FM2005:MLS Columbus Crew year 1 [Archive] - Front Office Football Central

condors

03-27-2005, 04:05 AM

I have been working as a "scout" for the mls in the loosest sense of the word. I take notes on all the expected drafting players and don't question anyone else opinion. I also get coffee and do food runs. For this work i am paid nothing. I do get to see alot of games and i have made friends with alot of the A-League and college coaches.

I have a message to see Lamar Hunt (one of the main owners of the league). I am devistated. I am going to have to get a hobby or something. All of my free time (and vacation time) is poured into this game. I go to face the music as they probally got some college kid to take my place.

"Good Day Mr. Hunt sir, What can i do for you?", I put on my best happy, motivated, i feel great Pat Croce face on. "Greg Andrulis has decieded to part ways with the Columbus Crew for personal reasons." "You have been working for the league for 11 years now. Alot of people have spoken well of you. I need 2 things from you. 100% commitment and results on the pitch." "Do you want to be the next head coach of the Columbus Crew?"

"Yes Sir!", "Thank you Sir!" "I won't let you down Mr. Hunt!"

"ummm Honey? Thats great but..., but.... listen for a second...., I got a new job.. Yes sunshine i am going to be working full time in soccer now....We have to move (holds phone from ear).....We will see about relocating your parents too.....Look i explain everything to you when i get home (click) "I betBob Bradley doesn't have to go thru this."

I don't think i have ever been happier in my life.

condors

03-27-2005, 05:14 AM

An introduction to the hardest working team:

Keepers:
Jon Busch 27 years old was playing in the A league most of his career came to the Crew expected to be the backup, played himself into the starting job and now has caught the eyes of National Team Coach Bruce Arena(although he doesn't have any caps he has been to the last several training camps). He is a very good keeper my only worry is he will get a call from a club overseas and leave for a bigger wage.

Matt Jordon 28 years old long time #1 for FC Dallas (aka Dallas Burn). He is a solid backup who could step in for a long term injury and i wouldn't have to go searching for a starter.

Clint Baumstak 21 years old rookie, has alot of skill for a player of his experience but i am not sure he will ever be a starter in this league could be a decent backup for the next decade though.

Defenders:
Frankie Hejduk 29 years, old 61 Caps for USA, Can play left side or right side on defense or the midfield. Played for Leverkusan before coming home last year. Can be a sparkplug for the offense. I expect him to be #1 left fullback.

Robin Fraser 37 years old 31 caps for USA. He is past his best. He is still a solid marker and tackler and plays hard. He will be the team captin and starting in the middle of our defense.

Chad Marshall 19 years old will be partnering Robin Fraser in the middle when healthy and fit. He is a similar type of player and if can learn something Robin great.

I do have a concern that our 2 central defenders are the big strong slow type which may give us problems against speedy strikers.

Anthony Sanneh 32 year old 41 caps for USA. He can play in the midfield or defense. I expect him to be our starting right fullback. He has very good speed but not as good a marker or tackler as i would like.

Nelson Akwari 21 years old played in 7 games for the Metrostars last year as a rookie. His best postion is right back but can also play centrally. My get a run with the first team as he is much better marking and tackling than Sanneh(although he lacks that speed which would make the change a no brainer).

Eric Denton looks to be the backup left fullback 25 years old and looks to follow the Sanneh school of alot of pace but little tackling. He is a hard worker though if he even improves a couple points (11 tackling) i would really like having him around.

Stephen Herdsman can play right or central 28 years old uncapped. He has the speed to deal with any striker but is kinda lazy. He will do fine as a fill in role and may get a look at the first team if our lack of speed costs us some games. Although I don't want him as the replacement for Fraizer if he retires at the end of the year.

Chris Winger 21 years old can play every postion but striker or keeper hard worker, can use either foot, he isn't very good in the air so he may be a third option at either fullback spot or a backup for left or right midfield. Unless he developes some he isn't going to see the field much.

Midfield:

Simon Elliot 29 years old 25 caps for New Zealand. He isn't the fastest player (seems to be a team theme here i will have to change that), but he is on option on set pieces and is a good tackler and worker.

Manny Logos 32 years old 2 caps for USA. Again another slow guy but good worker, hopefully will be able to create some on the wing. (danger will robinson, this guy is a backup at this point in his career but i don't have a left winger to put in there that is any better, #1 thing on my wishlist, Demarcus Beasley want to come home?)

Ross Paule 27 years old. He has been a solid player in the league for 7 seasons with Colorado and the Metrostars we are glad to have him. I think the guy is totally underated, probally the best crosser in the league behind Steve Ralston.

Brian Maisonneuve 30 years old 14 caps for USA He lost his starting job to Paule but nobody has told him yet. Well i am sure he will figure it out soon enough. Not a bad player i may try him on the left side.

Kyle Martino 22 years old 1 cap for USA, Finally a player that can run, pass, and dribble. I expect him to be the link between offense and defense. Will be critical for our teams success.

Daniel Szetela 16 years old, already labled resiliant midfielder, could be the long term ancher in the midfield to play with Martino.

Duncan Oughton 26 defender, defefensive right central midfielder, 5 caps for New Zealand, I like the guy and will get spot time playing if he was left footed he would be starting over Lagos.

Forwards:

Jeff Cunningham 27 years old 6 caps, may be the most gifted player on the team talent wise, Is described as an explosive striker. Injuries and inconsistanty has been his career 3 dissapointing seasons 2 very nice ones. I am expecting him to be in the race for leading goalscorer.

Eddson Bundle 22 years old, at one time he was considered on the fast track to stardom. He had a breakout year last year with 10 goals. If he can improve on that this year he may be the player everyone thought his was 3 years ago.

Devin Barclay 20 years old, has all the physcial tools to be a very good player but is technically inept. If he gets better this season and again next season he may be usefull but right now he will hurt my eyes on the field.

Jamal Sutton 21 years old is a clone of Barclay but even worse! I am horrified at the lack of a backup striker.

Michael Ritch 3rd choice striker by default he is a pseudo target man(16 jumping, 17 strength, 14 heading) if he had other skills to go with it he could push Bundle for a starting spot. He is only 22 so maybe he will be better.

Anyone have Chris Coleman's number he doesn't need Brian McBride...

condors

03-27-2005, 06:49 AM

I place adverts out for Assistant Manager, Coach, Physio and Scout. Couldn't hurt to bolster the staff.

I make a tactic to suit my team. I am hard pressed. I only have 1 winger that i like. I have DMC so i will be using them. Do i use a narrow diamond?

I go back and forth a few times. I decied to make 2 tactics. One with a skinny diamond, one with a wide diamond.

There is 1 famous american player out of contract Clint Mathis. Hopefully he would like to play at Columbus.

There are 2 younger players. I found a left winger who can cross the ball but not much else hopefully Rich Saurez. Hopefully his other skills can get up to speed. I also bring on 20 year old Justin Moose he is listed as a promising midfielder which i am estactic about. I am not sure if he is a Kyle Martino or Ross Paule backup. I will try him in both spots and see how he does. He would do better in our narrow formation while Saurez would thrive in the wide.

condors

03-27-2005, 07:03 AM

We have a friendly against Charleston, i decide to go with the narrow tactic, boy is this a disater we our outshot 8-1 in the first half(they are supposed to be an A-league team and we are making them look like Milan) We change to the wide tactic, things get better we outshot them 3-1 in the 2nd half but there is more work to be done here. Game ends 0-0 with Ross Paule getting man of the match.

condors

03-27-2005, 07:45 AM

Our next match is in the North American Champions Cup we are playing a Mexican team named Comicaciones they are not in the top divison though (i don't have the lower divisions active) so they have all gray players except for 1. Hopefully we should be able to clobber them.

We go with our 4-4-2 with forward arrows on the Manny Lagos, Ross Paule and Kyle Martino. Simon Elliot has a back arrow to help out the defense.

at the 5 minute mark Paule has a chance but hits it over the bar. Martino found him in space to set up the chance.

at the 12 minute mark they are applying the pressure Gaberial Garcia goes on a run but his pass to Monterussa who had made a run to the far post is put behind the net.

at the 14 minute mark Cunningham goes on a run. Does a give and go with Martion. Cunningham skillfully turns on the ball and find Mathis find Paule going forward on the right. Paule give it to Mathis who hits a tremendous strike. Goal 1-0 Columbus

18 minutes Cunningham inside the box does a back pass to Elliot just outside the box. Where was the finish? his shot was way off there.

24th minute Elliot finds Cunningham with a long ball. Cunningham splits the defense and only has the keeper to beat. Great save by Gonzales. Corner kick.

30th minute Cunningham head the long ball to Martino. Martino gives it back to Cunningham on a forward run. Cunningham goes wide left then crosses into the box. Paule is on the end of it and scores! 2-0 Columbus now Counicaciones have a mountain to climb.

33rd minute Elliot is hurt, he must come off, the injury was caused by Garcia. The ref blindly keeps the cards in his pocket. Szetela on for Elliot.

40th minute Martino finds Cunningham in the box shot save Gonzales but he can't handle the rebound, Perez clears the danger.

41st minute Szetela comes forward on a run. He finds Lagos charging forward on the left. Lago finds Martino bearing down on goal. Martino turns on the ball then fires it wide of the goal.

54th minute Cunningham takes a shot from a long ball over the bar.

56th minute Szetela comes forward and tries his luck from distance but he is unable to keep it down.

67th minute Ruano advances the ball to Ramierz, who hits the ball into the 6 yard box, Busch runs out and punches the ball away.

72nd minute Lopez finds Cabrera on a forward run, he dribbles past Lagos and bears down on goal, shots from 20 yards Busch knocks it over the bar.

83rd minute Massionve finds Martino who dribbles thru the defense and hits it from 16 yards top corner GOAL! 3-0 Columbus

that is how the games ends we outshot them 13-6(6-5 on target) possesion was actually pretty even which worries me a bit. We are playing a long ball style as we couldn't pass our way thru a A-League team. Outside of Martino we just aren't that good at passing. So we tend to boot the ball downfield and then the other team gets it.

RPI-Fan

03-27-2005, 08:06 AM

Cool, I'll enjoy this because I know pretty much every player in MLS.

I'm excited for the season to start; there are a lot of good players in the league this year. I think I will even by the MLS Direct Kick package.

<i>edit: Columbus is probably my favorite team because I like the style Danny Szetela plays. Hopefully Andrulis will get him some action this year!!!</i>

condors

03-27-2005, 08:11 AM

our next game is a friendly vs Charlotte. I am playing only my backups.

not anything to write home about here.

3rd minute Ritch gets a yellow card

11th minute Ritch gets a header on goal but Kelly saves it

13th minute Bundle passes it to Moose who goes on a run towards goal he hoofed it over the bar from about 14 yards out. (argh)

48th minute Wingert hits the ball long Moose runs onto it and dribbles past the defender he is alone on the keeper shots it wide (i think this kid needs one of those kick away things)

53rd minute Moose makes a run past the winger hits it to Ritch in the box, he holds the ball than passes it back to Moose who skillfully turns on the ball and to the surprise of noone shots wide of the net.

58th minute free kick for Charlotte, Galeano takes the free kick it bounces off the wall O'Brian runs onto it, takes the shot, Jordan makes the save.

60th minute Denton throws the ball into Moose, Moose goes on another run dribbles past the defender and shots....and its on target....Kelly makes the save.

64th minute Watkins sprays the ball down the left for Lassiter who turns on the ball and fires it over the bar. (just an fyi Lassiter is they Roy Lassiter who up until recently held the record for most goals in the MLS, 34 years old with 32 caps for the USA, he could probally help out an MLS team if i didn't get mathis i sure would at least see what my scouts think)

66th minute Charlotte's Brian Wilson finds Aaron Faro who keeps the ball moving forward. Faro with the shot...wide of the goal.

in extra time Charlotte's Brian Wilson skilly plays a thru ball for Jason Russell who is thru on goal GOAL! 1-0 Charlotte

that is how the game ends.

not happy with the result but it isn't like we dominated so i will accept this. Its only a friendly we need a result from the Champions Cup. I am glad to get the 2nd team 90 minutes of work.

condors

03-27-2005, 08:22 AM

we now have the 2nd leg of North American Champions League Cup against Comunicaciones. Simon Elliot and Robin Fraser are out with injuries for the match but the rest of the first team is in good shape. I put in Stephen Herdsman for Fraser and Daniel Szetela for Elliot.

This leg is at home and we controled the game much better. I am quite happy with our attacking and passing. We outshot them 16-9 (8-2 on target) We get a brace from Clint Mathis and Kyle Martino added another from a free kick.

Mathis was man of the match with a 9 rating. Hejduk, Martino, Lagos and Busch all had 8's the rest of the team got 7's.

Hopefully we can look like this verus stiffer compeition. We advance on a 6-0 aggregate score.

condors

03-27-2005, 08:32 AM

RPI-Fan

03-27-2005, 08:38 AM

Glad your reading RPI-Fan,

technically i live in DC United area(philly) but i have seen both DC United and Columbus. I am a huge Brian McBride fan. Can't wait for FSC they are supposed to televising more MLS games this year. If i can get an ESPN2 game during the day and a FSC game in the evening with MLS Wrap in between.

Do you know anything about Michael Ritch? he is my best target man but doesn't seem to have much else going for him. I am still not sure how to trim my roster when the time comes.

My assistant manager thinks Chad Marshall and Daniel Szetela are future stars but doesn't see anyone worth mentioning of my trio of young strikers. Course i diagree with him on a couple of the starting 11 selections.

If I controlled the Crew, I'd run a box midfield.

Szetela and Paule destroying, Elliot and Martino running at the defense. I'd play Wingert & Hejduk at the wingback spots (in MLS their poor defensive abilities won't be exploited too much).

I think, no matter what formation you play, you have to use Buddle and Cunningham up top. If Buddle gets hurt this year, Columbus is screwed. None of their other strikers can do anything.

RPI-Fan

03-27-2005, 08:39 AM

condors

03-27-2005, 08:43 AM

Well our run in the North American Champions League Cup may well be over. We have drawn Toluca from the Mexican 1st divison. Looking over their roster i see some good players. They have Vincente Sanchez Uruguary international striker who is very quick and skilled on the ball. They have him paired with Jose Santurino Cardozo paraguay international who looks to be the complete target man with speed. Zinha a 27 year old Brazilian is there central midfielder i hope that Martino can develope as nicely as he has. They play a 3-5-2 and have 2 wingers who are DML and DMR who can not only defend but bring something to the attack. The only thing we do have going for us is currently their keeper is a 36 year old who is past it. They have another 34 year old who isn't much either (Jordan is better than either of them at this point in their carreers) so unless they pick up a keeper we may be able to get some soft goals. Thier defenders are not that great in the air or quick of feet so we may be able to create something against them. They sure have alot of good players coming forward though.

SirFozzie

03-27-2005, 09:58 AM

The Fort (the NE Revolution supporter's club) has a song for the Banana Boys of Columbus.. (sung to the tune of the Beatles Yellow Submarine)

We all laugh at the yellow football team.. the yellow football team.. the yellow football team.

WE ALL LAUGH AT THE YELLOW FOOTBALL TEAM...

GoldenEagle

03-27-2005, 02:28 PM

Marshall is getting a good look with the US team. I thought he played well against Honduras. I have not looked at him in FM but I know he is a bit slow but is very good in the air. He has some skill passing the ball out of the back IRL.

I hope my cable company offers DirectKick although I thought it was just a DirectTV thing.

condors

03-27-2005, 02:37 PM

Getting ready to start the season (currently on my 4th tactic) we are now using a 4-1-3-1-1 which seems to allow us better possesion. We also sign on 20 year old right winger CJ Klaas. I name my squad and i am told we are over the salary cap. I have to left go Brian Maisonneuve. He is the 2nd highest paid player on the team and was thinking of Lagos but i am not comfertable going into the season starting a raw rookie on the left side. I decide to keep my 3 keepers so i have somebody in case of an injury or suspension(although i did consider going with only 2). Clint Mathis is our highest paid player he has also been our best goalscorer so far. We are going to have to get some players in the Superdraft next season that will be able to contribute. Devin Barclay and Jamal Sutton are let go as well but they didn't show anything. Ritch stays on because he could be decent on set pieces and crosses into the box (if he can get himself into a dangerous postion).

condors

03-27-2005, 03:06 PM

1st leg of the North American Champions Cup Quaterfinals

we are at home, we are missing Simon Elliot due to injury as well as Duncan Oughton,

gk-Busch
dl-hedjuk
dc-fraser
dc-marshall
dr-sanneh
dmc-szetela
ml-lagos
mc-martino
mr-paule
fc-mathis
fc-cunningham

s1-jordan
s2-herdsman
s3-klaas
s4-suarez
s5-buddle
s6-wingert
s7-moose

5 minutes in Alfaro comes forward on a run playes the ball wide left to Lopez. Lopez comes forward and crosses into the box. Cardozo collect and fires goal 1-0 Toluca.

8 minutes in Columbus corner kick, Marino has it just outside the box shot...hits the post...Blanco clears the danger

16 minutes Cardozo plays it to Sanchez who comes forward shot...wide

24 minutes Alfaro again is on a run plays it thru for Cardozo who runs onto the ball who performs a give and go with Estay. from 19 yards out hit fires it towards the net....over the crossbar

26 minutes Paule hits it back to Marshall who comes forward and fires it to Szetela. Szetela hits it on the volley....over the bar

30 minutes Alfaro gets the ball from Hedjuk and comes forward and then plays it to Cardozo, Cardozo shots....wide

35 minutes Lagos is down and out of postion, Estay makes a run through the open space, makes a nice pass to Alfaro who makes a well place thru ball for Lopez who shoots...wide

41 minutes Paule comes forward on a run, goes charging down the right sideline, fires a cross into the box, Cunningham is on the far post and gets a head on it.....wide of the goal

44 minutes Cunningham places a wonderfull ball into space for Martino to run onto. The defense is trying to catch up to him. Albarran comes out of his net to challenge Martino. Martino tries to chip it over him....GOAL!!! 1-1

both teams have 6 shots 2 on target at the half they have a 52-48 possesion advantage but its been close.

62nd minute Cardoza runs into space and collects the ball with Fraser on him. He turns on the ball and fires it toward the net....GOAL! 2-1 Toluca

86th minute a long ball to Cunningham who outruns the defense. He bears down onto goal, Cunningham with the shot...GOAL!!! 2-2

in extra time Szetela wins the ball and plays it to Martino who gets forward and finds Mathis, Mathis turns on the ball and fires a shot....over the bar

the game ends with both teams having 12 shots we had 4 on target they had 5.

Pretty even game. From what i have seen i think that it is unlikely that i will be able to go into their house and get a win unless Busch plays out of his skin.

condors

03-27-2005, 03:13 PM

the oddsmakers have spoken

Kansas City 7-4
Metrostars 7-4
DC United 2-1
Colordo 3-1
New England 8-1
Chicago 8-1

Columbus are 12-1 and should try to avoid the embarassment of a basement finish :confused:

i like our squad and brining Mathis into the team i think we have the best 1-2 punch of anyone in the league.

condors

03-27-2005, 03:33 PM

the 2nd leg of the North American Champions Cup Quaterfinals

the lineups for both teams look the same hopefully we can steal a result in their building.

6th minute Estay is shown a yellow card

7th minute Cunningham charges through the defense and shots....knocked over the bar by Albarran...nothing comes of the corner kick

13th minute Sanchez pass to Rangel who tries his luck from distance....Busch saves and holds onto the ball....Manny Lagos is hurt and has to come off. I put in Saurez hoping he can make a cross that gives us a win(he is the best crosser on the team)

36th minute Fraser is shoved to the ground by Cardozo....yellow card

41st minute Estay crosses into the box Rangel is there and gets a head onto it....GOAL! 1-0 Toluca

at the end of the first have they outshot us 9-8 (4-6 on target though) thier keeper is playing like he is 26 not 36. Hopefully we will be able to beat him in the 2nd half.

63rd minute Saurez upends Alfaro and is shown a straight read!!!??? Wingert comes on Cunningham comes out Mathis moves up front as a lone striker.

78th minute Szetela was upended and Paule takes the free kick...over the bar

85th minute the ref gives Sannah a yellow card, Mathis gets a yellow card for complaining about the card given to Sannah

88th minute Sannah is shown a 2nd yellow card, i bring on herdsman and go to a 4-3-1

5 minutes of extra time but 2 men down we don't generate anything.

1-0 loss. I would have liked to play 11 men for the full game may have gone into extra time or penalties where we could have gotten a win.

condors

03-27-2005, 03:49 PM

Saturday April 3rd, Columbus is not on the schedule for opening weekend.

Chicago 2 - DC United 0 , Razov scored both goals for the Fire.

FC Dallas 2 - Kansas City 0 Eddie Johnson and Oscar Pareja with the goals for Dalls, also of note Diego Gutierrez and Diego Walsh both were injured for Kansas City, not a good day for the Diegos.

New England vs Metrostars Taylor Twellman gives New England a 1-0 lead in the 7th minute, Eddie Gaven evens the score at the 14th minute. Amando Guevara gives the Metrostarts a 2-1 lead in the 24th minute. Clint Dempsey evens the affair at the 36 minute mark 2-2. No goals are scored in the 2nd half and it ends 2-2.

San Jose vs Los Angeles
Cobi Jones gives Los Angeles the lead 1-0 at the 15 minute mark
Brian Ching claws one back for San Jose at the 26th minute
Hong Myung-Bo (not known for his scoring) gives Los Angeles a 2-1 lead in the 49th minute
Tyrone Marshall is shown a red card for Los Angeles in the 79th minute
Chris Brown evens it up for San Jose in the 88th minute
Game ends 2-2.

condors

03-27-2005, 04:16 PM

my post went into never never land (sorry if you just read this)

Colorado is our first match at home.

They look to play a 4-4-2 with arrows going forward on the wings

Gk-Joe Cannon-solid player
DL-Ritchie Kotaschau-28 year old veteran of the mls
dc-Palbo Mastroeni-27 years old and on my shortlist i really like this guy
dc-Jeff Stewart 23 years old-good working, marking and jumping a little lite on his tackling postioning and heading
dr-Seth Trembly 22 years old has workrate, marking, and acceration, could use a little more pace and tackling
ml-Chris Henderson 33 year old, 80 USA Caps, this guy still has skills with an incredible workrate pace and accerlation and his ability to cross i expect him to cause problems for sannah and klaas
mc-Kyle Beckerman 21 year old, good passer slow of foot and not a tackler is a good player when you have possesion not so much when you don't
mc-Alberto Delgado 25 year old Cuban international, this guy has speed, although he really doesn't have much else.
mr-Antonio de la Torre 26 year old Mexican winger is fast and a good dribbler could definatly cause hedjuk problems
fc-Mike Magee 19 year old striker, good worker with speed isn't an threat in the air but is dangerous otherwise
fc-John Spencer 33 year old Scottland international with 12 caps, good worker and penalty taker, not great in the air and average skills otherwise, pretty fast but as fast as Magee who i see as the real threat.

RPI-Fan

03-27-2005, 04:36 PM

...

I hope my cable company offers DirectKick although I thought it was just a DirectTV thing.

On my TW Digital cable, they offer DirectKick -- so it's not ONLY a DirectTV.

condors

03-27-2005, 05:07 PM

Glad to see some people reading this...

8th minute Cunningham is coming forward Colorado defense is backing up not challenging, Cunningham pass it to Lagos who turns on the ball and fires....Cannon with the save and clutches it to his chest.

9th minute Torre passes it to Delgado who fires it...saved by Busch

11th minute CJ Klaas gets a yellow for holding Henderson's shirt

18th minute Beckerman plays it forward for Delgado who shoots...saved by Busch

25th minute Stewart jumped unfairly with Cunningham free kick. Martino lines it up...saved by Cannon.

38th minute Martino finds Mathis in the box who shoots....saved by Cannon the rebound is there Martino runs onto it and shoots....GOAL! 1-0 Columbus

44th minute Mathis is shown a yellow card for holding Kostaschau.

halftime we outshot them 7-2(5-2 on target) Magee is subbed for Zizi Roberts 24 year old Libera internation with 5 caps. He is a true goalscorer he may lack the speed and workrate you want but he can jump, head and finish as well as anyone in the league.

47th minute Klaas plays the ball into the box, Lagos shoots....saved by Cannon.

49th minute Zizi Roberts is injured and must come off.They put Joey Di Giamarino up front a natural left winger.

51st minute Cunningham to Mathis in the 6 yard box. Mathis with the header...saved by Cannon.

57th minute Seth Trembly clears the ball and Stewart is on it. Stewert goes on a run and brings it forward, Stewart shoots....wide.

62 minute Martino with a ball for Cunningham in the box, Cunningham gets a head on it....over the bar

68th minute Di Giamarino finds Beckerman in space with a pass nobody is on him. Beckerman continues forward, Beckerman lines up a shot....wide of the goal, a good chance goes begging there.

72nd minute Chung is off the bench for Colorado looking for an equalizer, Di Giamarino puts it in the box, Henderson is left with a simple finish....great diving save by Busch.

i bring on wingert, moose and buddle to give us some fresh legs.

83rd minute Spencer shots from 20 yards out the ball hits off Marshall and Busch is now out of postion....GOAL! 1-1

85th minute Wingert plays it into the box, Buddle gets a head on it.....saved by Cannon.

the final whistle blows we outshot them 13-7 (9-5 on target) Joe Cannon picks up man of the match.

I felt we deserved better than i draw. I am at least happy we had a possesion advantage which was something we struggled with during friendlies.

If we continue to play like this the results will come.

condors

03-27-2005, 05:21 PM

In other MLS action

FC Dallas vs Metrostars
Steve Jolley gave Dallas 1-0 lead at the 8 minute mark.
Ronnie O'Brien added a 2nd goal for Dallas in the 48th minute
2-0 win for Dallas at home.
Scott Garlick was man of the match

Los Angeles vs DC United
Neb Grabavoy gives Los Angeles a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute
Alejandro Moreno makes it 2-0 for Los Angeles in the 55th minute
Dema Kovelenko is shown a red card in the 75th minute (surprise to nobody)
Jamie Moreno is injured and unable to finish the game in extra time.
Sasha Victorine is named man of the match for Los Angeles.

New England vs Kansas City
Joe Max Moore scores in the 4th minute for New England.
Joey Franchino is injured in the 25th minute and has to leave the game.
Taylor Twellman scores in the 60th minute giving New England a 2-0 lead.
Steve Ralston was named man of the match for New England.

San Jose vs Chicago
Pat Onstad gives Chicago a 1-0 lead when Richard Mulroney played it back to him and he failed to control it in the 18th minute.
Jeff Agoos evened the game for San Jose in the 25th minute
Jessie Marsh made it 2-1 Chicago in the 48th minute
Jamil Walker made it 3-1 Chicago in the 62nd minute.
Dwayne de Rossario made it 3-2 Chicago in the 89th minute
Andrew Williams is named man of the match for Chicago
Chicago pick up 3 points on the road.

condors

03-27-2005, 05:46 PM

our next game is against Chicago. a couple of players i feel need a rest so i moved them to the bench

GK-Busch
dl-hedjuk
dc-fraser
dc-marshall
dr-sannah
dmc-Szetela
ml-wingert
mc-moose
mr-oughton
fc-mathis
sc-cunningham

for Chicago
gk-Zack Thorton 30 year old goalkeeper is a big keeper with good reflexes, not the most agile but one of the best keepers in the MLS. in 2 games has conceded 2 goals so far.
dl-Orlando Perez 26 year old.he is quick, good worker decent tackler and marker has played 8 and 8 for the first 2 games of the season.
dc-Jim Curtain 24 years old has been a late bloomer, once looked out of place on the pitch is now going to National Team Camps. Very good in the air, very hard worker, good tackler and marker. has 2 8's for form so far.
dc-CJ Brown-the 28 year old is a solid defender and i think underrated. I have him on my shortlist in case he falls out of favor in Chicago. 7.50 average for first two games of the season.
dr-Evan Whitehead 26 years old not that bad a player although may be considered the worst of the defense, 7.50 average rating for first 2 games.
ml Brian Kamler-will give you whatever he has got, he doesn't do anything very well though average rating 7.00
mc-Kelly Gray is in for injured Chris Armas, 23 years old good worker but limited in other areas
mc-Jessie Marsch 30 year old midfielder, works hard and may be the most gifted of the midfield but is still more of a hard worker than technical genius.
mr-Andrew Williams- Has 2 man of the match is pretty good dribbler of the ball leads team with 9.00 average rating.
fc-Jamil Walker 22 years old, fast kid who works hard, needs a little more finishing to be a regular goal scorer. He can jump but needs to work on his heading skills.
fc-Antone Razov 30 years old, 24 USA caps, He normally pairs with Damoni Ralph to give Chicago a good 1-2 punch (most goals from a pair of strikers last season) Ralph is on the bench resting this game to start. Razov will have to be watched and will be dangerous any time he touches the ball.

condors

03-27-2005, 06:14 PM

6th minute Andy Williams plays it into the box Marsch runs past Fraser onto the ball and shots....saved by Busch

13th minute Clint Mathis collieded with Curtis and has to come off. Buddle takes his place.

16th minute Andy Williams dribbles it and takes a shot from outside the box...over the bar

23rd minute Wingert plays it into the box Buddle is there with only the goalie to beat.....GOAL!!! 1-0 Columbus

26th minute Moose dribbles forward into the box has only the goalie to beat....over the bar

30th minute Szetela to Oughton to Moose (nice builup with our midfield). Moose passes it to Wingert who takes the shot...saved by Thorton.
Marsch was given a yellow card for holding Mooses shirt on the play.

33rd minute Szetela wins the ball from Williams. Szetela is given space by the defense Szetela tries his luck from outside the box....wide of the goal.

43rd minute Williams finds Razov who has it 25 yards out and shots from distance.....GOAL! that one will get votes for Goal of the Week!

1-1 at halftime. I am ok with what i saw in the first half. I rate Chicago pretty highly. They have defense and offense and with Mapp, Armas, Marsch and Williams the midfield is better than the group we see today.

48th minute Wingert plays the ball into the box Thorton charges out and collects the cross

49th minute Curtain plays the ball to Razov. Razov tries his luck outside the box....over the bar

50th minute Walker is pushed down by Szetela free kick to Chicago. Razov lines it up....wide of the goal

54th minute Wingert plays the ball for Moose. Moose does a give and go with Buddle. Moose with the shot....wide

58th minute Justin Mapp off the bench crosses it into the box, Walker is there for the cross, Walker takes the shot.....GOAL! 2-1 Chicago
Ralph comes on for Walker.

61st minute Wingert plays the ball for Moose. Moose takes the shot.....wide.

63rd minute Razov dribbles past Fraser and takes the shot...saved by Busch but the rebound is there for Ralph....GOAL! 3-1 Chicago. I sub Fraser for Herdsman(he was responsible for 2 of the 3 goals). I also bring on Martino hoping to get a spark on offense.

68th minute Wingert to Martino. Martino takes a shot...wide (oh heck Moose could have done that!)

74th minute the fans start heading for the exists (thank you for your support)

83rd minute Cunningham is shown a yellow card.

that is how the game ends.

we outshot them 12-9(3-6 on target) they game was even possession wise. We shot the ball wide and high too many times in this game. We needed to make Thorton earn his saves.

the loss moves us from 3rd to 4th place in the standings surprisingly DC United is in 5th and last place in the Eastern Conferance.

condors

03-27-2005, 06:29 PM

In other MLS action...

Colorado vs San Jose
John Spencer gives Colorado a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute
Alberto Delgado gives Colorado a 2-0 lead in the 30th minute
Logan Pause claws one back for San Jose in the 48th minute
Game ends 2-1 Colorado Kyle Beckerman get man of the match.

DC United vs Metrostars
Nana Kuffor(14 year old promising centerback who plays with fellow 14 year old professional midfielder Freddy Adu) gives DC United a 1-0 lead in the 4th minute
Armando Guevara evens the score in the 7th minute for the Metrostars.
Sergio Alejandro Galvan Rey (could you have a longer name?) scores from a penalty shot in the 31st minute giving the Metrostarts a 2-1 lead.
Eliseo Quintanilla scores for DC United in the 58th minute 2-2
John Wolyniec scores for the Metrostars in the 71st minute giving the Metrostars a 3-2 win on the road.
Eliseo Quintanilla was awarded man of the match

Los Angeles vs FC Dallas
Jovan Kirovski(who has had some ups and downs overseas before coming home, even played with Manchester United) scores for LA in the 45th minute
Aaron Faro evens the score for Dallas in the 76th minute.
Cobi Jones is shown a red card in the 87th minute.
1-1 is how it finishes. Scott Garlick is awarded man of the match for Dallas

condors

03-27-2005, 06:48 PM

Clint Mathis will be out 3 weeks with a dislocated jaw.

Steve Ralston won MLS Player of the Week
Logan Pause came in 2nd and Joe Max Moore came in 3rd

our next game is against 3rd placed Metrostars (we need to get a win here to get things going in the right direction, or else we could be struggling all season)

condors

03-28-2005, 03:33 AM

Pregame Preview:

Columbus:
gk-busch
dl-hejduk
dc-herdsman
dc-marshall
dr-sannah
dmc-elliot
ml-lagos
mc-martino
mr-paule
fc-buddle
sc-cunningham

Metrostars:
gk-johhnie walker-29 year old keeper is considered a 2nd tier keeper in MLS(there are at least 5 keepers i would take over him)
dl-Jeff Parke 22 years old not great in the air but can play anywhere along the back is is fast, good worker, marker and tackler.
dc-Eddie Pope - Best defender for team USA should be playing somewhere in Europe
dc-eddie robinson-25 years old, he doesn't do much for me but not a bad player he is sorta average everywhere
dr-craig zidiane 25 years old, decent tackler and marker a step slower than you like from you wide players, could get caught if he gets too far forward
ml-mark lisi 26 years old has skill and good worker but is too slow to really cause damage down the wing conistantly
mc-ricardo clark 21 years old, very good looking player here, if he gets better he will be featuring in team USA.
mc-amando guevara 27 year old hondorus international with 77 caps, very good player is one of the most dangerous players from set pieces in the MLS.
Add in his speed and technical ability will cause our defense problems.
mr-joselita vaca 21 year old Bolivian player, has everything you want coming down the flank speed, crossing, dribbling, will be a nightmare for us to defend.
sc-eddie gaven, 17 year old resilant striker, is a great passer and dribbler if his gets better with age he may become a fixture in team USA.
sc-Sergio Alejandro Galvan Rey-30 year old Argentinan striker, very very dangerous has speed and finishing and better in the air than you would think.

overall i am worried about 4 of thier players coming forward Guevara, Vaca, Gavin and Rey. Those 4 can create even if my players are in postion, if any of my guys get caught out of postion it could get ugly. Them having eddie pope and us missing mathis could make a tough game for us.

condors

03-28-2005, 03:54 AM

3 minutes in Metrostars have a corner. Vaca swings it into the box, Richardo Clark gets on the end of it....saved by Busch.

13th minute Buddle holds up the ball and gives it to Martino who is coming forward. Martino passes it to Lagos in the box, Lagos shoots....over the top corner.

15th minute Cunningham gets behind the defense Pope and Robinson are trying to play catch up, Cunningham fires.....GOAL!!! 1-0 Columbus

24th minute Simon Elliot is shown a yellow card for holding Eddie Gaven's shirt

26 minute eddie gaven sets up Galavan Rey nicely who lets loose a fierce shot....over the bar

halftime not alot going on pretty close game

50th minute Herdsman is whistled for pushing Galavan Rey free kick Metrostars Guevara lines it up....wide

62nd minute Martino picks out cunningham, cunningham goes on a forward run and out left then crosses it back into the box, Buddle meets it with a diving header.....narrowly over the bar

66th minute Metrostars sub Fabian Taylor wins a header with Hedjuk and gets it to Guevara, Guervara takes a shot....saved by Busch

69th minute Lisi is shown a yellow card

I bring on Suarez, Klaas and Ritch

78th minute Metrostars corner Lisi gets on the end of it in the box with a header....hits the crossbar and Sanneh clears the danger

83rd minute Elliot passes to Klaas, Klaas does a give and go with Martino, Klaas lines up a shot....wide

extra time Busch was called upon to make a save and 2 other chances missed the target

Robinson is shown a yellow card

Suarez is injured and must come off

it was really chaotic there at the end. I was happy we could hold on and get the win on the road.

John Busch was man of the match sanneh and hedjuk also played well getting 8's

they outshot us 18-6 but they took alot of long distance shots, if they would have made 1 more pass with there possesion they could have gotten a draw or even won the game.

condors

03-28-2005, 04:02 AM

in other MLS Action:

FC Dallas vs Colorado
Eddie Johnson scores for Dallas 1-0
John Spencer scores for Colorado 1-1
Eddie Johnson scores for Dallas 2-1
Toni Nhleko scores for Dallas 3-1
Scott Garlick is awarded man of the match for Dallas

Kansas City vs Los Angeles
Sasha Victorine scores for Los Angeles in the 10th minute
Preki (40 year old and a wizard on the ball still) scores on a penalty in 69th minute
the game ends 1-1
Francesco Gomez gets man of the match for Kansas City

New England vs DC United
Joe Max Moore scores in the 6th minute
Joe Max Moore scores again in the 28th minute
Christian Gomez gets one back for DC United in 31st minute
game ends 2-1 New England
Nick Rimando actually got man of the match for DC United (they were outshot 19-3)

Henry Suarez with be out a month

Milton Reyes of FC Dallas won player of the week
Joe Max Moore was 2nd and Toni Nhleko was third

condors

03-28-2005, 03:49 PM

our next game is against San Jose they are 4th in the West we are 3rd in the East. We really need to take this game(we play them again in 2 more games) We need to get as many points as possible and make the playoffs (i don't think a division title is possible until we strengthen a couple postions)

GK Pat Onsted, 37 years old Canda 34 caps, looks like a solid keeper but not sure how much longer he will be able to go has been considered a top A league goalie for a while and looked good when he played last season in the MLS.
DL-todd dunivant-he is the extremly average player without a weakness, started 3 games getting a 7 rating each time
dc-troy dayek 33 years old 11 caps for USA, may not be the same player he was 5 years ago but is still a very good defender 7.33 rating in 3 starts
dc-jeff agoos 35 years old 134 USA caps, still a top tackler and marker, great for free kicks and corners, he still looks like he can be an all star 7.33 rating in 3 starts
dr-richard mulrooney 27 years old great workrate tackling and marking, i think he would be better in the defensive midfielder spot has a 6.33 rating after 3 starts
ml-logan pause 22 year old who looks pretty average got a 9 rating in his only start works hard and is a good passer, needs a little more speed and tackling to be a true worry out there
mc-Ronnie Ekelund 31 years old from denmark, good vision and passing but too slow for my liking 3 starts 7.00 rating
mc-chris brown 27 years old, a striker playing in the midfield has good finishing and speed if he was a better passer i would be very worried 7.00 rating 1 start 2 sub apperances
mr-ian russell-28 years old, could be there most dangerous player has a ton of speed, tireless midfielder, if he had better crossing and dribbling he was be playing in europe 7.00 rating in 2 starts
fc-brian mullen 26 year old forward i love his speed and workrate can finish and set up oppenents someone to watch out for 7.33 in 3 starts
fc-brian chung 25 year old midfielder 5 caps hardworking target man have to have chad marshall on him at all times in the box hopefully Chad is up to the task(probally the best target man currently in the MLS and USA team)

Columbus lineup:
gk-busch
dl-hedjuk
dc-marshall
dc-herdsman
dr-sanneh
dmc-elliot
ml-lagos
mc-martino
mr-paule
fc-buddle
sc-cunningham

condors

03-28-2005, 04:04 PM

1st minute Agoos is shown a yellow card after he tripped Buddle.

4th minute Martino set up Buddle in the area, Buddle shots....wide

5th minute Mullan got by Elliot passes it to Ekelund, Ekelund aims for the top corner...wide

13th minute Paule was brought down by Brown....yellow card

23rd minute Cunningham is charging for goal, excellent tackle by Dayak, Buddle picks up the loose ball and fires toward goal.....saved by Onstad

27th minute San Jose corner Ekelund takes the corner Sanneh tries to clear the danger Agoos collects the ball and shots....Busch saves

36th minute Brown is on a run and Paule brings him down...yellow card

38th minute Sanneh plays it to Paule, Paule goes on a run down the sideline, Paule finds Martino just outside the box, Marino turns on the ball....wide

41st minute Elliot is shown a yellow card for holding Mullens shirt

45th minute Cunningham gets a niced feed in the box from Lagos. Cunningham holds the ball and passes to Lagos charging into the box, he lines it up....wide

2nd half Alvarez on for Brown

50th minute Martino plays a superb ball for Lagos in the box, Lagos shots....GOAL!!! 1-0 Columbus

52nd minute Mulrooney feeds Ekelund the ball, Ekelund finds Pause on the left, Pause shots.....over the bar

55th minute Martino gets it to Lagos on the left, Lagos crosses into the box, Buddle with the diving header....saved by Onstad

71st minute i bring on Szetela, Moose and Klaas

88th Mulrooney and herdsman ar shown yellow cards

90th minute Moose is going on a 60 yard run passes it to Buddle in the box, Buddle shots....GOAL!!! 2-0 Columbus

game over 2-0 Columbus

Kyle Martino is named man of the match for his 9 rating Buddle, Cunningham, Lagos, Herdsman, Hedjuk, Sanneh, and Busch also got 8's. Probally the best game we have played so far. Very happy to get 3 points on the road.

condors

03-28-2005, 04:19 PM

in other MLS action:

Colorado vs DC United
Alberto Delgado scores for Colorado in the 7th minute 1-0 Colorado
14 year old superboy Freddy Adu scores in the 30th minute 1-1
John Spencer scores in the 45th minute 2-1 Colorado
John Spencer scores in the 62nd minute 3-1 Colorado
Antonio de la Torre scores in the 69th minute 4-1 Colorado
Zizi Roberts scores in the 82nd minute 5-1 Colorado
Alberto Delgado is named man of the match
Nick Rimando had a 4 rating the 24 year old keeper is better than this.

Dallas vs Metrostars
Nick O'Brian scores in the 9th minute 1-0 Dallas
Sergio Alejandro Galvan Rey scores in the 28th minute 1-1
Chris Leitch is injured in the 32nd minute
Toni Nhleko scores in the 43rd minute 2-1 Dallas
Sergio Alejandro Galvan Rey scores in the 56 minute 2-2
Joselito Vaca scores in the 65th minute 3-2 Metrostars
Milton Reyes is injured in the 74th minute
John Wolyniec scores in the 84th minute 4-2 Metrostarts
Sergio Alejandro Galvan Rey is named man of the match

Kansas City vs New England
24th minute New England midfielder Steve Ralston has to come off
Igor Simutenkov scores in the 69th minute 1-0 Kansas City
New England keeper Matt Reis is named man of the match

(i checked for Adin Brown he is playing in Norway)

Los Angeles vs Chicago
Ryan Suarez is injured and most come off in the 19th minute
Jamil Walker scores in the 35th minute 1-0 Chicago
Jesse Marsch makes it 2-0 in the 45th minute
Jesse Marsch is named man of the match

DC United has played 5 games and has 5 loses. They have alot of undeveloped young talent. I don't think Piotr Nowak will get the rewards of getting the kids valuable game experience unless they get some results.

condors

03-29-2005, 04:34 AM

we have a wensday game vs New England, with another game coming on Saturday against San Jose i go with the B team

GK-Busch
dl-eric denton
dc-nelson akwari
dc-robin fraser
dr-chris wingert
ml-duncan oughton
mc-justin moose
mr-cj klaas
fc-edson buddle
sc-michael ritch

New England are playing a 4-4-2
gk-matt reis-4 games conceded 4 goals 8.25 rating
dl-joey franchino 4 games 7.00 rating
dc-rusty pierce 4 games 6.75 rating
dc-shalrie joseph 4 games 7.00 rating
dr-jay heaps 4 games 7.25 rating
ml clint dempsey 4 games 7.00 rating
mc-felix brilliant 4 games 7.50 rating
mc-jose cancela 2 sub apperances 7.00 rating
mr-nate jaqua 2 sub apperances 6.50 rating
sc-joe max moore 4 games 7.50 rating (3 goals)
sc-taylor twellman 4 games 7.25 rating (2 goals 2 assists)
very good striker partnership with moore and twellman our defense has their work cut out for them, they have a good defense, their keeper doesn't impress me that much but he has played well so far. Brilliant and Dempsey will have to marked closeley.

condors

03-29-2005, 04:52 AM

11th minute Dempsey passes to Cancela who has a chance....over the bar...Klaas brings down Dempsey late...Yellow card

18th minute Twellman has the ball in the box and plays it to Brilliant who fires a shot...over the bar

21st minute Cancela plays it to Brilliant. Brillant plays it into the area for Dempsey. Dempsey shots....Goal! it deflected off Akwari 1-0 New England

28th minute Franchino plays it down the line looking for Dempsey. Dempsey comes forward. Dempsey plays it into the box for Twellman. Twellman shots...wide.

31st minute Wingert brings down Dempsey. Dempsey is injured and is subbed for by Chris Rooner a defensive minded midfielder who is more comfertable on the right side.

43rd minute Cancela puts a ball into the box. Jaqua gets a head on it....Goal! 2-0 New England

45th minute Robin Fraser is shown a yellow card

57th minute Jaqua is shown a yellow card

59th minute Buddle intercepts Pierce's pass. Buddle bears down on goal. Buddle has only the goalie to beat....wide

69th minute Szetela plays it to Ritch in the box, Ritch turns on the ball...Saved by Reis.

71st minute Ritch crosses the ball into the box for Moose. Moose shots...sails over the crossbar

84th minute Oughton picks out CJ Klaas on the oppsite side of the field who has room, Klaas comes forward. Klaas shots...over the bar

86th minute Buddle crosses it into the box. Ritch gets a head on it...Reis saved superbly and held the ball.

90th minute Joey Franchino has a chance...wide of the net

game ends 2-0 New England.

We actually outshot them 9-8 and had 51% possesion. Both teams only had 3 shots on target. Busch didn't play well and Reis kept a clean sheet. Our 10 outfield players got a 7 rating. Wish one or more of them stepped up to make a case to be in the first team.
Tough game to lose as we were not outplayed.

condors

03-29-2005, 05:08 AM

in other MLS action:

Chicago vs Metrostars
Brian Kamler scored for Chicago in the 3rd minute
Cornell Glenn is injured for the Metrostars in the 80th minute
1-0 Win for Chicago
Eddie Pope of the Metrostars is named man of the match

Colorado vs Kansas City
Diego Walsh scores an own goal, Colorado 1 Kansas City 0
John Spencer makes it 2-0 with a goal in the 52nd minute
Igor Simutenkov makes it 2-1 in the 89th minute
Colorado get a 2-1 win at home.
Diego Gutierrez is named man of the match for Kansas City.

San Jose vs Dallas
Scott Garlick is shown a Red Card and is sent off in the 39th minute.
Todd Dunivant scores on the proceding penalty kick.1-0 San Jose
Richard Mulrooney makes it 2-0 in the 65th minute
Jason Kreis pulls one back for Dallas in the 85th minute
Roger Levesque makes it 3-1 in extra time
San Jose 3 Dallas 1
Richard Mulrooney is named man of the match

Andy Williams of the Chicago Fire is named MLS player of the month
Vuk Rasovic from Kansas City is 2nd in the voting, Klye Beckerman is 3rd for Colorado.

Sergio Aljandro Rey had the Goal of the month for the Metrostars
Hong Myung-Bo of Los Angeles came in 2nd and Christopher Gomez of DC United came in 3rd

Columbus Crew's Duncan Oughton has decieded to join Sydney. Its really not a big deal as he is a backup player and taking a senior international spot. I don't like to use one of those slots on a backup.(i can get some kid to sit on the bench and with Szetela and Elliot he is really a 3rd choice)

Frankie Hejduk is wanted by EPL team Portsmouth who have already poached Carlos Ruiz from the MLS. Hejduk is not a player i want to let go of.

condors

03-29-2005, 05:19 AM

our next game is a rematch with San Jose most of their players are in 92% condition but because we rested our guys on wensday (except Buddle due to the mathis injury) our guys are 100 and 99 (buddle is a 95)

Really looking forward to putting a stamp on this game.

crud didn't notice the time have to speed things up

44th minute Busch is injured Joran is in (thank goodness we have a good backup)

67th minute Cunningham scores 1-0 Columbus

89th minute Buddle scores 2-0 Columbus

that is how the game ends. They outshot us 15-10 (7-3 on target). This was a complete reverse of last game we didn't deserve a win here but Jordan won man of the match and made a case he should be starting somewhere if not here.

condors

03-31-2005, 03:51 AM

after the 30 regular season games:

Eastern Conferance-
Chicago 16 wins 8 draws 6 loses 47 gf 29 ga gd +18 points 56
Columbus 12 wins 11 draws 7 loses 37 gf 21 ga gd +16 points 47
Metrostars 11 wins 10 draws 9 loses 47 gf 34 ga gd +13 points 43
New Enland 11 wins 9 draws 10 loses 32 gf 34 ga gd -2 points 42
DC United 6 wins 15 draws 9 lost 30 gf 38 ga gd -8 points 33

Western Conferance-
San Jose 11 wins 7 draws 12 lost gf 36 ga 40 gd -4 points 40
Dallas 8 wins 11 draws 11 lost gf 40 ga 51 gd -11 points 35
Colorado 8 wins 11 draws 11 lost gf 46 ga 53 gd -7 points 35
Los Angeles 7 wins 13 draws 10 lost gf 27 ga 35 gd -8 points 34
Kansas City 8 wins 9 draws 13 lost gf 35 ga 42 gd -7 points 33

As you can see the Western Conferance got beat up by the eastern conferance in regular season play. Chicago seem to be the best team in the league but they are not unbeatable. We went through a strech were we looked like we could be the best team but international call ups weakened our team and we seemed to lose something (Marshall, Szetela, Hedjuk, Mathis and Sanneh were unavailable for a bunch of matches going down the strech)

We have to play the high scoring Metrostars in the first round not going to be an easy task

condors

03-31-2005, 04:39 AM

we end the first half with a 2-0 lead and everything is looking great

in the 70th minute it 2-0 and i bring on Moose, Klaas and Saurez (i like bringing the kids on as subs). The Metrostars go into 2-4-4 formation and we are under severe pressure than last 20 minutes. Leaking 3 yes 3 goals (2 from corner kicks). Now we have our work cut out for us at home.

In the US Cup DC United beat Chicago in the finals 1-0 (that shows the parity in the league).

We have 1 roster spot open since i never found a replacement player for Oughton. Simon Elliot, Robin Fraser and Manny Lagos contracts will not be renewed as all 3 lack speed and pace. Simply put all 3 do a well when they are in postion but my tactic requires a little more speed than these guys have and are caught out of postion way too often. I can see a difference when guys with 12 pace are in there.

In the 2nd leg of the playoffs we lose 1-0 at home. Gavan Rey scored in stoppage time to secure the win for the Metrostars.

Chicago beat New England 6-3
Colorado beat Dallas 4-3
Los Angeles beat San Jose 4-1

My team will have 4 openings and 3 senior international spots open. So far all the players i have tried to bring in have not been interested in coming. I should have about 10k(in the salary cap) to bring in 2 players at 5k each. I know that isn't world beaters but if i can find a couple young players from the same nation(brazil, argentina or mexico) to come in together i figure they will be able to help each other settle in. I just haven't found the combo yet.

Eddie Johnson wants out of Dallas. His transfer fee is out of our price range though.

Metrostars beat Chicago and Los Angeles beat Colorado

Szetela, Marshall along with Moose and Suarez are called up to the USA under 20 team (looks like my team may have a bright future or it might be because i keep playing these kids so it builds their rep).

Currently there is a blight at right fullback for Team USA Tony Sanneh should not be starting for a national team at this stage in his career. Nice to see my fullbacks play together on the national team but i am not comfertable with his defensive skills at the club level. Should be a major concern at the international level.

I will be looking for hard working speedy players that i will hopefully be able to coach up on the mental and technical aspects of the game. I would love to get an impact left winger but i expect to just get some backup players who hopefully have potential.

Scott Garlick wins Keeper of the Year, Matt Reis and Nick Rimando took 2nd and 3rd place

Troy Dayak won Defender of the year, Tony Sanneh and Vuk Rasovic took 2nd and 3rd (Sanneh plays well going forward but i still want a player who can tackle at right fullback)

Ricardo Clark won rookie of the year, Justin Mapp came in 2nd and Joselito Vaca came in 3rd

Sergio Alejandro Gavan Rey won the scoring title with 20 goals John Spencer had 18 and John Wolyniec had 15

Sanneh, Lagos, and Martino were named to MLS ALL PRO team

Metrostars Dominic Kinnear was named Manager of the Year
Steve Sampson of the Galaxy came in 2nd and David Sarachan of Chicago came in 3rd

San Jose's Troy Dayak was named MVP, Tony Sanneh came in 2nd and Vuk Rasovic came in 3rd for Kanas City

Mathis and Cunningham both had 11 goals for us Martino had 8 Buddle and Paule chipped in 5 a piece Manny Lagos had 2 and a bunch of guys had 1

Currently Matt Jordan is unhappy being a backup. If i get an offer for him i will definatly listen. Unhappy goalkeepers can play badly and unhappy players i think can make other players unhappy. I can't afford to have an unhappy team in a league this close.

condors

03-31-2005, 05:00 AM

I get an interesting offer for John Busch the 3rd pick in the superdraft. Jordan is starting quality but Busch is my guy so i say no. Dallas offered a 4th round pick for Jordan but i want at least a 3rd (i feel he is worth a 1st).

I also send my scouts to the combine to get a heads up on the upcoming draft selections.

condors

03-31-2005, 05:02 AM

Dortmund sign Ricardo Clark from the Metrostars. Amando Guevara is upset by this. I believe this to be a terrible transfer for the Metrostars.

condors

03-31-2005, 05:06 AM

USA beats Brazil in the Gold Cup Final 2-1. That is a huge win for team USA. Clint Mathis and Tony Sanneh weren't called up so only Frankie Hedjuk took part in the team. Also only Chad Marshall got called into the under 20 team this time around.

condors

03-31-2005, 05:28 PM

my scouts tell me about players most of them don't look to contribute much if anything now. There are at least 2 i really like who i think could help us today.
Basically we have a hole on the left wing, central midfield(would prefer a guy with good tackling skills), and a central defender but to be honest i feel my current squad has all the talent i need right now.

Our first pick in the draft is 20 year old Matt Ellis a promsing fullback (right side) but personality is low determination i don't like it but he looks close to being ready to play. He is listed as a defender/defensive midfielder

our 2nd pick in the draft Matt Duff 19 year old promising left winger. I think he is as good as Manny Lagos (but i let him leave on a free) at least this guy is young and will hopefully get better. His postion will have several players get a shot at the starting role.

our 3rd round pick is Michael Oshoniyi young centerback 20 years old model professional looking to be a backup for Herdsman and Marshall. Will be teamed with Akwari on the B team.

our 4th round pick Eric Wright an enthusiastic 16 year old midfielder. I think this kid could be something one day (he has a way to go though)

our 5th round pick Kevin Wegerle 23 year old keeper. He could fill a role for us wanted to get a body in here in case I find a new home for Jordan.

Our 6th round pick Mike Cervantes 19 year old striker enthusiastic striker that is ambitious. Problem is i am looking at him in a backup role not sure how long he will like that.

I also sign a striker Brian Taylor 23 year old who went undrafted not sure he is going to stick but i will give him a look.

I let Mike Ritch go he had the abilties of a target striker but lacked the ability to get in postion simply too lazy to work for the way i like to play. I hope he gets a chance with someone else who can use him upfront as in a role he is better suited for.

We select 18 year old Peye Garcia a young hardworking central midfielder in the supplemental draft.

I had my eye on a promising Goalkeeper Joe Taylor but DC United grabbed him i offer Matt Jordan in an exchange. DC United reject the bid.