Rocha may earn his way back through practice.

Dax, Avila, Wallace, Sanchez, and even Davies probably need to see the field so they can be better utilized/assessed/developed. I haven’t given up on Wagner entirely, but he needs to earn his way back in.

Exchanging Avila for Sanchez and Torres for Wallace in this line up works just fine for me. Also, once Sala is healthy he takes goal of course (as long as we re-introduce him to the white lines of the box)

——-Burse
Moor———John—Wallace
—–Richetti (flex 3 or 4 back line)

————DAX

Sanchez———-VDB

———Ferreira

—–Shea——–Cooper

Bench should include
- Lambo
- Peri
- Avila
- Torres

Bench does not need to include
- Rocha
- Saragosa
- Wagner
- Cunningham

Cunningham needs to have a retirement party. I will bake the cake. Speaking of cakes, please sign a proven, quality striker that has fewer than 30 candles on his cake.

“Sargosa – Out, Dax – In

Rocha – Out, Avila – In

Cunningham – Out, Shea – In

Everyone who has ever played left back – Out, Wally – In.”

Amen! You and I are watching the same 2009 Hoops. In addition to Avila in for Rocha, it is possible to give Sanchez a look too.

For defense, I will say that Danny Torres has started to impress me in the last couple efforts. So this at least gives us some options to try

Moor—Richetti—Wallace

knowing that we can also move to a four man back with Torres (or perhaps keep Wallace on the bench consistently as a sub). Either way, I would like to see Wally get some more minutes, which I think he will.

Once George John is healthy again, he needs to go back in. He has earned his starter role and we need his size, grit, and bold 1-on-1 marking.

The problem with our defense has been Marcelo Saragosa and Blake Wagner. Truly pathetic. To a lesser degree–only because he has been constantly injured upon arrival–Steve Purdy. he has been a real let down for us, as he was supposed to be the big savior of the defense coming in from the German 2nd division according to SH and Ellinger.

Sanchez’s work rate was quite laudable on both sides of the ball. Fair enough to suggest he wasn’t a “difference maker” per se, but being a man down with the struggling Kenny Cooper as the lone striker, that wasn’t likely anyway.

Here is some perspective for you. Given Rocha’s attitude and mental state, why not play someone like Tom Sanchez or Eric Avila on the right wing. They will at least fight hard up and down the field for the shirt, and neither one of them are suspect to the temper tantrums of a five year old on a silly throw-in ball. I suggest giving Sanchez a start, reserving Avila off the bench for a strong offensive spark (he is still not showing defensive prowess just yet).

Sticking with more Saragosa/Rocha antics? A bad decision. Ironically, they were the real “difference makers” of the game Saturday! For L.A.

I partially blame SH for Rocha’s lack of fitness mentally and physically. For whatever reason, FCD was not able to inspire Rocha to work harder in the off-season, and for whatever reason, FCD was not able to manage him in a way that led to appropriate influence toward what he does on the field, which is to go chasing after a guy who steals the ball from him to foul him.

The only way SH will turn things around is to bench the head cases, and play people who have a strong internal locus of control and/or the younger players with a strong personal incentive to get more MLS minutes and really show their worth.

- Dax
- Avila
- Shea
- Wallace
- Peri (maybe too soon for him)

I say remove the tired, lackadaisical, head case loaner/foreign players like Rocha and Saragosa from the lineup for the next five games. It just might reveal our team’s potential, and in the process help Rocha in particular to get his head straight.

At least Tom Sanchez showed some strong fight on the ball up and down the length of the field. As a coach you’ve got to reward that type of play. With Pablo at center back (despite his big mistake early) and Sanchez fighting for possession, we did not do what we have done over and over again for the last couple years, which is to roll over in the last 30 minutes of the game and lose the tie or the lead.

And when I say ‘difference maker’ I don’t expect a player to be Zidane, but only relative to the competition. I mean someone that can win his own 1v1 battles consistently and put the defense in awkward positions. I saw Shea do that, I saw Wallace do that, I saw Burse do that, but didn’t notice Sanchez at all…and I was looking.

John Wooden used to say that you shouldn’t mistake activity for achievement, and it seems to me that is exactly the mistake that SH makes.

But Sanchez only played a little while and I certainly thought I qualified my statement by noting that he was playing in difficult circumstances. I’m happy to be proven wrong over what remains of our season.