February 24th, 2008 . 10:01 am . By: Jason Benfield

As expected, FC Dallas completely dominated the run of play against the Faux Aggies, winning the game by the final score of 4-0. The vast majority of the match was spent on the A&M half, with Dallas controlling possession at least 70 percent of the time. Dallas used a 3-4-3 formation, with the three forwards straight across. This was a different look than we have seen in the previous scrimmages. Obviously, the look of the back 7 will be consistent, but the front three is going to change all year long.

The front three works much better now than it has in the past. Previously, FCD teams have been stagnant up top in a 3 forward set. Now, the forwards move all over the place, constantly interchanging. Although I listed Mina and Oduro on the wings, Abe would often run outside and the wings inside. The wings also switched sides several times. There was a lot of movement, especially from Oduro and Abe. This has a completely different look and feel to it than the three up top did with Ruiz, because there is no stagnant target striker.

The one thing I don’t like about the look is that when the ball is played down the wings, it is played to a forward instead of a midfielder. When FCD has played the 3-5-2 in the past scrimmages, the wing gets the ball outside and has at least 3 players in the box to pass to. In today’s formation, because the forward is the one with the ball down the wing, there are only two players in the box; that is not enough targets to create dangerous chances at the MLS level.

First Half Lineup:

Goal 1: Oduro, from the lower left side of the box, looks towards the penalty spot as if he is going to pass the ball. Keeper anticipates the pass and starts to step out, only to have Oduro take a shot instead into the empty net for the first goal of the game. Good, heads up read by Oduro, but a bad play by the keeper.

Goal 2: Abe makes a nice diagonal run across the box from left to right and runs onto a through ball into space. From a sharp angle around the 6 yard box, Abe is able to fire the ball past the keeper into the far netting. Nice finish.

Goal 3: Oduro makes a run down the right wing, and at full pace sends a great cross into Mina who easily finishes on the volley. Great pass from Oduro.

Second Half Lineup:

Subs after 80 minutes:
When Jones came for Toja, Jones played right forward, Ibrahim moved to right midfield, and Avila to defensive mid.

Goal 4: Abe on a penalty.

PLAYER ANALYSIS

F – Abe – Great hustle as usual. Nice finish on his goal. Seemed to lack a final burst of acceleration today. Not quite enough speed to excel at a high level. Mental speed seems to be there as he made quick decisions on the ball. Good first touch, good passing. Tired in the second half and lack of speed/acceleration really showed. Lack of athleticism will keep him from being a consistent starter in MLS, but is a very solid reserve.

F – Oduro – Great speed as usual, but really struggles in 1v1 situations, even against college level opposition. Not confident with the ball at his feet. Even though he has good speed, his feet are slow, which hurts in 1v1. Also does not have a strong cutback ability. His passing, on the other hand, has improved drastically over the last year. Makes good, quick decisions on the ball and combines a lot better than he used to in tight space. Had a really nice cross for Mina’s goal, and it was taken at full speed. More effective wide left than wide right. Ran a lot today, and did well showing back for the ball. Missed a sitter 1v1 with the keeper in the second half.

F – Mina - Ran out of gas at around the 7 minute mark. I would describe his performance as very “Denilson” today. Great will the ball at his feet, really tricky. But no pace, no acceleration, out of shape. Did not do much away from the ball other than walk. Did not have the legs under him to make a move and then shoot; other than the goal all of his other shots were very weak and forced. Not effective at all running down the flank. Really struggled in his short spell in the second half. Has obviously hit a wall in training that he needs to push through; the performance today was much worse than in the opening scrimmage.

F – Shea – Did not really add that much to the game. Big, physical player, but showed a poor first touch which kept him from being able to do much on the ball. Not very effective, but has size, athleticism, decent speed and is young.

F – Toure - Was also not really effective. The defense was playing really far back, so was not able to use speed much. Has decent speed and great side. Upside is there with him as well as he is very young. Makes quick decisions when he gets the ball and does not get caught with the ball at his feet. His feet are very slow, though, so he is not able to do much 1v1 other than push it and run. Very clumsy as a defender.

F/RM – Ibbe - Yet another strong preseason performance. Very comfortable with the ball at his feet. Has a plethora of 1v1 moves and is able to get around a college level defender with ease, and does not just use his speed. Has good speed and a good burst of acceleration. Really is a player to watch this season. Is ready to be at least an effective reserve in the league. Needs to cross the ball more often when he has space; today his crosses were not as sharp as in the other games.

F – Scott Jones – Only played for a limited time, and didn’t show that much. Still limited with speed and athleticism and doesn’t make things happen in the run of play.

LM – Wagenfuhr - Not as effective today as he had been in the other scrimmage. Part of this was the formation not allowing him to roam all the way up the wing. Good work rate, nice positioning and tackling defensively. Did not have many opportunities on the ball, but made some poor decisions with crossing into the box with no targets available and hitting low balls.

LM – Wagner - Looked very good wide. Started out playing a little too defensively, but once he got going did well getting involved in the offense. Had some nice crosses, and showed some good 1v1 moves to open space or beat a player. Combined well in tight space, especially with Toja. Made good, quick decisions. He and Ibbe may have been the two best players in the second half.

RM – Rhine - Good energy. Lacks athleticism. Lacks an extra gear. Some good plays in the short passing game, but his crosses were really off today except for one outstanding cross in the second half.

RM/DM – Avila - struggled at the beginning, especially with his short passing game, but then got comfortable and was effective. Has great touch and vision on long balls into space for players to run onto. Had a wonderful dribbling sequence when he was pushed into the middle of the field, where he is a more comfortable player. Not sure about his speed on the wing. Tons of upside here, and I really like his vision on passing; he sees the field and runs very well.

DM – Dax - Probably the MVP of the first half. All over the field in the first 20 minutes. Very active, very sharp on the ball. Showed good passing ability. Sometimes passes up a quick, easy ball to wait for something more difficult or a cross to open up; should take the easy pass in some of those situations. Gets caught with his head down at times and misses a player making a run as a result. Got lazy with the ball a few times in the last ten minutes of the half and had some poor giveaways. Concentration needs to stay at a high level. First 30 minutes was probably the first time I have seen him dictate the midfield at the professional level, and he did well with it; just need to see that for an entire game.

DM – Wallace – A strong defensive player, he positioned himself well when he was in a defensive role. His short passing game has gotten more consistent, but still needs work. Has adjusted to a higher mental speed of the game; he is making quicker decisions more frequently now, and not getting caught on the ball. Really struggles off the ball in the offensive transition. Does not show for the ball enough offensively, and does not make strong runs to make himself available in the midfield. His offensive side is probably his limiting factor at this point. Will do fine as a reserve, but not ready to start yet in MLS.

DM – Toja - Only played for about 15 minutes before he banged knees and had to leave the game. Really not all that effective in his time in the game. He was not sharp with his passes and not really focused. Had one really nice run into the box and later made a nice move on the foul that resulted in his injury, but that was about that. Did not really hustle very much and I am not sure about his fitness level at this point in camp.

DM – Chase - Once again showed hustle and grit, but he struggled with his passing more today than in the past. Limited upside, and plays in a loaded position. Might be hard to make the Dev. roster because of the upside issue.

LD – Daniels - Has athleticism and height, but still not ready for MLS. Possibly not even ready to be a true backup. Positioning has improved significantly since he first arrived, and has a better understanding of when to mark tight and when to let a guy go. Still very uncomfortable with the ball at his feet, and describing him as an adequate passer would be generous. Does not have a lot of “futbol” skills. Clumsy at tackling the ball away with his feet. Not ready, but physical upside will keep him on the dev. roster this year.

LD – Serioux - Played on the left instead of on the right which could be an indication that he is moving ahead of Yi on the defensive line pecking order. Did fine defensively and was more comfortable today than the other scrimmages. A little lazy on the ball a couple of times, and needs to keep focus up, but did fine.

RD – Dello-Russo - Had a few bad passes, was physically dominated on one ball in the air at the top of the 18 against college opposition. Positions himself well, but was beaten on a couple of poor tackles. Does open himself up well after the ball is won for distribution, and wasn’t shy about swapping with Rhine on the right. Made more defensive mistakes than Daniels on the day.

RD – Yi - Defensively was good. Good positionally, good physical play, good marking. Not beaten. However, still refuses to pass the ball short up the wing. Always looks inside or to switch field. Needs to pass the ball quick and up the line more often. Distribution needs work in order to take his game up a notch, but he is okay as an MLS starter.

CD – Pitch - Marks his player very tightly, and has good strong challenges especially when the ball is in the air. Tight marking leads to him being pulled out of position, though. Leaves the middle or gets pulled up, and is often nowhere to be found when balls are sent into the box for someone running out of the midfield. Had one very slow read on a through ball to the right side and ended up making a clumsy tackle that was called for a foul. Will get exposed by athletic forwards. Does not have great pace. Can perform spot duty in MLS, but having no cover in a 3 man back line might be trouble with him in the game. Will make roster because of lack of depth, but should be a dev. player.

CD – Davino - First look at him, and didn’t see much. Plays further behind the other defenders, almost sweeperish, whereas Pitch plays even. That might be to not expose his lack of speed. Good distribution. Had two poor clearances, one was awkward, the other was a whiff. Did not seem that interested.

GK – Lambo - No real shots on goal, but had one very nice read on a through ball where he was at the top of the 18 before the striker and cleared it. That was a very nice play for a young goalie. Not much else to speak of.

GK – Kennedy – Small. Not tested. Very vocal and active though. Just brought in as a local guy, not much of a shot to make the team unless there is a trade.

CLOSING POINTS

- I think the fact that we did not see Ricardinho in this match is probably an indication that he has made the team. Oduro and Mina are most likely fighting for the final international spot.

- Morrow was not intending to use Jones unless an emergency situation presented itself. This does not bode well for his chances of making the squad.

- I noticed that Watson is playing with Toronto right now in their preseason, so obviously he wasn’t going to make the squad. He could be trying to make a full team roster before deciding if he wants to accept a developmental spot.

Categories: Match Report.

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