July 29th, 2009 . 6:44 pm . By: Buzz Carrick

As La Rochefoucauld observed, “humility is the worst form of conceit.” I do hold the winning hand. - Ernst Stavro Blofeld

The beautiful temps continue as it’s in the 80s all through training with some nice cloud cover.  A bit muggy perhaps, but that’s only slightly uncomfortable when the sun comes out the last 20 minutes of the session.

News, Notes and Observations

- Dario Sala gets the first run with the first team today. I’m told he did yesterday as well.  Ray Burse did take a shift, but it might mean Daio is getting the nod.  Hyndman backs that up.

- “Tom” Sanchez is out on the field and rehabbing, doing some full running and cones stuff.  That usually means he will train full speed next week. It will be good to see him training again.

- Peri Marosevic does some rehab work then is cleared to join the open play.  So he’s good to go basically.

- Blake Wagner spent all day at right back, first with the second team and then with the starters.  Even to the extent of Ferruzzi playing left back with the second unit.  Steve Purdy got the first call at right back.

- Brian Shriver is finally in camp.  He looks like a college player trying to make the step up.  I think he has potential.  But the window for him is going to be small and the challenge will be tough.

- Joe Cooper is training with the team again.  That’s a good thing.

- Kenny Cooper is back in town and trained today.

- No sign of George John.

- The diamond 4-4-2 is back it appears and will likely stay, I think, unless Sanchez returns and beats out Cunningham.  Last week it looked more of a flat four.

- Hyndman says he doesn’t think the team is done and will probably use the #1 allocation.

Catching Up with Schellas Hyndman

Does Burse’s performance against RSL leave the door open for Sala?

Yeah, without a doubt, any time you give up four goals (you leave the door open). I thought on the last goal, he was way out of position. I bothered me because I was sitting on the bench and thinking that’s the exact same goal we gave up against Chivas when he was way out of position and gave them 90 percent of the goal. Force the guy to beat you. Don’t give it to him. I think the door is open.

Buzz’s Coach Speak Translator: Does the Pope shit in the woods?

Do you have any thoughts on Rocha taking forever to sub off against RSL?

It’s all about players’ mentality and players’ attitude. Another player might have sprinted off the field saying I’m being subbed, this is a great opportunity to get fresh legs on the field and we want time. Then there are other players who can’t believe you’re taking them off. I don’t know how you want me to respond. I don’t know how I comment on that by throwing him under the bus and I don’t want to do that. You noticed it, so fine.

Buzz’s Coach Speak Translator: Stupid is as stupid does.

Is Avila ready for a shot at starting?

Again it goes to time. I don’t know.

With some of the players, coaches hate to not know. When you go with a player, you shouldn’t say. “I don’t know what he’s going to do.” I don’t know what we’re going to get out of him today. Is that him?

Buzz’s Coach Speak Translator: To be, or not to be.  That is the question.

Last week to me looked like a flat four, although that may be Rocha, This week is a diamond?  Is that personnel or a change in shape?

If you go back, why did we go to a 4-1-4-1?  Why did we go into that structure was because of personnel, having [Alvaro] Sanchez with us.  He and David [Ferreira] both were the attacking midfield or they both could be the second striker.  But after a game and a half that went away, and then we end up losing Kenny.  We’ve been going with that same structure, and finding success with it.  We scored two pretty good goals with it against Real Salt Lake and probably a couple more we could have scored.

But now that we have Kenny back, and the personnel we do. We have Jair on the left side who can overlap, and do it well, and with Atiba [Harris] on the right side who gets forward and penetrates.  Today in training he got to the base line I think twice, things that we don’t do.  I’d like to see us get back into that formation.  It’s the system of preference.

Buzz’s Coach Speak Translator: We’re going diamond four, it’s what I’ve wanted all along.

Training

After warming up the team did the big X, long passing drill Hyndman (I assume) loves.  There were enough players that 6 of them at a time dropped to the side and played 6v1.

After that was open play for about 45 minutes.

Blue: Cooper, Cunningham, vdBergh, Ferreira, McCarty, Harris, Benitez, Davies, Ricchetti, Purdy, Sala.
Red: JoeC, Shriver, Shea, Rocha, Guarda, Avila, Ferruzzi, Torres, Moor, Wagner, Burse.

After 15 minutes Purdy and Wagner swap teams, Sala and Burse swap ends, and Marosevic come on for red moving Joe Cooper to left back for Ferruzzi.

After more play the team moves into some fitness work. This is what I call the x-box drill.  15 yard box with four corner flags outside and four cones about 1 yard apart square in the middle.  Start at one flag, run into the middle and back to the flag, run to the next flag and repeat.  Three cycles of 90 seconds and two of 60 seconds with a minute rest between.  This is much harder than it sounds.  Two of the six rotations used balls while doing the running.

Lineup Prediction

A diamond 4 with Ferreira in the midfield you would expect.  Cooper and Cunningham up top.  Benitez at left back, Davies has reclaimed his center back spot with Ricchetti.  Right back is between Purdy and Wagner.  Keeper is also up for grabs.

Thought of the Day

If Purdy loses out the right back spot to Blake Wagner, that will really show how much the coaches confidence was blown by those early season gaffs.

You should have seen Purdy this spring, he’s was fantastic.  Maybe even dominate.  By far FCD’s best defender.

Then come the season he was perhaps playing hurt, but certainly over reached, over extended, panicked and got himself into bad spots.

The guy still has potential, he’s big, fast, strong, and quick.  He has some serious tools.

But how many times now have I repeated the phrase, “at the MLS level everyone can play, the difference is the mind.”

Categories: Practice Observations.

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