Seattle Sounders are a good team with some very good players. I consider Sigi to be one of the best managers ever in MLS. And their ability to push late into games and to find energy when opposing teams are tired has helped them on more than one occasion and tonight was no different. They were able to turn the tide on a Sporting KC team that had looked dominate at home. And the Sounders were able to find 2 goals late in the game to give SKC their first loss at home this season and to end SKC’s 14 MLS game unbeaten streak.

But, Seattle did it with a little help from a player that I haven’t liked even in his days playing with the New England Revolution. That player is Pat Noonan. Most people might see him as a player that works hard on the pitch for every ball but in my opinion he is a sloppy and sometimes dirty player. Tonight he showed his true colors.

Lets set the play up for this. This game was physical from the beginning. With both teams showing they were willing to go in strong on a tackle even if that meant going through a player. With this tone being set early the referee had to make a lot of calls early on to keep the game in check. And in the first half he did a very good job of keeping the game from getting out of control. In the second half Pat Noonan received the ball about 25 yards away from SKC’s goal. Omar Bravo comes in from the side and makes a slide tackle. Bravo feet go between Noonan’s legs making no contact with Noonan and dispossessing Noonan of the ball. As soon as Noonan realizes he has lost the ball he flies into the air as if Bravo had just broken Noonan’s leg. This resulted in Bravo being ejected from the game, but this isn’t where it ends. Bravo then goes over to Noonan to help him up knowing that he made no contact with Noonan. I am sure there were some choice words from Bravo since he was just ejected because of a dive by Noonan. But, Noonan then jumps (like someone had just lit his shorts on fire) and attempts to headbutt Bravo. Was it a weak attempt to headbutt, yes, but it was still an attempt to strike an opponent. But there was nothing done to Noonan. He again got off without even a warning. It was this incident that changed the course of the game.

SKC had played really well up to that point even with the first half injury to Jeferson that forced SKC to make an early substitution. By the end of the game SKC looked really tired playing with only 10 men for 30 minutes in 90+ degree temps with humidity that pushed the heat index over 100 even at after the sun went down. Sassano played great coming on for Jeferson but he was injured around the 88th minute in a knee to knee collision that looks to be very serious. SKC didn’t have any subs left so he had to stay on the field but he couldn’t even walk let alone chase down a ball. I will say it one more time Diop is one of the worst players on this team when it comes to defending. His lazy slide tackles created space for Seattle to get their first goal of the game. But, on a plus side Sapong came into this game after getting a break in the last game and didn’t miss a beat. He created lots of space and was a threat going forward every time. Also, Seth Sinovic was amazing both defensively and especially offensively. His overlapping runs with Bravo where constantly frustrating Seattle and created more than one scoring opportunity.

Overall, SKC looked really good this game and they didn’t deserve to lose this way. But, I knew that the steak would have to come to an end some time, but I was hoping that it would come from a hard fought game not from Noonan and his pathetic theatrics. There is no telling what would have happened if Bravo wouldn’t have been sent off and we will never know. And now thanks to Pat Noonan, Bravo will have to sit out another game and all we can do is hope that MLS fines Noonan the same way they fined Saborio and Davies for their acting.

• SKC hit the transfer market and picked up a couple of foreign players to make an impact on the team this season and potentially in the future.
• Aurelien Collin fractures a couple of vertebrae and will miss 4 to 6 weeks.
• SKC remains unbeaten in the last 12 MLS games, and is moving up the standings.  All while continuing the home stand with 8 more home games in a row.

Vermes has been very active in the foreign transfer market this year and some of these signings have made some serious contributions to the product on the field.  Players like Aurelien Collin, Omar Bravo, and Julio Cesar have been solid starters for SKC and have produced on the field.  Now, Vermes and SKC are making another splash before the summer transfer window closes with the additions of Jeferson and Daneil Cyrus.  Both players are here on a loan basis but it is believed that both players have options in the loan documents that SKC could make these additions permanent.  Here is some information about these players.

Jeferson

Full Name: Jeferson Rodrigues Goncalves
Age: 27
Position: Center Midfielder
Country: Brazil

Jeferson has shown signs of creativity and attacking prowess in his career. In 2008 while playing for Santo Andre he scored 13 goals in 22 appearances while helping Santo Andre win promotion to Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A. But since then he has had a hard time staying on the field due to injuries. In 2010 he was loaned to Avai and saw limited playing time. But in the 8 games he played for Avai he scored 4 goals.

Jeferson’s impact at SKC could be very good. Adding a true attacking midfielder that can score goals while being able to make the final pass to put others in scoring positions could open up the SKC attack. SKC has had a hard time finding goals consistently but Jeferson might be able to help with this. The major concerns that this signing brings up are worth noting. Jeferson does have a history of injuries so while he is a threat while on the field physical play in the MLS could neutralize that threat. Also, Vermes already plays with 3 forwards and requires the 2 outside forwards to track back a lot to play defense. Jeferson isn’t known for his defense and could end up being a liability in the middle of the field when SKC is defending. Particularly in quick counter attacks against teams with strong defensive midfielders.

Daneil Cyrus

Full Name: Daneil Cyrus
Age: 20
Position: Center Defender
Country: Trinidad & Tobago

There isn’t a lot of information on Cyrus out there being that he is only 20 years old and he has only played in Trinidad & Tobago Pro League. Cyrus might be a little raw as far as experience goes but he does have skills and a lot of potential. Cyrus has made 13 appearances for the Trinidad & Tobago National Team since May 2010 as well as playing in all 3 games during the 2007 FIFA U-17 and the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cups.

Collin could miss 4-6 weeks

This is some very big news but not unexpected for people that watch the SKC vs Toronto FC match. Aurelien Collin suffered a nondisplaced fracture of the transverse process of the L2 and L3 vertebrae. Basically it is a fracture of the boney protrusions on either side of those vertebrae in his lower back. We all know of the troubles of the SKC defense during the first several games giving up 17 goals in the first 7 MLS games (2.43 goals allowed per game). At this point Collin started to become a consistent starter and had solidified a defense that from that point on had only given up 10 goals in 13 games (0.77 goals allowed per game) including 4 shutouts and only 1 multi-goal game. Now Vermes will have the choice of putting Cesar back in the Center Back role or trying out the young new signing Daneil Cyrus. In my opinion Cesar will be moved back into the the defense and having Sassano team up with either Zusi or Diop as the 2 holding midfielders. With all that said, from the little bit that I have seen of Cyrus during the Newcastle and Toronto FC games he looks to have a lot of potential. Even if he isn’t ready to start in the MLS by this weekend I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cyrus get a start in central defense before Collin is able to make a full recovery.

SKC unbeaten in last 12 MLS games and is currently in 4th place

SKC has climbed the ranks in the Eastern Conference during this unbeaten streak. During that unbeaten streak SKC has 5 wins and 7 draws and have increased their overall record to 6-6-8 for 26 points. They are 4 points back of NY Red Bulls for 3rd place, but SKC has 3 games in hand. This puts SKC in a very good position considering their next 8 games will be played in the friendly confines of Sporting Park. Here are some stats that show the big changes that were made during this unbeaten streak.

First 8 games
Record: 1-6-1
Goals For: 11 (1.375 per game)
Goals Against: 18 (2.25 per game)
Red Cards: 3 (0.375 per game)

Last 12 games
Record: 5-0-7
Goals For: 17 (1.42 per game)
Goals Against: 9 (0.75 per game)
Red Cards: 2 (0.17 per game)

As you can see average of ejections was more than cut in half and the goals allowed per game was reduced by a third. It is quite obvious that if SKC and contain opposing offenses and finish games with 11 men on the field they can actually produce.

Now it is time to get ready for the game against New England Saturday Night. Lets keep the steak alive!

But, the real reason I am writing this doesn’t really have anything to do with a specific game. I finally was able to make it to my first game at Livestrong Sporting Park. It was the game against Chivas USA which we tied in added time of the second half. Nothing like waiting to the last second to win a point. But, I was completely amazed at the stadium. Everyone had told me that it was state of the art and that nothing was spared. But, I didn’t truly believe it until I walked in and saw it with my own eyes.

The atmosphere of the game was amazing. How close the fans are to the field and the players is incredible. And the way the cauldron chants and cheers throughout the whole game can help keep you in the game when the excitements on the field isn’t quite there.

For anyone that has been debating on if they should go to a game or not. Or for anyone that isn’t a full on soccer fan but a sports fan. I recommend and experience the stadium. And then you can stick around for the game and enjoy the whole experience a little more.

Why I don’t like the Wizards current 4-3-3 formation.

When it comes to a formation there are a few things each manager should take into consideration. First is the style of play, second is the positioning of skilled players, and third is the talent of the players. And it is my opinion that Peter Vermes has NOT taken these things into consideration when picking the current formation.

Current Formation

Let me try to define what I am seeing as the current formation. I think this is still something that the media is still trying to figure out as well. The pregame shows a fairly basic 4-3-3 formation, like this.

But when the team starts to play the formation looks more like a 4-2-1-2-1.

Now, I don’t know if this is something that Vermes wants to see in this formation, but it has been this way for several games now, with all of them resulting in losses. Obviously something needs to change.

In my opinion there are 3 criteria needed to pick a formation for a team. What style of play the team will be playing, what are the preferred positions for the players, and how does the player’s talents fit with formation and their position.

Style of Play

It is obvious that Vermes wants to play a very attacking style of play. I don’t have a problem with this. An attacking style can be very entertaining and can force other teams to play differently in order to counter this style. And with all the attacking options, when healthy, that Vermes has available to him this isn’t a bad option.
But, there are many different formations that can be used to create an attacking style of play. Teams have used formations with 5 defenders and still played an attacking style. Teams have used 1 forward and still played with an attacking style. In reality the style of play can be dictated separate from the formation with the formation providing different options for the style.

Preferred Positions

Ideally most managers want to put the players into their preferred positions. This makes the players happy and in turn gets better performances and production. So, in a perfect world players like Roger Espinoza wouldn’t be playing left back but more of an outside midfielder role. Obviously this isn’t a perfect world, but this is where the choice of formation can help give a player in a different formation a similar role and responsibilities as their preferred position. That is what the current formation does for Espinoza as he plays left back, he has the opportunity to get up the field and attack like a midfielder.

Players Talent

This part is very subjective and can contradict a player’s preferred position. This part deals with identifying a players skills and then figuring out where that player would best fit on the field. Vermes and the coaching staff should go through this process before each game.
A prime example of this is Ryan Smith. Smith is a quick player that has very good 1v1 skills. He won’t physically over power an opponent but he has the ball skills to dribble past a stronger defender. He plays best while facing the goal and good with both the left and right foot. These skills would make Ryan Smith a poor choice for a lone center forward. He would be best suited for an outside midfielder or a forward that could get some isolation with a defender.
Here is where I believe Vermes has made some mistakes with both selecting his formation but also in filling out his roster.

My Solution

I am not going to just leave this without giving any possible solutions. Using these same three criteria I will break down a couple of formations that I think would work better to the style of play and the player’s talents.

Option 1

With the amount of attacking players that the Wizards have I do think an attacking style would be good, but I also think that this team could play a more possession style of offense. This could utilize player’s speed to make off the ball runs to create space on the defensive side of the ball. The formation I would use for this would be a modified 4-4-2, with an attacking and holding central midfielders or a modified 4-3-3 with the central forward playing behind the outside forwards. It could look something like this.

In this example I show Stojcev playing that attacking midfielder but I could see Omar Bravo playing that role when he gets healthy. His creativity and vision could be useful with runs on goal by Bunbury and Kamara. Offensively this formation would allow the attacking mid to make overlapping runs with forwards. This would open up space for the outside midfielders to pinch toward the center while attacking to get off long range shots.
Defensively this formation would allow the containment of the opposing teams strong central midfielders. This would also allow for the forwards and attacking midfielder to pressure the opposing defense and force turnovers.

Option 2

In the game against the Galaxy, Bunbury seemed to get frustrated with the lack of service and help he had when he received the ball. Part of this is due to the fact that Bunbury is basically playing a lone forward role. On quick counter attacks Bunbury is expected to do all the work alone because Kamara and the other forward have to come back and help on defense a lot. Also in the current formation Bunbury has to play a lot of the game with is back to the goal. This doesn’t use his skills to create space and get a shot off because defenders can reduce the space and not allow him to face the goal. This 4-3-3 formation would look something like this.

By moving the outside forwards up the field more it would create more chances for counter attacks and to provide Bunbury with more options to move out wide or to play give and goes with other players when he receives the ball. However, this formation does put a lot more pressure on the midfielders to close down space. With this change Stojcev might not be the best choice for this position. Maybe someone like Chance Myers could fill that role. Or move Espinoza up to midfield and put Matt Besler in as an outside defender.

Epilogue

Now, I originally wrote this almost a month ago, but due to the technical difficulties of the website I haven’t been able to upload it. But, now that I can I would like to point out that a different formation was used and very different results occurred. Vermes went with a 4-5-1 formation with 2 holding midfielders, an attacking midfielder with 2 wide midfielders for support. The defense was Besler and Collin in the middle with Myers and Sinovic on the right and left respectively. The midfield saw Diop and Sassano playing holding roles and Arnaud moved back to an attacking role, with Zusi and Stojcev out wide. And Sapong was the lone forward. And getting 4 goals against a Dallas team that hasn’t allowed many goals the whole season let alone in one game goes to show that Vermes needs to play formations that fit the players!

Overall I thought the team played really well. Collin’s presence on the back line really showed during the game with the punishment he was giving every time Lenhart got the ball. Diop and Sassano really looked good in the middle again, but I really want to see a couple of games of Auvrey and Sassano because I think that pairing will be even better. Bravo didn’t look 100% but was still doing an incredible job. Zusi played really well and his service into the box on both corners and free kicks are looking really good. And if this continues teams are going to have to think twice about committing fouls even near midfield. The free kick that Zusi took in the 31st minute was probably 45-50 yards away from goal, but he put it into the 6 yard box perfectly for Sapong to put in the back of the net. And with the form Sapong is in right now Bunbury is going to have a hard time getting back on the field.

The one thing that worried me a little was how often in the 2nd half we gave away possession. We were only winning by one goal and we couldn’t maintain possession. We kept trying to force a through ball or push for a long ball instead of making the easy pass. We were lucky that San Jose didn’t find the back of the net b/c they sure had control of the game in the last 30 minutes or so. The other worrying point is that Zusi had to come off the field. I hope that this was a product of the temp and not an injury. He has been in amazing form the last few games and I would hate for him to lose that now.

Lastly, the part that I think the Wizards did the best job at. They finished the game with 11 players on the field. There was only 2 yellow cards on the Wizards and NO red cards! That is great to see. It was great to see SKC get their first home win and to continue their home unbeaten streak. Lets keep this going and start climbing our way back to the top.

Scoring Summary:

KC — C.J. Sapong 2 (Graham Zusi 2) 31

Misconduct Summary:

SJ — Ramiro Corrales (caution; Reckless Tackle) 42
SJ — Steven Lenhart (caution; Dissent) 50
KC — Aurelien Collin (caution; Reckless Foul) 52
KC — Luke Sassano (caution; Reckless Tackle) 54

Match Highlights

Formation

Vermes decided to go with a more conventional 4-5-1 formation. The defense was pretty similar to what we have seen before with Besler and Collin playing centrally and Myers and Sinovic on the right and left respectively. The midfield looked a lot different than usual with Diop and Sassano playing the 2 holding roles, with Arnaud back to his attacking midfield spot. On the wings were Zusi and Stojcev. And Sapong got the start all by himself as the lone forward. This formation really caused problems for Dallas’s midfield. They couldn’t find space and it wasn’t until the end of the game when SKC was playing with only 10 men (yes, we had another ejection) that FCD found some room on the wings. I hope that this performance will get Vermes thinking about how he can change the formation to help this team create more chances while still defending.

Defense

Overall the defense was strong. Collin has solidified himself as the best defender on this team and hopefully a player we can build this defense around for the future. I also thought the play of Sinovic and Myers on the outside. Toward the end of the game, after playing 30 min with only 10 men, they started giving up too much space. But, some of this could be from fatigue b/c SKC was still attacking even with only 10 men. And lastly Besler played another solid game. He isn’t the powerhouse defender that Collin is and he isn’t the speedy outside defender, but he is smart and anticipates passing lanes pretty well. He might never be a starter for the national team but he should provide SKC with some solid defensive performances.

Midfield

This is where this team was amazing. Sassano and Diop played really well together as holding midfielders. They clogged the middle of the field and didn’t give the ball away cheaply when they had it. I am still not a fan of Diop as a defensive player but I think when he is teamed up with a more defensive player like Sassano his defensive mistakes were less noticeable. I thought Sassano played really well and I would like to see him teamed up with Auvray. I think those 2 could help provide a little more stability to a midfield that hasn’t been very good all year. Also, Arnaud was awesome and easily the 2nd best midfielder on the field. His runs when he didn’t have the ball created a lot of space and he provided a perfect outlet for Sapong when it was needed. Also, Arnaud did a great job of being where he needed to be to help all the other midfielders. When it looked like FCD was going to close a player down there was Arnaud to receive a pass and keep possession for SKC. And before we get to the best player in the midfield let’s talk about the worst. Stojcev did not have a good game. He has shown that he can’t defend at all and at times he looked completely lost on the field. Stojcev’s tackles were late and clumsy and in the 56th minute when he made a stupid, late tackle from behind to trip up an FCD player who wasn’t even dribbling toward our goal (if I remember right he was even in FCD’s defensive side of the field) I almost threw my beverage at the TV. That tackle that Stojcev didn’t need to make forced the referee to give him his 2nd yellow card and caused SKC to play with only 10 men again! At this point I got a little worried because we were only up by 2 goals with 30 minutes left to play and we haven’t really shown the ability to finish games even we have 11 players on the field. In my opinion this performance from Stojcev should land him on the bench for more than the 1 game suspension the league will give him. Now for Zusi, this guy was awesome this game. The guy played with energy all game long and he showed all the fans why the coaching staff thinks he can be a big part of this team now and in the future. He his first goal was a nice shot from the top of the box that he had to create his own space for. Then right after halftime the corner kick that he took and placed it right on the back post to Sapong was awesome. That corner led to SKC’s 2nd goal and the point in the game when SKC took control of the game. And if anyone hasn’t seen Zusi’s 2nd goal of the game will have to check the highlights below. It was a rocket shot from a solid 40 yards away that left Hartman wondering where it came from.

Forwards

C.J. Sapong played up there all by himself and he did a really good job with it. He didn’t score but he did provide the assist on the Collin’s goal off of the Zusi corner kick for SKC’s 2nd goal. Sapong did a really good job of running making runs sometimes out wide to allow Arnaud to sneak in behind him to create confusion for FCD’s defense. It wasn’t until the 69th minute that Kamara and then in the 89th minute that Bunbury came on was there more forwards on the field. But, even when those 2 came on they played more midfielder roles. I thought Sapong did a really good job and if Vermes decides to play more single forward formations I think Sapong has proven that he can play the spot really well and arguably the best on the team.

Overall

This game was a well-deserved and a very much needed win for this team. After the poor performance in the home opener it was good to see SKC go on the road, again, and this time leave with a win. I have been screaming for Vermes to change the formation after the first few games and now he has no excuse not to look at what other formation can bring to this team. I understand that we have lots of attacking talent on the roster but having all that attacking talent on the field at the same time doesn’t mean that goals will be scored. And this game was a perfect example of it. Without Bravo, Smith, Kamara, and Bunbury this team scored 4 goals and against a team that is near the top of the standings!

Misconduct Summary:

KC — Aurelien Collin (caution; Reckless Foul) 21
KC — Seth Sinovic (caution; Reckless Tackle) 33
KC — Milos Stojcev (caution; Reckless Tackle) 39
DAL — Zach Loyd (caution; Reckless Foul) 47+
DAL — Ugo Ihemelu (caution; Reckless Tackle) 56
KC — Milos Stojcev (caution; Reckless Tackle) 56
KC — Milos Stojcev (ejection; Second Caution) 56
DAL — Milton Rodriguez (caution; Reckless Tackle) 89

Scoring Summary:

KC — Graham Zusi 1 (Davy Arnaud 1) 28
DAL — Brek Shea 5 (unassisted) 32
KC — Aurelien Collin 1 (C.J. Sapong 2, Graham Zusi 1) 49
KC — Graham Zusi 2 (unassisted) 55
KC — Luke Sassano 1 (Birahim Diop 1) 78

Highlights

Second, SKC went to Dallas and Vermes played a different formation and they scored 4 goals and won!

Third the website seems to be running again so look forward to seeing a report from the Dallas game, and an article on my problems with Vermes’ Formation!

SKC lost to Seattle by giving up another injury time goal.

And SKC qualified for the US Open Cup by destroying the Revolution’s mostly reserve team 5-1.

Formation

Again Vermes decides to go with a 4-3-3 formation and again I watch the play and wonder at what point a manager realizes that this formation isn’t working as hoped and something needs to change.  Nielson was given the day off and Kronberg was given the starting nod.  This wasn’t a bad idea for a couple of reasons.  Kronberg has been playing really well lately, including the last US Open Cup qualifier, and he needs some experience if he is going to replace Nielson when Nielson retires.  Espinoza and Harrington started on the left and right respectively outside of Collin and Cesar in defense.  Auvrey was included as the central midfielder even with his broken nose and Arnaud and Zusi rounded out the midfield.  Stojcev was given a shot at playing forward with Kamara and Bunbury with Bunbury playing centrally.  Again this formation left a lot to be desired.  There was very little service to Bunbury and at times when he did get the ball he was attacking all alone because of how deep Stojcev and Kamara had to play.  There also seemed to be a large gap between the midfielders and the defenders in the middle of the field.  This forced Harrington and Espinoza to pinch in which led to 2 of the 4 goals given up.

I have tried to figure out what little changes Vermes could do to make this formation function a little bit more and I think I might have a solution.  If he were to change to a 4-3-1-2 formation this might help a little.  Now, the way I would play this formation would be to have the 3 midfielders play a more supporting, less attacking role behind the forwards.  This should help reduce the space between the midfielders and the defenders and in turn reduce the number of goals given up each game.  Playing this way would require that the outside midfielders to run side to side a lot to help contain the opposing teams wide threats.  The central forward would then play slightly behind the other 2 forwards.  This would be a prime spot for Bunbury or Stojcev to play, and would change the whole dynamic of the team depending on which player played in that spot.  Stojcev would be able to hold the ball and either distribute or shoot from distance.  Bunbury would be able to work give and goes with the other forwards as well as being in the middle of the box for crosses.

Defense

The defense didn’t play well in this game and it shows with the score line.  Giving up 4 goals is not something you want on your resume even when they are scored by 3 of the most prolific players in MLS history.  Another game under Collin’s belt and again he looked really good.  He was making tackles when needed and he was directing players when not on the ball.  He really was the best player on the field for the Wizards and the more games he gets the better he is going to get.  On the flip side of that Espinoza had his worst game of the season.  His tackle on Beckham that led to the penalty kick wasn’t good and if Espinoza would have cleared the ball instead of trying to dribble out there is a chance this goal would have never happened.  And it was Espinoza’s weak defending and weak tackling that led to Donovan’s goal at the beginning of the 2^nd half.  Harrington didn’t fare much better in this game.  It was Harrington’s late and stupid challenge of a header near the top of the penalty area that led to Juan Pablo Angel’s goal in this game.  Cesar did a serviceable job in the center, but his constant slide tackling worries me.  It has already caused him to miss 1 game and I am worried that he will be missing at least one more before the end of the season.

Midfield

The midfield played pretty well, but at times Auvrey seemed to be the only person playing defense.  Auvrey played pretty well considering he had a broken nose.  It even got hit in the first half and after that there were times when he seemed to shy away from contact.  Arnaud was all over the field and at times would bring his trademark tackling.  One time in particular was a tackle on Beckham that just made me smile.  Zusi was probably the weakest one, but even he had some moments of brilliance.  One of those being a back post run that he almost converted into a goal.  Most of this game it seemed that Zusi was supposed to play a more attacking mid while Arnaud and Auvrey played more defensive.  This is something that Vermes has been doing after the first game, and I still don’t understand it.

Forwards

Stojcev got a chance to play as a forward and it was obvious that he wasn’t comfortable in that position.  He had a hard time creating chances and connecting with Bunbury for most of the game.  But, it was Stojcev’s “cross” that forced the Galaxy defense to put the ball into their net.  Kamara didn’t have a bad game, but he wasn’t much of an attacking threat.  It is hard to tell what the reason for this was, but most of the time I saw him he was playing very deep in a more defensive roll.  I think this is part of the reason Bunbury was looking so frustrated at the end of the game.  Bunbury was left all alone up at the top.  There were a few times when Bunbury got the ball and had a little bit of space, but as soon as Bunbury would attack there would be 2 or 3 Galaxy defenders around him and there was no one for the Wizards there to help.  Teams are starting to key on Bunbury and making sure that he doesn’t get a lot of space so Vermes and the other players need to find ways to create space for Bunbury.

Overall

This was the worst game this team has played this season and is shows in the 4-1 score line.  But, the biggest problem I have with this game was the poor mental performance by the Wizards.  I lost count of how many times players made bad decisions in either passes or dribbles by midfielders and defenders in the Wizards side of the field.  Some of these mental lapses resulted in goals, and some just ended in opportunities, but all of them could have been avoided.  If there were any glimmers of hope in the performance of this team it came from Kronberg and Collin.  Kronberg didn’t play poorly and he made some very good saves that kept the game from being out of hand earlier than it did.  I would also say that he didn’t have much of a chance on any of those goals.  And like I said before, in my opinion Collin was the best player on the field for the Wizards.  Once Bravo and Smith get healthy enough for regular starts this team could look and perform a lot different.  But at some point the Wizards will need points from this 10 game road trip if they hope to make playoffs.

Thanks for the patience.