2017 Game 4: POR v. CLB 3/25/2017

Player rankings

Finlay - 7

Artur -  7

Kamara - 8 

Meram -  9

Trapp - 8

Steffen - 8 

Naess - 9

Mensah - 7 

Francis - 8

Afful - 7

Higuain - 7 

Subs:

Hansen - 9

Crognale - 8

Jahn - 6 

Ref - 5

Gregg - 8

In enjoyed tonight's tifo design - which was basically the MLS Cup 2015 final tifo plus a Dr. Strange tifo that said "We have come to bargain." In other words, no more deja-vu. And there was no deja-vu. The Crew won convincingly 3-2. Portland's first goal had hints of offside (going by the grass cutting lines).

There was a point in the game where if it had finished 2-2, I would have though, "I am happy to see them playing like this, I'll take this." But, we pulled out the win... from behind!

It appears that Portland went to PRO to bargain with the referees. The refereeing was atrocious. I think that Petrescu is one of the worst in the league. He was completely inconsistent. He almost let the game get out of hand. He also refused to book any Portland players for visual dissent, which is one of the things PRO looks for. Adi put his hands on Petrescu in 10', and Valeri charged the ref wildly gesturing in 70'. Portland should not have finished the game with 11 men on the field. It would take me forever to nitpick every foul or red card, so let me just highlight a few missed calls.

Chara is a dirty player and I can't stand him. He, Alonso, Waston, and Van Damme are embarrassment to the league, in my opinion, for their style of play. Remember Chara's dives in LA? Well, he was at it again. Just as the first half was coming to an end, he took out both Meram and Trapp, while already on a yellow card. And then he had the audacity to grab his face like he was hurt.

 Another potentially bookable foul from Blanco in 78', who was already on a yellow! Petrescu had repeatedly warned players at this point and almost let the game get out of control.

There was a foul from Valeri that I thought was a straight red in live time, but he had his studs down. I did think it was an unnecessary tackle, though. Booking was appropriate.

Also, lazy Petrescu only paced off 8 yards and sprayed the free kick line where the Portland players were standing in 29'.

Really, the only negative I took away from this game was the scary trend of friction between Finlay and Pipa. We all know how this ends if Pipa doesn't get his way (see, e.g., Kei's trade in early 2016). There were six times in the first half that Pipa refused to pass the ball to Finlay in open space. 9',  21', 22', 32', 39', 40'. It was as if Portland knew he wasn't get him the ball, they left him open.

In fairness, sometimes when Finlay has the ball, he is too indecisive to shoot or make the pass. That happened twice in this game. But if he had been given the other six plus opportunities, he could've made something of it. In this game, Finlay's great contribution was drawing fouls. He had some nasty fouls on him, and he is not known for going down easy.

The Crew goals were great. Meram's goal found Meram in the right place at the right time. Ola's goal was b-e-a-utiful! What patience and what execution. That should be up for Goal of the Week and maybe even Goal of the Year. Hansen's goal was also a right place at the right time goal. I don't like using the word "deserve" in soccer, but he deserved a goal! He was working his tail off! He is a definite power sub. 

This was the first game with a capo stand, and I must say, Nordecke sounded great tonight. For the first time that I remember, there was actually a song immediately following a Portland goal! We were down 1-0 early and still singing! I cannot recall a time that this has happened in the past. So good on the capos and Nordecke. In addition, reports said Portland brought 100 fans. Whether they were from Portland or Detroit, I don't know, but I didn't hear them once, which was great.

A few more random thoughts. Crognale remains awesome. Jahn was so out of his element and made three plays that went nowhere. I don't understand why he was brought on. I didn't understand why Meram came off first. He didn't look gassed to me.  And Næss did a long throw!! And Finlay should be taking corners, not Pipa. This other worrying evidence of Pipa's control of the game. He is so bad at corners. 

Finally, even thought it's early and some teams have games in hand, Crew SC is first in the East!!(Source)

And I STILL don't like Caleb Porter!!!! Hope Berhalter gave him a used tissue!!

2017 Game 3: DC v. CLB 3/18/2017

I don't have much to talk about this week. Gregg changed the lineup and formation, and I don't think it was any more effective as previous weeks. I got a lot of feedback that said, "That's because Finlay didn't start," and it really has nothing to do with that, so I wish people would stop with the ignorant statements that all of my opinions are based on Finlay, just because he's the greatest soccer player in the world. (end rant)

Player rankings

Jukka - 7 

Artur - 7 

Kamara - 7 

Meram - 7 

Trapp - 8 

Steffen - 8 

Naess - 7 

Crognale - 9 

Williams - 6 

Afful - 6 

Higuain - 7 

Finlay - 7 

Abu - 6 

Jahn - 6 

Ref - 9 

Gregg - 8

WELCOME BACK TRAPP & PIPA! And my word... Crognale. I am so happy for him to have such an incredible start and Man of the Match designation. Well deserved. I watched him on BTN while Chris Doran announced Maryland games, and I was really excited about him. And even though DC looked terrible, it will be a great boost of confidence to have such a great first start!  

 
We won that game on two penalty kicks. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited to get 3 points on the road!! This is much earlier in the season both for a win and road win as compared to last season! But I couldn't figure out which was worse: DC United's playing or the pitch at RFK. Crew had a lot of chances again... and didn't finish. I'm getting really sick of the dumb "expected goals" stat... all that matters is the score at the end of the game, which was a 2-0 win!

Both PKs were great calls, and I'm happy they were called, because Columbus doesn't seem to get those calls. Ted Unkel is one of the best refs in the league. He's ranked as high as  third in my MLS Referee Power Rankings. I liken him to Mike Dean in the English Premier League, if you happen to watch that league. He loves PKs and red cards, but he's not often wrong. Let's take a moment to appreciate his form in calling PKs:

It does appear that on the second PK, the ball is off the spot, but Ola did move it once and it may have just been the crappy pitch condition. 

Again, I'm happy with a 2-0 road win, but I was disappointed to see some more of that "killing off of a game" when we were up 1-0. The aimless passing and the bus parking that usually leads to a goal. Luckily, this time didn't happen, and I'm hoping it improves team morale and allows us to beat Portland on Saturday.

And while I have this outlet to write, let me address my opinion on capos. No, I don't stand in Nordecke. There are a few reasons for this, and the primary reason is that it seems like the vast majority of people who are in that section don't really care about the game as a result of the FO's trying to fill the section, and that takes away my personal enjoyment of the beautiful game.

I don't know much about the disorganization of the Nordecke and I never notice that two different songs are being sung simultaneously, but I do know it goes quiet for a long period of time (The 105 Ultraz were starting chants during the 2015 Cup Final). I also hate the sweary chants (which I get criticized for criticizing). "If I had the wings of a sparrow" is a really, really dumb chant. Let's be pro-Columbus in our chanting.

I think having capos would improve these things. It will probably improve communication, and it would probably stop the sweary chants, as I'm assuming a capo would be sanctioned by the FO, thus every chant and tifo must be approved by the FO. This would be a welcome change.

So I'm not personally opposed to capos, but I'm personally opposed to being a capo. I enjoy the game and I don't want to turn my back to the field. In my honest opinion, it's not about soccer, it's about the crowd. If that's what you want to do, be my guest. But don't let it turn into something where you're power hungry and have to have it your way or the high way. A really cool thing those pushing for capos to do would be to bow out and say, "I will organize this, but to show I'm serious, I am not putting my name in consideration." That would be really cool.

Another cool idea would be if someone wrote an app where there would be display screens that showed what the next song/chant would be with a countdown. It could be like Apple's iTunes version that allows users on the network to select songs for the queue. That way all supporters can be a part of selecting songs. Capos would have an override account in the event of a goal or other relevant incident.  

Finally, safe standing. For those who say people outside of Nordecke should not be allowed to have an opinion on support, I believe I adequately outlined why that is not necessarily the case. I would consider being a part of a supporter section with safe standing. As a lawyer, I've been advocating for safe standing for years. It can be done fairly easily. Here's a great video made 4 years ago:


You can even use rail seats like in Germany. Orlando's new stadium has safe standing. It's pretty cool, and I'm slightly jealous, to say the least.

And I want to make one more comment while I'm rambling on. How are Dwight & Neil still not going to away games? Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like they're announcing off of a video feed. The home calls are so much better as a result. To use last week as an example, they were showing a replay while Penso showed Mensah a red, and they didn't know to announce it until well after it happened. That's a small example, but stuff like that happens all the time. Spectrum needs to work on its replay placement. 

2017 Game 2: HOU v. CLB 3/11/17

I thought I'd write some more stuff due to response from last week and as I attempt to resurrect Podcast For Columbus! The tradeoff is that this won't be polished work, but more of stream of consciousness.

Player rankings:
Artur – 4
Afful – 5
Finlay – 6
Higuain – 3
Kamara – 4
Mensah – 5
Meram – 6
Næss – 5
Raitala – 5
Steffen – 5
Trapp – 5
Maloney – 6
Abu – 5
Jahn – 4

Gregg – 5 He continues to insist on certain game play without making changes. He waited way too long to take Artur off.

Referee – 7 Overall, Penso did fine. He did miss a few points that are points of emphasis this year.  As you all know, I love analyzing the Law and referee decisions, so I am in no way shape or form even hinting that the referee made the Crew lose the game.

However, I believe we had a PK shout in 24' as Næss got bear-hugged to the ground. "This was holding and pushing in the penalty area."

In addition, Penso completely ignored two delayed restarts.

First, in 33', Ellis stands over the free kick so Næss can't take it quickly. Even as Penso tells him to go away, he doesn't move. Næss kicks it back. I wish he had kicked it into Ellis to draw the encroachment yellow. Pipa is going to get booked for a lot of these this year, so it's only fair.

Second, in 38', I start the gif as the whistle is blown. Ricardo Clark throws the ball away intentionally right in view of Penso.

One call Penso got absolutely correct was the "act of visual dissent" from Ethan Finlay in 59'. Other than Afful slamming the turf in frustration last week after conceding, this team needs passion from somebody.

Finally, the red card. I think that the red card to Mensah in 87' was proper under the Law, even though it was harsh. I don't see it being overturned. Mensah was not in control of his body and had a high boot with studs exposed. I believe that it was a tackle that endangered the safety of an opponent worthy of a sending-off. I think Penso could have used some game management and issued a yellow instead, because it was clearly a slip.

I also enjoyed Finlay giving it to Pipa after a pretty horrible pass. Pipa was having another off night. After being so excited about the way he played in off-season, his slowness showed again. As I said last year (and got accused of hating all season), I really want to see Meram take the #10 role. Put Martinez or Artur or Maloney on the wing. We could be a counter-attacking team.

I realize this is his first MLS start, but Artur was like a little kid "helping" you make a cake. He had a lot of energy and drive, but wasn't really doing anything to help the recipe. I hope it's just early jitters and that he gets acclimated, but when Gregg finally subbed him off in 58', I said "It's about time."

I was impressed with Maloney coming on as a kid fresh out of college. He also needs development, but I think he had a good mind for our type of play and a great work ethic. This is not to say that he's better than Afful or that Afful was poor, but he's a kid to watch out for. I enjoyed watching him play for Penn State, too.

Steffen. Yes, Steffen made a blunder. At least it was the his second start for the team.... not the Championship game after 2 full seasons. I believe now is the time to learn. And he will work out. He looked upset. The defense did him no favors on that second goal. And even Nauer couldn't have stopped that third goal. Great goals deserve respect, and that was a great strike.

Speaking of the second goal, why does Gregg refuse to put a man on the post?? I'm not a tactician by any means, but the stubbornness of no man on the goalpost, and zonal marking on set pieces is infuriating at times. We're just as terrible defending set pieces.

On the other hand, I am very excited to see Finlay take the corners. Our offensive corners were MUCH better than they have been. Mensah almost got a goal, and Næss almost got a goal. I'm confident that we will see at least one Finlay --> Mensah goal this season! Maybe next game, where Finlay would become the 5th Crew player to get 30 goals and 30 assists.

Also, we need an offensive piece in the next transfer window. I'm not worried about Finlay and Meram. I am worried about Pipa being way past his prime and being way too slow. I'm also worried about Ola, who should be putting away a lot more goals. If we can get a tall striker like Kei, and an excellent #10, we would be a team to reckon with. 

Twitter and Facebook are filled with #SackBerhalter comments. I think that is premature. Last July, I said that I'd give him 10 games.

@krislandis In my mind Gregg has this season + 10. He threatened to jettison players 8 games too late. Want to see more passion from him

— Toddrick33 (@Toddrick33) August 1, 2016

Regardless, I don't think Precourt is firing Gregg this season unless we get no wins.

Oh, and it looks like Gregg may be starting to get some of that passion, too. I can't recall ever seeing him 'discuss' with the refs after a game.

2017 Game 1: CLB v. CHI 3/4/17

Normally, I don't have time to write anything after a game. Also, I don't feel like it when my actual day job is compiling lots of data and writing. But the 2:00 game made it possible for me to rewatch the game at the same time of day, and bring you some thoughts! (Hopefully Podcast For Columbus will be up and running soon so you can hear my beautiful voice.)

Player rankings:
Abu – 7
Afful – 8
Finlay – 9
Higuain – 4
Kamara – 6
Mensah – 6
Meram – 7
Næss – 7
Raitala – 8
Steffen – 8
Trapp – 4
Artur – 5
Jahn – 5
(Subs made no impact whatsoever)
Gregg – 5 for wasting a substitution and not taking Pipa off and putting an attacker on
Referee – 8, surprisingly. Honestly, he should’ve given more yellow cards to Mensah and Trapp, and he ignored the points of emphasis from PRO on encroachment a couple of times.

Pipa and Trapp were dreadful, in my opinion. Why Tchani has fallen out of favor is beyond me.

Mensah had a few howlers in the last half hour, but I chalk that up to the defense still needing to gel.

I was most excited about Rataila I was LOVING him. Næss also had a few questionable decisions, again, chalking it up to gelling

I think we played better than last season, but I'm most worried that we did the exact same thing as last season - KILLED it the first half... then kind of dropped off kicking the ball around to kill time in the final third, until we panicked, gave a crap goal, and almost lost the game. I know I'm a broken record, but I will say at this point that this is the team still gelling.

In hindsight, I wish that we would have had our first game away. What made the lost points of this game hurt so much was that they were at home. Away, a point would've been great. (As I type this, Atlanta and RBNY are tied, which would be a glorious result.)

I was most happy that Finlay had a great game. He showed his work ethic, and scored the only goal of a game, with his HEAD, no less! I only had a "what are you doing moment" twice in the game, once when he did an unnecessary heel pass at 29', and one other wasted chance later. He kept the ball in play with some great filth. He also had great crosses.

Meram also stood out with his great passing and crossing. He had a perfect opportunity early in the game, 3', but he shot it right at the goalkeeper.

Rataila had some great passing as well, and has a laser shot!

Speaking of great crossing, why is Pipa still taking corners? Why don't our great crossers, Finlay or Meram or Rataila or Afful, take the corners??

Ola was also slightly disappointing, but I'm hoping that it's due to health issues. I said all last season he could be a prolific goalscorer if he scored all of the goals that should've gone in! He had two of those moments this game. Once in 8' and once in 10'.

A couple of off-the-field notes. The Section 105 Rowdies were screaming "Alex, Alex, Alex" to Crognale, and he gave us some love.

Also, the away section appeared to have moved from the great spot on the South End to a terrible corner section. I hope that Bridgeview doesn't move us to the upper deck in Toyota Park!