Well, that was a boring game. I love my soccer and this was the first game of the year, but after a really boring first half, I found my attention wandering in t he final fifteen minutes. And isn't that interesting, so did the defense. It's hard to formulate my thoughts into a coherent analysis since so many different things were happening, so I will tackle what I feel were the major questions entering the game and see if I think any answers were given or alluded to...
- Gallardo as the new #10 was as expected. He clearly doesn't have the same skill set at Gomez, and he isn't as familiar with the DC United system. However, his on the ball skills were apparent. He seems to hang a bit further back than Gomez did and will try more long balls from midfield, much like another former #10 did, Etcheverry. One of his dead ball strikes was really nice, and he seemed to have the creative eye any team would want. So I am pleased with his first game.
- The Gonzolos as the central defenders. They are big boys, huh? I like that. They don't seem particularly fast, but with proper positioning, that can be mitigated. After a very nice, easy first sixty-five minutes, things began to get more interesting and the corner kick equalizer was part hand ball, part poor marking. I'm not sure who was at fault, but no one was in the middle with two Harbour View players and no one was on the far post.
- Zach Wells in goal. Well he sure plays a different game from Perkins. I had no problem with him at all, he just seems to be more at home on his line with crosses and takes fewer chances. He did come out to jump on balls at the top of the box a few times and seemed to be fearless when he does decide to come out.
- The uniforms will take some getting used to. The front seems like a black hole. I have to assume there will be a sponsor by midseason to fill all of that space.
Grades:
Forwards (Moreno and Emilio) B-
Midfielders (Fred, Gallardo, Simms, McTavish) B
Defenders (Namoff, Burch, Martinez, Peralta, and Wells) B
Substitutes (Niell and Stratford) B+
No comments:
Post a Comment