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| Another weakness: terrible box office numbers... |
When I saw who Club de Foot Montreal had avaiable in defense, I had a sense they’d struggle at the back. When I saw who FC Cincinnati started in defense, the stench of trouble wafted into my nostrils.
Even with all those tells, I don’t believe a single human being who thinks and exists could have called the final 5-4(!) win for Montreal. “Hows” gave way to “whys” gave way to “what the fucks”: there’s almost no point in asking what went wrong when it’s that close to everything. Montreal gave up goals through sleepwalking nonchalance - if with an assist from Cincy’s press - but Cincinnati gave out both shots and goals like candy. For as many times as one could argue Cincinnati got robbed on this or that play - and I count three - Montreal found a shot and missed it by inches as many times. About those three times:
1) yes, play should have been stopped on Montreal’s first goal because the ref impeded Joe Gyau;
2) Montreal’s dude (think it was Victor Wanyama) fell into Yuya Kubo and that could have easily been called; and
3) it probably would have helped Kenneth Vermeer’s case that Mason Toye took a dive had he not got a cut on his forehead that clearly signaled some form of contact…and he came out too hot.
I’ll get to five thoughts on FC Cincinnati - and I’m gonna squeeze all the happiness I can out of them - but to start with Montreal.
They play soccer the same way one wears an ill-fitting sweater in general, but Montreal surprised me yesterday. The midfield spine (Wanyama and Emanuel Maciel) labored more than I thought it would against Cincy’s, but the defense…I mean, sure, Cincinnati pressed but their play was casual to the point of outright nudity back there - e.g, this should never happen anywhere outside pee-wee soccer. Going the other way, Montreal clearly have some decent pieces - new kid Joaquin Torres looks like one to watch (or Cincy’s bumbles made him so) - but, after watching them for a second full 90 minutes in 2021, my main question is....that [gestures toward Montreal] fourth in the Eastern Conference again? I get that I’m seeing them at their worst - maybe orange and blue hits them the same way the color yellow hits the Green Lantern? - but they’ve looked just as ragged every time I’ve taken 15 minutes to watch them. I’m not expecting them to stay fourth, basically.
Now, Five Thoughts on FC Cincinnati. Smiles, people! Let’s see those smiles!
1) The One Big Happy Thought
The days when FC Cincinnati lost half their games the second they allowed the first goal are gone, and that’s something. Because it’s a counter-factual, I can’t prove it, but, I’m content to believe Cincy could have made four goals stand up had Geoff Cameron started (and is he one of the vax-deniers I’ve heard whispers about? To editorialize, it’s one hour of your life twice, not some goddamn shadow conspiracy, fer fuck’s sake, but I digress…).
2) The Anatomy of a Goal, the State of Their Bones
All was not lost the second Montreal picked up the ball on the first goal FC Cincinnati coughed up, but look at where Nick Hagglund and Tom Pettersson were and ask yourself, who were they marking? Next, look at the space behind Toye, as in the beating heart of Cincy's penalty area: who do you see in that space, waiting for the put-back, besides Djordje Mihailovic? That kind of inexplicable goofiness showed up all over the game even if it didn’t cut Cincinnati every time. Cincy will continue to operate on thin margins until further notice - they’ve managed only two clean sheets all season (at Chicago Fire FC and at Toronto FC), after all - so they’ll need every save, every blocked shot they can get. The defense bordered on the absurd last night and Cincinnati just can’t afford that. Which leads to the next thought…
3) Press…Until Something Better Comes Along
I’ll confess to being a little hung-up between how much Cincy’s press worked and how much Montreal’s lacksastonedical play at the back activated it, but, because Cincinnati aren’t the greatest at build-up play, I’d put more work into pressing opponents for goals until they do. Call it the Red Bull New York model (the gegen-press, right?), but unlike past editions/alignments, Cincy has players who can finish a goal against a back-pedaling/unbalanced team with a pass or three. If it takes the press to set up the situation, go for it; fwiw, Cincy’s first goal was the least stupid version of that working. (While continuing to work on the other stuff)
4) Better Brenner
His finish on Cincy’s fourth goal (again…that was their fourth. fucking. goal. And still no points) befitted a goal-scorer with a fat price tag - and that’s awesome - but the kind of thing that’s making me start to believe in Brenner is seeing him see the better pass and show he has the technique to pull it off. You saw this on the pass that lead to the free kick that lead to Cincinnati’s (slightly fortunate) third goal, but his combination play has improved overall and all over the field. I’m not sure Jaap Stam, et. al. have figured out how to get the most out of him yet, but he’s growing into something good.
5) Finding the Front Foot
My own personal main event - e.g., the Portland Timbers slim win over FC Dallas - involved two teams that managed to stay organized while still denying anyone with the ball at his feet time to get too comfortable with it. Hell, Dallas might have done it better than Portland, but that’s an organizational philosophy I’d like to see Cincinnati adopt when they’re off the ball. The organization was decent for most of the game, but they gave Montreal’s players too much time on the ball over and over and again and, when that shit broke, there was no putting it back together again.
That’s it for this one. Damned dispiriting loss, obviously, but I remain optimistic that the wooden spoon is coming for another team’s ass this season. Till the next one…
Even with all those tells, I don’t believe a single human being who thinks and exists could have called the final 5-4(!) win for Montreal. “Hows” gave way to “whys” gave way to “what the fucks”: there’s almost no point in asking what went wrong when it’s that close to everything. Montreal gave up goals through sleepwalking nonchalance - if with an assist from Cincy’s press - but Cincinnati gave out both shots and goals like candy. For as many times as one could argue Cincinnati got robbed on this or that play - and I count three - Montreal found a shot and missed it by inches as many times. About those three times:
1) yes, play should have been stopped on Montreal’s first goal because the ref impeded Joe Gyau;
2) Montreal’s dude (think it was Victor Wanyama) fell into Yuya Kubo and that could have easily been called; and
3) it probably would have helped Kenneth Vermeer’s case that Mason Toye took a dive had he not got a cut on his forehead that clearly signaled some form of contact…and he came out too hot.
I’ll get to five thoughts on FC Cincinnati - and I’m gonna squeeze all the happiness I can out of them - but to start with Montreal.
They play soccer the same way one wears an ill-fitting sweater in general, but Montreal surprised me yesterday. The midfield spine (Wanyama and Emanuel Maciel) labored more than I thought it would against Cincy’s, but the defense…I mean, sure, Cincinnati pressed but their play was casual to the point of outright nudity back there - e.g, this should never happen anywhere outside pee-wee soccer. Going the other way, Montreal clearly have some decent pieces - new kid Joaquin Torres looks like one to watch (or Cincy’s bumbles made him so) - but, after watching them for a second full 90 minutes in 2021, my main question is....that [gestures toward Montreal] fourth in the Eastern Conference again? I get that I’m seeing them at their worst - maybe orange and blue hits them the same way the color yellow hits the Green Lantern? - but they’ve looked just as ragged every time I’ve taken 15 minutes to watch them. I’m not expecting them to stay fourth, basically.
Now, Five Thoughts on FC Cincinnati. Smiles, people! Let’s see those smiles!
1) The One Big Happy Thought
The days when FC Cincinnati lost half their games the second they allowed the first goal are gone, and that’s something. Because it’s a counter-factual, I can’t prove it, but, I’m content to believe Cincy could have made four goals stand up had Geoff Cameron started (and is he one of the vax-deniers I’ve heard whispers about? To editorialize, it’s one hour of your life twice, not some goddamn shadow conspiracy, fer fuck’s sake, but I digress…).
2) The Anatomy of a Goal, the State of Their Bones
All was not lost the second Montreal picked up the ball on the first goal FC Cincinnati coughed up, but look at where Nick Hagglund and Tom Pettersson were and ask yourself, who were they marking? Next, look at the space behind Toye, as in the beating heart of Cincy's penalty area: who do you see in that space, waiting for the put-back, besides Djordje Mihailovic? That kind of inexplicable goofiness showed up all over the game even if it didn’t cut Cincinnati every time. Cincy will continue to operate on thin margins until further notice - they’ve managed only two clean sheets all season (at Chicago Fire FC and at Toronto FC), after all - so they’ll need every save, every blocked shot they can get. The defense bordered on the absurd last night and Cincinnati just can’t afford that. Which leads to the next thought…
3) Press…Until Something Better Comes Along
I’ll confess to being a little hung-up between how much Cincy’s press worked and how much Montreal’s lacksastonedical play at the back activated it, but, because Cincinnati aren’t the greatest at build-up play, I’d put more work into pressing opponents for goals until they do. Call it the Red Bull New York model (the gegen-press, right?), but unlike past editions/alignments, Cincy has players who can finish a goal against a back-pedaling/unbalanced team with a pass or three. If it takes the press to set up the situation, go for it; fwiw, Cincy’s first goal was the least stupid version of that working. (While continuing to work on the other stuff)
4) Better Brenner
His finish on Cincy’s fourth goal (again…that was their fourth. fucking. goal. And still no points) befitted a goal-scorer with a fat price tag - and that’s awesome - but the kind of thing that’s making me start to believe in Brenner is seeing him see the better pass and show he has the technique to pull it off. You saw this on the pass that lead to the free kick that lead to Cincinnati’s (slightly fortunate) third goal, but his combination play has improved overall and all over the field. I’m not sure Jaap Stam, et. al. have figured out how to get the most out of him yet, but he’s growing into something good.
5) Finding the Front Foot
My own personal main event - e.g., the Portland Timbers slim win over FC Dallas - involved two teams that managed to stay organized while still denying anyone with the ball at his feet time to get too comfortable with it. Hell, Dallas might have done it better than Portland, but that’s an organizational philosophy I’d like to see Cincinnati adopt when they’re off the ball. The organization was decent for most of the game, but they gave Montreal’s players too much time on the ball over and over and again and, when that shit broke, there was no putting it back together again.
That’s it for this one. Damned dispiriting loss, obviously, but I remain optimistic that the wooden spoon is coming for another team’s ass this season. Till the next one…
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