MLS - September 25 - Red Bulls (Home)

Seriously, does Deila have no clue how RBNJ plays? If you know that they will high press, then practice beating a high press with crisp passing and you will win, not hoofing it long or passing it to RB players. It looks like they had no idea how to beat a press.

also, if Keaton Parks is so important that you can’t progress the ball past the midfield stripe without him, MAYBE YOU SHOULD APPEAL THE RED CARD instead of saying “it’s too late for me to adjust my lineup.”

its your first game at YS in a month against your biggest rival and you literally gave up after the first 10 minutes. They were unprepared and that’s on the coach.

Ronny knows how the red bulls plays. He says plainly "they play like every other red bull team in the world" in every preview before a RB game.

His problem was putting two of the slowest and least athletic people in the midfield against a team who demands fast play and intensity to win 50/50 balls in the midfield.

We had nobody winning balls in the midfield. Instead, we were gifting them, like you said.

Ronny failed us. The players failed us for not taking it upon themselves to play the way they know how. Johnson, as captain, failed us. He had a straight face the entire game. Where was the emotion? Even after a nice save, he looked like a ghost.
 
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Def. should have gotten a PK in the 1st half when Klimala took out Taty in the box. Same exact foul committed by Santi in the 2nd half was called. PRO inconsistencies go against us yet again.

Can’t get a call to save our lives against RBNJ.

Another call was when Gutman was running with Heber and appeared to trip over his own feet but yet Heber gets called for a foul. Would have sent Heber in on goal.
 
The best chance was a Medina header that was right in front of goal and the keeper and easily saved. We didn’t create much real chances and it was obvious as both keepers were the men of the match. Ronny got the tactics wrong. Should have played 3 at the back with Callens, Sands, and Moralez.

Make the Pineapple Pretty Again!
 
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Can’t get a call to save our lives against RBNJ.

Another call was when Gutman was running with Heber and appeared to trip over his own feet but yet Heber gets called for a foul. Would have sent Heber in on goal.
That’s when I held up the “PRObably going to ruin the game” poster

Let the play unfold and if a goal is scored, video review would show a foul in the attacking phase of play.
 
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also, if Keaton Parks is so important that you can’t progress the ball past the midfield stripe without him, MAYBE YOU SHOULD APPEAL THE RED CARD instead of saying “it’s too late for me to adjust my lineup.”

Parks is important and should be in the best eleven, but there were options available tonight to replace him. The midfield should have been Acevedo/Maxi/Santi. It would have brought some movement to the midfield.

Morales needs to get the hell off the pitch. He stops ball movement, has a silly amount of passes deflected that turn into counter attacks, and plays like he thinks he is 23 instead of a stuck in mud 31.
 
Can’t get a call to save our lives against RBNJ.

Another call was when Gutman was running with Heber and appeared to trip over his own feet but yet Heber gets called for a foul. Would have sent Heber in on goal.

I would have thought so too, but even Heber didn't protest. So, there probably was contact. Running like that, even the slightest bit will cause a leg tangle.

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wtf happened to James Sands? Went from our solid, no mistakes wonder kid who should be going to europe to barely a 5/10 rating with multiple mistakes and looking like a shell of his former self. I get he's been playing out of position, but damn. He hasn't been the same since the gold cup call up.

Parks is important and should be in the best eleven, but there were options available tonight to replace him. The midfield should have been Acevedo/Maxi/Santi. It would have brought some movement to the midfield.

Morales needs to get the hell off the pitch. He stops ball movement, has a silly amount of passes deflected that turn into counter attacks, and plays like he thinks he is 23 instead of a stuck in mud 31.

Joe and Ian said Santi did not start because he (santi) told Ronny that he didn't feel fit enough to start.

I would have started Vuk and Callens at CB. Put Sands at D-mid with Acevedo and Maxi. Then bring Santi on when he was ready. I would have also swapped isi with Talles when Gutman started showing he was going to be super defense. Let talles body him up and let Isi run at what's his face on the right and at least give us some nice crosses into the box working with gudi.

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The best chance was a Medina header that was right in front of goal and the keeper and easily saved. We didn’t create much real chances and it was obvious as both keepers were the men of the match. Ronny got the tactics wrong. Should have played 3 at the back with Callens, Sands, and Moralez.

Make the Pineapple Pretty Again!

watching that Medina header again, he is WIDE open in front of goal - no defender near him - but yet heads it straight on right at the keeper. Should have just headed it down and it is so much harder to stop on the bounce - see John Brooks against Ghana in 2014 WC.
 
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watching that Medina header again, he is WIDE open in front of goal - no defender near him - but yet heads it straight on right at the keeper. Should have just headed it down and it is so much harder to stop on the bounce - see John Brooks against Ghana in 2014 WC.

After that play, either Ian or Joe said.. "heading is not a strong part of his game" and that made me really think... what IS the strong part of his game? Maybe his work ethic? But tonight, he was a 2nd half sub and he did not run as much as he usually does.
 
I would have thought so too, but even Heber didn't protest. So, there probably was contact. Running like that, even the slightest bit will cause a leg tangle.

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wtf happened to James Sands? Went from our solid, no mistakes wonder kid who should be going to europe to barely a 5/10 rating with multiple mistakes and looking like a shell of his former self. I get he's been playing out of position, but damn. He hasn't been the same since the gold cup call up.



Joe and Ian said Santi did not start because he (santi) told Ronny that he didn't feel fit enough to start.

I would have started Vuk and Callens at CB. Put Sands at D-mid with Acevedo and Maxi. Then bring Santi on when he was ready. I would have also swapped isi with Talles when Gutman started showing he was going to be super defense. Let talles body him up and let Isi run at what's his face on the right and at least give us some nice crosses into the box working with gudi.

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Was it Sands who almost scored an owned goal in the first half? I couldnt get a good look if it was him or not.
 
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I would have thought so too, but even Heber didn't protest. So, there probably was contact. Running like that, even the slightest bit will cause a leg tangle.

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wtf happened to James Sands? Went from our solid, no mistakes wonder kid who should be going to europe to barely a 5/10 rating with multiple mistakes and looking like a shell of his former self. I get he's been playing out of position, but damn. He hasn't been the same since the gold cup call up.



Joe and Ian said Santi did not start because he (santi) told Ronny that he didn't feel fit enough to start.

I would have started Vuk and Callens at CB. Put Sands at D-mid with Acevedo and Maxi. Then bring Santi on when he was ready. I would have also swapped isi with Talles when Gutman started showing he was going to be super defense. Let talles body him up and let Isi run at what's his face on the right and at least give us some nice crosses into the box working with gudi.

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If Santi couldn't start, this makes sense.

As the season proceeds, it is clear to me that my greatest frustration is a lineup with two defensive midfielders. Suspensions happen, injuries happen, but with the current squad there should be no reason to have such a midfield - unless we want to preserve a two goal lead.

Any combination of Acevedo/Morales/Sands in the midfield kills the flow. Chanot and Callens are as reliable a back two as one could want in MLS. There are a surplus of attacking options. Playing multiple defensive midfielders directly negates two of the biggest strengths of the team. It makes no sense.

Johnson
Tinnerholm Chanot Callens Gudi
Sands (or Acevedo)
Maxi Parks (or Santi)
Medina (Thiago) Taty (Heber) Isi (Magno)

[Morales on a plane back to Germany].

Use the squad you have. Don't force it into a mismatched formation. This team is built to win 3-2, not 1-0. Embrace it.
 
I can't see us making any meaningful run anywhere if this is how we keep playing in big games. Useless team. Can't even beat our own rivals with two chances while they have a stinker of a season.
 
Asking an honest question. Why sub out Callens and have Morales play CB instead of just having morales come out for Heber? I didn’t understand that move. If you’re worried about D-mid coverage, that’s what Sands can do.

My favorite quote of the night was my fiancée asking me “if we have like all our attackers on the field, why does number 7 still holding onto the ball every other pass?” That or, “There aren’t timeouts, right?”
 
That was just terrible. Huge crowd, huge expectations, and you play like that. Just terrible. On the point about Sands -- the kid hasn't had a break all season -- all star game, national team, starting every game for us. He looks like he needs a break. Maybe he's just hit a wall with playing through the fixture congestion. We forget that he's 21 -- and he's never stayed healthy for a full season before. He might just be gassed.

So frustrating to watch this team tonight. They looked like they had no idea how to break Red Bulls down. Unbelievable that we lost at home to them. Inexcusable performance. One win in the last six games, so clearly this team is slumping, but they really need to figure this thing out. Only three points away from the postseason cut line. We thought this team was one of the best teams in MLS, but they need to start playing like it.
 
Asking an honest question. Why sub out Callens and have Morales play CB instead of just having morales come out for Heber? I didn’t understand that move. If you’re worried about D-mid coverage, that’s what Sands can do.

My favorite quote of the night was my fiancée asking me “if we have like all our attackers on the field, why does number 7 still holding onto the ball every other pass?” That or, “There aren’t timeouts, right?”

Callens has been nursing a back injury since the international break. Reason he didn't start last game and likely the reason he got subbed tonight. He was definitely showing signs of back pain in the first half.
 
Was it Sands who almost scored an owned goal in the first half? I couldnt get a good look if it was him or not.

Yes it was him. Couldn't get his feet sorted and knocked it toward goal. Luckily, Johnson was alert. Johnson has a pretty good game and saved us from having a much more embarrassing evening
 
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Callens has been nursing a back injury since the international break. Reason he didn't start last game and likely the reason he got subbed tonight. He was definitely showing signs of back pain in the first half.

If Callens is hurt, he should sit. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a dependable backup CB like Ibeagha…oh wait.

Seb was traded because he wanted playing time - the ironic thing is since NYCFC traded Seb, they’ve had multiple CB absences where Seb would have slotted in nicely (cough Nashville cough).
 
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wtf happened to James Sands? Went from our solid, no mistakes wonder kid who should be going to europe to barely a 5/10 rating with multiple mistakes and looking like a shell of his former self. I get he's been playing out of position, but damn. He hasn't been the same since the gold cup call up.

Sands will get some rest, I believe he’s out in the next game due to YC accumulation.

I hope that he doesn’t get called up to the October qualifiers. He’s probably not going to play anyway for the USMNT and just seems like he could use a break.
 
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Sands will get some rest, I believe he’s out in the next game due to YC accumulation.

I hope that he doesn’t get called up to the October qualifiers. He’s probably not going to play anyway for the USMNT and just seems like he could use a break.
Why wouldn’t he play?