so much for giving the team a pass for a year cause they won MLS cup
We didn't play well as a team. Some players had a particularly poor game (gray, malte, talles). But it's just the season opener and we lost at the death. Not like we got humiliated or anything.
I thought Thiago did pretty well when he came on. He's not great defensively, but he gave us some offensive threat going forward, which is more than what Talles did. Talles just seemed a little slow today. But that seemed to be the case for everyone. A symptom of not being home in over a month? Perhaps.
Parks looked great in his limited minutes. His influence was clear and he controlled the midfield and the ball much, much better than acevedo ever could. I don't think acevedo is ready for this level and from what I can see, in his 2 years at the club, he has not improved a whole lot with his weaknesses (imho - playing too slow, not physically strong, and poor decisions). But back to Parks, he'll need time to regain his sharpness as well. His rust is apparent but still miles ahead of Acevedo. If Parks isn't ready for 90 yet, I'd prefer to see Zelalem there.
Heber missed, but give the guy a break. He hasn't played consistent minutes in what.. nearly 2 years? He'll need time to regain his sharpness.
Biggest things for me is how much we missed having Sands. Our wing backs were unable to go forward today and we played more long balls than we probably should have. Our intensity levels seemed down a few notches, which was evident in how we pressed and played forward. After we went down a goal, the way we attacked and move were night and day. If we had played like that the entire game, it would have been 3 points.
last but not least, i don't care what anybody says - those refs were homers today. calls were clearly in LA's favor and cards not being given for... what reason? should have been a clear red to araujo. prove me wrong!