3rd Degree

August 26th, 2008 . By: Buzz Carrick

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I don’t step on toes, Littlejohn, I step on necks.- Colonel James Braddock

So for the first time we see Schellas Hyndman really drop the hammer on a player, unless you are counting Ricardinho being waived last week.  Ok so Schellas dropped the hammer on two players.  In the space of a few short days we’ve seen one player booted off the bus and another told to move to the back.  It’s going to be an interesting winter I think. Not that we don’t have some season left to play.

Nice enough day today, this earlier training does make for some better temps and less sweaty media.  Which I can tell you is a good thing.

News, Notes, & Observations

- The biggest news of the day is of course that Rocha is missing.  You can read about it here and I have one more quote about it from Schellas below.

- One note about Sikora and his meniscus operation this Wednesday.  There are two types of procedures that can be done on a meniscus.  One involves cutting (I think that’s right) the meniscus and placing it back together, rebuilding it if you will.  This procedure has a faster recovery time, the 4 to 6 weeks that FCD quoted, but is worse off (less sound) in the long run.  The second method involves just cleaning up or repairing the meniscus some how.  This second procedure has a 6 month recovery time but it is much better for the long term player health and recovery.  Which procedure they will use on Sikora will be determined the morning of the operation (during?). I believe Saragosa opted for the longer recovery time when he had the operation last year.  So Sikora might be back in October, or he not be back till next year.

- Schellas says the two kids from River Plate might come back next spring.  Although I think one of them was just sold somewhere.

- FCD has no interest in trading Dom according to Hyndman.
Buzz says, “never say never,” “no one is untouchable,” and “the price needs to be right.”

- Avila looked great today, really sharp, active, and in control. See Hyndman quote below.

- Saragosa pulled his groin last week and was unavailable for the KC game.  He was working his tail off today, one of the hardest working rehabbers I’ve seen, and looks to be ready.  Schellas says he will be ok for this weekend.

- Davino the coach called a “maybe.”  Today he jogged on the side. I’d call him a “no way.”

- Serioux called for next two Canada quals.  He’ll leave Sunday (post Cbus game) and miss the FCD game against Colorado.

- Schellas says FCD missed out on whatever left back it was they were targeting.

- Jamie Watson is doing lots of good things, getting up and down the line, playing defense, crossing, getting into danger spots in the box.  But if he’s ever going to be a first teamer he needs to develop what I call class to his game.   He needs to refine his touch on the ball and passing weight.  Every once in a while he’s let down under pressure by the ball being just a touch to far from his body, or when into the final third his pass goes just a little far or a little off the mark.  It’s a close thing, but it’s the difference between reserve and first teamer.

- Spenser Wadsworth is struggling with the transition to a new position. He’s been playing a lot of right back in addition to wide midfielder, and he’s not getting his mind around it yet.  The kid’s been a goal scorer and attacking forward/mid most his life.  But that’s how these things go, when you hit the level you aren’t good enough to be a striker anymore you move back in the formation.  It’s early in the process, these things take time.

- Brek Shea played center back today and then holding midfield.  That’s the 5th and 6th different position he’s played in Dallas that I can recall.

- Bryant Rueckner.  USCB keeper, US U17 residency, is still around.  I would think he would be back in school soon.

- Bruno Guarda has yet to get up to first team speed.  That should tell you something about how fast MLS is cause Burno was almost two seconds faster than the college game.

- Having been waived last week, no Ricardinho in camp.  Just in case you missed it.

Catching up with Schellas Hyndman

Please don’t forget the translations are a bit. Boy howdy can this guy ramble.

What’s the plan with Sikora out?

I think we gotta go back to the drawing board and see if we can get someone into that position. We have some choices, it’s nice to have a left sided player there, but at the same time we may have to put a right sided player there just to get that position filled.  It’s disappointing, but you know the thing with soccer players is you can’t choose your injury.  You can’t choose when you’re gonna get your injury.  So it’s hurt us a little bit, but we’re moving forward.

Buzz’s Coach Speak Translator:  Good question.  No idea.

In general why sub Rocha out at the 60 minute mark so much?

Because he’s really not doing the things that I hope to get done.  What is the purpose of a flank player?  So if you say the purpose of a flank player is to cross balls, then cross balls.  The purpose of a flank player is to be part of the strike force.  The purpose of a flank player is to give us width and to take people on one v one.  And then to help in defending.  I think he’s more of a central player, so he likes to hold , he’s not as wanting to get into the attacking third.  So if he doesn’t do those type of things we gotta find people who can.  Now saying that I think the last few games he’s cone on and he’s getting a lot better, getting crosses off.  I mean that was a great goal that he scored.  But if you look at the at the couple pervious opportunities he’s in the box getting balls, so that’s what we’re looking for.

Buzz’s Coach Speak Translator:  You do what I tell you to do or you sit.

Why Dax in over Avila in the last game?

Players go through their ups and downs at any level and when you look at the first game Eric played in, I think it was in Houston, he played ten minutes.  Then he got a couple games in Open Cups.  Then Toja is gone and he started.  But he really hasn’t put his grip on the position, his stamp on the attacking midfielder.  “This is my position.”  And I think sometimes it becomes overwhelming for a young player.  “God, I’m starting on this team as the attacking midfielder?”

Let’s talk about what the attacking midfielder should be doing.  Should be connecting with the strikers, should be scoring.  Should be scoring and he’s not. So I’m looking for something a little bit more.  The defensive role he’s getting better at.  When you go out of a five man midfield to a four man midfield your flank midfielders have to work harder, you two central midfielders have to work harder, and some times they still think they are in a five man midfield.

So Dax I thought had a great week of training, so it was an opportunity to kinda pull Eric back a little bit, and I think today Eric had a very good practice.  Sometimes it works in reverse, “why would you do that to a guy?” You need to inspire him a little bit and today he responded.

Buzz’s Coach Speak Translator:  Dax is good and Eric needed a kick in the but.

How’s Cunningham mixing in with the team?

I think it’s going very good.  The relationships are going  very good.  He’s the first one when he makes a mistake to apologize, “Hey, it’s my fault, I sorry.”  And I think that’s a sign of experience and cooperation.  So I think up to this point and time he’s been outstanding both on the field and off the field.

Buzz’s Coach Speak Translator:  Terrific, he’s Mr. Congeniality.

How’s Pitch holding up giving he’s almost certain to lose out when Davino returns?

I’ve had some personnel conversations with him about how he’s doing. What a great job he’s done for us, winning air balls and being a sold defender.  “The thing is you’re opportunity is here and you’re doing a great job with it.”  It may change when our resume players come in, when people who have owned these position for ten years come back.  In the mean time appreciate it and play to the best of your ability.”  And I think he has.

Buzz’s Coach Speak Translator:  It sucks to be behind a $400,000 player.

Why are you moving Shea around so much positionally?

My feeling is he hasn’t done enough to earn a a traditional spot. You know what I’m saying?  We played him up front and he was coming off the bench and doing some things.  Then he had some goofy mental things.  We play him out wide and he doesn’t get involved enough. At left back he does a pretty good job, at center back we’re looking at that now as a potential possibility.  I think the important thing for Brek is time and just getting more opportunities to play.  Once you start to put a person in position then he should be the next person who goes in off the bench.  If he’s a striker and you’re training him to be a striker then you should be next.  But right now I don’t have that feeling so right now I’m trying to find some place where he is the next player off the bench.

Buzz’s Coach Speak Translator:  We gotta find a way to get the kid some playing time.

Training

After warming up and stretching, Schellas put the team through a progression of half field games designed to emphasize getting into the final third and adjusting the mentality.  He was keying on opening the field with passing to create space and then exploiting the space.  The teams stayed the same all day but various players were swapped around all day as Schellas only had 24 players, two of which are extra keepers.  In this first drill some interesting positionals were Shea at center back, Dax central mid, Watson left mid, Avila paired with Pablo again, and Wallace at left back.

Red: Cunningham Cooper Watson Bruno McCarty Dello-Russo Wagner Moor Pitchkolan Serioux
Grey: Oduro Thompson Wileman Avila Ricchetti Wadsworth Wallace Shea Daniels Rhine

After a time Ricchetti and Shea swapped spots, putting Shea at holding mid and Ricchetti at center back.

After 45 minutes of so of the short field, the team moves into a ful field set up. First 20 minutes had a set of cones 15 yards form each side.  Play was open touch wide, two touch central.  Point being to keep wide players working the width of the field and getting forward to cross instead of bunching the middle.  In this drill Dax moved to left mid, Dello from right mid to central mid, Shea was back at center back, Watson to right mid, and Rhine and Wadsworth swapped spots from earlier.

Last of all was a full speed open field game, with open touches.

Lineup Prediction

Cooper/Cunningham of course.  Dax looks to be left, Saragosa will be ready to take Ricchetti’s spot with suspension.  Avila back in at A-mid. Rocha on the right remains a question mark.  Could it be Rhine, Watson, Dello-Russo, or something else?  I’d guess Dello.  The back four it set.

Thought of the Day

With the release of Ricardinho and the failed bid for a left back, FCD has one open spot on the senior roster.  Although the roster isn’t frozen till September 15th, it may be hard for FCD to fill that senior spot with a new player signing.  If they don’t sign someone that spot should be given to Ray Burse Jr.

Ray already had that spot once but was dropped down the developmental roster when he was on loan to Portland.  A loan I would have liked to have seen continued by the way.  If FCD isn’t going to ad someone of full roster value, then give Burse the spot and sign some local kid to the last developmental spot as a sort of four month try out.

I’m sure there is someone local who would die for a shot at the team and Burse certainly deserve the money.

Categories: Practice Observations .

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