Touch-lines – things to ponder

A new soccer segment brought to you by the Unholy Union (eat your heart out Poor Spoertsman).  Random musings about the progress of the blog, the team, soccer, and the world in general.

Who keeps finding this blog by searching for “Kyle Nakazawa Girlfriend”? I never once said girlfriend other than referring to this, but I still find this hysterical.  And the more I post this phrase, the more that person will find the blog again.  No such thing as bad publicity.

Was Kyle’s band any good?  I couldn’t get out to see.  Any demos / MP3′s?

Does San Jose Earthquake supporters do any chants to “You shook me all night long” ?  Should we make a mocking chant for that?

Whatever happened to the North Korean goalie from last year’s World Cup, especially after that blowout?  Whatever happened to that team!?

Where IS David Myrie? Limon FC in Costa Rica.  Thank you wikipedia for finally updating this, but is fishy because their wiki page doesn’t have him listed.

Will David Beckham have a bitching hangover from the Royal Wedding?  Will he play any worse than he has?  Some may argue he will play the same – poorly.

And on players we care about, will Orozco-Fiscal ever come back to us?

Will Fake Peter Nowak show his true identity?  Or will he just keep pissing in the wind?  Will he ever threaten me like he does Tannenwald?

Is there a conspiracy for Barcelona in every match?  Or is it just a little bit of Messi, and a little bit of the hand of God?  Or is it also because Ronaldo is just a little ****?

Our Defense is Good?!?!?!?

The Philadelphia Union facebook page posted the statistic that the Union back line has a .50 GAA over the last six matches in all competitions.  In other words, they’ve had 3 goals scored against them the last six matches.  That’s what good teams in soccer do, but we, as Union supporters, have not become accustomed to with our side.   There are three factors that have transformed this group from weak and flawed to solid and reliable.

The Goalie Switch:  Chris Seitz was a victim of poor marking in front of him, but his panicked decision-making made him an easy whipping boy.  Supporters lashed out at him for misplaying crosses, leaving rebounds, poor positioning, the slumping economy, etc, etc.  It wasn’t entirely his fault, but he made enough mistakes that the switch became possible.  Enter Brad Knighton, who played against non-MLS teams and played well, but I roasted him for tackling Brek Shea, earning a red card, and putting his team down a goal in his 23rd minute of Union league play.  His subsequent performances have been exactly what the team has needed this whole season; communication and decisiveness.  The most poignant play came early in this past match, where a Chivas player had a cross played onside well behind the Union back line.  Knighton opted to try to beat him to the ball, and did so narrowly, only after a foot-first slide.  That is a shot on goal, and likely a goal, if Knighton either decides that he can’t get the ball and stays in the net, or if he leaves a split-second later.  I’m not able to ascertain if his communication with the defenders is better, but it seems clear that he is part of the solution, moreso than part of the problem

Square Peg No Longer:  Michael Orozco Fiscal has been a consistent performer all season.  He’s even scored a goal off of a corner kick.  He’s played wherever Nowak has asked him to play.  However, he has played too much of this season out of position.  MOF’s athleticism gave birth to the experiment at right back, instead of the center back position he is used to.  He seemed so out-of-sorts there at times that he was seen as completely replaceable by many, including yours truly.  The injury to Juan Diego Gonzales allowed for MOF to return to his true position, and the results have, statistically, been spoken for.  Again, communication could be a factor, or that MOF is the right player to be alongside Cap’n Califf.  Those two got Chivas flagged for offsides with well-timed and coordinated steps forward.  It’s a partnership that should remain even after Gonzales is healthy.

The New Kid on the Block:  Sheanon Williams has been a breath of fresh air at right back.  He possesses great speed and defensive instincts, and this changes things for Union on multiple levels.  First, he’s not MOF playing out of position.  Outside backs need to be able to compliment the offense while still being able to retreat to their defensive position.  MOF had trouble finding times to come forward, and Jordan Harvey has trouble getting back once he is forward (more on Harvey in a moment).  Williams has effectively blended both disciplines in a manner that makes me wonder why someone else hadn’t picked up on this guy.  His speed allows him to get in behind defenders to get to through-balls, where he has shown decent ability in serving crosses.  The side effect of his going forward means that Jordan Harvey can be less needed in offensive support and he can focus on locking down his side of the field.  He has done great work in that department during this back line transition.  This also bodes well for Shea Salinas getting a chance, at some point, to play midfield instead of defense (unless they remove Harvey from the lineup in Salinas’ favor).

So, that’s 3 good things that come from Sheanon.  And he can throw the ball really far for throw-ins.  I’m really looking forward to Wednesday night’s match in Colorado to see the further melding of what hopefully will be the Union’s backline for a little while.