But I do not understand his attachment to Rocha who seems to be talented, but not an SH player in any other way.

To me it’s clear he just doesn’t get things done on the field.

and some of the comments are spot on that ferreira seems to flourish when he has someone that he can work in combo w/. when tom was playing, he and ferreira worked well and looked dangerous together. when avila was inserted into the game, low and behold…ferreira seemed to have been more effective.

SH complains about attacking….he has one under his nose. it’s time to see what avila can do to impact the game from the beginning since we’ve already seen others. put him at RM, or pair him w/ ferreira in the middle. SH can keep his beloved rocha at RM.

Everyone with as many touches as he gets gives the ball away several times a game. It is a function of the odds. I like the possession soccer they’re playing. Now if they can get someone to finish, this team could really put together some wins.

Oh yeah, Saragosa is Schellas’ boyee.

Not really sure what game you were watching. Like Robert said, when almost every FCD possession goes through McCarty in the middle, he is bound to have a few giveaways. For the most part, he does very well at being available for his teammates and keeping the ball moving.

I concur with Nathan that Dax is not a good choice for wing play. He is currently playing in “the” choice spot that matches his talent…the middle. Dax had a ton of touches on the night…literally hundreds. It is easy to focus on the few bad passes he had and forget about the 100 solid touches and passing executions.

When he blew a cross late in the game, you could see how mad Dax was at himself. THAT is what is missing from Rocha, who remains an under-performer given his superior natural talent. If Rocha were to gain some maturity, focus, and work ethic, he would become a monster of a player. He has size, decent speed, and can play off both feet. In part I blame Shellas for not doing better at connecting with Rocha as a mentor, but ultimately, 90% of the accountability falls to the player.

One way to give Rocha a kick in the seat: Avila needs to be a regular starter on this club at midfield. Rocha should be benched until he fights his way back into the starting lineup.

The same thing goes for Saragosa. He needs to ride the pine.

Brek Shea needs to be a starter, Cunningham needs to be a late game sub for either Coop or Shea, and not be used as a starter anymore. I grow weary of SH starting Saragosa and Rocha and Cunningham while sitting Avila and Shea. This is NOT merely an issue of building for next season, it is also a way to win games this season too!

I also agree with Nathan that Avila is not a replacement for Ferriera, at least not for now. David Ferriera has struggled to adjust to MLS, but he gets better and better. I think David needs to wake up every day and watch the two Houston games, because both times Houston spanked his miniature ass. The MLS is a different game than what David has played his entire life. That being said, you can see the quality vision, position, and ball skill that David has, and you cannot teach that!!

Okay, one last issue. Having 1 guy like Ferreira on your team (short and small) is not a big deal, but having multiple players on the pitch at the same time who are short, small finesse style players is a huge coaching mistake. We lose 75% of all headers that otherwise would be 50-50% chances, and many of these lost opportunities have led to quick counterstrike goals. Shellas likes to blame the cruel Soccer Goddess of fate for our so-called “soft goals” but the truth is we had earned these goals by fielding a small team that gets pushed around.

If you notice, no one pushes Brek Shea or Avila around. Shea goes right through them, Avila goes around them. Wake up Coach! Sense the obvious truth that the fans can clearly see!!

I think Avila also shows us his best when he has freedom to roam like a second number 10.. but he’s not going to be able to displace Ferriera.

Not to echo what most people have said, but I agree Saragosa and to a lesser extent (but still) Rocha need to spend some time on the bench. No credit will ever be given to a coach that starts Saragosa, he should be coaching PDL somewhere.