RSL sticking with its game plan

[SoccerPrime]

Major League Soccer: RSL sticking with its game plan
http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_2861962

Quote of the Day:
Even without new players, RSL still has a chance to catch fire in the second half of the season and pass Colorado to reach fourth place and earn the final playoff berth in the Western Conference. D.C. United was in fifth place in the Eastern Conference at this time last season, Pastorino noted, and wound up getting hot and winning the MLS Cup.
"That gives teams like us hope," Pastorino said. "Midseason turnarounds are not uncommon in MLS."

[RSL_Fan]

Originally Posted by SoccerPrime

Major League Soccer: RSL sticking with its game plan
http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_2861962

Quote of the Day:
"That gives teams like us hope," Pastorino said. "Midseason turnarounds are not uncommon in MLS."

I know they can turn it around. I just hope they don't get in the mindset where they are waiting or expecting it to happen, they need to get out there and MAKE it happen.

[Jose Luis Luviano]

I wonder who the Mystery Chapin is?

Well, at least he & Cabrera won't miss 2 months next year with World Cup duty like Eddie Pope will.

[Rover]

My difficulty with the way things have gone so far is not that we don't have tremendous depth or even that we've not won in . . . awhile. Building a team from an expansion base is not easy, and comparisons to Chicago in 1998 are complex since the Fire entered a league only two years old and RSL plays in a much more established circuit.

I won't even knock the staff for tactics at this point--they've had to scramble since the other clubs saw enough tape to figure out how to play us.

No, my biggest concern coming in was that we establish from day one that no matter the situation or the opponent, we would always play hard, tough, and physical soccer where all our players show effort and drive for 90 minutes. The tactics and player acquisitions would come with time, but the attitude had to be established early.

I haven't seen enough of that from enough players. I admit I've only seen two games in person (tough to see these things on TV), but as a rule we do not give it the 100% effort I expect from a team. To be fair, certain players DO bring it every game. But (cliche alert) this is a team game and it's the overall effort that makes the difference.

The 1998 Chicago Fire had one other advantage over 2005's RSL. They had Peter Nowak. They had plenty of other players too, but that team drove at you constantly, with Nowak pushing his teammates forward all the time (when he wasn't making attacking runs himself). That's the attitude that filled up Chicago's trophy case--and put another MLS Cup in DC United's too.

So what I'm looking for is always playing forward, always attacking, always defending aggressively with the intent of launching another attack. I want to see us take it to our opponents--not weather yet another barrage from them. It isn't easy to establish that style of play, but that's what all good teams have. Oh, and good players.

[Jim Umber]

Originally Posted by Rover

My difficulty with the way things have gone so far is not that we don't have tremendous depth or even that we've not won in . . . awhile. Building a team from an expansion base is not easy, and comparisons to Chicago in 1998 are complex since the Fire entered a league only two years old and RSL plays in a much more established circuit.

I won't even knock the staff for tactics at this point--they've had to scramble since the other clubs saw enough tape to figure out how to play us.

No, my biggest concern coming in was that we establish from day one that no matter the situation or the opponent, we would always play hard, tough, and physical soccer where all our players show effort and drive for 90 minutes. The tactics and player acquisitions would come with time, but the attitude had to be established early.

I haven't seen enough of that from enough players. I admit I've only seen two games in person (tough to see these things on TV), but as a rule we do not give it the 100% effort I expect from a team. To be fair, certain players DO bring it every game. But (cliche alert) this is a team game and it's the overall effort that makes the difference.

The 1998 Chicago Fire had one other advantage over 2005's RSL. They had Peter Nowak. They had plenty of other players too, but that team drove at you constantly, with Nowak pushing his teammates forward all the time (when he wasn't making attacking runs himself). That's the attitude that filled up Chicago's trophy case--and put another MLS Cup in DC United's too.

So what I'm looking for is always playing forward, always attacking, always defending aggressively with the intent of launching another attack. I want to see us take it to our opponents--not weather yet another barrage from them. It isn't easy to establish that style of play, but that's what all good teams have. Oh, and good players.

Well I think we that the good players, but I agree that they should be attacking constantly, and I also agree that we're not seeing that. The very best defense is to keep the ball in THEIR half of the field for about 80 minutes of the game. Then the defense isn't pressed constantly until they make a mistake. Then the goalie only has to shut down the (rare) break out, and he's not too tired to succeed.

They will find it! They WILL reach deep inside and find it! :tomcat: