I am not sure if Freddy is the answer but I know darn well that something needs to change, because from an offensive standpoint the Union are in dire need of something important……goals.  Can we get a few fellas, please?!!!

—————————————–Pajoy——————————————

Danie l———————————  Adu ———————————— Marfan

——————Carroll ———————————–Gomez———————

Garfan————Valdes—————————-Califf——————-Williams

I have heard some comments from people who think that today’s game with Vancouver was positive because the Union were able to get a point.  I’ve got news for those people.  They still didn’t score a goal!  How can you feel good about a performance that can only be described as lackluster and dull, regardless of what Bob Rigby would tell you on your TV (he may be the worst commentator of any sport that I have ever seen).

I have always said that Nowak’s lineups make me scratch my head.  After the last couple of weeks I would like to ammend this statement.  Nowak’s lineups make me want to throw things!  What on earth is he thinking?  I have always thought that Piotr is a stickler for details and tries to develop gameplans accordingly, but at some point last year he began overthinking his ideas and does not seem to be able to get a grasp of what he needs to accomplish.  When you couple this problem with a formation that caused the team to fire long balls forward, it was a recipe for limited scoring opportunities.  Piotr coaching decisions are sucking the life out of this team and it needs to change or the Union won’t get out of the basement.

The first three games have been difficult to say the least, and changes are inevitable with any struggling team.  Still, who starts a rookie without bringing them off the bench in a game first?  Chandler Hoffman might turn out to be amazing but he was out of his element today.  He rarely touched the ball and made no impact on the game.  Also, how about the idea of subbing in Jack Mac?  Really?  I have stated multiple times that I like Jack’s energy but I do not think that he is one of the better options.  I would prefer to give time to Mwanga or Martinez, who impressed in his limited time last week.  Nothing was improved by bringing on Jack Mac.

Just as disturbing as the line up and options from the bench was the formation.  Nowak had the team role out an “extra extrordinary” 4-1-4-1.  Do you really want a team that struggles to score to play with one lone forward when they are at home?  It is no secret that the Union have looked much better with two strikers.  Eventhough Pajoy is strong, he looks more dangerous with a partner up top to combine with.  Because of Nowak’s formation, the boys were lofting long balls forward to one targer player who was down 4 v 1.  Not great odds to play a direct long ball style.  The major missing component in Nowak’s ideas has been the #10 play makers role.  The Union are in dire need of playing someone underneath the forwards.  Just as Torres showed in the second half of the home opener against the Rapids, when you have an inside attacking mid players have an outlet to play through when they cannot find the forwards.  Without this type of player, the Union are lacking quick combination play in the attacking third and instead they have resorted to forcing balls in that are easily cut out.

As a coach and fan I am thoroughly frustrated with Nowak’s ideas.  I cannot condone his schemes.  Piotr, why don’t you just try putting out your best eleven and let them play.  This team looks like they are all out ideas despite the fact that they have never had any in the first place.  Am I happy with the improved defense?  Sure, but you had to figure that we would see improvement once MacMath settled down and Califf got back on the pitch.   The back four is not the issue.  This team needs to identify some players who want to go forward with urgency and create chances not just for themselves but for others.  Until this happens the Union will remain what they currently are…a team with no direction.  The honeymoons over Piotr and you had better start to figure out what you want to accomplish before your marriage with the “U” ends in a divorce.  In the world of sports schemers Piotr is looking more like Andy Reid than Jose Mourinho, and that’s saying something.

A big lesson can be learned from the U23 qualifying debacle.  Beating teams in our region is not as easy as people make it out to be.  There is an unstated fallacy that the United States easily qualifies for the World Cup every cycle.  This is anything but the truth.  In fact, it is usually quite a struggle.

When you listen to the Alexi Lalas’ of the world, it seems as if other countries in Concacaf should bow down to the mighty US.  I’ve got news for you though, they aren’t scared anymore!  In the last year the full national team has played spotty at best.  It is difficult to say that we are by far one of the top two countries of our region.  Honduras, Costa Rica, Jamaica, and Panama would like to believe that they should be in that conversation as well.  They could make a case for it at the least.  Let alone that Mexico is by far the current top of the heap and as sad as it is to say, it’s not close. Why should any of these teams feel that the US is the far better side?  Like everyone else we have our vulnerabilities.

As can be seen in the U23  matches with Canada and El Salvador, even when you have the higher level talent it might not lead to results.  The Olympic qualifying games were interesting.  The team played with a high level of technical ability.  They possessed the ball and created plenty of chances but unfortunately the defense was as weak as a wall made of paper.  Looking at the full Nats, I can see a similar trend.  I think that this group has more talent than those in our region but the defense has me a bit scared.  There is nothing wrong with the defensive backs in the player pool but they all have their weaknesses.  Bocanegra is getting older and lacks pace.  Onyewu, although he is a beast, he’s rarely healthy these days.  Beyond these 2 there are question marks all over the place.  If you can not see future problems with players like Cameron, Ream, and Goodsen you are being naive.  Although each of these have some high quality aspects about their game, none of them are complete players yet.  Because the center backs can and will be had at times throughout qualifying, we just might not be as strong as we all hope.

The U23′s played attacking futbol but did not qualify.  If the national team does not take their opponents seriously, it could be a similar situation.  With the likes of some up and coming teams in Central America, the US had better watch its tail.  It would be an agonizingly long 4 years without a World Cup.  Learn from the pups and solidify the backline so that when qualification comes down to the last minutes of stoppage time we aren’t worrying about an overachieving team who hits a strike from distance that brings us all to tears.  I would rather be celebrating a successful cycle long before that.  Although I might have been upset when the US were beaten by El Salvador, if the full side crashed out of quailification I would not want to even fathom the emotions that would be thrushed upon us.

So another week has come and gone and I’m still scratching my head about Nowak’s coaching decisions.  This weeks biggest question was, “Where’s Danny”?  The Union faithful would like to have some insight as to why the backline was shifted and easily torn from limb to limb in the second half against the Rapids.  According to Danny Califf on Saturday, he didn’t know why he was benched and wanted to be on the pitch.  From where I was sitting, he looked to be fine during warm ups.  Stay tuned to this situation because he did not make the trip today to Chicago either.

Where does this leave the defense?  Simply put…in a very deep hole.  With Sheanon Williams being called into Olympic qualifying this week, Chris Albright will be asked to man the right side again.  I thought Chris played quite well until his big wiff in the second half.  If you play in the back, one slip can break you.  That’s exactly what happened and all he needed to do was smoke the ball into touch.  As it was, that goal felt like a dagger.  Gomez will again drop into the back with Valdes and they should be fine, but how many starts will Lopez get before Nowak has seen enough.  I know I have already had enough myself.  He dives in, leaves his feet, goes to the floor too often and pushes the play to the line rather than showing his attackers to the inside support.  He may get better but I am not sure that I want to wait long enough to see that development.  Gabe Farfan cannot get healthy fast enough.

The attack, while only scoring one goal, created loads of chances.  Although their understanding is still not up to par,  Pajoy and Mwanga make a scary duo to deal with.  This looks promising.  The Union really should have scored more and you have to believe that the goals will come.  Pajoy in particular looks to be the man who will fill Seba’s shoes. A couple of notes about the attack though.  Michael Farfan is a better wide player than a central attacking midfielder and Keon Daniel is a high quality player no matter where he lines up in the middle.  Keon’s versatility should help Piotr cope with the number of players who are out with Olympic duty or injury.  Lastly, how about Roger Torres.  This kid has got to start.  As soon as he steps on the pitch everyone looks to play through him.  It has been this way for his two previous seasons as well and hopefully he finally gets his due.  Piotr, it is time to take off the training wheels and let the youngster drive.

Last, but certainly not the least, Zac MacMath has got to get it together.  Two games played and two gaffes.  He looked to be a kid without much confidence on Sunday and it won’t get much easier with Pappa and Pardo breathing down his neck on Saturday night.  We need the calm Zac from last year because this team can ill afford to go through stretches of goalkeeping similar to that of Chris Seitz’s reign of 2010.  We have already dropped points due to keeper troubles and Zac will need to figure it out or his long leash will begin to shorten up quickly.

In closing, I am tired of scratching my head every week ( I am already going bald so it isn’t helping my hairline in the first place), I will now offer my starting eleven in hopes that Piotr will find my site by some act of God and “come to his senses”.  At the very least, maybe this week Nowak will attempt to stabilize this young group.

4-4-2 Empty Bucket Formation (Only because they will need extra support up the middle against the Fire’s midfield).

Forwards:  Mwanga, Pajoy

Midfielders:  Torres (LM)- I like him more centrally but I don’t think a diamond midfield would be a great fit for this game, Daniel (CM), Carroll (CM), Farfan (RM)

Defenders:  Gaddis (LB)-I know he hasn’t played a lick but he cannot be any worse than Lopez, Gomez (CB), Valdes (CB), Albright (RB)-Not because I want to, but with no other real options the Union have to

Goalkeeper:  MacMath-Common Zac I know your in there!

After last weeks debacle in the Rose City, I am tired of smelling like roses.  The performance in the second half was anything but beautifully fragrant.  Here’s what needs to happen this week in order to improve and get the full 3 against the Rapids on Sunday.

Find ways to get some touches. There were too many nonexistent players on the pitch against Portland.  Where was Marfan, Carroll, and Martinez? These guys got very few touches and with the Timbers breathing down the throats of the back line I kept seeing Gomez dropping in but Brian Carroll was unseen for most of the night.  A big part of playing the holding midfielder role is that you must make yourself available in order to come out of the back.  Instead the Union launched long balls in the second half like it was part of the game plan to hit missles over the top of the Timbers back line.  The backs played directly because there was nothing available underneath.  The result was 4 defensive players playing kickball.  Brian must find more positive spots in the middle of the pitch so that we can play through both him and Gomez.  Michael, I think it was just an off night.  Marfan usually finds ways to get on the ball, but Martinez’s poor showing led to cheers by the Union faithful when he exited.  From the middle to the back, the Union have to get some positive touches on the ball going forward.  

Cough, Cough, Cough.   When the holding midfielders receive the ball they must be better with distribution.  This position is the link between the defense and the attack.  They must complete a higher rate of accurate passes.  Coughing up the ball in the middle of the park, or worse yet in the back, will put too much pressure on the back 4.  The holding mids must hit feet more efficiently.

Lopez, Lopez, Lopez…you must be better.  The Timbers abused the Union down the left side.  I tend to think that Lopez was having some first game jitters.  Over and over he took incorrect angles to the ball. In other words he was pushing players wide when there was obvious player support inside.  Frankly, it is one of the strengths of having a five man midfield.  You will always have a player in close support to push the play to.  Lopez dove in on tackles and on a couple of occasions he was broken down to the floor embarrissingly.  Lopez, don’t dive in until you can win the ball! His technique and tactical awareness must improve otherwise the Union should bring back Garfan. 

Speed of Play.  In the first half the team showed us small glimpses of what could be.  Stringing together multiple passes on the floor with one and two touch passing is a good style for this team.  The ball has got to move quicker though.  I am impressed with some of the glimpses of technical ability that I saw against the Timbers but it must be more fluid and involving more pieces of the team, not just a couple of players in the attack.  If you want to come out of tight spaces you need to have a high speed of play and get the ball off your feet while rarely getting run down with possession.

Shoot!  The Union have to get off their shots.  When you don’t have many chances you must make the most of the ones that you get.  I still think the attack can be quite good but some players need to “take a hit” when it’s available (Yes, Michael Farfan I’m talking to you).

Here’s to a much better fluid attack and stable left sided defense against Colorado!  With better possession, rythm and balance this team can get the result that they need.  Go get three points fellas so I can get the smell of roses out of my nose!