Away - August 31 - Vancouver
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ZYanksRule
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Straight reds aren't a 3-game suspension in MLS. I believe Matarrita misses just one game unless he gets supplemental discipline.
BTW, Vancouver comes into this game having allowed an MLS record 43 shots and 19 SOG in their loss at San Jose tonight. Their goalie made 16 saves. They're really bad, and I know this is a cross-country flight immediately following the Derby, but this really needs to be a win.
Agreed. It's a long trip and a very weird playing surface, but this is our easiest remaining Away Game (Dallas, New England, Atlanta are the others). Winning just our home games won't win the East.
FIFY
Oops. Point holds about Vancouver, but that was a biggie.
Right. Without Mata, we get Sweat, which is a downgrade, but not huge.
What do we do about losing Ring. Without Sands, we don’t have anyone who can play that hybrid role of sitting back with the CBs or running forward into midfield. Without Ofori, we don’t really have a quality defensive oriented mid.
I guess we should expect to see Rocha paired with Parks behind Maxi. Rocha is serviceable and I love how he’s been able to carve out a role on this team, but he’s not Ring.
I suppose another option would be to go with 3 real CBs: Ibby-Chanot-Callens; and then have Parks and Maxi behind a front three.
ZYanksRule
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Harder to do that without Matarrita, since that formation means Dome wants wingbacks. Sweat really isn't good in the wingback role. I suppose we could try it, but we'll be asking a lot of Tinnerholm.
A Saturday night 10 PM ET game would be a great time for Justin Haak to get minutes. Please.
ZYanksRule
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Also just realized that Vancouver has a Wednesday game at Montreal. Wonder which game they prioritize, because that's a brutal week for them. At San Jose, at Montreal, then home for NYCFC. Lot of travel there.
Vancouver certainly travels the most of any team in the league.
There are no direct commercial flights after their 8 PM (local time, ET) match on Wednesday vs. Montreal. So they're likely chartering or flying commercial (more likely due to the frequency of those flights) on Thursday.
I put good money that NYCFC will be on the Thursday 8:30 AM United flight leaving from Newark, or traveling after practice on the Thursday Air Canada 6:20 PM flight also leaving from Newark.
I'm on the Thursday Delta 9:24 PM flight leaving from JFK.
Is there any way that Ring's yellow card gets rescinded cause of the scenario in which he got it? I mean, there was never a foul called. So, it's hard to justify the yellow card for a foul when there was no foul called. I wonder if the ref changed it to dissent on the official report?
No ring - no mata.
Sweat will likely drop into his usual left wing back spot. I'm ok with it. We don't really have any other options. Rocha is much more comfortable in the midfield and since Sweat is available, I doubt Rocha plays at the lwb position. If anything, I think we'll see Rocha come in for Ring as a defensive mid behind maxi and parks. If I were Dome, I would be resting some starters though because (1) it's a long flight, (2) it's shitty turf (3) vancouver is terrible.
This is a perfect game to get GMS more minutes to get into match fitness and Haak to get some first team game time. Sadly, I don't think Dome will leave anybody behind in NY unless they're injured, but I think he'll rotate for this game or start normally with changes for mata/ring, with full intention to make halftime subs assuming we are up by 2 or 3 goals.
No ring - no mata.
Sweat will likely drop into his usual left wing back spot. I'm ok with it. We don't really have any other options. Rocha is much more comfortable in the midfield and since Sweat is available, I doubt Rocha plays at the lwb position. If anything, I think we'll see Rocha come in for Ring as a defensive mid behind maxi and parks. If I were Dome, I would be resting some starters though because (1) it's a long flight, (2) it's shitty turf (3) vancouver is terrible.
This is a perfect game to get GMS more minutes to get into match fitness and Haak to get some first team game time. Sadly, I don't think Dome will leave anybody behind in NY unless they're injured, but I think he'll rotate for this game or start normally with changes for mata/ring, with full intention to make halftime subs assuming we are up by 2 or 3 goals.
Mata should get the non-reclining seat next to the bathroom for the flight there/back. Let him think about how shitty of a decision his head butt was. Hopefully there are also 3-4 babies and toddlers in the row ahead of him.
ZYanksRule
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I'll assume we see only one of Heber and Castellanos, Medina starts, hopefully Ofori is fit by then and can get minutes? He probably doesn't start, but maybe we can start to get him in the team.
Maybe we'll look something like:
GMS-Heber-Medina
-------Maxi------
---Parks-Rocha
Sweat-Callens-Chanot-Tinnerholm
Unless Dome goes 5 in the back, then it's Ibeagha in for Rocha.
Why? Stick with the front
ZYanksRule
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Because against a bad team and with a heavily congested September schedule ahead, I feel like we can get a result while still giving a couple guys the day off. Mitrita and Castellanos will be available off the bench if needed, but why not try to take a couple miles off their legs if we can? That lineup can absolutely still get a result against a dreadful Vancouver team.
If there is anyone we sit to get fresh legs for the stretch run, it is Maxi.
And Heber.
The question is, without Ring and Sands, do we play everyone else to minimize the risk of a loss at a very bad Vancouver team, or do we go all out and sit more key players?
We can either sit one or two starters every game here on out in rotation, risking chemistry and the lower risk of dropping points each game. Or we can choose one or two games to go "full B" and higher risk of losing points in fewer games. Not an easy choice, but it's clear that some players won't be able to play all our minutes.
That poor start really cost us. We had to chase points in the middle of the year while we were short anyway, forcing guys like Maxi and Tinnerholm to play far too many minutes.
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