The good:
Overall, the team did not have an awful game. This is good because they walked away with three points while still having a huge room for improvement. The one thing that stood out to me was that Curtin made good substitutions, given that being kind of forced to sub two guys out when they get hurt.(Sapong > Le Toux, Pfeffer > Maidana, Ayuk > Casey). Regardless, the changes that were made had a big impact in the game with Sapong getting behind NYCFC's back line a couple times, Casey with the a few good moments, and Maidana doing Maidana things. Also, it was nice to see the Union getting a win in stoppage time instead of the opposite happening.
The young guys: Pfeffer, McCarthy, and Ayuk all had solid performances. I'm still high on this kid Ayuk, his game is just so raw and so fun to watch, I can't describe it. I think that he might lose his spot when the team is 100% healthy, in that case I would to see him sent to Harrisburg because this kid is way to talented to not get playing time and continue to develop.
The back four of Gaddis-Vitoria-Edu-Williams looked good. Edu confirmed my ideas of playing CB being his best way back onto the national team. I saw him join the attack like he would if he was playing CDM once or twice, and it's okay as long as he is as fast to recover because we can all see that the back line plays much better with Edu back there. Vitoria is beginning to look more and more at home with Edu as a partner, so let's keep that CB combo together.
Michael Lahoud himself a solid game, he did what he should do. Clean up a little in the back, keep his passes simple, and allow the technically more gifted guys to get on with the attack(Nogueira, Pfeffer, Ayuk, Wenger, and Le Toux).
I think a lot of people, including myself, forgot how big of an impact Chaco can have on a game. I'd still like to see Chaco be more consistent with that when he is 100% healthy, but regardless it was good to see him out on the pitch.
The bad:
I know that Curtin preaches that when you intend to play counter attacking soccer, you don't need possession, but I think that even he will admit that losing possession as bad as the Union did on Saturday is just asking for trouble. Also, a couple of the players need to watch their discipline. Pfeffer especially, I know he's young and this is the first time in his career that he's continuously being put on the spot like this, but he made a reckless challenge against NYCFC. I remember Kevin Kinkead also noticing it and posting about it on twitter. I don't care if its clumsiness, the other guy being irritating, or if an asteroid lands behind him and the shock wave flies him into the opposing player. A red card, as he should know, will hurt this a lot, and the manager and captain need to make sure he knows that. Also, having Nando not play not only hurt my fantasy team, but it hurt our chances of holding possession. I'm happy that his absence did not cost this team any points, but it is easy to see why Nando is so important in this line and it's nice to see this team getting healthy again.
Wenger's first touch is so off, I don't know what it is with Wenger, but he needs to relax. He is trying to do way too much, and I feel like this is a common feeling among this fan base. I know his assists were nice and all but early in the second half, I counted at least two or three times where he took a bad first touch and lost possession. I might be being too critical here, because he had two balls which eventually led to a goal, but still. There is room for improvement. Wenger is at his best when he keeps things simple aka the the pass to Le Toux and the game winning cross.
The good thing with all the bad that I've stated is that they are very correctable, and that there is room for improvement and that we know that this team is nowhere near its peak.
Looking forward to NYCFC on Thursday:
I'm assuming Curtin won't mess about with the game plan too much. I think we got lucky that Diskerud got called into the USA vs. Mexico friendly because it means that he probably won't play on Thursday. I think with the whole 3 game in 8 eight days, Curtin must have another strong performance with his subs to keep the field players fresh and ready for Sunday. Philadelphia need to at least get a draw in Yankee Stadium. If the guys can do that, we are right back in the east.
Long term goals:
My views on the long term goals are pretty much the same as they were for my post last week, so check them out if you're interested.
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