MLS has kept most of the preseason action off of screens across the country this year, so the first time we get to see the Crew is just a couple weeks out from season start. Last night the Crew took on Phoenix Rising FC in the opening match of the 2020 Visit Tucson Sun Cup in Tucson.
One game is about four short of what I need to get a good idea of the overall quality of any team, but there are things we can pull that tell us what direction the team is going. So, here we go:
THE GOOD
1. The team looked fairly energetic. Sometimes these preseason games can be flat.
2. Organized. There is a risk, at least from my point of view, that the players won't respond well to Porter's ways. I didn't sense frustration.
3. Room looked solid in goal. Had a couple big saves.
THE NOT AS GOOD
1. Play was chaotic. A lot of that is early preseason stuff, but after years of Berhalter we've been spoiled by the Crew have a style of play. I didn't see that last night.
2. Zelarayan - for what the Crew paid, you expect him to stand out. Phoenix is a good team, but players like Zelarayan should shine in these games. Late assists in preseason games can come from any quality of player.
3. I still don't think the Crew are going to score much with Zardes up top. I think with Adi in there they have a couple goals when it was strength on strength lineups.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: ZELARAYAN
I've started to put together my Eastern Conference preseason ratings for teams (like last year) and of course, I'm starting with Columbus. A lot of that time has been spent trying to figure out where Zelarayan falls on the player quality scale because what I'm finding is that he isn't an A+ or even a B+ player in CONCACAF like I thought he was (and like his fee dictates).
Where I find myself putting Zelarayan is somewhere between Pedro Santos and Federico Higuain. I know the team wants the next Higuain (who was the next GBS), but between available data online (which is a lot!) and what I saw last night, I'm not seeing it. Higuain had a maturity and "presence" on the pitch that Zelarayan did not have last night. One game, but I still remember Higuain's first few times out and you could definitely sense that there was an outstanding player and person out there.
Columbus went big on Zelarayan. The fee paid suggests a player a degree or two better than any player to have ever put on a Crew kit. A lot to live up to. It's way, way early to start asking questions. But it isn't too early to make a note of it.
Showing posts with label preseason. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preseason. Show all posts
Sunday, February 16, 2020
Friday, January 18, 2019
Preseason Look: Columbus Crew
It's interesting to see Pedro Santos at a 72, a team best. Fans directed a lot of bad vibes his way due to lack of performance. Some of that deserved, most of it not. If you watch him play, you can see the quality. Vision, positioning, passing, quickness with the ball. He has a lot of good attributes.
Something that will hurt Columbus come summer will be Zack Steffen leaving for England, but his replacement is a solid Joe Bendik (69). I would not be surprised if he got more games as the summer approaches and Columbus decides to keep Steffen healthy.
A couple of other players to keep an eye on in regards to leaving are Wil Trapp (let's say, 30% chance of leaving) and Gyasi Zardes (51% chance). The latest addition to the team this year is Robinho, a mid-20s Brazilian midfielder. I don't have a lot of info on him outside a mediocre FM rating. I'm sure he was brought in to pair with Artur (whose name I misspelled in the graphic! but leaving it) a bit. Not just on the pitch but have a buddy off it.
Another couple notes one what Columbus has going for them: 1. Their bench is strong and filled with MLS experience, and 2. Carry-over minutes from 2018 is a good predictor of success in 2019.
I'm looking for Columbus to be a motivated side this year because of new ownership. While they've lost a good MLS coach, they've gained a stable one in Caleb Porter. I expect Columbus to finish closer to the middle of the Eastern Conference than last year, however.
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Current Crew Roster
Preseason training is here and in a little under a month the team travels to Hawaii to start tuning up with some games. Time to take a snapshot of the Crew roster and identify where the team is headed.
2018 Estimate : Name
$1,050,000 : Federico Higuain
$844,000 : Jonathan Mensah
$731,000 : Pedro Santos
$500,000 : Ola Kamara*
$350,000 : Wil Trapp
$350,000 : Justin Meram*
$300,000 : Harrison Afful
$250,000 : Gaston Sauro
$200,000 : Mike Grella
$175,000 : Mohammed Abu
$150,000 : Hector Jimenez
$125,000 : Artur
$120,000 : Josh Williams
$105,000 : Zack Steffen
$95,000 : Adam Jahn
$85,000 : Alex Crognale
$75,000 : Eduardo Sosa
$73,000 : Niko Hansen
$73,000 : Lalas Abubakar
$73,000 : Cristian Martinez
$65,004 : Jon Kempin
$53,004 : Logan Ketterer
$53,004 : Connor Maloney
Notes:
- 23 players filling up a possible squad of 28, as things stand.
- ~$5.8m in wages, last summer it was $6.7m
- Team has about $1.0m to play with
*The big thing:
The future of 2018 roster makeup hinges on Justin Meram and Ola Kamara, who have both expressed interest in leaving. Should one or both depart, they would be taking 60% of team goals (31/53) with them (Chicago, NYRB and NYCFC only teams higher). It creates a huge hole. Some of that will be made up by the arrival of Grella and increased scoring output from Santos (either by himself or contribution to others increasing their output from last year).
The team is clearly a playoff contender as-is, but I do expect Kamara and or Meram leaving. Kamara's the player that people want. Meram being the player others can afford.
Berhalter and company have room to play, so they are in a good position to fill gaps, should that happen. If it does, I expect the team to be fairly up and down early in the season, but the number of home games will help keep the positivity going.
It's difficult to foresee the overall impact of what's going on around the team and the move to Austin. I've head that players are confused and not sure what to say or do. It's an awful position to be in. It can also be taxing, emotionally. I expect that players that do have options (or feel they are desirable to others) will just not want to deal with the drama surrounding the team.
Outside of Kamara and Meram that would be Mensah, Higuain, Grella and Afful, who I see as guys who might not want to put up with it and seek a move at some point during the season. The rest of the squad is fairly set.
On the coaching, team admin side, the announcements by Kamara and Meram put a lot of work on Berhalter's desk.
2018 Estimate : Name
$1,050,000 : Federico Higuain
$844,000 : Jonathan Mensah
$731,000 : Pedro Santos
$500,000 : Ola Kamara*
$350,000 : Wil Trapp
$350,000 : Justin Meram*
$300,000 : Harrison Afful
$250,000 : Gaston Sauro
$200,000 : Mike Grella
$175,000 : Mohammed Abu
$150,000 : Hector Jimenez
$125,000 : Artur
$120,000 : Josh Williams
$105,000 : Zack Steffen
$95,000 : Adam Jahn
$85,000 : Alex Crognale
$75,000 : Eduardo Sosa
$73,000 : Niko Hansen
$73,000 : Lalas Abubakar
$73,000 : Cristian Martinez
$65,004 : Jon Kempin
$53,004 : Logan Ketterer
$53,004 : Connor Maloney
Notes:
- 23 players filling up a possible squad of 28, as things stand.
- ~$5.8m in wages, last summer it was $6.7m
- Team has about $1.0m to play with
*The big thing:
The future of 2018 roster makeup hinges on Justin Meram and Ola Kamara, who have both expressed interest in leaving. Should one or both depart, they would be taking 60% of team goals (31/53) with them (Chicago, NYRB and NYCFC only teams higher). It creates a huge hole. Some of that will be made up by the arrival of Grella and increased scoring output from Santos (either by himself or contribution to others increasing their output from last year).
The team is clearly a playoff contender as-is, but I do expect Kamara and or Meram leaving. Kamara's the player that people want. Meram being the player others can afford.
Berhalter and company have room to play, so they are in a good position to fill gaps, should that happen. If it does, I expect the team to be fairly up and down early in the season, but the number of home games will help keep the positivity going.
It's difficult to foresee the overall impact of what's going on around the team and the move to Austin. I've head that players are confused and not sure what to say or do. It's an awful position to be in. It can also be taxing, emotionally. I expect that players that do have options (or feel they are desirable to others) will just not want to deal with the drama surrounding the team.
Outside of Kamara and Meram that would be Mensah, Higuain, Grella and Afful, who I see as guys who might not want to put up with it and seek a move at some point during the season. The rest of the squad is fairly set.
On the coaching, team admin side, the announcements by Kamara and Meram put a lot of work on Berhalter's desk.
Saturday, February 4, 2017
The Montreal Impact are from San Jose, California
The scoreline through two preseason friendlies for Crew SC against Brazilian competition isn't pretty - 10-0, if the handful of reports online are true.
You will not find that on the Crew social or site news feeds. Some might say that it isn't meaningful enough to comment on. But, is it not? And what of the larger picture of general talent levels this rare event of an MLS team traveling outside their comfort zone gives us?
What is happening in Brazil can't help but overshadow training when your team isn't able to manage a single goal after conceding ten in just two sessions/games. Is part of the mission to get some important team building time in and learn a new system? Absolutely. But, players are competitors. None of them play at a pro level without having won a lot at some point in their life.
Because of the complexity of purpose in the preseason, this doesn't mean that what is happening down is Brazil to the Crew is necessarily bad. After all, failure is an important part of learning. It is entirely possible that when the team returns back to the MLS bubble to play in South Carolina they will be two steps ahead. Maybe even closer as a group for having made the journey. But, you see? This is the very part of what matters about preseason. Why it is important to think about how this impacts the group going into 2017.
The second part of this unusual expedition by Columbus to a foreign land is that it gives us a rare opportunity to see MLS players outside of their comfort zone. You can even lump the overall USMNT program into this. All of them are accustom to playing in friendly and familiar environments.
Much of this is extremely planned out, not for the sake of getting better but for the sake of building a positive narrative. Positive momentum. Look at your EA FIFA game or even Sega's Football Manager. The player ratings and value of MLS and USMNT players is so far inflated when you put it up against reality... it's ridiculous. Look at where players are. US born and trained players rarely transfer for over $500k and there are practically zero performing at all, let alone well, in the top five leagues in the world.
The US Soccer Federation has done such a remarkable job at creating a "product" by carefully curating when and where things happen that it has many believing a fantasy.
Did you watch the "January Camp" USMNT games this past week? Another example of "preseason" and the excuses we get along with it. Excuses flowed for below standard players and lack of energy despite having a new coach while playing in extremely friendly confines of carefully selected cities that MLS wants to squeeze over 100 million dollars from.
All of this is okay if you look at it for what it is, but that doesn't happen as often as it should. The narrative of "it's just warming up" took hold for the USMNT this past week because the play was not good. Imagine if results against a Serbian "C" team (jumping 4 time zones) and a Jamaican team, who look like they were just scrambled together, went well? Now imagine if this USMNT made up of MLS players traveled to Serbia to play or even a neutral site.
The reality of the situation is that if the US played more of a balanced international home and away schedule the marketability of the product would suffer (take a look at the US record away the last few years, or even games in Texas or southern California). We are starting to see this with the women's national team as well, although the forces at work there are different in regards to the global game.
Going back to the rare event that is the Columbus Crew making the trek down to Brazil.
Well... back up. I'll get to the Crew in a minute.
Let's go back a few years to 2014 when Fluminense FC traveled up to Orlando to play in what then was called the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic. A fun tournament and a great way to see a lot of teams all in one place in a short period of time.
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| U23 Fluminense FC, March 2014 |
That year Fluminense FC fielded a U23 team in the tournament that in reality was mostly a group made up of teenagers.
What was immediately and strikingly different was the way Fluminense handled each of these stages. Their pregame warm-ups were different. It was intense but controlled. Organized. Most of it away from the goal and in small groups, all close to a ball. Coaches close by. Across the field was Toronto FC, their next opponent. It was random. Players 50 yards apart launching passes. There was also, what appeared to be, a shooting drill from outside the box that looked not unlike one you might see before a high school basketball game. There were also players clustered around the sideline talking with coaches or players from other teams in the stands. It was very casual.
Fluminense controlled the match from the whistle. Even after scoring early they didn't change their approach to the match. When Toronto's newly signed Michael Bradley scored from a free kick 25 yards out, Fluminense just continued about things, weaving in and out of TFC defenders, and jumped back ahead not long after.
Behind the stands was a collection of Crew players arriving to get warmed up. They were doing what looked to be shuttle runs in between chatting and stretching. Players arrived intermittently but were more focused than the other MLS teams there. It was Gregg Berhalter's first preseason and no doubt that had something to do with it.
In the stands with the fans was a collection of Philadelphia Union players sitting behind Fluminense bench watching. Attention and conversation was centered around a player named Fabinho, who is from Brazil and has played for no less than ten teams as a pro and as far away as Australia before being signed by MLS. The English speaking US players were poking fun at him for thinking that the Montreal Impact were from San Jose, California. Fabinho, who is still with the Union, was sitting sort of separate from the group and seemed more interested in what Fluminense were doing.
[U23 Fluminense in white, Toronto FC in Red. March 2014]
As the game progressed there as a change to the attention of the Philly players. They were all watching more intently. Toronto was being outplayed and it wasn't even close. Anyone who watches soccer knows the familiar possession statistic can often be misleading, which it is, but it wouldn't have been here. And, if there was something that measured control of the ball it would have been 90% Fluminense. Toronto couldn't figure out how to get the ball for most of the match.
THE UNUSUAL EXPEDITION
Columbus is in the final act of a three-part play down in Brazil right now. In the first act Crew SC prepares, travels, brushes the cobwebs out and loses to São Paulo 7-0 in two games consisting of four 25 minute periods. The second act had the team playing a closed door match against Gremio Osasco last night where they were beaten 3-0. The final act is a preseason match against Ituano on Monday. It might not be a great play so far, but it may turn out to be an important one.
[Columbus Crew SC in gray. Sao Paulo in red/black. February 2017]
Win or lose, these games are valuable for Columbus if the leadership handles the experience correctly and no question it is and trip of a lifetime for many of the players. The hope is that everyone in the organization is sitting up, paying attention. Taking notes. Taking it in.
Will all this matter when the games finally matter? That's a tricky one. When do MLS games matter? Summer? Fall? Looking at it this way you can make an argument that these games are even more important than half of the domestic season and for most of the players who don't see time, this is the moment of their year.
It matters.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Crew SC Behind Curve After ATX Pro Challenge, Player Evals
After a messy first half against FC Dallas in the semifinal match, Crew SC rounded off this mini-event with a so-so affair with the Austin Aztex. Not a whole lot to dig into yet regarding the Crew SC preseason other than the excitement / energy / newness of last year is gone. Gregg Berhalter has some work ahead of him. They are a little behind where they were last year at this time.
With that. It's only two preseason games. Not big on grading players but I feel like it's fair enough to evaluate a player on a performance based on whether or not they met expectations based on their role with the team and expected talent level.
A "1" given for a player exceeding what I expected, "0" meeting it and a "-1" falling short.
Name... FC Dallas , Austin Aztex = Final
Did well in Austin:
Hernan Grana... 1 , 0 = 1
Waylon Francis... 1 , 0 = 1
Tony Tchani... 1 , 0 = 1
Ethan Finlay... 1 , 0 = 1
Kristinn Steindorsson... 1 , 0 = 1
Chad Barson... 0 , 1 = 1
Justin Meram... 0 , 1 = 1
Mohammed Saeid... 0 , 1 = 1
Brad Stuver... 1 , DNP = 1
Met Expectations:
Federico Higuain... 0 , 0 = 0
Kei Kamara... 0 , 0 = 0
Tyson Wahl... 0 , 0 = 0
Kalen Ryden... 0 , 0 = 0
Ben Speas... 0 , 0 = 0
Matt Lampson... DNP , 0 = 0
Ben Swanson... DNP , 0 = 0
Wil Trapp... DNP , 0 = 0
Adam Bedell... DNP , 0 = 0
Michael Parkhust... 0 , DNP = 0
Romain Gall... 0 , DNP = 0
Sergio Campbell... DNP , 0 = 0
Fell Below Expectations:
Steve Clark... -1 , 0 = -1
Hector Jimenez... -1 , 0 = -1
Kevan George... -1 , DNP = -1
Aaron Schoenfeld... -1 , DNP = -1
Emanuel Pogatetz... -1 , DNP = -1
Chris Klute... -1 , -1 = -2
With that. It's only two preseason games. Not big on grading players but I feel like it's fair enough to evaluate a player on a performance based on whether or not they met expectations based on their role with the team and expected talent level.
A "1" given for a player exceeding what I expected, "0" meeting it and a "-1" falling short.
Name... FC Dallas , Austin Aztex = Final
Did well in Austin:
Hernan Grana... 1 , 0 = 1
Waylon Francis... 1 , 0 = 1
Tony Tchani... 1 , 0 = 1
Ethan Finlay... 1 , 0 = 1
Kristinn Steindorsson... 1 , 0 = 1
Chad Barson... 0 , 1 = 1
Justin Meram... 0 , 1 = 1
Mohammed Saeid... 0 , 1 = 1
Brad Stuver... 1 , DNP = 1
Met Expectations:
Federico Higuain... 0 , 0 = 0
Kei Kamara... 0 , 0 = 0
Tyson Wahl... 0 , 0 = 0
Kalen Ryden... 0 , 0 = 0
Ben Speas... 0 , 0 = 0
Matt Lampson... DNP , 0 = 0
Ben Swanson... DNP , 0 = 0
Wil Trapp... DNP , 0 = 0
Adam Bedell... DNP , 0 = 0
Michael Parkhust... 0 , DNP = 0
Romain Gall... 0 , DNP = 0
Sergio Campbell... DNP , 0 = 0
Fell Below Expectations:
Steve Clark... -1 , 0 = -1
Hector Jimenez... -1 , 0 = -1
Kevan George... -1 , DNP = -1
Aaron Schoenfeld... -1 , DNP = -1
Emanuel Pogatetz... -1 , DNP = -1
Chris Klute... -1 , -1 = -2
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| Hernan Grana |
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Preseason: Crew Down TFC, the Williams Goal
At the end of it all the Crew won 3:1. Gregg Berhalter has to be satisfied with what he saw as no goals have been scored on his side after two preseason matches (1:0 against Malmo and the one vs. TFC was an own goal).
Since fans only got about 30 mins of action from a 90 min match for this one, let's just take a look at the vitals...
If Berhalter wanted to see what Williams had going forward, he got it in that great goal. I don't think he was looking at Wahl as a CB (Wahl was the culprit in the own goal).
Federico Higuain scored the other goal in the first half with a free kick. The guy is quality and the Crew have wasted him last year and a half. Hoping that changes.
FINAL THOUGHT on 2ND PRESEASON GAME
The Crew are still feeling the team out and working on fitness. It was a very nice bonus to handle Toronto FC as well as they did. Josh Williams' goal was one to remember. The touch and strike are good, but the fact that Michael Bradley was to his left as he shot and he beat Julio Cesar in goal was just great.
There's nothing really to criticize the Crew on thus far this offseason. Berhalter and co. seem to be feeling out the roster more than anything. Results in the first couple preseason games are a bonus.
Next up is a game on Saturday against the Philadelphia Union.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Indy Eleven Preseason Update, Sporting KC
The scrimmage was scheduled for 105 (60+45') so both teams could run out a good number of players. KC fielded their first team which right now see's Eric Kronberg over former Crew GK Andy Gruenebaum (60th min sub).
Indy is still trying to fill up their roster and fielded a number of trialists who where not named. The asterisk* indicates an unnamed trialist.
1ST HALF (60') LINEUP:
Kristian Nicht
RB*, CB*, CB* Kyle Hyland
Pedro Mendes, Brad Ring, CM*, Walter Ramirez
Mike Ambersley (Don Smart 46’), FW*
2ND HALF (45') LINEUP:
GK*
Chris Wey, CB*, CB*, Baba Omosegbon
Don Smart, CM*, CM*, LM
FW*, FW*
The game was not streamed so lineups and goals will have to tell the story here. With that, after Indy scored 20 seconds after kickoff (unnamed trialist), KC's 1st team responded mercilessly by putting three goals past Nicht in the first 45 minutes.
It appears the team is still focused on finding key players for a starting roster and were not capable in taking on KC with a full side. Area of real need seems to be at center back.
It is notable that Indy did not concede in the last 45 against a KC team that featured Mechack Jerome, Lawrence Olum, Dom Dwyer, Jacob Peterson, Soony Sadd and Sal Zizzo. Those are some good players.
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Indy played another MLS side just a couple days prior against Vancouver, where Pedro Mendes and Don Smart put a couple past a very unfinished 'Caps side in a 2:3 loss.
Full recaps and quotes can be found at Indy's site.
Next up, Indy takes the field Wednesday, Feb 12th vs. Portland Timbers (MLS) – Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, AZ – 8:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm MT. The game is not listed for streaming at the moment but stay tuned here if anything changes.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Crew Preseason Match 1, Malmo
Head Coach Gregg Berhalter got to see his first two weeks of training put to competitive action yesterday against Swedish Allsvenskan side Malmo FF.
Florida is a regular destination for Malmo during their winter preseason break as the Crew have faced them before. Cool fact about Malmo is that since the finished first last year they will be playing in 2014/15 UEFA Champions league.
LINEUPS, GAME
Berhalter played a different eleven in each half with no subs in either. He seemed to balance the two sides out but going back over the match it appears the 2nd half side was the stronger one.
Not a whole lot as far as performance to comment on other than there are a few players that appear to be getting a chance to showcase in front of the coaches.
The first half saw the familiar to Crew fans 4-2-3-1 with somewhat predictable results when both Baiden and Trapp aren't venturing forward. Ryan Finley didn't have a whole lot to work with, especially with Higuain playing at preseason pace.
The newcomers were clustered on the left hand side in defense. Fifi Baiden played a holding role, Ben Sweat at left back and Patrick Slogic at Center Back.
Malmo was able to find space on that side in the early going but Sweat and Slogic held their own in defense. Sweat looked slightly more comfortable atop energetic legs. Baiden saw a good bit of the ball but there wasn't anything much to note from him past half field (not much from Trapp there either).
For the parts of the 2nd half the Crew played more of a 4-3-3 because of the high pressure that Meram, Oduro and Arrieta applied. It also looked that way in attack. The goal that came of it might have been a bit sloppy from a corner - but it this lineup deserved one.
The 2nd half group didn't have a experience gap outside of Ross Friedman getting to play as Right Back. If they had, Malmo would have scored because they seemed to be playing with a good deal of determination and intensity (even over that of the New England match a few days before).
Steve Clark played well... of note.
-------------------
FINAL THOUGHTS
Exciting to see some of what Berhalter has been working on. He is playing a premium on figuring out his roster but selfishly I would have liked to see a full strength lineup after the team spent a half month of nothing but training.
As we have it, combining the 1st and 2nd half lineups sort of gives you your projected season opening lineup if you pull out that left deep side in the 1st 45 with the 2nd half group.
With Oduro playing on the right side we might see Jimenez as a 60th minute sub type and Arrieta over Finley.
There were a handful of outfield guys that were healthy scratches in Tony Tchani, Shawn Sloan, Ethan Finlay, Aaron Schoenfeld and Matt Walker. The feeling is here with these players is that the coaching staff knows what they have in them (good or bad).
Crew travel back to Columbus for the weekend before heading back down to Orlando to train and participate in the Disney Classic.
Florida is a regular destination for Malmo during their winter preseason break as the Crew have faced them before. Cool fact about Malmo is that since the finished first last year they will be playing in 2014/15 UEFA Champions league.
LINEUPS, GAME
Not a whole lot as far as performance to comment on other than there are a few players that appear to be getting a chance to showcase in front of the coaches.
The first half saw the familiar to Crew fans 4-2-3-1 with somewhat predictable results when both Baiden and Trapp aren't venturing forward. Ryan Finley didn't have a whole lot to work with, especially with Higuain playing at preseason pace.
The newcomers were clustered on the left hand side in defense. Fifi Baiden played a holding role, Ben Sweat at left back and Patrick Slogic at Center Back.
Malmo was able to find space on that side in the early going but Sweat and Slogic held their own in defense. Sweat looked slightly more comfortable atop energetic legs. Baiden saw a good bit of the ball but there wasn't anything much to note from him past half field (not much from Trapp there either).
The 2nd half group didn't have a experience gap outside of Ross Friedman getting to play as Right Back. If they had, Malmo would have scored because they seemed to be playing with a good deal of determination and intensity (even over that of the New England match a few days before).
Steve Clark played well... of note.
-------------------
FINAL THOUGHTS
Exciting to see some of what Berhalter has been working on. He is playing a premium on figuring out his roster but selfishly I would have liked to see a full strength lineup after the team spent a half month of nothing but training.
As we have it, combining the 1st and 2nd half lineups sort of gives you your projected season opening lineup if you pull out that left deep side in the 1st 45 with the 2nd half group.
With Oduro playing on the right side we might see Jimenez as a 60th minute sub type and Arrieta over Finley.
There were a handful of outfield guys that were healthy scratches in Tony Tchani, Shawn Sloan, Ethan Finlay, Aaron Schoenfeld and Matt Walker. The feeling is here with these players is that the coaching staff knows what they have in them (good or bad).
Crew travel back to Columbus for the weekend before heading back down to Orlando to train and participate in the Disney Classic.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Crew Preseason: Rough Stats, Clearer Picture
There are more than a few reasons to run a player out during preseason scrimmages. Biggest reason is probably fitness for senior level / first team guys. Other reasons being things like player evaluation, chemistry, just filling in for injured starter, etc.
With that in mind; I decided to sum up the minutes, goals and assists from the three preseason runabouts against Malmo (Sweden), U17's (USA), Seattle (Supersonica). I put it on Google Docs. It is to be taken for what it is worth, responsible reader.
10 things stood out to me:
1. Club isn't sold on Francis at Left Back. I'm not either, honestly. Hard for a guy his size to make it in MLS at Back. Difficult story with him in that when he finally got healthy they dropped Iro and moved Josh Gardner to the bench. Heavy expectations.
A 24 yr old Londoner with some Swindon Town experience named Kasali Yinka Casal is getting a good hard look. Lancelot Laing (Jamaica) is also getting a nice glare as well but it may be more of a convenience thing. He plays for Ft. Lauderdale (NASL).
2. Gaven, Miranda, O'Rourke, Hesmer, and Balchan saw limited minutes in the three preseason games but will be regular 1st team players. Balchan might be looking at a long year though. Nagging injuries.
3. Based on minutes and known injures and reports on the internets, I see the 1st team this way:
GK. Hesmer
D. Miranda, Marshall, Mendes, Francis
MF. Gaven, O'Rourke, Mirosevic, Anor
F. Renteria, Vargas
B. Gruenebaum, Heinemann, Meram, Finlay, Open D, Open F, Open MF
4. Dilly Duka will be in the first team but I'm leaving him off for now. Why? It will be hard for him to find time at club level if the US team makes it to London. The CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament starts end of March. The US has the easier group so I expect Duka to have very sparse duty with the Crew. Hoping it isn't a disruption when he is back in town, really.
5. Barring any more injury, the final bench D. spot will be fought for between Gehrig, Williams, and Perry (not looking to Balchan yet, injuries). In that order.
6. Open Forward sub will be between Horton and Speas. Speas carrying an injury and needs some experience. Horton will probably carry that spot.
7. Open MF. Not a given for Tchani. I see Grossman getting the same amount of time this offseason and getting a good look. Veeder has actually toped both of them over the three games with mins. And Urso is a dark horse here. I expect Tchani to take this spot. I'm pulling for him but the team needs a stable force out there.
8. I do believe that Ethan Finlay has earned a spot. 1st team right now. Has a couple assists to Tommy in the U17 game and has seen the same amount of mins as Marshall, Mendes and Mirosevic. Good group to be with.
9. Last one, promise. Eric Gehrig. I've really grown to like this guy over the course of last season. I could see the improvement. He also seems like a genuinely good guy. His versatility (CDM or CB/D) will probably keep him playing 1st team duty all year.
10. Just a round number I used. Ummm, Kevan George was the only player to notch a goal AND an assist in the first 3 preseason games. How's that? Ten worthy, I'd say.
11. Woops. Eleven now? Julius James. He's got some sort of shoulder thing. Seems like something that may keep him away from 1st team for months.
With that in mind; I decided to sum up the minutes, goals and assists from the three preseason runabouts against Malmo (Sweden), U17's (USA), Seattle (Supersonica). I put it on Google Docs. It is to be taken for what it is worth, responsible reader.
10 things stood out to me:
1. Club isn't sold on Francis at Left Back. I'm not either, honestly. Hard for a guy his size to make it in MLS at Back. Difficult story with him in that when he finally got healthy they dropped Iro and moved Josh Gardner to the bench. Heavy expectations.
A 24 yr old Londoner with some Swindon Town experience named Kasali Yinka Casal is getting a good hard look. Lancelot Laing (Jamaica) is also getting a nice glare as well but it may be more of a convenience thing. He plays for Ft. Lauderdale (NASL).
2. Gaven, Miranda, O'Rourke, Hesmer, and Balchan saw limited minutes in the three preseason games but will be regular 1st team players. Balchan might be looking at a long year though. Nagging injuries.
3. Based on minutes and known injures and reports on the internets, I see the 1st team this way:
GK. Hesmer
D. Miranda, Marshall, Mendes, Francis
MF. Gaven, O'Rourke, Mirosevic, Anor
F. Renteria, Vargas
B. Gruenebaum, Heinemann, Meram, Finlay, Open D, Open F, Open MF
4. Dilly Duka will be in the first team but I'm leaving him off for now. Why? It will be hard for him to find time at club level if the US team makes it to London. The CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament starts end of March. The US has the easier group so I expect Duka to have very sparse duty with the Crew. Hoping it isn't a disruption when he is back in town, really.
5. Barring any more injury, the final bench D. spot will be fought for between Gehrig, Williams, and Perry (not looking to Balchan yet, injuries). In that order.
6. Open Forward sub will be between Horton and Speas. Speas carrying an injury and needs some experience. Horton will probably carry that spot.
7. Open MF. Not a given for Tchani. I see Grossman getting the same amount of time this offseason and getting a good look. Veeder has actually toped both of them over the three games with mins. And Urso is a dark horse here. I expect Tchani to take this spot. I'm pulling for him but the team needs a stable force out there.
8. I do believe that Ethan Finlay has earned a spot. 1st team right now. Has a couple assists to Tommy in the U17 game and has seen the same amount of mins as Marshall, Mendes and Mirosevic. Good group to be with.
9. Last one, promise. Eric Gehrig. I've really grown to like this guy over the course of last season. I could see the improvement. He also seems like a genuinely good guy. His versatility (CDM or CB/D) will probably keep him playing 1st team duty all year.
10. Just a round number I used. Ummm, Kevan George was the only player to notch a goal AND an assist in the first 3 preseason games. How's that? Ten worthy, I'd say.
11. Woops. Eleven now? Julius James. He's got some sort of shoulder thing. Seems like something that may keep him away from 1st team for months.
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