Haiku d'Group C: Belo H as long as we've got it

Time to break out the haiku-ometer

Back in the 5-0
B'Belo Horizonte
1 to nil, you lose

Twas a cock you say
As Gaetjens had no passport,
But still, the goal stands.

Revenge on the veldt,
As Three Lions surround US,
No hope for escape.

But with one Jersey
boy, our hearts beat, since all you
Have is David James.

So bring on your best
John Bull, and as the game goes
on, we will hold true.

A hearty hurrah
as all that's red, white and blue
makes the English fears

Come true with a pain
In the gut as they see that
Belo was Act One. Read more!

Dynamo/Rev highlights and thoughts

In case you missed it, Dynamo win strong.

Certain things I noticed about the game, other than how nice it was to see the Orange produce a 2-0 smackdown of the Revs on plastic grass:

<>I think the Revs' best chance came in the second half after Andrew Hainault mistimed a challenge along the Revs' right flank. It turned into a near miss, but might have energized New England if they had converted. No one's perfect, but the carrot-topped Canadian almost screwed the pooch there.

<>Best goal that wasn't: Brian Mullan's jinking, back and forth run through the right side of the box, deking two guys out of their shorts before centering to Kamara, whose wormburner was snagged by Matt Reis. Wow. Mullan looked positively Messi-like there. If he had any finishing touch at all, he would be even more of a beast than he is.

<>Wow, this is what happens I guess when you're missing six starters. That was the worst performance I have ever seen from New England. Looking at Stevie Nicol's face after the game, I think the postgame meeting was probably a tad heated over there.

<>Matt Reis letting a weak ball from distance through his legs like that? I still can hardly believe that happened. Look closely at it because you'll probably never see him do that again.

<>On the same play, Stuart Holden was quoted in the Chron today thusly:

“I’ve been holding back a little bit, looking to pass too much so I took a couple of shots today and got lucky,” Holden said.

Stuart, that is what all us out here watching have been saying all season. And you did indeed get very lucky. Look, I'm a team guy. You're a team guy. We're all team guys. But you've got a howitzer on the end of your leg there. Load the sucker up and fire!

<>Is it my imagination or does Kei Kamara get klobbered out there on a regular basis without a kall being made? The guy has a ton of athleticism and pace, and clearly the book on him is to chop him down. It would be nice to get just a little protection from time to time. In all sports, there are always guys that officials don't like and they let opposing teams give them the business more than others. Is Kei one of those guys? If this doesn't change, he is going to get hurt out there and miss time one of these days.

<>And about Kei, can he please start reading the offside trap a little more reliably? I'm am so tired of him getting caught out so frequently.

<>Ade, welcome to life on Dom's bench. Really, was there any reason why Dom waited so long to get Akinbiyi on the field? Honestly, sometimes I think Kinnear forgets he has a bench and there are subs to be made. Kamara was getting killed. Ching was getting hammered (no surprise there) and we were cruising 2-0. Why couldn't Ade have seen the field in the 70th minute or so? He looked good in the few seconds he was in the game, but he clearly is going to have a tough time adjusting to MLS refs. Join the club pal. Wait until you meet Abbey Okalaja. >shudder< Read more!

What more needs to be said?

Unfortunately, Atlante couldn't get the job done against New England, so now the SuperLiga final will be in front of 5,000 in Gillette instead of the 20K+ that would be here at The Rob. Ah well.

Still, what a great game last night. I hope Dynamo play los Tuzos every year in meaningful games, maybe in Champions League next. Read more!

Quickie Dynamo-Revs preview and other thoughts

The vocation is taking a toll on my avocation this week, as work has been time-consuming so have had little opportunity to post (ain't that the way?). But here's a quick series of takes on today's festivities.

Heading over to Robinson tonight to see Dynamo host the Revs. ESPN is pushing the game back to 8:25 central time tonight, instead of our customary 7:30 sweat-filled swampy beat down. Perhaps it takes a conspiracy theorist to suggest that Hartford's own Worldwide Sports Leader is assisting the Nor'easterners, but still, 8:30 p.m. when it's still in the mid-80s outside with about 356-percent humidityis enough to sap the will out of most people (OK already! I'll talk, just please crank the AC. PLEASE!!!!!).

Jeff Carlisle over at ESPN (them again!) has a nice rundown on tonight's game (read it here). Of course, this is the first thing to catch the eye from Jeff:

3. Missing internationals
World Cup qualifying is in full swing in many parts of the globe, and both New England and Houston will be missing important performers on Thursday as a result. New England is without forward Kenny Mansally, as well as midfielders Khano Smith and Shalrie Joseph, who will represent The Gambia, Bermuda and Grenada, respectively. For Houston, goalkeeper Pat Onstad and attacker Dwayne De Rosario will be away with the Canadian national team, while forward Brian Ching is set to join up with the U.S. ahead of this weekend's qualifier with Barbados.

Shalrie Joseph is the player on New England I fear the most as I continue to believe that he is the best midfielder in the league. So under normal circumstances, I'd be celebrating his absence. However, with DDR, the Flyin' Hawaiian and Super Canuck all gone on duty, that means Dynamo is missing the men who have scored their last five goals and nine of the last 11. That. Is. Huge. Not only that, with Onstad away, Tony Caig is back in goal. Now I'm not going to jump on the Bash Caig bandwagon that seems to have lost steam after he turned in a clean sheet against NYRB two weeks ago. He HAS been playing better, there's no doubt about that, but then again he hasn't been seeing the New England Revolution, for my money the best team in the league all season. So Eddie Robinson's return from suspension couldn't come at a better time.

Still, what will the line-up be without Ching and DeRo up top? Bernardo Fallas is generating some discussion along these lines on his blog, and comes up with the following four possible combos (sorry for the extended block):

------------Caraccio--Mullan------
Ashe----------Davis--------Holden
-----------------Clark------------------
Waibel---BB---Ianni--Mulrooney
---------------The Keg----------------

Maybe:

------------Caraccio--Mullan------
Davis--------Holden----Cameron
-----------------Clark------------------
Waibel---BB---Ianni--Mulrooney
---------------The Keg----------------

Or even:

----------Caraccio---Mullan--------
Davis--------Holden---Mulrooney
-----------------Clark------------------
Ianni---BB---Robinson--Waibel
---------------The Keg---------------

The latter one is highly unlikely as it prevents Kinnear the flexibility of pushing a defender (Mulrooney) to midfield in a switch to a 3-5-2.

The problem with the first one is Kinnear appears to still be holding out on Caraccio, whom you would think would be the logical choice.

The same goes for the second, although it would allow Holden at attacking mid.

Still the first offering would be my lineup to start the night.

However, Kinnear may have other ideas. He has been careful not to disclose his lineups during practice lately. It used to be that players with orange bibs would have a lock to start at designated positions played during intra-squad scrimmages.

That hasn't been the case lately.

So, if he wanted to get creative tonight and stick to a 4-4-2, Kinnear could go with something like this:

--------Cameron--Mullan---------
Ashe---------Davis-------Holden
----------------Clark----------------
Waibel---BB---Ianni-Mulrooney
---------------The Keg--------------

I think Bernardo is right that Kinnear won't go with Caraccio up top for whatever reason. Apparently, the Argentine is falling out of favor ala Paul Dalglish a year ago. So I think Kinnear will do this:

Wondo-Mullan
Davis-Clark-Holden-Ashe
Ianni-Robinson-Boswell-Mulrooney
Caig

SUBS: Waibel, Cameron, Caraccio


Ianni should get the start because there's no way Waibel can match up with the speed of Dube and Nyassi. Mullan, despite his almost total lack of finishing prowess, has been able to break down defenses and might be able to create chances for Holden to slide up and in. Davis' return will be a welcome one because if there's one thing the Orange need, it's his service. First off the bench should be Geoff Cameron, followed by Caraccio if the game is scoreless or we're down. If we're up late, then Waibelho comes on to help nail it down and pack the back.

What do you think?

In any event, it should be a fun night. Look for Mister3d and I on the El Batallon side of the field but on the sideline.

Dale!

And here's a great Extra Time from over at MSLNet.com with an interview with Richard Mulrooney. Nice.

Read more!

Canadians we can believe in

In the end, our Canadians were better than their Canadians.

Sure, Brian Ching got the brace in Dynamo's 3-1 win last night (can't seem to find highlights anywhere. Ah well.), but Dwayne De Rosario was my true Man of the Match. DDR's goal just before the end of the first half was a thing of beauty. Catching Toronto napping and then dinking it past Sutton for the score was a huge lift going into the break. Then DDR comes back and assists on the Flyin' Hawaiian's first goal early in the second after Thundering Pat Ianni secured his trip to Beijing with an out-of-nowhere interception, feeding DeRo, and it was all over but the shouting from there.

Or so we thought there at Robertson Stadium.


Toronto showed some spirit in a game in which they were just dominated. Super Canuck Pat Onstad made back-to-back, point blank saves on Laurent Robert and Jarrod Smith that were things of beauty. Then came Chingy's third a few minutes later on a nifty cross from Stuart Holden. Jeff Cunningham's goal salvaged some pride for the other Canadians out there, but then it was well and truly over.

Here are some ratings.

Onstad: A+ on the kick saves alone. Again, he showed why Dynamo are much the lesser team when our very own Special Ed teacher goes to international duty.

Back line: A- Cunningham's goal was too easy, but other than that, they were lights out. Waibelinho got beat on several occasions. I know he's just happy to be out there, but he'll be even happier if he can go back to the right side. Ianni gets an A on his interception that led to the second goal alone. He just roared out of the backfield and sent the entire Toronto defense on its heels. Wow. Boswell had several nice clearances, but also got bailed out on a few mishits. A solid game, just not one of his better ones. Mulrooney was also solid.

Midfield: B+ Holden had a nice cross for Ching's second, but is still looking to get untracked. Mullan once again is making great runs that go absolutely nowhere. The Ashe vs. Marvell Wynne battle was entertaining all night. Too speedsters going toe to toe. Clark was very solid showcasing once again why he's second only to Shalrie Joseph in the holding mid role.

Forwards: A+ Two for Chingy, a goal and an assist from DeRo. Does Dwayne stay up top? He says no, but honestly, this is the best top pairing we've seen all year. Results alone mean De Ro has to stay up top. Can you see another possible combo that has worked?

Subs: Davis and Wondo were nice coming in, though both came in too late to merit a grade. Wondo's card was great. Talk about announcing your presence. He was a one-man goon squad.

(Fallas' take on the game is here.)

Hopefully, some of this will carry over to Thursday night, though it will have to be without DDR, who will be away for international duty. I don't think the Orange are going to see as much space to operate as they did last night against the Revs. Still, it should be a beautiful game, and a result better than the season opener would be nice indeed.

What do you think? Read more!

Rattlesnake venom can be a powerful thing indeed

There is very little I can say in the way of advance for tomorrow's game at Wembley that isn't said or shown in this video. Suffice to say that I will be wearing the colors tomorrow, and I fully expect everyone else to be doing the same. It's time to see just how powerful rattlesnake venom can be when facing down three lions in their den.

Also tomorrow night the Dynamen will be at Robertson North up in Frisco, hoping to continue the dominance over the candystriper thugs. Personally, I'm throwing out last week's game as an aberration with all of the history and motivation. The fact of that matter is that once the Orange see those candy-ass red stripes, they'll know what to do. (Or so I hope!)

Official predictions from the head: England and Dynamo each win 2-1.

Predictions from the heart: USA and Dynamo. All. The. Way. Read more!

A three-way on the freeway to First Kick: Afterword: Predictions

It's been one heck of a fun offseason, though seemingly interminable at times. After much consideration, Indian food and Wonderful Vietnamese sandwiches from Cali Sandwich Shop, here are the Nutmegged predictions for Saturday night's Dynamo/Revolution game:


MARTEK: Weather report at game time right now is for a temperature of 33, dropping to 31 by the end of the game and clear, but still wet from today's freezing rain and snow. Jimmy Chowda is right: "Prediction: Pain." I think the scoreline will be a nice and tidy 1-1, with Twellman scoring for them (Does anyone else score for the Revolution?) and De Rosario tearing Matt Reis' frost-bitten fingers off his body with a blistering laser beam from about 20 yards.




PLAYTHERAPY: Revs 3-1

Revs clearly motivated after their regular post season spanking, get it together after a 1-1 half time score. They party afterwards like something amazing happened, V-E Day or getting the Evil Empire
out of the White House (face it, Bushies, you've bagged way more than your limit of carpets).

Blue-Blooded fans begin to brag as if they won much more than the opener. Soon all will be planning for a Thierry Henry signing or perhaps calling a Victoria Secret model for a date and hearing... YES.... Euphoria deflated like Viagra detox after losing at Robertson and being a MLS Cup bridesmaid, again... BTW- loyal dittoheads, if you missed the carpetbagging reference, I just spelled it out fer ya.



MISTER3D: dynamo 2 revs 1
carracio and wondo for houston
mansally for NE or shalrie

Enjoy the game! Read more!

A three-way on the freeway to First Kick: Episode 3: The forward pass

Finally, we head up top:

FORWARD


MARTEK: Up top, I'm looking at a forward pairing of Brian Ching and Chris Wondoloski. "Francisco" Franco
Caraccio has looked nice on the ball, but he clearly has some adjusting to do
regarding the speed and physicality of the MLS game.

Kinnear has been subbing
the Generalissimo and Wondo this spring, but I am wondering when he's going to
start the two together because it's Ching's health that makes me worried up top
and not Wondo's.

Here's a thought: assuming Dynamo don't resign Jaqua and/or
Ngwenya when the Austrian season ends, how about moving Holden up? What do you
think?


MISTER3D: If I think the dynamo should rest Dero what should they do about ching? Play him! but sub early. Against the revs it would appear ching- wondolowski start. Against municipal, Wondolowski's very being vibrated with goal scoring desire. He has looked good in the preseason and deserves the opportunity to take his chances into the season proper. Maybe we will see kinnear's rookie du jour, geoff cameron subbed in for ching on saturday, who else could it be? Really. Has anyone seen Kyle Brown this preseason. This may be to early to declare but carracio looks to be a fantastic addition. Once he adjusts to kinnear's expectations (running and defending--I swear you could see his thoughts in the municipal game, "what,, I am a number ten argentine. I do not defend and run around like some midfielder") and mls I predict that he will be a much loved member of the orange nation, leading many to ask, "ngwenya who?"


Holden up top is not an option, who are you Martek, peter nowak?



PLAYTHERAPY: Brian Ching is a good forward but we suffer from his all-out physical play. I mean he really throws himself around out there, which leads to him spending far too much time on the trainer's table. Last year, I compiled the stats and he's missed something like 30% of his teams games over his career. We need him healthy and scoring goals. His goal touch suffered much of last year.

I have made much fun of Wondo's wrestling antics, a lot of energy marking out his defender. No more if he can play the way he did against Municipal. He played both ways, having a major impact, with hard tackles, steals, and constant hustle. What I wish he had was something that really distinguished him as a striker. Perhaps that will come with minutes. As mr3d wrote, you could feel his goal hunger and we wanted him to score, too. Baaad! Caraccio showed great promise, with cheeky touches belaying creative skill and an intuitiveness (the flick to Ching in the box was masterful) that I haven't seen by any Dynamo other than De Ro. I echo the occasional, "What? ME Defend?" attitude, though he improved a wee bit the last few minutes.

As always with games against the Revs, just how Bawston (okay, New England) react after a Dynamo score, whether the Revs are ahead or not wil determine the course of the game and final score. In the Cup, after the Dynamo equalized, you could see that, "Oh, shit, not again!," look in New England's eyes. I hope it will be a great game.


MARTEK: Mister3d, how dare you impugn my good friend Peter Nowak. Believe me, when his more, ah, creative tactics lead to the US bombing out of Beijing early, thus bringing Holden and Ianni back here to Houston right away, you too will be singing the praises of the guy. Mark my words!

Geoff Cameron coming in early for Ching? You were right all those posts ago, this really will be the Year of the Goon!




MISTER3D: Peter Nowak is clearly the smartest guy in the room or just a jerk. the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Ok, the scale leans more to the jerk side but moving holden out of the midfield seems counterproductive.


Thankfully, ching didn't play a full 90 in poland so I'm thinking 60 or so minutes then yank him. Sometime in the second half would be a great debut for the wondo/carracio pairing. Kinnear might as well see what they can do together.


I'm looking forward to the opening game but with international competition hovering so close at hand the revs game is a little like oatmeal, good for you and sustaining yet lacking that magic deliciousness of the fresh off the comal breakfast taco that is concacaf.


PLAYTHERAPY: Can Kinnear even pronounce 'sub' before the 70th minute- except Holden for Davis? I'll go one worse than your suggestion, Martek, why not Holden for Onstad? Or a presidential running mate? Read more!

A three-way on the freeway to First Kick: Episode 2: The Midfield

Continuing the previous post, we move to the middle.

THE MIDFIELD


PLAYTHERAPY: Speaking of Wasps, Clark, with those long, graceful legs, when he's on, he's Mr. Everywhere. When he's hot, he completely disrupts midfields. His outside shot is also something to remember. Mulrooney does not have the same pace, but is so damn versatile and seems to run as fast in the 93rd minute as the first ten.

De Ro is working out the kinks, coming off the offseason, expecting to do the phenomenal. Sometimes it works, others he gives the ball away too easily. I expect this to improve greatly in such a big game. Clearly, big games are a motivation. I also expect the phenomenal occurring more often as he gets in season form.

Ashe was superb against Municipal, a bipolar performance from the away game. At Roberstosn, a majority of the attack flowed through him, and, even better, it worked. I expect Corey to return to his 70+ minute game entries, when tired opposing defenders wish they had high powered rifles so they wouldn't have to keep up just to hack him. I do worry that if Ashe has a terrible game starts, will Kinnear pull in
time? Ditto for Boz?

I like Holden. I really really like Holden. I like his scrappiness and his ability to go at people. I also like how he finds ways to score. I think he needs to be on the field, getting some major minutes. Fantasy wise, he was a steal last year.

Davis was hit or miss last year but when he hit, he was awesome. While De Ro was out, Davis would drift more and more to the center, looking for more touches. With the cast back and hopefully healthy, I'd like to see more production out of Davis. Unfortunately for Brad, he was often subbed for Holden.

I know everybody and their dog says stopping Mullan is the key to shutting the Dynamo down. Yet for far too many years, Brian's assist and goal totals have been laughable. His dribbling and ability to leave fullbacks in his dust is fantastic, yet something invariably happens to break the play down- a good cross to no one, one too many touches, or a wide shot. The great thing about him is his ability to stretch the field, teams definitely go out wide to cover him. I just want his dazzling magic to make more goals.


MARTEK: In the middle, I refer to these thoughts I posted to Jimmy Chowda:

Dynamo clearly has an overloaded midfield. Kinnear has always used a 4-4-2 and
sticks to it like glue. So that means you’ve got this line-up in that middle 4:
Brian Mullan, Brad Davis, Ricardo “Fishkiller” Clark, Dwayne De Rosario, Stuart
Holden, Richard Mulrooney and Corey Ashe. By my count, that’s three starters too
many, three players, mind you, who could start on any team in the league at any
time. You also have four national teamers there (3 US and 1 Canadian), Dynamo’s
co-MVP (Mullan) and the guy who was probably they’re actual MVP from 2007
(Mulrooney), leaving Corey Ashe as the 7th man out. Some of these guys are not
going to play, and keeping top quality pro athletes happy while not playing is
something of an impossibility.

Thoughts?


MISTER3D: mullan-mulrooney-davis-holden start against the revs with the possible positional flip flop of davis and holden. If the game warrants, keep Dero on the bench and rest him for saprissa. If ashe can duplicate his municipal performance I wouldn't mind him starting and mullan coming on as a sub. If davis isn't ready holden and ashe start alongside mullan and mulrooney. The riches of the dynamo midfield and all the game worthy players and possible lineup permutations gives me a headache... in a good way...i think.



MARTEK: Wait a minute, wait a minute, I'm still trying to get my head around the "Keep Dero on the bench and rest him for saprissa" comment. I can imagine Kinnear's response to that suggestion, ala John Rhys-Davies: "Very dangerous. You tell him first."

After how well he has played against the Revs, I think it would only embolden a team you've got down to rest the guy who has killed them more than any other. Who counters Shalrie in the middle and keeps him honest if not for De Rosario? If Clark was available, maybe, but even then...




MISTER3D: Yes the resting Dero comment shows my idiocy but the prize in my eyes right now is concacaf and saprissa which is making my vision somewhat blurry. I did employ the weak qualifying phrase, "if the game warrants". And you're right about player passion, after we watched that simple training exercise of keep away evoke competitive bloodlust amongst the dynamo i wouldn't want to tell a healthy dero that he was sitting. (but come on--it will be 30 degrees on game day and ...saprissa...)


MARTEK: Hmmm. I like the way you think. Play the starters and then sub early. Saprissa win is more important than a grind-it-out early MLS game in Arctic conditions.

Still, I hate the thought of losing to those guys. Read more!

A three-way on the freeway to First Kick: Episode 1: The Back Line

The Nutmegged Brain Trust knocked our collective skulls together over a nice meal at Madras Pavilion (The Official Nutmegged Indian Restaurant) the other day, and then retreated to our individual computer screens to rap out our thoughts on the upcoming Dynamo/Revolution MLS season opener and the state of the Orange in general heading into the season.



BACK LINE


MARTEK: In the back, I project a starting lineup for Saturday of this:
Waibel-Boswell-Robinson-Barrett with Onstad of course in goal.

My goodness, is Bobby Boswell that much of a downgrade from Ryan Cochrane? He
has been slow, slow, slow this season and riddled with mediocre decision-making.
You guys were at the Municipal game, what did yo see in real life? And please
tell me it looked better than it did on TV.

Th thing is, if Ianni looks as good as he did for the U-23s, Boswell might just
see his playing time dwindle significantly this season. And that might just be
his best contribution to this team after all, as a Generation Addidas guy's
backup. Now how far down is that from the 2006 defender of the year?


MISTER3D: Martek's starting projection looks solid and I'm sorry to report that boswell is even scarier in real time. In the first half of the municipal game, his eyes shone with the look of a man in the thrall of a pass back petit mal causing onstad visible unease. Hopefully onstad can help rewire boswell's brain to better fight this worrisome default instinct but let's remember that the dynamo managed well with cochrane and should do the same with boswell.


At this stage, I'm not sure that ianni is that great of an upgrade over boswell. Does ianni have the skills to play outside back, he might make a nice replacement for waibel when the season starts to take its toll on craig and on those occasions when mulrooney is platooned in midfield.


PLAYTHERAPY: My man of the match in the Muncipal game at Robertson was easily Onstad. Without his point blank saves, this would have been a much different game. He even dealt well with Boswell's- HUZZAH- surprise backpasses. This Canadien national is one of the most unsung keepers in the MLS, a pure case of ageism. Without doubt, he has the best positioning of all MLS netminders- I'm surprised no English teams have come shopping for a bargain- not
that the Dynamo would bite, mind you.

Boswell WAS scary. Cool guy, cool blog, frightening play. The other day at lunch, mr3d teased me about screaming at Boswell during the Municipal game, "Don't call off Onstad if you don't have your man marked out" (actually, don't remember what I said, a moment of passion). Too many poor decisions, frightening backpasses with head down, hardly looking up at anything but the ball. I "prayed" Boswell knew where everyone was- the attacker breathing down his neck, the other defenders, and his keeper. Clearly, some of the problems plaguing him at the end of last season do not seem to be resolved as he was beaten several times. Onstad and Boswell left the field at halftime discussing what seemed to be communication problems. Bobby is a big question mark.

I miss Cochrane. Martek and mr3d slagged him all last year, but he was part of the centerline of one of the top defenses in the league. Now, one part of our spine is questionable. Ianni acquitted himself well last season plus scoring a few timely goals. This year, he'll have waaay more responsibility. We'll have to see.

Waibel is Mr. Cool but the Revs went at his lack of pace during last year's finals. Once he got help against Khano Smith and Smith tired, frustration ensued. I would venture the Revs go right at him again. I noticed Waibel making fewer overlaps during the Municipal game.

Barrett is the opposite, making constant overlapping runs which really help stretch the field. He is part of the glue of this team, as Houston can frustrate the hell out of a good possession team with its wasplike smothering defense.


MARTEK: Ianni might do well in place of Waibel, or maybe Boswell can move out there. It's sad to say, but I think Waibel's days are coming to a close. He's still one tough hombre out there, but he's slowing down, and he was never all that fast to begin with, now was he?

As for Barrett, Captain Wademerica is like Teddy Kennedy over there, Mr. Consistency on the left. He seems slow, but really is kinda sneaky quick. It's the black boots. The genius about wearing black on your feet is it makes you look slow, but in reality you are not slow. Trickery, trickery, trickery. I wonder if he learned that playing in The Netherlands.

And you notice we're not mentioning Eddie Robinson. How nice is it to have THAT hammer in your arsenal? Bozzie better buck up or ERob will take his head off. Read more!

Dynamo/Revs preview Part 1, in which Jimmy Chowda and I trade information with our respective enemy agents

The week before MLS Cup last year, Jimmy Chowda over at Blue Blooded Journo invited Dynamo blogger Texas Celt and I to answer five questions about the Dynamo for Jimmy's New England Revolution-themed site, which we did. (The idea was Jimmy's, which he claims he stole from some Celtics-themed site last year, the point being it's not plagiarism if you can lay out the string of copying, now is it?)

Well, those were the days B.N. (Before Nutmegged), so now that Mister3d, Playtherapy and I are all up and running in the footblogorama with a site of our own, Jimmy and I are at it again, only this time he asked me some questions and I also sent several to him. (You can read my answers to his questions here).

(Now hopefully, this will become a semi-regular feature here on Nutmegged this season before Dynamo games, which is a blatant invite for all other bloggers of teams about to play Dynamo to save me the footwork and contact me! If not, I'll come for you!)

Here are our questions and answers:

1. How is the 2008 Revolution already different from the 2007 model
overall? Any changes in their style of play, formation, etc.?









It will be different, but there's no telling by how much. It looks like they will have a very similar starting lineup as MLS Cup on the 29th. However, they have actually added some outside talent before the season for the first time since we lifted the southern no-fly zone. Nicol's keeping his formation preference secret right now, but I'd expect a 3-5-2 on opening night. Overall, we're hoping for a faster, sleeker attack from the Revs and much more crashing the net like you guys do in Houston.



2. Taylor Twellman went through a difficult offseason, to say the
least. How do you think that will affect his play this season, if at
all? Have you seen any signs of him being less than his usual self
during preseason?








Well, he went through a much more trying time during the 2006 season and he still finished with a respectable goal count. From professional (all signs pointed towards he was on the World Cup team), to financial (public complaints about the pay disparity between him and the likes of Donovan and Ruiz), to personal (death in the family) Twellman had a rough summer. This time around, he was very disappointed with the Preston situation, but that's now months in the past (he also had a family issue that got resolved a few weeks earlier). However, he got the contract he wanted at the start of last year and knows full well he's one of the rare players who can't possibly draw the amount of money it would take to replace him. He understands that, and he knows the only way to change the situation is to get playing time with the Nats over the summer and score some goals. My prediction is he'll be just fine.



3. Who do you think will be the most important new faces for the
Revs in 2008? How would you rate their preseasons so far?









There's more than one, and this goes back to the last question, but the most important new face by far is Chris Albright. Chris knows Twellman and a few others on the team very well which has eased his transition and lessened the impact of some key departures. Chemistry is key and he seems to have fit right in. On the field, he's proven in MLS and adds a new dimension to the team. Albright can get forward with competence, and may also allow the insertion of our 2007 #12 pick Amaechi Igwe in a 4-4-2. Igwe played forward in his one year of college and scored a bucket of goals, but he was a defender with the U-20's. We're hoping he can be a starter this year, but he may not be physical enough for a 3-5-2. As for Albright in a 3-5-2, some say his marking is suspect, but he's got the best possible coach in America to fix that.

With regards to the preseason, Kenny Mansally has been a revelation. He signed a senior contract even before camp, so you know Nicol knew something. With Cristman's slight knocks during the preseason, Mansally has stepped it up. I predict he'll start on opening night.



4. And the other side of question No. 4: How do you think the Revs
will be affected by their key losses from the offseason? I'm thinking
of Noonan and Dorman here.









Noonan has more finese than 95% of the players in MLS. However, I think teams had the Twellman-Noonan connection figured out. His departure means more off the field as he's very close to Twellman. Dorman, who's raising serious eyebrows in Scotland, lost his spot to Wells Thompson late last year. However, he makes great runs from the midfield into the box. He may have been poised for an upswing with the Revs in 2008. There's no telling now. What I do know is Dorman will probably earn a transfer over the summer and could quite possibly be earning 50-100 times his 2006 salary next fall. Dorman was the Midnight Riders man of the year in 2006.



5. And finally, what is your prediction for the season opener?












Prediction: Pain. We can play up here in March. However, the difference between 40-50F in the afternoon and 20-30 in the evening is, ah, night and day. I'm standing by for Garber's "see, I told you we can't play in march" line when it's just plain silliness to be scheduling games this way. We play a night game in Chicago on Thursday night, too.

As for the game: Revs 1-0.


And here's a quick look at what happened last time around. (Sorry Jimmy, my fans demand it!).

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