MLS Cup Playoffs - November 1 - Charlotte (YS)

[moogoo]

The Philly stats are crazy. They are winning 3-0 away with 25% possession and 50% pass accuracy. I kid you not

today's philly play red bull 2.0 style. they want chaos and thrive on it.

We have 2 players who can score and one of them played 23 minutes? Nick Cushing Pascal masterclass. Pathetic cowardly showing by coach and team for the first 70 minutes. You're at home with a chance to clinch. Fucking take it to them.

U22 debacle in PKs.

It felt a lot colder than 57º.
I did have to pay to park and for food but my downgraded seat for this game has a better view than my regular Legends seat.

Maxi is too old. Let him go live on a nice farm in the country with a family who loves him next year. He should not have played more than 1200 minutes this year. He runs around a lot and it kind of looks nice but unlike the past it almost never leads to anything.

I'm glad I at least didn't pay for that.

agreed. should have attacked them from the start and showed some fucking cajones at home. if we went out guns blazing, i don't think anybody would have said "oh we should have tried to defend more".

Hope Jansen fixes the pk situation cause that was embarrassing considering how much money they cost to bring in.

 

[canchon]

This is what is maddening. Pascal played for the tie at home. Go out and score a goal and force Charlotte to get desperate. Don’t do cardio for 70 mins and then try to win.

I don’t know what they will have left for Friday. Fully expecting a boring as shit 1-0 CLT win.

 

[moogoo]

This is what is maddening. Pascal played for the tie at home. Go out and score a goal and force Charlotte to get desperate. Don’t do cardio for 70 mins and then try to win.

I don’t know what they will have left for Friday. Fully expecting a boring as shit 1-0 CLT win.

with our luck it'll be a 4-0 CLT rout and we'll get embarrassingly bounced after taking the first away game. sounds about right.

 

[ZYanksRule]

Julian and Ojeda both missing their penalties is perfect. Just perfect. What massive disappointments they both have been here. Such a massive indictment of those two that literally Kevin O'Toole started over them both in both playoff games.

That being said, I thought the Wolf and Ojeda subs completely changed the game in our favor. Didn't like taking Nico off with penalties coming up. I need our highest-paid player taking a penalty there.

Charlotte is such an unimpressive team and really has no business winning this series. Yet there's now a chance they could hold us to 0-0 again on Friday, win a shootout, and win the series despite not scoring and winning fewer games than their opponent. This playoff round is so flawed.

 

[Shwafta]

My reaction as the game unfolds:

1. "Okay nice subs, idk why Wolf didn't start, but this is encouraging."
2. "What the f? Why is he swapping Nico for Julian? That's a ridiculous sub"
3. "Oh f Julian's taking the penalty and not Wolf? He's gonna miss this"
4. "Ojeda is up... This is the most foreseeable outcome ever..."

Sigh. Take this in 3 boys.


Side note, I had a funny musing today...
O'Toole
O'Neill
O'Jeda (O'No...)

 

[ZYanksRule]

Official attendance: 19,051

That's incredibly poor for a playoff game. The supporters section was full, the left-field side was pretty packed, but the first-base side was empty.

 

[Shwafta]

Official attendance: 19,051

That's incredibly poor for a playoff game. The supporters section was full, the left-field side was pretty packed, but the first-base side was empty.

I know a lot of people on the forum like sat midday as a good time for a game but I have to wonder if really having this at like 6 would have been better for attendance?

 

[ZYanksRule]

I know a lot of people on the forum like sat midday as a good time for a game but I have to wonder if really having this at like 6 would have been better for attendance?

Yeah I loved being able to be in the sun for the first half and it not being too cool, but kids have so many weekend activities this time of year it was probably hard for a lot of families. There were some kids there obviously, but it felt like there were far fewer kids than normal, at least around where I was in 135

 

[moogoo]

Julian and Ojeda both missing their penalties is perfect. Just perfect. What massive disappointments they both have been here. Such a massive indictment of those two that literally Kevin O'Toole started over them both in both playoff games.

That being said, I thought the Wolf and Ojeda subs completely changed the game in our favor. Didn't like taking Nico off with penalties coming up. I need our highest-paid player taking a penalty there.

Charlotte is such an unimpressive team and really has no business winning this series. Yet there's now a chance they could hold us to 0-0 again on Friday, win a shootout, and win the series despite not scoring and winning fewer games than their opponent. This playoff round is so flawed.

Put some respect on Kevin's name! Dude is playing well above his pay and deserves his starts. Dollar for dollar, probably one of the best wing backs in the league.

Ojeda's penalty was predictable. He didn't look confident stepping up to the spot. Neither did Julian but he shouldn't have even been on the field. Nico should have been there and if not for Nico, wolf should have stepped up.

Charlotte aren't super exciting to watch but they have a solid defense and a good keeper. They don't give up many goals. If you criticize them for being unimpressive, I have to say we didn't exactly look that impressive today or for consistent stretches in the season either.

 

[CCMore]

Put some respect on Kevin's name! Dude is playing well above his pay and deserves his starts. Dollar for dollar, probably one of the best wing backs in the league.

Ojeda's penalty was predictable. He didn't look confident stepping up to the spot. Neither did Julian but he shouldn't have even been on the field. Nico should have been there and if not for Nico, wolf should have stepped up.

Charlotte aren't super exciting to watch but they have a solid defense and a good keeper. They don't give up many goals. If you criticize them for being unimpressive, I have to say we didn't exactly look that impressive today or for consistent stretches in the season either.

That’s my Kevin! He did have a pretty damn good game today.

 

[ZYanksRule]

Put some respect on Kevin's name! Dude is playing well above his pay and deserves his starts. Dollar for dollar, probably one of the best wing backs in the league.

Ojeda's penalty was predictable. He didn't look confident stepping up to the spot. Neither did Julian but he shouldn't have even been on the field. Nico should have been there and if not for Nico, wolf should have stepped up.

Charlotte aren't super exciting to watch but they have a solid defense and a good keeper. They don't give up many goals. If you criticize them for being unimpressive, I have to say we didn't exactly look that impressive today or for consistent stretches in the season either.

Kevin O'Toole is a great squad player. I'm glad he's on our roster. But starting him over Fernandez and Ojeda is damning when you consider how expensive those other guys are.

Pascal said Wolf was dealing with a sore back before Game 1, then he didn't want to change things for Game 2. Leaving Fernandez and Ojeda on the bench for the 2nd consecutive postseason is incredibly damning towards our U-22 strategy.

 

[canchon]

Official attendance: 19,051

That's incredibly poor for a playoff game. The supporters section was full, the left-field side was pretty packed, but the first-base side was empty.

Felt like a mid-March early season game. Light attendance and not a lot of energy.

 

[gbservis]

We have 2 players who can score and one of them played 23 minutes? Nick Cushing Pascal masterclass. Pathetic cowardly showing by coach and team for the first 70 minutes. You're at home with a chance to clinch. Fucking take it to them.

U22 debacle in PKs.

It felt a lot colder than 57º.
I did have to pay to park and for food but my downgraded seat for this game has a better view than my regular Legends seat.

Maxi is too old. Let him go live on a nice farm in the country with a family who loves him next year. He should not have played more than 1200 minutes this year. He runs around a lot and it kind of looks nice but unlike the past it almost never leads to anything.

I'm glad I at least didn't pay for that.

Speaking of only having two players that can score, is anyone underwhelmed with Nico as of late? Maybe he's fading after a full season in Europe, similar to Wolf last year, but I'd like our DP to have more of an impact on these make-or-break games.

 

[ZYanksRule]

Felt like a mid-March early season game. Light attendance and not a lot of energy.

I disagree about the energy. It felt like playoffs in 135. Maybe not on the 1B side which looked pretty empty, but the supporters section side had that energy. Really disappointed with the attendance though. We should really be doing better, and it's the first time I've been concerned we won't be selling out Etihad Park every game in 2027.

I've long thought we'll be selling out for a few years after the stadium opens due to the novelty, but if we can't get more than 19K for a playoff game maybe we won't. Team needs to seriously evaluate why the attendance was this low and what they can do to rectify it in the future.

Speaking of only having two players that can score, is anyone underwhelmed with Nico as of late? Maybe he's fading after a full season in Europe, similar to Wolf last year, but I'd like our DP to have more of an impact on these make-or-break games.

I thought he was a very impactful player today, certainly our best attacking threat. He was all over the field spraying the ball around and creating. Didn't have scoring chances, but I liked his game and was surprised Pascal took him off when he did.

One of my fears about today was that it's hard to eliminate a team when you don't have that kind of jeopardy in your season. You can't manufacture it. Charlotte's playing for their season and we weren't. Friday will obviously be different.

 

[mgarbowski]

I think I was unfair to the team above. I should have only put this on Pascal, and our weak roster. But this game reminds me of our very first playoff contest when Vieira played for a 0-0 tie against Toronto and after conceding late, the team fell apart, then quit in Part 2. But this is worse. Vieira was playing a standard strategy opening away in a stupid playoff format where wins don't matter. This format has actual games and the point is to win games. Especially at home. Don't get cute.

I skimmed his post game conference. He hinted that Wolf was ifffy for game 1 and then gave word salad why he didn't start game 2. He also said we needed to win in 90. Would have been nice if we set up for that.

I'm mostly pleased with Nico so far. He's never been a 1st or 2nd choice goal scorer so you can't measure him by that, and the rest of his game has been solid. I agree with ZYanksRule about how he looked today. I'm hoping an offseason rest plus preseason sets him up well for next year.

 

[ZYanksRule]

I think I was unfair to the team above. I should have only put this on Pascal, and our weak roster. But this game reminds me of our very first playoff contest when Vieira played for a 0-0 tie against Toronto and after conceding late, the team fell apart, then quit in Part 2. But this is worse. Vieira was playing a standard strategy opening away in a stupid playoff format where wins don't matter. This format has actual games and the point is to win games. Especially at home. Don't get cute.

I skimmed his post game conference. He hinted that Wolf was ifffy for game 1 and then gave word salad why he didn't start game 2. He also said we needed to win in 90. Would have been nice if we set up for that.

I'm mostly pleased with Nico so far. He's never been a 1st or 2nd choice goal scorer so you can't measure him by that, and the rest of his game has been solid. I agree with ZYanksRule about how he looked today. I'm hoping an offseason rest plus preseason sets him up well for next year.

I don't think the roster is the problem anymore, I think it's the underperformance of Julian and Ojeda. We need more from those two guys. They can't be the ones to miss their penalties, and they have to be able to start these playoff games. The rest of the roster is fine. I'm sure we all have a few quibbles here and there -- mainly the empty DP/U22 spots due to guys being out on loan. But I think our defense and midfield are now as deep as in 2021. It's the attack that's too dependent on one person.

On Wolf, Pascal basically said he didn't start Wolf because he didn't want to make a change after winning Game 1. I would have maybe made that sub a bit earlier, but I guess I don't have a major issue with not tinkering on a winning side.

All that being said, if Thiago's hitter hits the net with 10 minutes left, or if Freese makes one more save in penalties, we're having a very different discussion.

 

[mgarbowski]

My seat this afternoon was in Section 103 behind the Charlotte bench and pitchside. During the game, a couple of guys with Charlotte credentials were hanging out in that open area between pitchside and the regular seats. Two people in the first two rows of my section went ballistic. They were convinced the Charlotte guys were coaches watching the game from an illegal vantage or something. I mean, they were livid and loud and completely obsessed for 20-30 minutes of the second half and insistent that those guys were not allowed to be there. They were yelling at the maybe-coaches, and yelling at every stadium employee whose attention they could get about cheating etc. They took photos and video like they were Zapruder or something. Whatever. From what I saw one "coach" was barely paying attention to the game and I think he was monitoring the Charlotte players working out in that same area which has to be legal. The other maybe-coach then spent a lot of time down by the endline far from the Charlotte bench and didn't seem to be communicating with the players on the field, the bench coaches or anyone.

My question though is. if they were coaches and watching from there, was that in fact illegal and if so why? Can soccer teams not put coaches in a sky box or up in the stands or anywhere besides the bench to get better views? If not, why not? I mean, if it's a rule violation by all means enforce it and teams shouldn't violate it. But why would that be a rule? I understand why teams can have only one coach by the touch line and they have to stand more or less in their designated box. You don't want the sideline too crowded and chaotic. But other spots seem like it should be fair game. Also they should not be able to watch from behind the other team's bench. But a few yards behind their own bench? Why not? Especially in Yankee Stadium they're not even higher up and it's arguably a worse view than just staying in their bench area. Despite their obsessive behavior, these fans did not seem deluded. I tend to think they were not just making the entire issue up, though I've never heard of it as a thing. OTOH I've never seen the usual TV shot of soccer coaches in a sky box that is standard in football games either, so maybe it is a thing. But again. Why?

 

[RunningWise]

I disagree about the energy. It felt like playoffs in 135. Maybe not on the 1B side which looked pretty empty, but the supporters section side had that energy. Really disappointed with the attendance though. We should really be doing better, and it's the first time I've been concerned we won't be selling out Etihad Park every game in 2027.

I've long thought we'll be selling out for a few years after the stadium opens due to the novelty, but if we can't get more than 19K for a playoff game maybe we won't. Team needs to seriously evaluate why the attendance was this low and what they can do to rectify it in the future.

I was in section 013 (right behind the goal) and had the same conversation with my wife about attendance. The SS looked strong but there was no one in our area and barely anyone behind us.

Now it was cold and windy on our side so maybe people walked over to the sun, but it didn’t feel like a large crowd. I could hear the energy from the other side but there was nothing by me.

 

[mgarbowski]

I don't think the roster is the problem anymore, I think it's the underperformance of Julian and Ojeda.

I think we agree on substance but not definitions. When players representing 40% of your most important roster spots don't produce for 2 years, I see that as a roster problem. I guess you see it as a individual performance problem? Tomato tomahto. Those 2 guys drag down the entire team/roster/whatever.

 

[mgarbowski]

I have to put numbers on my unhappiness with Wolf not starting:

We scored fewer goals than any other East Conference Playoff Team.
We were shut out more than any other ECPT.
Two players accounted for 57% of our goals this season.
Together Martinez and Wolf had 61 Shots on Target this year. The remainder of our starting 11 yesterday had 42.

One of our 2 most effective offensive players did not start Game 2 as a coach's decision despite being healthy, fit, and available for training during the week.
The other - Martinez - scored in Game 1. He has scored in consecutive games just 4 times all season (Games 3-4, 14-15, 24-25 and 25-26).
Nobody on the rest of the team scored more than 3 goals all year.
In 16 games where neither Martinez nor Wolf scored the rest of the team scored in just 6 of them.
Wolf appeared in 33 games, started 32, and averaged 80 minutes per appearance. Then we benched him for 67 minutes in a series clinching opportunity at home because it seemed clever or something.

Not starting our second most prolific scorer because we won a game without him is absurd over-thinking. You don't bench that guy because you managed to overcome his absence once. It's beyond dumb. It has zero to do with game knowledge or tactical acumen. You just don't constrain yourself like that.