Game Grades: NE Revolution vs FC Dallas
April 25th, 2008 . 8:50 am . By: Peter WelptonThe unfortunate result of Thursday night’s loss to a depleted Revolution is probably something to be expected to happen this season. After beating Chivas on the road, to lose like this, at home, to half of a reserve team, is a proper demonstration of how to exploit FC Dallas’ weaknesses. First, proving why his team has appeared deep in the playoffs or MLS Cup year after year, Steve Nicol coached his side to a win Thursday night. The Revs gaffer keyed into FCD’s weak points, exploited them and was able to accomplish it even with spare parts at his disposal. Morrow, on the other hand, continues to try and find a way to make all of his starting pieces fit together properly and that is not going very well. Next, yes, FCD was undefeated, had scored some goals and had put out two straight shutouts. The defense is not the issue. In fact, by all accounts, the “D” has been very impressive. But when you go back and look at the way the goals have been scored, you find something of interest. Of the eight scored this season, six of them have come from either a long ball behind the defense or a ball crossed into the box. Of the two that came from other means, one – the 2nd goal in Houston – was the result of a fast counter attack. While a team will take goals any way it can, what this does show is Dallas’ inability to process an attack in the final third. Time and time again the team will glue together a decent set of passes from the back, into the middle, grow the attack into the opposing end (albeit as slow as molasses going uphill in an icestorm), only to turn it over with a bad pass, poor decision or shoddy teamwork. This frustration turns the team to the all-too-common attempt to beat the defense with a long ball, and a Nicol-coached side was more than willing to let that happen. The Revs were patient, smart and even shifted from their normal three defenders to four and frustrated Dallas all night. Whatever this formation Morrow is using, 3-5-3, or 3-4-3, it is not producing an attack through the midfield that works. It seems like the two holding midfielders cannot find a link to the players in front and more times than not are forced, or choose, to pass laterally or backwards. Neither seem able to support the front three in the attack. The two wide players, Dax and Wagner, have been rendered mostly ineffective in the attack and spend a lot of time with defensive duties. Wagner’s inexperience is part of the problem and Morrow could certainly benefit in that spot with a veteran player. These two are the width to the attack and Nicol expertly tied those two up all game long. Again, for most of the game the formation was more 5-3-2 than anything else. But let’s focus on a positive in the defense. Starting with the outstanding Sala, the three in front of him have mostly been stellar. Serioux in particular had a great match and gave the young Rev/Gambian forward fits. Davino’s smarts are on display time and time again and Moor continues to grow in positive ways. It is unfortunate that their one collective mistake allowed the Revs to grab a goal. Morrow has much work to do and you can bet that other teams will watch the Rev’s very effective gameplan and put it to good use. Grades:Sala: 7 – Considering his form, willing to give benefit of doubt that he was shielded on the goal. Moor: 7 – Really took a beating and held up nicely. Davino: 7 – Very much showing his value. Serioux: 8 – MotM. Outstanding work stepping up to kill the attack. Dax: 7 – Overall a fantastic effort in defending, his size (or lack thereof) worked against him on the goal. Wagner: 4 – Not a good game. Turnovers and poor decisions plagued him. Rocha: 5 – Just not the factor he needs to be in that position. Saragosa: 5 – Way too many turnovers, but effective in defense. Team needs Pablo instead. Toja: 6 – Not his best night. Struggled a lot and shockingly slow in decision making where he normally is money. Despite that, one of the better players. Alvarez: 4 – Maybe score is harsh, but mostly was a bystander in the match. Oh, and the flop. “Stop the flop.” Cooper: 6 – Worked very hard but unable to turn possession gained behind defense into shots on goal. And speaking of “flopping,” Kenny, you are a big boy – stay up and fight through it. SUBS:Ricardinho: 5* – A whole lot of energy resulting in nothing. And, stop being a baby. To clarify the Richardinho and Oduro comments: Yes, both came in and provided a spark. Both, unfortunately, displayed their inexperience with bad decisions and some “much-too-easy-to-defend” moves. 16 Comments Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI Leave a comment |
I wouldn’t give Sala that high, but I don’t think he was really tested to know but a few times and that goal did not have much pace to me. Gotta stop that. Dax made one mistake the whole game I thought and it ended up being a goal. You are right no offensive playmaking in the final third until the last 10 minutes. Note Richetti, Ricardinho on the field the last 10 minutes. Toja wasn’t himself at all. I hate losing at home, but maybe this will knock them off the good feeling laziness that I thought the played with last night.
Sorry Wheezer, whether Dax made one mistake or fifty last night, his blunder resulted in the goal. Period. Moor and Davino are also at fault, and I would also say it would have been an easy ball for Sala to save had Davino not been blocking his view. To say Sala wasn’t tested is a little unfair, he had four saves, the same as Matt Reis. I agree with you about Ricchetti and Toja though, and how we looked lazy. Why wouldn’t Morrow go with the same line-up we had against Chivas?
As always, great job Peter. I was telling somebody last night, if Ricardinho was as good as he thinks he is, he’d be Ronaldinho.
Is Dax really the only legitimate free kick taker we have? Watching him whiff a few of those while Dallas was trailing was painful.
These grades demostrate a lack of tactical understanding by the writer. Defensively we were good because the back 3 didn’t get isolated and that’s because of Saragosa, Dax and Rocha covering back for them. They all deserve 7-8’s and the back 3 get 6’s. BTW we played a 5-5-0 last night and that also accounts for the good defending and zero attack.
I like your idea for a 3-5-3. That extra player might have paid off last night.
if dax was central, i bet he could link up w// our 3 attacking players. he’s shown he could compete defensively, and would be a pest in the middle. but he would also be able to direct w/ connecting passes. that’s why he was highly regarded w/ U23’s b/c of his ability. putting him out wide may take that away from him. come one, steve…time to wake up.
Two points. Switch Dax and Rocha and AA was a total non-factor.
I actually enjoyed the game, even though they lost. It was cool to see them possess the ball. Unfortunately, they were rusty/tired/ whatever up top and could not score. I like Reis — just wish he had slipped up at least to let us score. They had good D and we had good D. And they got the lucky shot. and we had lots of fun screaming from section 104.
The only thing that really bothers me is the AA flop — which I even got a photo of. I detest that kind of play. I hope he learns from how BAD he looked last night. Oh, and STOP with the hair style/color changes every time ESPN2 comes around.
I have just about had it with Rocha. I would still like to see him in the wing position, but I think I have seen enough with him in the central role.
Toja should not have been playing last night. He was no where near his normal self. It was painful to see him out there bc he clearly still is not healthy, that seemed to have a lot to do with the slow pace through the middle and why Kenny and Art were basically ineffective. Toja needs to sit anand get healthy so that he can get back to his old ways of running the game for FCD.
If there was ever a chance to employ the Dax/Rocha switch, I would have guessed this game. Khano Smith is a big boy and needed to be played more physically. Unfortunate that we let this one slip away against a depleted Revs side. But that’s why they play the game.
Good grades, Peter. KK is spot on, why Rocha was not switched to cover Khano simply blows my mind. I mean, was there anyone who watched this game that didn’t say uh-oh when you looked on that side? You just knew it was going to happen sooner or later, and then eureka. I’m fairly certain Morrow is getting paid to sort of anticipate these things. Or not. Whatever.
You guys are claiming that Rocha would’ve been perfect against Smith? Hypothetically God-like? Theoretically impeccable?
And add Serioux to the list of FCD dudes who shoulda woulda coulda stopped Mr. Smith on the one time Mr. Smith wasn’t frustrated by McCarty.
FCD allowed N.E. to develop other scoring opportunities to develop which N.E. botched (iirc Heaps, Cristman): scoring chances that were phatter than Smith’s chance that did go in.
Who said “hypothetcially god-like”? I’ve carefully reviewed my post, and I didn’t detect anything about Rocha being “perfect.” In fact, I didn’t even comment on Rocha’s ability.
Congrats on defeating an argument no one made. I don’t love Rocha by any stretch of the imagination, But pretty simple physics dictates that Dax shouldn’t have been marking a gazelle.
I think that you guys (plural) Monty KK FriscoFan and Toffee were commenting and succeeding in creating the take-away belief that Dax can’t cover Smith. Dax infact succeeded at a frequency that Monty mentions — *while* Dax was probably carrying health issues with at least his back and possibly hernia. (I don’t know whether the hernia deal didn’t appear days after the N.E. match). My point is that a great defensive specialist man-marker would be happy with the success rate that Dax had v. Smith and that Dax, Moor, Davino, Serioux, and Sala all or individually might have stopped Smith’s scoring opportunity, where lefty Smith kept going to his right and shooting with his right. Now, why are the FCD defenders who gifted Heaps and Christman with wide-open shooting opportunities going unnamed and unblamed? I think Dax should visit that surgeon in Bavaria who worked on Wynalda, et al.
AND FURTHERMORE! you’d be all happy and content if the guy that Smith succeeded in getting around and subsequently scoring was a Matt Behncke-like mass of inertia?
Because MB is taller than Dax?