MLS - July 5 - Charlotte (Home)

[Revfugee]

While I totally agree with your general take on Cufre, his "clinical" finish only scored because of a deflection. Otherwise it was right at the keeper. Very lucky.

That’s not how it looked from 135 where we were essentially on a direct line behind him. He had mostly goal in front of him. That shot was hard enough, he was close enough and the defender was so close that it’s pretty much impossible to tell whether it would have gone left or right corner, or gone right through the keeper. Bottom line is that he hit it hard and on frame and it ended up in the net. Contrast that to Talles who was in and free twice, and Gaby who kept missing the frame, and I’d call that clinical.

P.S. perfect ball in from Keaton.

 

[Revfugee]

While I totally agree with your general take on Cufre, his "clinical" finish only scored because of a deflection. Otherwise it was right at the keeper. Very lucky.

That’s not how it looked from 135 where we were essentially on a direct line behind him. He had mostly goal in front of him. That shot was hard enough, he was close enough and the defender was so close that it’s pretty much impossible to tell whether it would have gone left or right corner, or gone right through the keeper. Bottom line is that he hit it hard and on frame and it ended up in the net. Contrast that to Talles who was in and free twice, and Gaby who kept missing the frame, and I’d call that clinical.

P.S. perfect ball in from Keaton.

 

[mgarbowski]

Highlight of the game that I forgot about was the Jumbotron shot of the Charlotte player trying to get up and getting a face full of crotch

Since I used up all my conspiracy impulse quota on the attendance issue, I'm left trying to discern a rational explanation for how the Charlotte players kept falling down and cramping. Time wasting? Maybe, but it started in the first half, and each incident lasted long enough that the ref was unlikely to ignore them. There were six added minutes in both halves. If it was time wasting, it was obvious by halftime it wasn't working.

It was hot and humid last night but not excessively so, and I have to imagine they get conditions as bad or worse in Charlotte. They didn't even play last weekend. Their last game was June 24. Are they so unfit?

 

[FootyLovin]

That’s not how it looked from 135 where we were essentially on a direct line behind him. He had mostly goal in front of him. That shot was hard enough, he was close enough and the defender was so close that it’s pretty much impossible to tell whether it would have gone left or right corner, or gone right through the keeper. Bottom line is that he hit it hard and on frame and it ended up in the net. Contrast that to Talles who was in and free twice, and Gaby who kept missing the frame, and I’d call that clinical.

P.S. perfect ball in from Keaton.

I hear you. But watch the replay. It was a clear deflection. You even see the keeper start one move and then buckle in that way where they know the trajectory changed.

I'm not taking anything away from Cufre. Some shots take lucky deflections but they are still more likely to go when pinged at high velocity and on frame. That's what he did and the slight deflection helped. I just don't take that as clinical. For me there are five categories of shot:

1. Lucky - helpful deflection, could argue that some long range shots are hope and prayer lucky
2. Unlucky - woodwork, a rotten bounce
3. Poor - unforced errors, weak shots right at the keeper, off frame
4. Good - but not good enough, a decent shot but not enough to get past the keeper or other blockers
5. Clinical - no deflection, no keeper error, buried in a corner or 5 hole

Cufre's shot was a 1. I'd argue Magno had a 3 and 3 4s last night. Unfortunately his 4 was his last and worst shot of the night. So he suffers from our recency and confirmation biases. Cufre's goal was his last and best shot of the night giving him the benefit of our recency and confirmation biases. In fact, I'd be willing to wager at least a little that you forgot his "hey Alfredo, I bet I can take wild speculative useless shots from further away from goal than you can" 50 yard pointlessness in the 35th minute. To be clear, I don't begrudge him that shot. I'm high on Cufre. I'm just saying that I'm not sure I put him or any of his shots in the clinical bucket. (I'd have to go back to his previous goal to comment there. Memory alone tells me it was a pretty clear and clinical finish.)

 

[LionNYC]

Important point to keep in mind.

Apple is distributing the games, but MLS is producing them. That means that the announcers are hired by and employed by the league.

And the old guard at MLS HQ is very much pro-Red Bulls, most of those people supported that team when it was the MetroStars.

 

[Revfugee]

I hear you. But watch the replay. It was a clear deflection. You even see the keeper start one move and then buckle in that way where they know the trajectory changed.

I'm not taking anything away from Cufre. Some shots take lucky deflections but they are still more likely to go when pinged at high velocity and on frame. That's what he did and the slight deflection helped. I just don't take that as clinical. For me there are five categories of shot:

1. Lucky - helpful deflection, could argue that some long range shots are hope and prayer lucky
2. Unlucky - woodwork, a rotten bounce
3. Poor - unforced errors, weak shots right at the keeper, off frame
4. Good - but not good enough, a decent shot but not enough to get past the keeper or other blockers
5. Clinical - no deflection, no keeper error, buried in a corner or 5 hole

Cufre's shot was a 1. I'd argue Magno had a 3 and 3 4s last night. Unfortunately his 4 was his last and worst shot of the night. So he suffers from our recency and confirmation biases. Cufre's goal was his last and best shot of the night giving him the benefit of our recency and confirmation biases. In fact, I'd be willing to wager at least a little that you forgot his "hey Alfredo, I bet I can take wild speculative useless shots from further away from goal than you can" 50 yard pointlessness in the 35th minute. To be clear, I don't begrudge him that shot. I'm high on Cufre. I'm just saying that I'm not sure I put him or any of his shots in the clinical bucket. (I'd have to go back to his previous goal to comment there. Memory alone tells me it was a pretty clear and clinical finish.)

TLDR: We disagree on the (inherently subjective)definition of clinical.

We agree on Cufre in general.

 

[FootyLovin]

TLDR: We disagree on the (inherently subjective)definition of clinical.

We agree on Cufre in general.

Totally fair. And totally agree.