I'm no coach, but it seems like new coaching 101 would be to look at the squad you have, circle the best 13-14 players on your roster, decide which line each of them plays best on, and then create a formation based on the best 11 of those players, with the subs in mind. Like I mentioned above...we have a glut of starting international quality midfielders. So...go with a 4 player midfield! We are super light on quality F's, and one of the decent prospects (D'Aquila) would likely thrive better in that formation than further on the wing. Seems obvious.
The backline, well, that's a problem....but this problem has been bottlenecked for a few years coming. Kuikka is a good young starting RB (when the coaching is there, and the rest of the backline doesn't look like a trash fire.) Otherwise, Menges has been injured for 84 years, Nally is not to be used until a 4th CB sub is needed late in a game, Hubly has always been quite inconsistent and def not a backline leader, Becky is an int'l in the twilight of her career, and Kling is just hanging on. We've needed quality acquisitions at CB and LB for a while now, we should've been better prepared than to rely on a rookie (who looks shaky to me, still.) McGrady has had injury issues her entire career. They need to recruit an experienced, but young backline general CB for longterm. I know, harder than it sounds...but, we're likely spending a lot on two Canadians in particular who would free up a lot of room for an acquisition like that.
Absolutely would do that in a heartbeat. We could use an 8 like Horan right now, but if Norris would just freakin' play Rodriguez (or Hina, or Moultrie) and let her gel with Sam and Dunn, I would be totally fine giving her up for a super skilled young defender. In fact, I've said it multiple times in the past that we should be doing that. We don't need 7 int'l quality midfielders! (Yes, 7- Coffey, Rocky, Horan, Dunn, Sinc, Sugita, Moultrie.) Play midfielders in their actual positions, get a high-quality (or two!) long-term defender for Horan before her stock drops, and look toward the future. I'd say CB is the absolute target until we know a little bit more about Reyes. She was heralded as a likely long-term starter at LB for the Mexican Nats, but I haven't really seen that quality skillset yet. Also, the cap space that will be available when Sinc retires will probably allow for a high quality player. Same goes for Sauerbrunn, but I don't wanna see her go anywhere until we have a solid option to succeed her! Watching OL Reign look old and tired every time they play on the road, and I'd love to see our team get younger, sooner!
The thing is, we're getting almost no news here about what is happening at OL but it's all pretty much out in the open over there. If Thorns, Horan, and Lindsey's agent wanted the info out there right now, it would be out there. So I do suspect that they're working on a way for her to remain in Europe, if not with OL.
I get that impression, as well. I haven't expected Horan back from the time her transfer was first announced, frankly. She accomplished all she could here, and her relationship with some parts of the supporters structure was a bit strained.
While I realize this is, in part, a former CB talking, I think a true "backline general" center-half is one of the hardest positions in soccer to fill, maybe only after left fullback. I sure wasn't one of them (actually pretty good at game-reading and traffic directing, and I had the "big, strong, reasonably fast" thing...but my basic footy skills were every bit as comedy-tier as you'd expect from an American of my old-as-dirt generation!). The Thorns have been fortunate enough to have had three (Buehler, Menges, Sauerbrunn), but while we still have two of them, neither are on form or even available. I'm happy with the ever-improving Hubly as one half of the CB pair, but I can't see her ever becoming that backline general. I don't mean this to sound as bad as it probably comes across, but she just doesn't have the right (by which I mean rapid-processing, mostly) mind for it.
I'm not expecting much from the current FO/coaching crew in terms of player acquisition.
Oh absolutely agree with you. I think Hubly is an acceptable CB passenger, but we have always needed someone else in that driver seat.
Would love to have a few of the Canadian defenders rather than any of the offense honestly. KK, can we get Jayde Riviere? Kadeisha Buchanan? Ashley Lawrence? THESE are the Canadian players that I'd love to see. Positions of need.
BTW, ACFCNFT have got to be the unluckiest team in the league, hands down (no pun intended). How many times have they found ways to lose or draw-lose at the death? It's already been a bunch. And speaking of bunch, they collected a bunch of bananas last night - 5, count them, 5 yellow cards!
Not a fan of the way handballs are called. Too many PK's resulting from calls that have no impact on goal scoring opportunities. Light as a feather grazes, unintended bounces, etc. Players aiming their shots at defenders hoping they hit their arms is bad football. Intentional? I think some may use it as a tactic. Doubt anyone would fess up to it though. I wish handling calls would only happen when absolute intent to disrupt play is evident. Not the case too often.
I don't mind calling it on unintentional contact that does in fact disrupt the play, but on trivial touches? Yeah, that's silly and I agree that it tempts attackers to aim for the arms. That is indeed bad football.
The problem with that lineup is that it makes perfect, obvious sense. And that's just not how post-MarPar Thorns do lineups, my friend! /headdesk
I'm no coach, but it seems like new coaching 101 would be to look at the squad you have, circle the best 13-14 players on your roster, decide which line each of them plays best on, and then create a formation based on the best 11 of those players, with the subs in mind. Like I mentioned above...we have a glut of starting international quality midfielders. So...go with a 4 player midfield! We are super light on quality F's, and one of the decent prospects (D'Aquila) would likely thrive better in that formation than further on the wing. Seems obvious.
The backline, well, that's a problem....but this problem has been bottlenecked for a few years coming. Kuikka is a good young starting RB (when the coaching is there, and the rest of the backline doesn't look like a trash fire.) Otherwise, Menges has been injured for 84 years, Nally is not to be used until a 4th CB sub is needed late in a game, Hubly has always been quite inconsistent and def not a backline leader, Becky is an int'l in the twilight of her career, and Kling is just hanging on. We've needed quality acquisitions at CB and LB for a while now, we should've been better prepared than to rely on a rookie (who looks shaky to me, still.) McGrady has had injury issues her entire career. They need to recruit an experienced, but young backline general CB for longterm. I know, harder than it sounds...but, we're likely spending a lot on two Canadians in particular who would free up a lot of room for an acquisition like that.
Trade Horan rights for, oh, I donтАЩt know, a Girma or a Fox?
Absolutely would do that in a heartbeat. We could use an 8 like Horan right now, but if Norris would just freakin' play Rodriguez (or Hina, or Moultrie) and let her gel with Sam and Dunn, I would be totally fine giving her up for a super skilled young defender. In fact, I've said it multiple times in the past that we should be doing that. We don't need 7 int'l quality midfielders! (Yes, 7- Coffey, Rocky, Horan, Dunn, Sinc, Sugita, Moultrie.) Play midfielders in their actual positions, get a high-quality (or two!) long-term defender for Horan before her stock drops, and look toward the future. I'd say CB is the absolute target until we know a little bit more about Reyes. She was heralded as a likely long-term starter at LB for the Mexican Nats, but I haven't really seen that quality skillset yet. Also, the cap space that will be available when Sinc retires will probably allow for a high quality player. Same goes for Sauerbrunn, but I don't wanna see her go anywhere until we have a solid option to succeed her! Watching OL Reign look old and tired every time they play on the road, and I'd love to see our team get younger, sooner!
"I would be totally fine giving her up for a super skilled young defender."
I wonder if AS Roma would swap her for Moeka Minami? 24yrs old, 5'7", 34 caps for the JWNT and usually in their preferred 11...
The thing is, we're getting almost no news here about what is happening at OL but it's all pretty much out in the open over there. If Thorns, Horan, and Lindsey's agent wanted the info out there right now, it would be out there. So I do suspect that they're working on a way for her to remain in Europe, if not with OL.
I get that impression, as well. I haven't expected Horan back from the time her transfer was first announced, frankly. She accomplished all she could here, and her relationship with some parts of the supporters structure was a bit strained.
While I realize this is, in part, a former CB talking, I think a true "backline general" center-half is one of the hardest positions in soccer to fill, maybe only after left fullback. I sure wasn't one of them (actually pretty good at game-reading and traffic directing, and I had the "big, strong, reasonably fast" thing...but my basic footy skills were every bit as comedy-tier as you'd expect from an American of my old-as-dirt generation!). The Thorns have been fortunate enough to have had three (Buehler, Menges, Sauerbrunn), but while we still have two of them, neither are on form or even available. I'm happy with the ever-improving Hubly as one half of the CB pair, but I can't see her ever becoming that backline general. I don't mean this to sound as bad as it probably comes across, but she just doesn't have the right (by which I mean rapid-processing, mostly) mind for it.
I'm not expecting much from the current FO/coaching crew in terms of player acquisition.
Oh absolutely agree with you. I think Hubly is an acceptable CB passenger, but we have always needed someone else in that driver seat.
Would love to have a few of the Canadian defenders rather than any of the offense honestly. KK, can we get Jayde Riviere? Kadeisha Buchanan? Ashley Lawrence? THESE are the Canadian players that I'd love to see. Positions of need.
I miss MarPar.
You mean Mark David Richard Parsons?
So thankful NWSL site uses full names.
BTW, ACFCNFT have got to be the unluckiest team in the league, hands down (no pun intended). How many times have they found ways to lose or draw-lose at the death? It's already been a bunch. And speaking of bunch, they collected a bunch of bananas last night - 5, count them, 5 yellow cards!
Not a fan of the way handballs are called. Too many PK's resulting from calls that have no impact on goal scoring opportunities. Light as a feather grazes, unintended bounces, etc. Players aiming their shots at defenders hoping they hit their arms is bad football. Intentional? I think some may use it as a tactic. Doubt anyone would fess up to it though. I wish handling calls would only happen when absolute intent to disrupt play is evident. Not the case too often.
I don't mind calling it on unintentional contact that does in fact disrupt the play, but on trivial touches? Yeah, that's silly and I agree that it tempts attackers to aim for the arms. That is indeed bad football.