Johnson had one total howler that cost us points each of the last two years. Then he goes on to play really well. Let’s hope he has now gotten this year’s howler out of the way.
MLS - May 22 - Columbus (RBA)
- Thread starter LionNYC
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Attempting some more context:
Being generous in my definitions, this year to date we still have only 4 players we can count on to score at all -- number in ( ) is their MLS career high:
Castellanos (11)
Medina (6)
Moralez (8)
Shradi (11)
That's not a Murderer's Row. In the first 4 games this year Taty and Medina combined for 7 goals. You cannot expect they maintain that pace. Taty's 4 goals in the first 4 games set an MLS record which shows how hot he was. Then in the last 2 games he and Medina combine for 1, Shradi adds 1, and Maxi was mostly hurt.
Blame Ronnie, SJ, Jasson, Gudi, creativity, finishing, whatever, if it makes you feel good. And sure there are things to criticize. But we've also had 3 starters miss 611 combined minutes in the last 3 games (add another 270 if you want to count Heber or if not recognize just how limited our offensive roster is), plus Morales was out all 3 games and he wasn't starting but he was close.
With respect to how the team defended late. I don't like playing that way. Never have, in almost any sport. But maybe consider how thin we are, and we especially have zero attacking depth even when healthy. Then remember we have conceded the second fewest Shots Against, by far the fewest xGoals against, and before last night had conceded fewer than 1 goal per game despite a remarkable string of bangers by opponents (who are allowed to have moments occasionally), which streak has to end sometime, and outside of the free kicks Columbus put ONE shot on goal. We won't give up an average of one banger every game for the rest of the season. It just won't happen, and you cannot coach as if it will. Ronnie trusts his defense because it is absurdly good, and he should. What Zelarayan did last night was freakish, not just his performance, but that he had 2 such free kick opportunities even*, and you can't coach a 34 game season fearing freakish events, even when they seemed to have happened almost every game so far this year.
* And stop it with the refs. Please. Be better. The impulse to feel aggrieved should be controlled, not unleashed, especially when it is entirely based on confirmation bias.
As for Thorarinson and Jasson, I mean, I see the same things you do. But to the extent they are defenders our team defense is astonishingly good. To the extent they are offensive players, they're also not the reason we have only 2 multi-goal games. We could upgrade their positions with a top 10 worldwide player and it would have only a marginal effect because our defense almost cannot get any better and our front lines couldn't do that much with the help. I want Tinnerholm back, of course, and every little bit helps, but I don't see how playing Amundsen and Gray changes our fortunes. It might be the better choice, yes, but it's actual effect? Those guys are not difference makers.
We have reinforcements on the way, but for now our offensive roster is stretched very thin, and but for an insanely good defense we would probably be losing most games 2-0 and 4-1. Instead we're 2-2-2, and could easily be 4-1-1 with maybe a smidge more luck and one stellar save from Johnson. But the pace of opposing perfectly placed screamers will drop, Johnson probably will return to normal form, and offensive potential has been signed. Everything else has a really low signal to noise ratio.
Being generous in my definitions, this year to date we still have only 4 players we can count on to score at all -- number in ( ) is their MLS career high:
Castellanos (11)
Medina (6)
Moralez (8)
Shradi (11)
That's not a Murderer's Row. In the first 4 games this year Taty and Medina combined for 7 goals. You cannot expect they maintain that pace. Taty's 4 goals in the first 4 games set an MLS record which shows how hot he was. Then in the last 2 games he and Medina combine for 1, Shradi adds 1, and Maxi was mostly hurt.
Blame Ronnie, SJ, Jasson, Gudi, creativity, finishing, whatever, if it makes you feel good. And sure there are things to criticize. But we've also had 3 starters miss 611 combined minutes in the last 3 games (add another 270 if you want to count Heber or if not recognize just how limited our offensive roster is), plus Morales was out all 3 games and he wasn't starting but he was close.
With respect to how the team defended late. I don't like playing that way. Never have, in almost any sport. But maybe consider how thin we are, and we especially have zero attacking depth even when healthy. Then remember we have conceded the second fewest Shots Against, by far the fewest xGoals against, and before last night had conceded fewer than 1 goal per game despite a remarkable string of bangers by opponents (who are allowed to have moments occasionally), which streak has to end sometime, and outside of the free kicks Columbus put ONE shot on goal. We won't give up an average of one banger every game for the rest of the season. It just won't happen, and you cannot coach as if it will. Ronnie trusts his defense because it is absurdly good, and he should. What Zelarayan did last night was freakish, not just his performance, but that he had 2 such free kick opportunities even*, and you can't coach a 34 game season fearing freakish events, even when they seemed to have happened almost every game so far this year.
* And stop it with the refs. Please. Be better. The impulse to feel aggrieved should be controlled, not unleashed, especially when it is entirely based on confirmation bias.
As for Thorarinson and Jasson, I mean, I see the same things you do. But to the extent they are defenders our team defense is astonishingly good. To the extent they are offensive players, they're also not the reason we have only 2 multi-goal games. We could upgrade their positions with a top 10 worldwide player and it would have only a marginal effect because our defense almost cannot get any better and our front lines couldn't do that much with the help. I want Tinnerholm back, of course, and every little bit helps, but I don't see how playing Amundsen and Gray changes our fortunes. It might be the better choice, yes, but it's actual effect? Those guys are not difference makers.
We have reinforcements on the way, but for now our offensive roster is stretched very thin, and but for an insanely good defense we would probably be losing most games 2-0 and 4-1. Instead we're 2-2-2, and could easily be 4-1-1 with maybe a smidge more luck and one stellar save from Johnson. But the pace of opposing perfectly placed screamers will drop, Johnson probably will return to normal form, and offensive potential has been signed. Everything else has a really low signal to noise ratio.
you're right. it was the frustration talking. but a top 5 keeper should not be making the mistakes he made setting up the wall and not expecting a shot for the first free kick.
i don't think he's going to lose his job for the reasons you said and now that he's also captain, it's even more unlikely. but i think he needs to step things up. perhaps he is breaking under the pressure of leading a team as, i think, Fantazma said. He almost had another howler with the passback from Gloster. If zardes had put more pressure on him, no doubt it would have been even more trouble for him as he was pretty clumsy with it with all the space and time he had.
I hope gator is right and this is one bad game before turning things around and being the johnson we all know and love.
Marito
Registered
Also, I think Jasson had his best game yet for us yesterday, at least for the first 60 minutes. He dribbled successfully a lot and collected a LOT of fouls which in a different game could easily have led to yellow card accumulation for an opponent. Pedro Santos, who is not a bad player for MLS standards was really frustrated with him, and there were many more occasions in which Jasson got through him than the opposite. Sands was MOTM, and in normal circumstances we would have won, although we should have put some more pressure for a second goal. It was a very frustrating result for a performance that was meh but not bad.
our defense has been solid. i don't think anyone can argue that, but I also think that is more attributed to having very good CBs and our generally disciplined shape for about 60 minutes. Then - we get tired and when we got tired, we started to defend deep, our shape became mishapen, and we weren't winning balls higher up anymore. As a result, fouls happen and the free kicks are awarded. Yes, you can't coach for these things other than trying your best not to foul in dangerous areas, but that's basically it. Can't blame the refs because refs are always going to be a wild card and to be fair, while we probably didn't like all of his calls, he didn't make any that were clear and obvious mistakes.
I do disagree that we are not better off bringing Amundsen on earlier for Gudi and Gray for Jasson. While the sum of our defense may not change much on paper, the feel of the defensive shape on the field will be different. The CBs will not have to work as hard to cover for wingbacks out of position because they are tired and/or don't have the defensive positional awareness to be where they need to be. That alone will give us better shape, allow us to win balls back sooner and higher up the field, and give us a better opportunities to attack.
At this point, I don't think there's any reason to start amundsen over gudi. I don't think amundsen has shown he gives us more than gudi at that position other than a bit more pace on the defensive end, but it seems pretty clear gudi can't go 90 minutes at even 80%. he needs a sub around the 60th minute. on the right, ronny wanted jasson there for his attacking ability, but i personally don't believe he's provided much attacking threat. by the time he's up the field, he's too tired to do much and that's not his fault. Gray looked great at that position in pre-season and gave us attacking threats down the right side. Can we really say Jasson gives us more attacking threat than Gray from the RWB position? I don't think so. Jasson is best at the front where he can make runs or get isolated for 1v1 while he still has the energy to take a player on.
I have a lot of criticisms but I do think the team has been doing very well considering all the injuries we've had the last few games. I think the team will only get better as Thiago and Talles get their rhythm and our starters return from injury. It is frustrating to watch as a fan to lose on two bangers. It felt a lot like the loss vs DC. but as you said, you can't plan for these things and sometimes, it's just the luck of the draw. CLB didn't win because they were better or we totally sucked. they won because of two masterful free kicks from a very good player (even if i think Johnson should have done better on the first one).
Brooklyn Blue
Registered
Two excellent points.
That noted, last night it was obvious that Gudi was exhausted - evidenced by the series of fouls he committed late. It was also obvious that Santos had figured out Jasson after he stole the ball twice late (perhaps three times?). The defense this year has been a strength and should be trusted, but this was the hottest game day of the year, on a bigger pitch, with a right wing back playing an unnatural position and a left wing back that consistently struggles to play a full 90 minutes.
This team will rely on its defense all season, and the attacking depth cannot enter the squad soon enough. But, last night in the singular was terrible substitution management and lost the team three points.
Fully agreed with respect to the referees. There was a mistake last week, but by and large officiating has been even. Better to play well enough so that it does not matter.
Everyone ready to dump johnson but Barazza ain’t getting no shot unless johnson is on NT duty or injured/suspended
I don’t think he’s starting keeper material but I only seen him like three games all preseason. (and I’m not counting the tigers game)
it’s no guarantee he won’t do the same mistakes johnson has been making because He has no first division experience.
he would of been a good candidate in 2019 to go on loan but they didn’t do it.
that being said now teams know how to beat johnson - long distance shots outside the box
I don’t think he’s starting keeper material but I only seen him like three games all preseason. (and I’m not counting the tigers game)
it’s no guarantee he won’t do the same mistakes johnson has been making because He has no first division experience.
he would of been a good candidate in 2019 to go on loan but they didn’t do it.
that being said now teams know how to beat johnson - long distance shots outside the box
I thought Gudi had his best game of the year last night. He was very good at proactively finding space and then making smart passes once he received the ball. Jasson was much better as well. I do think that having Jasson at RWB last week instead of Gray or Gloster cost us. Don’t think that’s the case yesterday. He did have a few defensive lapses that I noticed (though nothing Crew took advantage of) but he also had some VERY nice attacking sequences.
I’m chalking the late meltdown to the Crew getting their name back. They lost the 2 matches they played as Columbus SC, now they’re back as the Crew and pull out a late winner?
Brooklyn Blue
Registered
Gudi was poor, bordering on awful, in the last third of the game. Columbus consistently had success driving down the Gudi/Ibeagha side, and Gudi had two fouls in dangerous positions, including the one that led to the first free kick goal. I'll concur that in the first half he found space and was positive in the attacking half, but it is clear that he has exhibited a pattern of losing steam at or around the 60th minute. Deila needs to recognize this.
Jasson was very good in the first part of the game. However, he started to feel himself in the last third and the moves that worked early were stonewalled by Columbus late in the game, and his lost possession led directly to attacks, including the first free kick goal. I like Jasson. I like him more as an attacker where his proclivity to take on defenders doesn't have quite as high a risk to go with the reward.
Reviewing the game, it is abundantly clear that substitutions were needed earlier. By my count, from the 59th minute NYCFC committed 11 fouls whereas Columbus committed 1 foul. Part of this may be due to the defensive posture NYCFC had in the second half, but more of it was due to fatigue and tired defending.
Jasson’s crossing was awful, and a Wing back that can’t cross shouldn’t be on the field. His better moments were all skill Ives that amounted to nothing n
Good post. Regarding the above - I do consider Morales a starter. He started the last game before his injury and was excellent. I actually think with him, Maxi and Tinnerholm out, we are missing our 3 best players. Hopefully we get some of these guys back for the LAFC game - otherwise, it could be a long afternoon.
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I don’t know if this is the year for NYCFC, but it’s certainly not the year they take a big step backwards.
Says the man who predicted NYCFC would finish 8th.
Without giving the game 100% of my attention, I felt in the first half and around 15 minutes of the second that NYCFC looked like they were actually a step ahead of Columbus. It seemed like Columbia was fouling and embellishing fouls because they couldn’t quite match NYCFC’s intensity. The amount of positivity generated inside of the lobe where fandom is located was rather shocking for this generally cautiously optimistic to Casandra like supporter. I figured a second goal and smart substitutions would have us on our way to becoming the beast of the East.
Of course that paradigm came crashing down.
Was the crash inevitable? Does not having a Zelarayan make the difference? I feel like my daughters soccer team has NYCFCitis. Dominate the game, don’t finish and can’t close the deal.
Revisiting this thought, seems like a few high quality chances were flubbed with some very bad first touches by Medina, resulting in no xG being recorded in situations where there likely would have been some decent xG. Medina has been very good this year and I think this was just one of those tough outings that happens every now and then.
ETA: Related and also somewhat opposite of this point, that Taty cross to Medina where he flicked it up and volleyed was gorgeous. Great reaction save from Room unfortunately for us.
That's a great point about why I also dislike the xG stuff. It doesn't take into account stuff that came really close to being a shot, but didn't. And that happens a lot during games.
difficult to account for a good keeper. and taty's near miss is something that happens when trying to get a shot off in tight spaces.
what piss me off are when they have time and space and their shot isn't even anywhere near on frame. sky high or far wide. that just doesn't make sense to me.
That's how all statistics work though. They measure some things and leave others out. That's true in other sports, economics, whatever. And the more comprehensive any stat is, such as WAR in baseball, the less it tells you about any given thing.
But even in the situations Soup described, xG tells us something: there was a play where Taty sent a very nice ball through to Medina who was being chased by Santos on his left. So Medina tried kicking the ball forward and to his right, and ended up pushing it past the end line. So, a better touch from Medina might have avoided that, but also if Santos, an attacking MF, had not busted his ass to be the last defender back, Medina does not have to push the ball that way. Bad touch? Good defense? Something of both? In the end there was no shot, and the missing xG tells us something imperfect about the Crew's defense and about NYC's ability to create good shots. It cannot distinguish between "Santos forced a poor play" or "Medina's touch was off and that led to a missed opportunity" but that's like saying that knowing a batter went 0 for 5 doesn't tell you if it was good pitching or bad hitting. Not, it doesn't, but it's a start.
That first clip was the one I mentioned above. Wonderful cross from Taty and great technique from Medina to get off a powerful shot so quickly. Just a fantastic reaction save from Room.
According to American Soccer Analysis - NYCFC has had a higher expected goals than its opponent in every single game this season. It is 2-2-2.
DCU: 1.24-0.63
CIN: 2.20-1.13
PHI: 2.38-0.29
ORL: 1.57-0.55
TOR: 1.99-0.49
CLB: 1.09-0.45
DCU: 1.24-0.63
CIN: 2.20-1.13
PHI: 2.38-0.29
ORL: 1.57-0.55
TOR: 1.99-0.49
CLB: 1.09-0.45
