Practice Observations: Directions
May 21st, 2008 . 3:48 pm . By: Buzz Carrick
We’ll it’s been a tumultuous couple of days to say the least. As big as a mess as the LA game was on Sunday, I don’t exactly feel better about what went down yesterday. Changing coaches is a way of pro sports so in the long run FCD life will continue. Including interim coaches, Ferruzzi is the 6th head coach I’ve seen around here. And I’m on my 4th GM if anyone is counting them. The team has a game this weekend and another next Wednesday, so they’re here to train. Which means I’m here to watch and tell you about it. News, Notes, & Observations- Dax McCarty is back and rehabbing on the sideline. He’s still got two weeks basically to miss, but he wants to run already. - No one else is doing any kind of rehab work. So it’s a fairly healthy team minus Dax and David Wagenfuhr. - Michael Hitchcock stops by training to answer questions again. Some few other reporters talk to him to get more quotes that will show up in various places I imagine. I’m not sure much has changed since yesterday to talk to him about. Although he does say there are no candidate yet to replace Morrow. - Bake Wagner and Brek Shea are still with the U23s in France. Wagner started and played the first half against Turkey. Break Shea came on in minute 67 for the captain Benny Feilhaber. - Abdus Ibrahim is still on extended sabbatical. Catching up with Marco FerruzziFerruzzi declined to talk to media today citing respect for the players, coaches, and Steve Morrow. So we’ll have to wait till later in the week to talk to to him about tactics and team stuff. TrainingSome jogging and then a long warm up run. Stretches and then a possession game to get things really going. Full field scrimmage 10v10 with a two way neutral player as there aren’t enough players to go 11v11. Here’s the two teams, both played in 3-4-2 setups with the extra player in midfield. Green: Cooper, Serioux, Saragosa, Pitchkolan, Ricchetti, Dello-Russo, Thompson, Rhine, Toja Training ended with some wind sprints run by Chris Clark and goalkeeper coach Drew Keeshan. Lineup PredictionIt’s early in the week and Ferruzzi just took over, but based on today not a whole lot is going to change this week. From the game in training we can tell it’s still 3-5-2, or maybe 3-4-3 I suppose. We saw a Cooper/Thompson combo, a back three with Daniels in for Serioux, and a set of four across the middle that might be a starting group. Just add in either Alvarez or Rocha I would think.
Let’s just call it a rough guess since I doubt even Ferruzzi knows what he will do at this point. Thought of the DayNot surprisingly there was a general “ok, now what?” feeling about training today. I don’t think any players have any ideas about what’s going to happen next. For the most part they were stunned and shocked still today. The older more experienced players have seen this kind of thing before and are adapting faster, but the younger ones seem distracted. It will be quite a hurdle for Ferruzzi to get them focused for three games in eight days. I think it’s going to be important for Hitchcock, in terms of “saving” this season, to hire a coach fairly quickly. If whatever new direction it is Hitch wants isn’t found quickly and brought into focus, this team, as young as it is, will begin to drift and lose itself. The psyche of this team was in a fragile position already with the recent performances, a few more mishaps will make it far worse as a sense of chaos could become all too prevalent. Someone needs to rally this team and rally it fast. 14 Comments Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI Leave a comment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Isn’t Serioux out with the red card?
oops yes, Daniels in for Serioux. forgot to fix that in the lineup I cut and pasted.
No more youth development, the new coach knows he has to win now or else. That’s okay let’s win now.
I would have thought Wally is more ready than Daniels at this point…and I believe he’s a natural defender.
Just because someone is Generation Adidas doesn’t necessarily mean they are better, I think it is about time Daniels gets a shot after starting every reserve game the past two years, and when he has far more upside then Dello Russo or Pitchkolan
Buzz, any speculation on when we’ll see Ibrahim again? I know he wasn’t penciled into be a major contributor to this team, but from what we were hearing in pre-season, he seemed to be on the cusp.
I can’t imagine that all this time away does anything for his development, unless he’s in some sort of double-secret training camp in Europe…
I think it was your Coach Translator bits that got him canned.
I was wondering about Ibbys’ “sabbatical” as well. Does anyone (not team related) know exactly?
It could be that Ibbe’s coming back from time to time, but I have not seen him. When they tell me someone is missing for personal reason I tend not to pry to much. I try to respect their privacy.
Could you ask Hitch if the coach or TD is likely to be hired first?
Ives Galarcep said that Wagner got pwned on and Brek Shea rocked (not a direct quote). Do think Brek will be seeing more of the field pretty soon?
I think a coach will come first because Hitch won’t be hiring the TD, HSG will be.
Wagner did not look great in the first half and was lifted at halftime. Shea came in late and looked good. He’s been great in training and was pressing for PT before he left, and of course before Morrow got fired.
How knows what will happen with a new coach.
We should have waited till after the 3 matches in 8 days to fire Morrow. Way to show no panic there FO. Things are going to get a lot worse before they get any better.
They did the right thing. Morrow looked lost, the team had no pep, and Denilson (largely panned on this site) is coming off a massive season in Brazil where he apparently had something left to offer and is now a league champion. i was done watching them get beat like a rented mule to lousy teams.
No one would say it on the record but Steve wasn’t liked within the club for a very long time. I predict the half-hoops go on a good run now just to show what/who the problem was with this squad.