MLS - April 12 - Philadelphia (CF)

[gbservis]

Felt like Julian and Ojeda both took some baby steps forward tonight. I was cringing when Julian went on for Maxi but all well that ends well. I was disappointed they didn’t let him have a go on that free kick.

Julian at the 10 to close out the game and give Maxi a rest worked out fine but I would not want to see him try to do that for more than 10 min. He had no positional awareness and provided no link-up play of any sort. He just ran around like a headless chicken for 10 min, which worked out because he ran hard and kept things moving but that's not working in anything other than short bursts.

 

[moogoo]

lucky the keeper came out and lucky martinez can aim. i feel like bakrar in the same situation would have missed the goal. lol.

couldn't watch the game but a win against philly is always a good thing.

 

[gbservis]

lucky the keeper came out and lucky martinez can aim. i feel like bakrar in the same situation would have missed the goal. lol.

couldn't watch the game but a win against philly is always a good thing.

I apologize for forgetting who in the chat said it, but someone said Maxi and Martinez are likely the only players on the team that put that ball in the net. Sadly I think that's spot on.

 

[Revfugee]

Julian at the 10 to close out the game and give Maxi a rest worked out fine but I would not want to see him try to do that for more than 10 min. He had no positional awareness and provided no link-up play of any sort. He just ran around like a headless chicken for 10 min, which worked out because he ran hard and kept things moving but that's not working in anything other than short bursts.

As I said, Baby steps. And he is not anyone’s idea of a #10. I doubt Pascal assigned him that role even though he went in for maxi (if I thought pascal thought it was like for like, I’d lose some respect for Pascal). I think his assignment was to run like crazy and try to cause some havoc. And he seemed to understand the assignment. I want the assignment to include free kicks because that is the one place Julian has demonstrated some real ability and consistency.

Also thought Ojeda put in a solid shift but neither of them is living up to their prices yet. And the opposition was pretty dire.

 

[Kenny]

Rain games are more fun when it's at least 70 degrees.

Rain games in 40 degrees and wind are miserable. You couldn't have paid me to go tonight, but glad you had fun lol

Maybe you should move to Florida

 

[Joe_Cos]

A win against Philly, and we are down to 30 regular home season games until 2027 and Etihad Park.

 

[Alex Da Silva]

Ojeda is our best winger and it isn't that close, he was electric tonight and better from the start than off the bench, Alonso is a superstar, I am starting to seen signs of slipping from maxi, just a touch off here or there that he wouldn't make a mistake on before, I think a DP 10 and a TAM right winger that improves on wolf and we are going to be special. Also haak has won the cb battle and is probably our best CB

 

[Revfugee]

Rain games are more fun when it's at least 70 degrees.

Rain games in 40 degrees and wind are miserable. You couldn't have paid me to go tonight, but glad you had fun lol

I hope that those of you who want the schedule to shift were there tonight. If they shift the schedule that’s what our future looks like, meteorologically. And it’s not pretty. Good luck with ticket sales during 4-6 weeks of darkness and cold. It’s hard enough to resell tickets you can’t use in warm weather. Unless they splurge on some major name talent, winter matches are gonna be dreary affairs.

 

[twsj91]

I hope that those of you who want the schedule to shift were there tonight. If they shift the schedule that’s what our future looks like, meteorologically. And it’s not pretty. Good luck with ticket sales during 4-6 weeks of darkness and cold. It’s hard enough to resell tickets you can’t use in warm weather. Unless they splurge on some major name talent, winter matches are gonna be dreary affairs.

I’m not saying I enjoyed the weather last night or that this was you, but I swear some of yall just don’t know how to dress. The amount of people in light jackets or hoodies with soaked sneakers sitting around shivering is hilariously high. I layered up and it was comfortable. Dress appropriately!!!!

 

[Revfugee]

I’m not saying I enjoyed the weather last night or that this was you, but I swear some of yall just don’t know how to dress. The amount of people in light jackets or hoodies with soaked sneakers sitting around shivering is hilariously high. I layered up and it was comfortable. Dress appropriately!!!!

It’s definitely not me. Grew up upstate, spent 11 years in Boston. Hell, it snowed at my upstate house yesterday. I know how to dress. And whether you are from Minnesota or Florida, and it’s a baseball game, a football game or a soccer game, going to an outside game in shitty cold weather is pretty unpleasant. There’s a reason they play hockey inside in northern climes. And the MLS fanbase is not the English or German or even the Green Bay Packers fanbase built on 100-150 years of multigenerational tradition. MLS is still built largely on casuals.

The football ops folks and the players are going to like it. The affected fans (which is, counted generously, roughly half the league) will not.

 

[BC19]

Haak and Ojeda should play at those positions every week. Haak is the best centerback at the club. Feel bad for Maxi, he’s ineffective now and it’s not his fault. He shouldn’t be the focal point of this team, but here we are. O’Toole was pretty poor last night, we could also probably use a dynamic upgrade at left back.

 

[FootyLovin]

A few thoughts not yet mentioned.

• Announcers were enjoyable on the broadcast. I'd go so far as to say I would have been annoyed at the NYC bias had I been a Philly fan.
• Not just making it, but slow rolling that goal to be just too far out of reach of the Philly defender. Tasty.

• Maxi and Martinez are likely the only players on the team that put that ball in the net.

  I'd add Shore. The more I see him the more I like his game now and think he has a lot of upward potential.
• While I am happy we won and think it was less close than 1-0 suggests - oof, that missed connection from Martinez to the Ojeda tap in - the win isn't the story. Our continued lack of real firepower is.
• Very glad Maxi got 10 minutes rest. Contrary to some views, I'd like to see him pulled at 60 minutes going forward. Not that I think the replacement value is excellent. But 30 minute per match of Fernandez or Wolf at the 10 is much better than 90 minutes per match after Maxi gets injured from overplaying. Summer transfer window can't come soon enough.