February 9th, 2008 . 11:30 pm . By: Jason Benfield

Ed note: Neither Buzz nor our usual reserve reporter Gina Zippilli was able to make today’s scrimmage. One of our contributors, Jason Benfield volunteered to go this morning.  We hope you enjoy his evaluation of the players in this trialist scrimmage.  Thanks to Jason for the last minute cover for us.

Because Centro America is only an amateur club, and were not being scouted for talent, I did not focus on their players or formation. This report will not follow the format of a typical game report; instead, it will be more along the lines of one of Buzz’ practice observations, with a brief description of what went on, some player analysis, and some interview quotes.

THE GAME

FCD fielded a team of trialists and high draft picks. They used a 3-5-2 formation; the use of this formation today and in Trinidad, as well as the references of it by Morrow to Buzz the past few months make it pretty clear that it is the formation of choice at this point.

Around the 60th minute, Wileman came in for Cristensen.
At the same time, Avila came in for Alvial. Avila played RM, and Kim switched to LM.

Around the 70th minute, Ibrahim came on for Kim. Jones went to LM, Watson to F, Wileman to AM, Avila slid inside at DM, and Ibrahim played RM.

Final score: 8-1, FCD.

First half scoring:
Toure 2, Jones, Cristensen, Watson.

Second half scoring:
Jones, Watson, Wileman

The Centro America goal came from a 45 yard shot that chipped over Phillips midway through the second half. FCD spent most of the second half working a possession game instead of attacking the goal.


Game video courtesy FC Dallas.

PLAYER EVALUATION

Phillips – GK – Looks really young. Was beaten once 1v1 in the first half, but the shot went on the underside of the post and was cleared. Not a lot to do otherwise. Longshot to make the team, and getting chipped from 45 yards out won’t help his chances. The three goalie slots on the team are Burse, Sala, and Lambo.

Cabrera – LB - Guatemalan International. With RSL, he played mostly on the outside in a four man backline. Obviously, he has been brought in to try and fill the starting spot as the left back in the FCD back three. If he isn’t a clear starter, he is not worth the roster space because of the international limit and will not make the team. Therefore, he has to be better than all the trialists as well as Yi and the worst foreign player on the roster. I thought he did well, but didn’t really stand out against an amateur side. Never beaten, but not overwhelming pace. Composed on the ball, distribution was decent. The back three was not allowed to join the attack, so he wasn’t able to show an ability to go forward. I would just describe him as solid. I don’t think he has enough to clearly beat Yi out or take an international spot away from someone.

Stockley – CB – English, plays for Wycombe. Very talkative – more organization and talk out of the back than we have seen in the last 5 years, combined. Great job talking and encouraging players, telling the young kids where they should be – he was a coach on the field. Provided the leadership everyone wished Vanney would bring. A little bit lacking in pace, but good size and seems to use his body well. Struggled with his touch on a couple of traps and lost focus on simple balls a couple of times, which I wouldn’t expect from a seasoned professional (has played for a long time in the English leagues and is 30). Missed badly on a couple of tackles in the open field. Overall, played well, but not as dominant as I would expect him to be. Again, probably has not locked up a roster spot and unfortunately we may not be able to bring him in for a second look because of his club obligations.

Roberts – LB – FCD Draftee. Nice size, good athletic frame. Uses his body well to take people off the ball. Distribution was okay, but did make a couple of poor decisions to give away possession. Speed seems okay, but not lights out. Took people off the ball well with his body, but struggled to take it off their feet, whether on a poke or a tackle. Foot agility needs to improve. Physically, he looks the part, and because of his draft status will most likely stick around at least until the Brazil trip. Not a lock to make a dev. spot, but not out of the running either.

Cristensen – DM – Trialist from West Texas A&M (same school as Arnaud of KC). I would be very surprised to see him make it out of the weekend. Thick, not a lot of agility. Started off with some decent plays, but struggled as the game went on; it could be a fitness issue. Just doesn’t provide that much. Not a great passer in tight space. Lost the ball several times on bad passing decisions or bad passes. Lacks athleticism.

Nason – DM - FCD Draftee. I thought he was one of the better players on the field in the first half. Disappeared a little in the second, but that might be fitness. Good short passing game, and was able to win the ball several times. Made himself available in possession very well. A little slow on the switch because he wants to put the ball on his right foot to make a pass. Had a really nice run in the first half through the box with the ball, weaving in and out of players before creating a goal for Watson. Will definitely stick around, at least until Brazil, but because of the log jam at d-mid, might have a tough time making the roster. Not out of the running though, and could give Pitch a run because he is more refined on the ball and younger.

Alvial – LM – Coaches son. The kid is only 16, so I am not going to be too hard on the guy, but he was out of his element. Not ready for a dev. spot.

Kim – RM – Has had a trial with FCD before and plays in the US in lower divisions. Apparently had some stomach issues, but played through it. Small and doesn’t have the speed on the wings to make up for his lack of height. Disappeared out wide for large portions of the game, especially in the first half. Played better and was more active in the second half, but I don’t think he will stick around – just not a good enough athlete at this level. He might be the type of player who looks better in a small game than on a full field.

Watson – AM - former RSL player on trial. Has trained with FCD before, and the coaching staff knows him pretty well. He had two goals, but they were pretty trashy. I would say his performance was a bit disappointing. He has been in the league for a while, so you would expect him to stand out but he really didn’t. Nice energy and good effort. But was badly offside on one break in the first half, the type of offside you would expect a rookie to make, not someone who has been around the league that long. Had several finishing chances in the second half and did not make the most of them. Second goal was a 1v1 he hit straight to the keeper and he cleaned up the drop; he had the entire goal to himself on a couple of occasions and didn’t show that finishing instinct. Did not have the burst of acceleration to separate from the amateurs on the dribble, and couldn’t make space for himself with the ball. His utility (can play F, AM, DM) will keep him in camp, but he might have a tough time making the final roster.

Jones – F – Former FCD developmental player, now on trial. Two goals, both on free kicks. The first knuckled and went in on a keeper mistake. The second was a beauty – over the wall, with pace, curled right into the upper right corner of the goal. Nice free kicks, but did not play quick enough in the run of play. Doesn’t have his head up a lot when he is on the ball. Not a strong passer. Nice energy though, ran more than most people and looks pretty fit. He looks bigger than he did last year; however, he doesn’t have great athleticism or great speed. With the young draft picks and the depth at forward, he will have a hard time making the dev roster. Might stick around longer than the weekend though, until the Brazil trip.

Toure – F – Young kid from Africa who lives in Atlanta. 16 years old. Tall, big, fast target striker. WOW. This kid is exactly what you want on your dev roster.  A little clumsy when defending, and doesn’t have the tactics down of when to make a run, but all the physical tools are there – pace, acceleration, size. Wicked shot that moves all over the place and with pace. Could have finished a couple of more chances, but still had two goals. Showed his physical ability in the first half, and made smarter decisions in the second. Holds the ball up well and is patient when looking for the pass with ball at feet for a young kid. The guy is a stud and will almost definitely be on the developmental roster if he is willing to sign a contract.

Wileman – DM/AM - Great hustle and grit. Lots of effort to overcome his physical limitations. Upside is limited, which will always keep him on bottom of the developmental roster, but his grit and effort probably makes him a great practice guy. Took his goal well. Unfortunately, with Shea and Avila added to the roster, the developmental midfield is a little crowded.

Avila – RM/DM – A little bit dazed and confused out there; hesitant would be a good description. Has a quiet confidence, but not as showy during the game. Was trying to work on positioning, and took comments from teammates well. Obviously willing to learn. Made some good passes and got himself into some dangerous positions as the game went on. Made a very nice run down the middle to open himself up at the end of the game, but Ibbe didn’t see him. Generation adidas player.

Ibrahim – RM – Normally I think plays on the left, but was purposely played out right when he came in. Not a lot of time on the field, but more confident than last year and looks like he has matured quite a bit. Showed nice touch, speed, had a nice pass to back post for Watson. Obviously will make the roster and is still really young, but might have matured physically enough to be be used in some situations with the full team this year.  Generation adidas.

Missing: Smith and Emanuel, the trialists from T&T, were still doing some injury recovery back home and are expected arrive this upcoming week.

INTERVIEWS

I was not able to record the interviews, and I don’t want to misquote them, so I will go through point by point and summarize the interview.

SAM STOCKLEY:
- Got in on Wednesday, trained for a couple of days, leaves on Sunday.
- Had to miss his game this weekend for Wycombe, will play on Tuesday when he gets back.
- Pointed out that in England, the facilities would be considered Premiership quality.
- Didn’t train with first team, only with the trialists.
- From what he saw of watching the first team, they are more skilled than he thought.
- People in England rate the quality much lower than what it is.
- From what he saw, it is Championship quality.
- Communication is an important part of the defense, and it comes naturally to him.
- Enjoys working with younger players and helping them grow.
- Has served as captain for a couple of teams he has played on in the past.
- Playing for Morrow, who played at the Arsenal, would be a “dream come true”.
- From an outsider perspective, the clubhouse has a great attitude.
- He always wanted to try out MLS at some point.
- Didn’t want to wait until “he was 36, like some of the English that come over.”
- Wanted to come over now, while he is at the peak of his game.
- His agent sent videos to the MLS coaches and Morrow called him up.
- In 400 of his 500 league games he played right back, which is his preferred spot.

Personal Note: Stockley was a very upbeat guy. Very excited to be here for this opportunity and would love to be here for good. Really nice guy, and a great vocal leader on the field. If we can afford it, would be a great guy to bring in and spot start and serve almost as an extra coach. Provides leadership we haven’t had in years. Professional to the core.

COACH MORROW:
- Glad we got out of the game with no injuries, it started to get chippy at the end.
- Not the best competition, but gave another opportunity to look at the players.
- Expects a lot of the trialists to be let go by the end of the weekend.
- Stockley is a good talker, and a decent player.
- Cabrera looked “competent”.
- Ibrahim has looked great so far.
- Discovery has already been filed on Toure.
- Toure is big, strong, with great attributes.
- Toure can develop, he is only 16.
- Toure has a green card.
- Clubs in Europe know about Toure.
- He hopes to keep Watson around to have a further look.
- Davino arrives on Monday.
- The 3-5-2 fits our personnel quite well.

OVERALL COMMENT

Initially, I was concerned about the move to a 3-5-2 because of the lack of a number 10 on the roster and hearing that FCD was not interested in picking up a player at that position. However, after watching how they play the 3-5-2, I understand why Morrow is not concerned. They are not looking for a pure creator, they just need someone to run the show and set the pace of the game. The defensive midfielders are expected to join the attack, so the middle three interchange quite a bit. Additionally, the movement of the forwards and building attacks down the wings are going to relied on more than a flash of creativity. This is why a Toja, Rocha, or even Dax can fill that central position and do just fine. In short, the both the defensive and attacking midfielders need to be two way players and not be limited in what they can do.

IMHO, this means that we are much more likely to see Alvarez used at forward than in the midfield because work rate is so important at the other positions.

Also, for those of you concerned with width, the outside mids stayed very wide. FCD ran up and down the line all day and there was much less congestion than we saw at any point last season.

Categories: Match Report.

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