Game Grades: Kansas City Wizards vs FC Dallas
July 7th, 2008 . 7:58 am . By: Peter Welpton
Hyndman looks very unsettled on the bench while he watches his new side. You can’t blame the guy for all of that fidgeting, the team just is not performing very well. Tying the Wizards at home with a desperate-last-gasp-goal, is a clear indicator of where FC Dallas really sits. Remember, KC had won only one league game since late April. Playing its, “how ever many games in a short amount of time”, the team looked and was understandably tired. Kansas City was on a similar schedule so when you add in the wonderful July heat - it all adds up to a miserably slow, mistake filled game of soccer. This was not a good representation of the “beautiful sport”. Now that we’re half way thru the season it is more apparent that ever that what was on display Friday night is pretty much what you can expect for the remainder of 2008 from FC Dallas. With the coaching change happening so recently, you can pretty much count out the club actually spending any money on a new player that will make a difference. There is no “DP” on the horizon for the club or its fans. The roster as it currently stands is what you got. And it’s broken. It’s as simple as that. With the likelihood of Dax leaving soon for Beijing we can forget about him coming back to make things better. And if Cooper is sold off, well, how about an Oduro/Thompson pairing up top sound? Hey season ticket holder, excited yet? The point is 2008 can be scratched off for FC Dallas and it’s end cannot come soon enough. Hyndman wants and needs to reshape this team as he wants it. There is no proof that he will assemble a team that can do any better, but at that point at least it is “his” team and can be held accountable for its performance. The remainder of Dallas’ schedule holds visits from the Rapids and Galaxy this month, but then an August with three straight on the road. After that there are only two games against teams the currently have less points (KC and SJ). Hyndman has a team of tired, frustrated and by some accounts, unhappy players. The product on the field is not getting better, maybe worse, and this is not a club that historically goes out and makes mid-season acquisitions. Maybe, just maybe, Hyndman’s obvious displeasure with Alvarez could translate into a trade, but what MLS team would really give up a quality player for one that is so obviously hot/cold? Pertaining to Friday’s match it simply was just another disjointed performance that was marked with the shocking decline in Ricchetti’s game, Cooper trying way too hard to make magic and more unforced turnovers than anyone could even begin to count. Hyndman’s halftime subs of Oduro and Rocha were shocking and it took all of 47 minutes to work out. But between minutes 45 and 91 there wasn’t much difference. Thompson had a horrid match, with the exception of the goal, and Avila appeared quick and snappy. The kid might have something, but the rest of the team is such a bad funk that its not clear that he alone can really make that much difference. All of the obvious problems with the team point to the idea that Schellas should just start fielding a team with the youngsters and just give up on playoff aspirations. But the And because of that you can count on more of the same. Grades:Sala - 5 Subs 9 Comments Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI Leave a comment |
I agree with Avila…He was the only spark worth watching. Is there any chance Hyndman could make Ricardinho a better team player..If we are going to loose or tie at home id rather see some fancy foot work and maybe a spark of something. Id like to see Ricardinho and Avila both on the field with the starters..Keep Rocha in.
You know there’s only one ‘r’ in Oduro, right?
I agree with you on the game - it was the worst this year that we didn’t lose. We will know in a few weeks where the front office stands on acquisitions. MLSR is saying the Toja is on the trading block as well, and if both he and Cooper leave then this is definitely a rebuilding year.
Please do not trust anything on “MLS Rumors”. That site simply just repeats things it finds on the internet. Test it. Go on BS and post something about Donovan going back to Europe and I have no doubt that within 24 hours it will appear on that site.
I think you mean ‘parity’ of MLS, not parody…but then again, maybe not. Forget the conference silliness…the single table standings tell it all.
Anyone want a do-over on dumping the coach who just two seasons ago had this franchise three points from the Supporter’s Shield?
The trade that helps both clubs:
Alvarez and a minor allocation for Conde.
as painful as it may be, i agree w/ your assessment of the team. but, i don’t think schellas should be solely to blame b/c he only took over the team mid-season. plus, he doesn’t have his type of players.
i see the same thing w/ pablo. he just hasn’t played well for most of the season. abe doesn’t do anything for me….although he ends up being at the right place/time at one moment of the game.
if the players are frustrated, it’s only their faults for not doing their part to police the locker room. somebody needs to step up and take control…which i have not heard of happening in articles.
This team could still catch fire. Just to interject some optimism. We do have good players.
I was at the game on Friday and was greatly disappointed. If we are going to play that badly I would rather put out a team of young guys and let them grow. This season is now a wash and I think it will be next season before Hyndman gets his MLS legs under him. I think he might have thought he was still coaching a college game when he pulled two guys at halftime in a game with almost 100-degree heat. I was just waiting for a guy or two to go down so we would have to play short.
On a happier note, I got to see my play cousin, Wally (we have the same name) after the game and talk to him for a second. He seemed to be on high spirits for the junior Classico with Mexico later this week.