Looks like you stayed up to see the end of that shitshow. I gave up on it ever resuming at about 11:30.
Yeah, I'm finally on the FCP bus. The inability to generate anything resembling offense when running Z and Cucho out there is simply inexcusable. Add in the ineptitude with set pieces or defending set pieces. And the repeated late-match collapses. I'm just done with it. The only offense this team can generate is from Luis Diaz out running dudes down the right wing. Or Cucho occasionally going super-human. That's it. Whatever they are doing is not working. Zelarayan (and Cucho to a lesser extent) have been ineffective for weeks now and Porter has done what to open things up for them?
And I just don't get Etienne at all. When the USMNT played Haiti last summer, he looked so good. And he's at least been okay for the Crew in the past. But this season, he's been truly awful.
And yet Porter comes out talking about how well the team played and they deserved to win....like, I get that I'm not a soccer expert....but did we watch the same fucking match?
I’ve stayed up for every shit show these last few weeks. I was telling a friend that the league has just past him by. His tactics are stale and dated and don’t get it done anymore. There’s a reason he was much more successful when the league had far fewer talented players on every team. He’s similar to Bruce Arena in that regard, but Arena doesn’t run his mouth constantly when the team is doing well.
DEJ started the season really well scoring 4 goals in the first 6-7 games, but MLS squads have figured out how to neutralize his very limited skill, and he doesn’t know how to adapt. Instead, he just sulks around, rarely getting back into position. Several times last night, he was slow to get back into position, defense forced a TO, and played a ball where he should have been just to turn the ball over. I’m just not sure I trust CP’s judgement to select players given his consistency with playing players severely underperforming.
The back line is what it is, and he can’t do much about that. But what he can do is stop forcing the team to bunker when they hold a lead giving up the entire midfield. Every single time he’s bunkered, the Crew have lost the lead and squandered 2-3 points in the process.
Ironically enough, if they can manage to start Pedro Santos and Luis Diaz in the winger positions, they might (MIGHT) just put themselves in a position to put a team away by multiple goals, instead of relying on the team to park the bus for the 75th unsuccessful time. James Sands has proven to be a more than worthy starter at LB to allow Santos to play in a more natural position.
Beyond this season, I’d like to see the team actually address this team’s weaknesses, instead of just accepting their shortcomings. Realistically, they need two CBs, LB, backup RB, GK, holding CM, backup CAM, and a reliable winger off the bench. It’s not like they need to spend $10m on each need, either. I doubt they overhaul the roster, but it’s needed if they want to stay competitive and keep Z and Cucho happy.
