DC - Postmatch

[Marito]

A couple of latergram observations:

A few weeks ago folks around here were complaining that we couldn’t finish and all that possession was going for naught. At the time I was on the “If we keep playing like this, we’ll start to score” team. Unfortunately we didn’t and we didn’t.

Maxi is our MVP and he was out. He is the single thread running through anything good that has happened this year.

Neither Taty nor Medina has earned the right to start over Isi.

I was one of those who expressed disappointment in Yangel earlier this year. With the team clicking at such a high level, we had the luxury of doing so, and the team weathered his and Villa’s absences pretty well until and even through the Amagat Red Card Wedding. Today we saw what we have been missing, and my take is that he was never really that bad earlier in the year, but context is everything. His ball in to Villa for the goal was magic and he made Ring better.

On Amagat. In the game he is more the symbol than the agent of our decline. Aside from the red card, he hasn’t been all that bad on the field (I’d say he and Ofori are about a wash — meaning not helpful but usually not the biggest problem). But if his presence in the 11 causes morale problems, that’s a huge problem. And symbols matter.

And lest I let either of those two off the hook, neither of them tracked back on the second goal yesterday. Tinner was in no position to jump in on Acosta. That was a CMF responsibility and they both failed.

Acosta’s weave through four people including Tinner and Ring looked as bad or worse than anything Sweat and/or Mata have allowed this year.

I agreed with Ian that Ring was playing way too deep. Why can’t Dome just let him play #6, where he did so well all last year. For a while he was in attack, now he’s practically sweeping.

I have very low expectations for the rest of the season (which I estimate at 2 more matches). At the same time I will be very unhappy if we have to endure a major rebuild to suit Dome’s “style.” This is a squad that not so long ago had a 9-point week with significant absences, and won consistently without Villa. They are clearly not playing to potential and that has to be on the manager.

I particularly liked the part about Amagat and Ofori being a wash. Not that I like Amagat, but rather that I don't know which of the two I hate the most. I mean, Amagat at least tries to play through balls and there's a chance he was a decent player 10 years ago. Ofori never ever ever makes an offensive pass. He does more than TMac would, but that's the sum total of his contributions.

 

[SoupInNYC]

I particularly liked the part about Amagat and Ofori being a wash. Not that I like Amagat, but rather that I don't know which of the two I hate the most. I mean, Amagat at least tries to play through balls and there's a chance he was a decent player 10 years ago. Ofori never ever ever makes an offensive pass. He does more than TMac would, but that's the sum total of his contributions.

Amagat has also had a few decent crosses into the box. Several games ago he had a beauty into the box that Callens got his head on and put wide that really needed to be on target.

But yeah, not much from him at all. Both Amagat and Ofori should not be back next year.

 

[SoupInNYC]

Dome seems to be relearning a lot of what PV figured out in his first season which is disappointing. There was a short stint of time where PV had Iraola sit super deep in the spot Ring now appears to be parked in with our FBs bombing forward at will. The problem is that we have never in the history of this club produced goals with overlapping FBs and balls in from the wings. Our fullbacks have never had the passing accuracy to pull it off and none of our forwards excel at scoring from balls in the air. PV quickly pivoted to the play through the middle approach and things improved. Its frustrating that instead of building on the lessens learned by PV the learning cycle is happening all over again like we are starting from scratch what happened to CFG continuity? As long as we have Villa in the middle and play on a narrow field at YS blasting balls in from the flanks is never going to work and I'm not sure why each new coach seems to be tempted to toy with it.

Good point on the Iraola item, but that seemed to fit Iraola. He wasn't a necessarily fast, physical, or athletic guy, who was technically sound and a good passer. So him playing deeper made some sense.

Ring on the other hand, is the opposite. He is a decent distributor, but he's quite athletic and physical, and perhaps his best trait is tracking back and winning the ball. He is often able to be up the field, and then come back to stop a counter. So basically before, he was able to provide cover to the counter, while also providing support to the attack. With him sitting further back, that attack support is no longer there.

 

[The Toe]

The more fingerprints Dome has left on this team, the worse we've ended up. I can't wait for him the be sacked to have a competent manager appointed (hopefully). If he doesn't have recent, top-league first team experience, I don't want him.

 

[Gotham Gator]

I particularly liked the part about Amagat and Ofori being a wash. Not that I like Amagat, but rather that I don't know which of the two I hate the most. I mean, Amagat at least tries to play through balls and there's a chance he was a decent player 10 years ago. Ofori never ever ever makes an offensive pass. He does more than TMac would, but that's the sum total of his contributions.

Several times last night, there was a good dangerous pass to be made, but it was behind Ofori's back, and he made the safer pass to someone nearby. He doesn't seem to know where people are on the field.

 

[Shwafta]

So in the BTS... There's a Shwaftastic (that's the adjective for Shwafta, y'all) Shwafta cameo at 1:12 (smack center with pigeon scarf woop) and 1:19 behind orange drum lady! Funny thing is, at the time I was thinking "oh damn the camera's on us... Will this be in the BTS?" So I made a face at the camera which appeared in it too >

 

[canchon]

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2018...enalty-vs-chicago-you-make-call?autoplay=true

Compare Ring’s handball to the “flailing eagle” of LGP in the Atlanta-Chicago game. LGP’s literally has his arm up like a windmill and blocks a shot...no penalty called. Atlanta, folks.

(On a sidenote both Wiebe and Warshaw agreed emphatically that the Ring call was not a handball.)

Would be interesting to see how many times this year Instant Replay has gone back and “admitted” that the wrong call has happened on NYCFC on penalties. Has to be at least 5 times.

 

[Annagram]

I have a feeling Herrera brings an edge and a chip on our shoulder, something not exactly defined by a stat line (xCoS for expected chips on Shoulder(s)), but a little more emotional and needed with our formation. Someone to dig deep and allow for the creators to create, knowing they have a bulldog backing them up. Ring knows he can go into challenges and plunder souls knowing he has backup in Herrera. Ring's looked half-assed and worried when making challenges, almost knowing Ofori or Amagat won't be there to back him up.

My only problem is I don't think Herrera will be back to full chaos in time for a postseason run. *sigh*

This is something that Ring has had in him throughout his career: he always seems to play so much better when he has good players around him, and is dragged into mediocrity when he's expected to do everything himself. It might seem quite obvious, but the other side of the coin is that with good, trusted players around him, he can sometimes top even himself.

Also, Domé seems to trust him a bit too much, and has sacrificed his best position as #6, and played him even as a CB and then higher up the field (and obviously made him play through injuries). This brings only confusion and disrupts any continuity. Why for example send Sands away (or wasn't played) when he would have been needed the most?

 

[LeeNYCFC]

This is something that Ring has had in him throughout his career: he always seems to play so much better when he has good players around him, and is dragged into mediocrity when he's expected to do everything himself. It might seem quite obvious, but the other side of the coin is that with good, trusted players around him, he can sometimes top even himself.

Also, Domé seems to trust him a bit too much, and has sacrificed his best position as #6, and played him even as a CB and then higher up the field (and obviously made him play through injuries). This brings only confusion and disrupts any continuity. Why for example send Sands away (or wasn't played) when he would have been needed the most?

I really don’t get having him start the transition to offense so frequently. Having Pirlo do it was one thing but Ring doesn’t have anywhere near his delivery. Pulling him deep pulls everything else back towards him or pushes it out to the margins and makes us easier to defend.
Watching from the end line at YS there’s so many times that we’re playing practically a rectangle on offense, it drives me nuts.

 

[ZYanksRule]

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2018...enalty-vs-chicago-you-make-call?autoplay=true

Compare Ring’s handball to the “flailing eagle” of LGP in the Atlanta-Chicago game. LGP’s literally has his arm up like a windmill and blocks a shot...no penalty called. Atlanta, folks.

(On a sidenote both Wiebe and Warshaw agreed emphatically that the Ring call was not a handball.)

Would be interesting to see how many times this year Instant Replay has gone back and “admitted” that the wrong call has happened on NYCFC on penalties. Has to be at least 5 times.

That was a baffling call, and I couldn't believe there was so little conversation about it here. On what planet was that a hand ball? And how does it not get reviewed by VAR?

 

[adam]

That was a baffling call, and I couldn't believe there was so little conversation about it here. On what planet was that a hand ball? And how does it not get reviewed by VAR?

After the Jets not getting a safety call an hour earlier. Then the early goals vs NYCFC. I was already exhausted and frustrated. I can’t complain about refs anymore. Just expect bad calls all the time.

 

[mgarbowski]

ASA xGoals are in:

DC 1.75
NYC 0.96

so a 2-1 score, excluding the PK, was pretty much just.