And wins from Gotham and Washington will drop Portland to forth which, frankly, is better than they deserve given how they've been playing since KC away.
I think the problem is that we're seeing that the bench isn't that deep this season. Nally has been a trainwreck, Reyes underwhelming, Porter is...Porter. Agree I'd like to see more of M…
And wins from Gotham and Washington will drop Portland to forth which, frankly, is better than they deserve given how they've been playing since KC away.
I think the problem is that we're seeing that the bench isn't that deep this season. Nally has been a trainwreck, Reyes underwhelming, Porter is...Porter. Agree I'd like to see more of Moultrie, Rodriguez, D'Aquila...and I'd like to see Dunn given a look at RW and Hina in midfield.
We're also seeing some pretty appalling organization and discipline in back, and the coordination between the midfield and backline was poor.
Bottom line? The individual issues seem less of a problem than the team/coaching ones. Which means it's on Norris and his staff to deal with.
Coincidence that both Dash goals came almost right after we made substitutions? Did we not reorganize quickly enough and they exploited that? Our defensive is disastrously disorganized without Sauerbrunn. I really thought we had enough veterans that we wouldn't be so dependent on her but here we are. Agree that this seems like a coaching problem. We know Nally can be better. Reyes is a rookie so I'm giving her time. She's shown enough promise to warrant some optimism but throwing her into the fire might not be the best strategy. I'd also rather see Dunn on a wing and Hina in midfield. At least Sinclair came off the bench today but it might have worked better if we'd had a lead at that point.
Sadly, the backline organization problems predated ‘Brunn’s injury, so I’m not convinced it’s her loss or that if she returns next week they’ll go away. I think it’s coaching. I think a LOT of this is coaching, and a solution if there is to be one has to come from coaching.
I'm seeing little evidence that there IS coaching.
I'm not (just) being snarky here: the team plays like a collection of talented players who just met a day or so ago. There is very little cohesion on either side of the ball. The early signs of good understanding between some player pairs (Smith/Morgan, Dunn/Sugita, etc.) even seem to have disappeared. There's clearly a poor understanding of optimal positioning for multiple players (Hina's the best example, but not the only one). Bixby continues to make Goalkeeper 101 mistakes like continually leaving too much room at the near post. The list of problems likely attributable to bad coaching goes on...
Our biggest single issue, imo, is that the back line communication isn't there. Last night, of course, the two backline "generals" 'Brunn and Menges weren't out there, and that's a recipe for no direction in the back unless Bixby provides it. Nally is, well...Nally, and Hubly's not a quick thinker. The fullbacks are often positioned too far upfield in our attacking system to be calling defensive assignments. Bella seems caught up in her own issues; I didn't notice her barking directions. This is a recipe for missed marks.
But as you say, it's not a single issue that's caused the team to look so dire for several games now. The problems start at the top. If we had an owner that still had reason to give a shit and a GM that was concerned with anything beyond pasting a smiley face over everything, Norris would be staring a sacking in the face if a major turnaround isn't immediate. We have a chance to restore some confidence against a truly terrible Red Stars team next weekend. If this isn't a do or die situation for Norris, I don't know what is.
What's frustrating is that the sideline is aswarm with coaches; IIRC they hired Vytas specifically to coach the backline. But, no, it doesn't show.
Just finished screening the first half, and the backline - under virtually no pressure until well after the half hour - was scrambling to find marks and stay with them once the pressure appeared.
Kuikka headed a cross directly to Sanchez in the 15th minute. Salmon torched Kling and Nally but shot directly at Bixby in the 39th, then a minute later (in perhaps the most embarassing sequence in the half) Salmon beat Hubly three times running before crossing to Sophie Schmidt who forced a corner.
Nally made the Big Errors. But the defending was already looking sketchy before halftime and, as we know, imploded after the restart.
I'm really not seeing the need to put Dunn on the right, and I'm not sure it's an issue. She's the joint top scorer this season and one of the things that's working, I think. And she's a lot more two-way than people give her credit for, I think. But I ultimately don't really care that much - two from Dunn, Hina, Moultrie, and Rocky central, and one of Moultrie, Hina, or Dunn wide.
Moving Dunn makes space in midfield to try Hina-Moultrie-Rodriguez, tho. Sugita hasn’t done much at RW, and I’d like to see if she can add value if she moves more centrally. It’s not for Dunn, who seems fine wherever she plays up front.
I assume you mean Hina-Rodriguez/Moultrie-Coffey? I don't think Hina has done a lot on the right, no, but I also think the right #8 has a specific role at getting behind and unless it's Moultrie playing there (and so you're choosing either Rocky or Hina) you're going to lose something because neither Hina nor Rocky are as good at those late runs as Dunn.
Might be time to consider going to a 4-2-3-1 or diamond, too, so, yes.
As David says, Sugita was making those sorts of runs in 2022, has this season, and I'm sure she can cntinue. What she lacks is the pace Dunn has this season, which would seem to make Dunn the better option wide.
If there's a way to get them both on the pitch I'd like to see Norris try that. But he said before the season started that he's wedded to the 4-3-3, so...
I just can’t help think it’s time to shake things up, try some different ideas. Bench Sinc! But then look at some ways to provide some better control of the pitch in midfield…
Last year, our first game without the ‘Nats, RW played Porter and Coffey. Then it ended with a midfield of Hina, Moultrie, and Porter which I think is a decent balance. But you need to stabilize right now because we’re giving up too many goals, and, last night when we gave up goals we stopped playing.
Hina makes late runs, usually to the far post and often unmarked, all the time. The problem is that she seems invisible to Weaver and (to a lesser degree) Smith and Kling.
Hard to say since she isn't played there. I don't see why not, though, given that she tends to try and be where the play dictates she should be. I'm not as worried about relative lack of pace with a player who _thinks_ faster than most and thus starts her (slower) run quickly. The end result is that they're where then need to be, often as soon as a pacier (but slower-thinking) player might be.
Sincy was like this for much of her career: not super-quick by any means, but would have taken two or three strides before a lesser player started to move. Sadly, those days are gone (she still thinks quickly, but just can't get there).
And wins from Gotham and Washington will drop Portland to forth which, frankly, is better than they deserve given how they've been playing since KC away.
I think the problem is that we're seeing that the bench isn't that deep this season. Nally has been a trainwreck, Reyes underwhelming, Porter is...Porter. Agree I'd like to see more of Moultrie, Rodriguez, D'Aquila...and I'd like to see Dunn given a look at RW and Hina in midfield.
We're also seeing some pretty appalling organization and discipline in back, and the coordination between the midfield and backline was poor.
Bottom line? The individual issues seem less of a problem than the team/coaching ones. Which means it's on Norris and his staff to deal with.
Can they?
Coincidence that both Dash goals came almost right after we made substitutions? Did we not reorganize quickly enough and they exploited that? Our defensive is disastrously disorganized without Sauerbrunn. I really thought we had enough veterans that we wouldn't be so dependent on her but here we are. Agree that this seems like a coaching problem. We know Nally can be better. Reyes is a rookie so I'm giving her time. She's shown enough promise to warrant some optimism but throwing her into the fire might not be the best strategy. I'd also rather see Dunn on a wing and Hina in midfield. At least Sinclair came off the bench today but it might have worked better if we'd had a lead at that point.
Sadly, the backline organization problems predated ‘Brunn’s injury, so I’m not convinced it’s her loss or that if she returns next week they’ll go away. I think it’s coaching. I think a LOT of this is coaching, and a solution if there is to be one has to come from coaching.
I'm seeing little evidence that there IS coaching.
I'm not (just) being snarky here: the team plays like a collection of talented players who just met a day or so ago. There is very little cohesion on either side of the ball. The early signs of good understanding between some player pairs (Smith/Morgan, Dunn/Sugita, etc.) even seem to have disappeared. There's clearly a poor understanding of optimal positioning for multiple players (Hina's the best example, but not the only one). Bixby continues to make Goalkeeper 101 mistakes like continually leaving too much room at the near post. The list of problems likely attributable to bad coaching goes on...
Our biggest single issue, imo, is that the back line communication isn't there. Last night, of course, the two backline "generals" 'Brunn and Menges weren't out there, and that's a recipe for no direction in the back unless Bixby provides it. Nally is, well...Nally, and Hubly's not a quick thinker. The fullbacks are often positioned too far upfield in our attacking system to be calling defensive assignments. Bella seems caught up in her own issues; I didn't notice her barking directions. This is a recipe for missed marks.
But as you say, it's not a single issue that's caused the team to look so dire for several games now. The problems start at the top. If we had an owner that still had reason to give a shit and a GM that was concerned with anything beyond pasting a smiley face over everything, Norris would be staring a sacking in the face if a major turnaround isn't immediate. We have a chance to restore some confidence against a truly terrible Red Stars team next weekend. If this isn't a do or die situation for Norris, I don't know what is.
What's frustrating is that the sideline is aswarm with coaches; IIRC they hired Vytas specifically to coach the backline. But, no, it doesn't show.
Just finished screening the first half, and the backline - under virtually no pressure until well after the half hour - was scrambling to find marks and stay with them once the pressure appeared.
Kuikka headed a cross directly to Sanchez in the 15th minute. Salmon torched Kling and Nally but shot directly at Bixby in the 39th, then a minute later (in perhaps the most embarassing sequence in the half) Salmon beat Hubly three times running before crossing to Sophie Schmidt who forced a corner.
Nally made the Big Errors. But the defending was already looking sketchy before halftime and, as we know, imploded after the restart.
Brutal.
I'm really not seeing the need to put Dunn on the right, and I'm not sure it's an issue. She's the joint top scorer this season and one of the things that's working, I think. And she's a lot more two-way than people give her credit for, I think. But I ultimately don't really care that much - two from Dunn, Hina, Moultrie, and Rocky central, and one of Moultrie, Hina, or Dunn wide.
Moving Dunn makes space in midfield to try Hina-Moultrie-Rodriguez, tho. Sugita hasn’t done much at RW, and I’d like to see if she can add value if she moves more centrally. It’s not for Dunn, who seems fine wherever she plays up front.
I assume you mean Hina-Rodriguez/Moultrie-Coffey? I don't think Hina has done a lot on the right, no, but I also think the right #8 has a specific role at getting behind and unless it's Moultrie playing there (and so you're choosing either Rocky or Hina) you're going to lose something because neither Hina nor Rocky are as good at those late runs as Dunn.
Might be time to consider going to a 4-2-3-1 or diamond, too, so, yes.
As David says, Sugita was making those sorts of runs in 2022, has this season, and I'm sure she can cntinue. What she lacks is the pace Dunn has this season, which would seem to make Dunn the better option wide.
If there's a way to get them both on the pitch I'd like to see Norris try that. But he said before the season started that he's wedded to the 4-3-3, so...
If you're going to 4231 you're dropping Rocky next to Coffey. That could make some sense, sure, from a point of stability.
Agreed. Those two alongside each other would afford far better protection for our faltering back line.
I just can’t help think it’s time to shake things up, try some different ideas. Bench Sinc! But then look at some ways to provide some better control of the pitch in midfield…
No, I agree. I would go to 4231 until Sauerbrunn is back because you need to protect the centre backs.
Last year, our first game without the ‘Nats, RW played Porter and Coffey. Then it ended with a midfield of Hina, Moultrie, and Porter which I think is a decent balance. But you need to stabilize right now because we’re giving up too many goals, and, last night when we gave up goals we stopped playing.
Hina makes late runs, usually to the far post and often unmarked, all the time. The problem is that she seems invisible to Weaver and (to a lesser degree) Smith and Kling.
From the right, sure. Does she from the #10?
Hard to say since she isn't played there. I don't see why not, though, given that she tends to try and be where the play dictates she should be. I'm not as worried about relative lack of pace with a player who _thinks_ faster than most and thus starts her (slower) run quickly. The end result is that they're where then need to be, often as soon as a pacier (but slower-thinking) player might be.
Sincy was like this for much of her career: not super-quick by any means, but would have taken two or three strides before a lesser player started to move. Sadly, those days are gone (she still thinks quickly, but just can't get there).