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Analysis & player ratings: Union 2-1 Revolution

Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz

The Union will take the three points, but John Hackworth’s side certainly looked vulnerable.

The naysayer might report that the Union got lucky. The supporter will say the home side finally got the bounces that went to their opponents earlier this year.

Either way, the Union looked well below their best as New England ripped through the spine of the Union formation time and again.

Patience

Just because Jack McInerney and Antoine Hoppenot make runs in behind a defense does not mean the Union must look to them on each and every occasion. A great run can not only put a striker in on goal for a scoring chance; it can also serve to stretch a defense, creating pockets of space in the vacated territory. The term for this is a “decoy” run, but that’s not how the Union looked at the churning legs of their youthful strikers Sunday.

With each run came the ball, on the deck or in the air, the Union reverted to the ugly, direct soccer that had allegedly left Philadelphia with a certain ex-manager.

The clear lack of midfield control certainly forced the hand of the back four, with Brian Carroll and specifically Gabriel Gomez proving poor options on the outlet, forcing the Union defenders to pump the ball forward and bringing back a festering issue for the Union’s 4-3-3.

Control

When it comes to the center of the pitch, the Union cede possession and territory. They are excellent when it comes to moving the ball along the back line and releasing their fullbacks up the wing, but in a three-man midfield setup (a fourth was even added at times), the Union struggle to build through the center of the pitch.

Whether Gabriel Gomez is still struggling for fitness or showing his true colors, the Panamanian captain has been lacking over the past month when it comes to work rate both on and off the ball. With Carroll the acknowledged ball winner, Gomez must provide offensive creativity to justify his selection. Michael Farfan has looked strong when he takes it upon himself to drop deep into his own half to receive the ball, but with Gomez and Carroll already sitting deep, his next options are thus limited.

If Hackworth continues with the 4-3-3, he must get production out of his box-to-box midfielder, the position Gomez is supposed to occupy.

Confidence

Shoot the ball. It was the cry ringing around PPL Park as the Union’s young attackers elected the unselfish passing route when the ruthless, selfish path was the way to go.

For all of the talk of his resurgence under Hackworth, McInerney is still developing the confidence to contribute to the match throughout 90 minutes. His running in behind is excellent, but perhaps just as impressive is his willingness to drop into the midfield to receive a pass with his back to goal.

The next step for McInerney is to hold the ball for longer, as he often uses a quick one-touch pass to move the ball on before his defender even arrives to pressure. With no one on his back, McInerney will learn over time when it is appropriate to turn and face goal, driving forward where he can either play in a teammate, pick out a marauding fullback, or have a shot at goal himself.

And shots are mandatory at this point for the Union to convince defenses they are more than one-trick ponies. While decoy runs leave space between the defense and midfield, shooting the ball can provide the opposite effect. Once McInerney, Hoppenot and Co. begin to try their luck from the top of the box, center backs will no longer be able to drop off of them, waiting for the inevitable darting run in behind. Stepping up to challenge the shot, the defense is suddenly susceptible to runs in behind, and thus the Union can unbalance any opponent. It’s the logical next step for the young strike force and one that the coaching staff must drill into them in order to successfully round out the attack.

No more patience

The Union have a problem. His name is Freddy Adu. And to be completely clear, it is not a problem surrounding expectations or salary. Adu is simply not producing. Not just at a DP level, but at a journeyman MLS level. Adu has not bought into the style of play promoted by Hackworth. Worst of all, he is not showing the effort required of a professional.

The New England offense that visited PPL Park on Sunday may not be the most highly vaunted attack in the league, but don’t mention that to the eager, aggressive, tenacious group that played at PPL Park on Sunday. The Revolution ran circles around the stagnant Adu, who not only failed in his defensive responsibilities but never looked like contributing to the attack, walking around the pitch without any impetus to find space for himself and offer a target for his teammates.

Now it’s up to Hackworth to make the next move.

On a team where 10 guys on the pitch have bought into the program, continuing to run out the 11th, regardless of the reason, does not look good for the rest of the guys in the clubhouse.

Post-game press conference with Union Coach John Hackworth.

Post-game interviews with Gabriel Farfan, Jack McInerney, Michael Farfan, Amobi Okugo and Sheanon Williams.

Player Ratings

Zac MacMath – 4

Saer Sene hit a dipping, diving, spinning, curving bomb from distance. From distance. The final position of the shot was more or less where MacMath had set his feet when the ball was struck. It’s a save that must be made. Had MacMath looked sharp otherwise, it could be chalked up to a learning experience, but he didn’t. Whether it was a near-catastrophic miscommunication with Carlos Valdes or badly flapping at a cross in the first half, MacMath lacked sharpness and focus. Even on drives from Chris Tierney and Benny Feilhaber in the second half, the Union keeper made things more interesting than they needed to be.

MacMath needs to refocus before his defenders start to look over their shoulders at him.

Sheanon Williams – 7

Playing his best match since returning from a toe injury, he was quick to attack and pump balls into the box. Had his final cross of the night not found McInerney for the winner, there might have been suggestions that Williams focus on low, driven balls in front of his small, speedy strikers. He even showed some slick footwork when he slid between two defenders before smashing his effort on goal. When asked about the health of his injured toe and whether he was back to 100 percent, Williams said, “Absolutely not, I feel it every day.” Based on his performance, you could forgive the PPL Park faithful for assuming otherwise.

Amobi Okugo – 7

Continued to lead from the back when it came to calm, cool, collected possession and distribution on the ball. Stuffed the stat sheet with a team high 68 completed passes from 71 attempts. Still has the occasional mental lapse in his positioning, but makes up for it with well-timed saving tackles and an improving aerial presence. Like Williams before him, Okugo’s lack of height affects his play against large, physical strikers like Saer Sene and Kenny Cooper, proving that his future is in the center of the Union midfield, once Bakare Soumare is healthy enough to push him forward.

Carlos Valdes – 7.5

Against Montreal, Carlos Valdes’ stoppage time winner handed the Union all three points in a crucial home match. On Sunday night, Valdes saved the day again, this time sliding in to clear Ryan Guy’s stoppage time shot off the line to preserve the victory. Coming off a strong performance for the MLS All-Stars in midweek, Valdes again anchored a Union back line that has not conceded more than one goal at home in the league since May. He brought much needed physicality to a match where, unprotected by the midfield, the Union back four were forced to deal with a Revolution attack that arrived at full speed.

Gabriel Farfan – 6

Quieter than normal night from the left back as he was pinned back by the attacking threat of Sene. When the Union needed him to attack however, Farfan reacted well, sliding into the midfield and putting McInerney away with the pass that yielded the match tying penalty. With the Union’s carousel of formations on the night, Farfan had very little support on the left flank and was forced to cut the ball into the center of the pitch more often than he would have preferred.

Gabriel Gomez – 2.5

Slow, clumsy and ineffective on both sides of the ball, Gomez turned in his least effective performance in a Union shirt. Offered no outlet for the back four and insisted on flighting aimless balls into the box. Seemingly got the nod over Michael Lahoud for his offensive attributes, but displayed none of them on a night when he could easily have been hauled off at the half.

Brian Carroll – 4.5

Carroll’s job is to protect the back four. No matter the formation, this is his primary responsibility and given the way New England carved up the center of the pitch, Carroll deserves plenty of blame. He was caught ball watching when Feilhaber slipped in behind him to unleash one of his venomous drives and looked generally out of sorts alongside the lethargic Gomez. For some reason, Carroll decided he might find luck higher up the pitch but as usual found himself well outside of his element in the attacking third. At this point in their careers and the 2012 season, Gomez should be ceding to Carroll, not the other way round.

Michael Farfan – 6.5

Smart and influential on the ball, Farfan found space and spread the ball with good effect on Sunday night. After some first half jitters that saw him push too many balls directly forward, the Union playmaker was far more effective once Adu left the pitch, proving that he is warming to the task of central attacking midfielder. Like the great center midfielders in the game, he may not score the goal or even provide the final ball, but Farfan will be sitting in the middle of the pitch, making play happen. It’s an ongoing process though, and it will likely be a while before Farfan has the full confidence to mix his complete bag of tricks in with his excellent vision and distribution. Once he does, look out.

Freddy Adu – 3

Adu turned in another disappointing performance in which he was consistently outworked by the industrious Revolution midfield. Tucking in from the start with the speedsters McInerney and Hoppenot up top, Adu slowed play to a halt, failing to either play his forwards in or maintain possession. He has done little to justify his selection in recent weeks and has been consistently detrimental to the buildup play for the Union. Perhaps another week off when the team travels to Montreal is in order.

Jack McInerney – 7

Another strong outing for a player who looks keen to prove that he deserves the No. 9 on his back. While his runs behind have never been questioned, McInerney worked hard Sunday in the holdup game, dropping into the midfield to support Michael Farfan and Adu. He showed youthful impatience in playing one- and two-touch when he could have held the ball longer or turned on his defender. Finding the calm in his game to possess the ball rather than simply lay it off will force defenders to chase him when he drops into midfield. Add that composure and a few more shots from distance and McInerney suddenly becomes a very well-rounded forward, all before he is old enough to buy a beer.

Antoine Hoppenot – 6

Handed his first MLS start, gave all the effort that Union fans have come to expect from him, though the execution was lacking on the night. He got behind Soares and McCarthy with ease but could not find the footwork to keep the ball in front of him, shielding it from the recovering defenders. Hoppenot needs to show more patience on the ball to pick out trailing players on the cut back and to find his own shot. He was fortunate to walk away from Soares’ shocking tackle.

Substitutes

Michael Lahoud – 6

Replaced the sloth-like Gomez with his typical energetic performance. Showed improved vision and touch on the ball, completing more passes in 30 minutes than Gomez had in the previous 60. Recovered well in defense, pressuring Feilhaber and Nguyen, stopping their easy runs through the middle. When Lahoud plays at the tempo he did on Sunday, he can be a contributor for the Union.

Lionard Pajoy – 5

A few clumsy touches for the demoted Pajoy, but in the end worked hard to waste clock. Pressed high and possessed the ball in the attacking corners to see out the result.

Josue Martinez – 4

Did very little during his 8 minutes plus stoppage time. Had one shot, but it was easily blocked when the Costa Rican delayed his effort.

Geiger Counter

Edvin Jurisevic – 5

Made mistakes galore but split them relatively evenly between the sides. Two missed handballs in the box in addition to McInerney drawing a penalty despite being outside the area does not look good for Jurisevic. But where in the world were his assistants, both of whom had better looks than the referee on at least two out of three?

Could have let the match get out of hand when he failed to send off Soares for a clear red card challenge on Hoppenot, but turned around and let the Union have their moments of over-the-top physicality, as well.

So credit Jurisevic with being equally incorrect for both sides, balancing the ledger in the end.

Preferred lineup for Saturday’s match against Montreal at Stade Saputo

4-3-3

MacMath; Williams, Soumare, Valdes, G. Farfan; Carroll, Okugo, M. Farfan; Hoffman, McInerney, Pajoy

66 Comments

  1. James "4-3-3" Forever says:

    MacMath, I agree that hee loked shaky overall, but did you see the behind the ball camera angle of that shot? I mean, it clearly had an ridiculous, unholy amount of spin on it. You can still say he should have saved it by virtue of getting a hand on it, but I wonder how many other GKs in the MLS would have been tricked by it too.
    It was far, far from a simple shot.

    • Section 116 says:

      I would have given him a 3. Yes, it was a hard shot to stop but one a MLS keeper should make. But given the difficulty, I’d have only docked him a point.

      But he probably only deserved a 4 otherwise. He had problems with communication, positioning, and distribution and was scrambling all over the place, when he did not have to.

      I’m a huge McMath backer, but this was his weakest game since the early season brain cramps.

  2. Gomez just does not seem fit, which is too bad. I agree 100% with the assessment of Lahoud; his best game for the U, and I’d love to see more of that kind of play out of him.
    *
    I’m not sure I want to see Hoffman get a start on the road against Montreal. What’s the thinking there?

    • Philly Cheese says:

      Although I don’t want to speak for Eli, Hoffman runs great routes, has ability to finish, can go 90 minutes if playing well, and is willing to pass, move and challenge for the ball…….all things Adu hasn’t shown he will do,with any consistency. In my opinion, it is way past time to get Adu out of starting rotation, where he is painfully needing to be subbed for every game at or before halftime. Also let’s speed and aggressive Hoppenot come on fresh at 55 or 60 minutes to replace forward not producing.

      On Lahoud, not sure that his high marks are not just because Gomez is so low in comparison. Can’t keep starting players on pitch who need to come out regularly at beginning of second half……unless MLS All Star substitution rules can move to game day. (sarcasm intended here)

      • A “6” for the sub Lahoud strikes me as a fair rating. He played well.
        .
        Montreal have been excellent at home. Adu or not, it’s not time to start a reserve player up top or anywhere.
        .
        Hoppenot has been effective coming on as a substitute. What would be great for the team is if he could replace the forward who ran the most, and therefore was most fatigued, rather than for the “forward not producing.”

  3. I don’t get how McInerney got not only such a high rating but also such praise. Time after time I found myself screaming with my buddies about how terrible he was. Granted, he scored a goal, but he also wasted multiple other opportunities, such as the 3v2 when his ball towards Lahoud was absolutely piss poor. Lahoud also deserves much higher than a 6. He was nearly perfect in possession, and added much needed energy and pressure for the U. I would have rated him at least a 7.5. Sheanon should have earned at least a 9. His cross was absolutely perfect and he provided an outlet down the right the entire game. I’m also a huge fan of Marfan but he was completely anonymous the entire game, looked almost as lethargic as Gomez. And why do you want to see Hoffman play? I think the original front 3 of Adu, Pajoy, and Jac would be best as they’ve been playing well together the past month. Then bring on Hopp around the 55th minute for either Pajoy or Adu. It’s been working so I see little need to change it. Also, I’d like to see an Okugo and Lahoud central midfield pairing at some point. Neither are the best distributors but both are relatively strong in possession and great defenders.

    • Mac also won a PK. He was responsible for both goals. That warrants at least a 6, even if he missed Hoppenot on a potential goal. I think Eli captured it pretty well on Mac, Marfan and Williams.

      re: Lahoud, I agree, he was great. I’d have rated him higher, a 7 or 8. But that’s the fun of the ratings, eh? Everyone sees it differently, even among the PSP crew.

    • JediLos117 says:

      Bromance.

    • James "4-3-3" Forever says:

      He’s 20. For everything else he does for us, I am not going to get on him for actually probably trying TOO hard to do the right thing and look for the pass and find teammates.
      Nice to see even though this is soccer the vaunted Philly fanbase is in full effect. There are grown ass men with holes in their game. If the worst thing about Jacks game right now is that he is trying too hard to play like a veteran than I think we can find something better to hate on a player for.

  4. WilkersonMcLaser says:

    Credit to PSP for calling out Adu with some urgency. His lack of performance (impact?) on the field has not only been subpar and incongruent for someone of his experience, salary, and much-touted talent, but looks to be actively damaging the Union’s midfield game and attacking shape.

    If Hack can sit him for a couple of weeks and squeeze a little competitiveness from him, great. But I don’t see it. It’s time that the Union begin actively exploring an exit strategy, if they haven’t already. He’s never bought into the Union ethos and it’s clear that this isn’t where he wants to be, so let’s help him move on.

    • Josh Kensington U. says:

      I think they hope he’ll look god enough to sell- but he isn’t.

      • Absolutely agree. I honestly think they brought him in last year thinking he would quickly shine in MLS and would flip him within a year. Now, he has lost all shine and, from what I hear, they can’t even give him away for 50 cents on the dollar.

  5. Do you really think Soumare will regain fitness enough for a start on Saturday?

    On the ratings agreed for the most part, Pajoy maybe earned a 6 in my book was a good change of pace uptop late, also think Freddy was a bit better then what you described.

    • saw soumare in the concourse at the game on sunday and he said he would be playing next week. i’m not sure that means he starts but it seems he’ll be suited up.

  6. Sean Doyle says:

    Must…..resist…..urge…….to bash……Freddy Adu!

    From @FreddyAdu: “No matter how you slice it you cant please everybody. Thanks to all my haters for fueling me. I love you all.”

    I’ll continue fueling him with my Hater-ade over on Twitter.

  7. I agree Mack is young and has room to grow as does hoppenot. no 20 year old has a complete game. However I disagree with the notion that making poor passes to no one or to someone in a worse position to shoot than yourself is acting like a veteran. A veteran makes a pass to someone more open or in better position to score. He needs to shoot when open. A striker must be able to get a well placed shot off to the far post with half a yard of space. A striker without confidence is absolutely worthless. I don’t think hoppenot and mack pair up particularly well right now as mack relies on service in close and hoppenot requires acres of space and balls over the top. With time perhaps hoppenot will create space that mack can run into and SHOOT though I did not see that at the last game.
    Gomez is slow nothing will change with that so as it was before a 60-65 minute sub is his place.
    Adu plays a different game than the rest of the team now so as he won’t change he likely needs a new surrounding or a much lower salary that allows to be depth.
    Macmath should have done better on the goal and he knows it. Do I feel its routine. no. would it have been a good save. yes. would it have been the save of the year. no.
    I feel carroll would have had a better game than a 4.5 if gomez was watching from the bench. I think gomez watching makes carroll try harder or maybe gomez just gets in the way whichever.

  8. Agree with most of the assesments as usual. I think you’re being a bit hard on MacMath, that ball was all over the place and while nhe didn’t put in his greatest overall performance of the year, he still made the saves when it counted and only let up 1 goal – also the defense was not that great too many SoG – had someone stepped up on Seana?’ or Benny the goal and narrow miss would never have happened, I thought Okugo had a decent game but also below his usual standards. Adu was nonexsistant as usual, Marfan and Garfan were their usual teacious and attacking selves, Young Jack and Hop were lively up front, showed their age/inexperience at times but I will always applaud hustle and work ethic. I like your Lahoud write up as well, definatly his best game in the U colors.

  9. Side note: imagine how good Sheanon and this team will be once he gets back to 100% – get healthy sooner!!!!

    • philly atoms says:

      WHY IS WILLIAMS NOT ON THE USMNT??? IN 2014 HE WILL BE MUCH BETTER THAN CHERUNDOLO. WITH ONLY 9 TOES, HE’S A TAD BIT BETTER NOW THAN CHERUNDOLO. KLINSMAN SHOULD HAVE HIM ON THAT SQUAD NOW!!!!

      • Williams has been extremely average this year. Love him, but that’s just the truth. His crossing (last one aside) has been dreadful. I blame some of this on Nowak changing his position, but let him return to success before we call for the USMNT. There’s a little guy named Eric Lichaj who starts for Aston Villa that needs a callup first.

      • philly atoms says:

        ACTUALLY, LIKE LICHAJ A WHOLE LOT TOO. SHAME THAT THESE GUYS (LICHAJ & WILLIAMS) HAVE TO WAIT WHEN THERE IS SO MUCH DRECK (BRADLEY & J. JONES) AT OTHER POSITIONS. HECK, I’D CONSIDER PUTTING LICHAJ & WILLIAMS AT MF AHEAD OF BRADLEY AND JONES.

      • Bradley has been arguably the best USMNT player for a little while now. On what basis would you believe Williams or Lichaj would excel in the midfield over him?

  10. philly atoms says:

    ADU DID SCORE A GOAL (PKs AREN’T AUTOMATIC). A RATING OF 3 IS A BIT HARSH.

    • Well, yeah he scored…how else did you think he made it UP to a 3?

      • philly atoms says:

        PAJOY & MARTINEZ PLAYED EVERY BIT AS POORLY (AND WITHOUT A GOAL). YET THEY RECEIVED HIGHER GRADES THAN ADU. HOW DOES THAT FIGURE???? A 3 IS JUST TOO HARSH FOR A GUY WHO GOT THE TEAM A KEY GOAL. BUT, HAVING SAID THAT I DO CONCUR WITH THE 2.5 GRADE FOR GABRIEL GOMEZ. THAT GUY JUST HAS NO GAME.

    • **sighs** I knew it was only a matter of time before this type of people showed up. This sites grown to popular for its own good.

  11. Michael D says:

    You are tough with your grades and I like that. But unlike a couple of the other commenters here, I think the 4.5 you gave MacMath was too generous. I don’t think he’s completely at fault for the goal (that was a nasty bending shot), but his mistakes left the goal wide open too many times. The U were lucky the Revs we’re too inept to take advantage of that.

  12. swing and a miss says:

    I FOUND THIS BUTTON TO THE LEFT OF THE LETTERS THAT MAKES EVERYTHING SEEM MORE IMPORTANT

    • philly atoms says:

      AND EASY TO READ. THX FOR THE THOUGHTFULNESS.

      • maybe you need glasses.

      • philly atoms says:

        FEEL FREE TO USE WHATEVER FONT SIZE YOU DESIRE AND I’LL DO THE SAME.

      • … jus saying

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_caps#Readability

        Miles Tinker, for his landmark work, Legibility of Print, performed scientific studies on the legibility and readability of all-capital print. His findings were as follows:
        All-capital print greatly retards speed of reading in comparison with lower-case type. Also, most readers judge all capitals to be less legible. Faster reading of the lower-case print is due to the characteristic word forms furnished by this type. This permits reading by word units, while all capitals tend to be read letter by letter. Furthermore, since all-capital printing takes at least one-third more space than lower case, more fixation pauses are required for reading the same amount of material. The use of all capitals should be dispensed with in every printing situation.[6]
        According to Tinker, “As early as 1914, Starch reported that material set in Roman lower case was read somewhat faster than similar material printed in all capitals.”[7] Another study in 1928 showed that “all-capital text was read 11.8 per cent slower than lower case, or approximately 38 words per minute slower,”[8] and that “nine tenths of adult readers consider lower case more legible than all capitals.”[9]
        A 1955 study by Miles Tinker showed that “all-capital text retarded speed of reading from 9.5 to 19.0 per cent for the 5 and 10 minute time limits, and 13.9 per cent for the whole 20 minute period.”[10] Tinker concluded that, “Obviously, all-capital printing slows reading to a marked degree in comparison with Roman lower case.” [11]
        Tinker provides the following explanations for why all capital printing is more difficult to read:
        Text in all capitals covers about 35 per cent more printing surface than the same material set in lower case. This would tend to increase the reading time. When this is combined with the difficulty in reading words in all-capital letters as units, the hindrance to rapid reading becomes marked. In the eye-movement study by Tinker and Patterson, the principal difference in oculomotor patterns between lower case and all capitals was the very large increase in number of fixation pauses for reading the all-capital print.[12]
        All caps text should be eliminated from most forms of composition, according to Tinker: “Considering the evidence that all-capital printing retards speed of reading to a striking degree in comparison with lower case and is not liked by readers, it would seem wise to eliminate such printing whenever rapid reading and consumer (reader) views are of importance. Examples of this would include any continuous reading material, posters, bus cards, billboards, magazine advertising copy, headings in books, business forms and records, titles of articles, books and book chapters, and newspaper headlines.”[13]
        Colin Wheildon stated that there is an “apparent consensus” that lower-case text is more legible, but that some editors continue to use all caps in text regardless. In his studies of all caps in headlines, he states that, “Editors who favor capitals claim that they give greater emphasis. Those who prefer lower case claim their preferences gives greater legibility.” Wheildon, who informs us that “When a person reads a line of type, the eye recognizes letters by the shapes of their upper halves,” asserts that recognizing words in all caps “becomes a task instead of a natural process.”[14] His conclusions, based on scientific testing in 1982–1990, are: “Headlines set in capital letters are significantly less legible than those set in lower case.”[15]
        John Ryder, in the Case for Legibility, stated that “Printing with capital letters can be done sufficiently well to arouse interest and, with short lines, reading at a slowed speed is possible – but in principle too many factors of low legibility are involved.”[16]
        Other critics are of the opinion that all caps letters in text are often “too tightly packed against each other”.

      • Um… what

      • AWESOME. Reprinted with permission, I am sure.

      • ha. taken to school.

      • philly atoms says:

        COULD YOU RE-POST WITH A LARGER FONT, PLEASE. THX

      • philly atoms says:

        DON’T BE FRIGHTENED. IT IS ONLY A FONT. FONT DOES NOT BITE. NOT SURE THOUGH IF YOU WILL EVER GET OVER YOUR INSECURITY ISSUES. YOU PROBABLY SHOULD SEEK PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING FOR YOUR INSECURITY ISSUES. DIFFERENT IS NOT BAD. DIFFERENT IS JUST… WELL DIFFERENT. BUT SERIOUSLY, GET THAT PROFESSIONAL CARE. YOU NEED HELP.

      • I’m not the person with eye issues ace. that need help.

      • We at PSP definitely appreciate your comments, but please stay cool with others. And please, if you don’t mind, turn off the caps lock. It tends to be frowned upon online. Thanks for understanding. — The PSP crew

      • Rafa Marquez says:
  13. James Korman says:

    I’m a Gavilan fan but must admit it was his worst game this year. Is he sulking because free kicks have been taken away from him and given to Adu?

    I’m not a Mike Laoud fan but he played great and is starting to grow on me.

    Brutal honesty on Adu. Ouch! That’s gonna leave a mark!

    This is going to be one hell of an offseason when Coach Hack gets to sort out all of these guaranteed contracts. It’s going to be f-u-n.

    I cannot argue with any of the ratings. Great as usual to compare notes!

    • Gavilan doesn’t look like he is sulking to me. He looks like he can’t run a lick. He is confident on the ball and generally keeps his head up and I like him. It was not a good game from him but everyone has bad games. I do think a player who’s not running hard should be on the pitch for 90 minutes or not at all. If he’s not fit for 90 I do hope he’s left off the starting lineup next weekend.

  14. Adu took a good penalty and had much higher accuracy passing than usual. He showed a lack of energy and unwillingess to run. Thought he was more like a 4.5. He was certainly better than Macmath.

    • The Black Hand says:

      I though Adu’s penalty was, actually, very close to being saved. Aside from that, he was not much of a factor…again. The ratings seemed a bit generous. We played a very sloppy match, defensively, and our attack was disorganized. The club was very lucky to get the three points.

  15. T of the U says:

    What’s up with the presser being streamed live from the Union’s website at 2pm on 8/1/12? Just the standard weekly Wed presser…or is something going down? Seems odd that they’re streaming it LIVE. I can’t get on from work…Adu getting shipped out?

    • Ed Farnsworth says:

      Just the standard weekly press conference. They’ve been streaming most, if not all of them, live since shortly after the start of the season. The main news item out of the conference is that Soumare is fit and ready to go and that playing time in Montreal is a real possibility.

      • T of the U says:

        Right on…thanks Ed! I hadn’t realized the U has been streaming them. Well that’s good news about Soumare, I’m definitely anxious to see him fit

      • Ed Farnsworth says:

        My pleasure, T. I’m sorry you can’t watch from work, the live stream is a great info resource and I commend the club for providing it. You can see an edited version of today’s conference (“Montreal Preview“) that includes comments from the players on the Union’s video channel. We try to Tweet the gist of the comments from the press conferences as they happen and we quote extensively from others’ reports on them in our news roundups so folks who can’t watch them will know what was said.

  16. Another 50+ comment post. Congrats to PSP and their growing profile
    —-

    I know somebody here knows the answer to this — Pajoy and Gomez – their contracts are how long? I seem to remember that one of their contracts was essentially 3 one year club options with the first year guaranteed.

  17. “Tends to be frowned upon”? You sound like a little girl. What’s next, “I don’t want my BFFs to get mad at me.”

    • Ed Farnsworth says:

      Yep, Dano, we’re little girls for trying to politely moderate the tone and direction of our comment area so that that it doesn’t descend into anonymous name calling that has nothing to do with the subject matter of our posts. Oh, wait, that’s what you just did. Thank you for your contribution to the dialogue.

      • ED, YOU ARE WELCOME. I LOOK FORWARD TO MAKING MANY MORE POSTS IN THE SPIRIT OF THAT COMMENTER THAT WAS CRITICIZED BY MANY POSTERS BECAUSE OF THE FONT SIZE THAT WAS USED.

    • Actually, I was simply being polite. Don’t be a jerk, or we’ll ban you from comments on the site. Maybe that’s clearer. It’s your only warning.

      (And yes, we’re aware Dano/Felix/philly atoms are the same person.)

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