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| Too much of this, honestly... |
It wasn’t the result, or even the final score, so much as the manner of the defeat that made FC Cincinnati’s road to the end of the regular season looks a little longer yesterday...I mean, can we just call this thing, hand them the Supporters’ Shield and start the playoffs? (If not, why not?) Most signs pointed to a Columbus Crew SC win – i.e., they hosted, they're good at it/there, etc. Cincy’s more or less complete inability to affect the game? Hell, I don’t know. Maybe some guy at the back laid down $500 on Columbus’ 3-0 win, but I doubt that particular bet drew much action by the time the opening whistle blew.
Columbus opened the scoring early (15 minutes in) when all the work down the flanks paid off by prying open gaps in the middle. Credit to the Aidan Morris (who I will never underrate again) for the efficient, high-quality finish – seriously, think about how many times you’ve seen that same opening either blown or collapsed, or, more often, the ball sky over the bar – but more credit to the Crew collective for putting in the work that made that opening.
They took even less time to score the second – a (clean) penalty kick called for an Alvaro Barreal handball (justified, if harsh; not clear on how much he planned it and he didn’t gain much by it in any case; also, arrgggh, you'll have to consult the full highlights to see the fucking call) – but not much had changed between Columbus’ first goal and that 23rd minute moment. Columbus stuffed (at least) 75% of Cincinnati’s builds and Cincinnati stopped (approximately) none of Columbus’. The hosts played out of the back at will, not infrequently by having Steven Moreira just carry the ball out of the back and across one line after the other. They passed it out other times, mostly without bother, and that’s the first segue.
Cincinnati defended very, very passively...for most of the game, honestly, offering only a shaking fist’s worth of resistance to Columbus getting into their half. A counter-punching strategy isn’t a wild call against a team that likes to use the ball, but it does absolutely require, y’know, the counter-punch. Apart from a half-desperate foray in the fifth minute built between Luciano Acosta, Aaron Boupendza and Brandon Vazquez one strained individual effort at a time, Cincy struggled to land anything. They scratched out a couple more moments – Boupendza almost poked a wrong-footed shot (hold this thought!) past Columbus’ Patrick Schulte, but he didn’t put anything on it a stiff breeze couldn’t have and the Crew SC defense scrambled admirably, in waves even. Stats, like Shakira’s hips, don’t lie.
Punching, counter or otherwise, would have been swell. The trouble came from how much Cincy struggled with so much as swinging. Far as the starting defense was from ideal, I say the rest of the team owes them a beer for how much the rest of the team made them defend. Sometimes a ~60/40 split in possession cloaks 11th-dimensional rope-a-dope, but the Orange & Blue could barely hold onto the ball, never mind get it out of their half, for disturbingly large portions of the game. The same defense I just...defended contributed enormously to that failure for the simple reason that none of Alvas Powell, Nick Hagglund, Ian Murphy and Raymon Gaddis are great passers of the ball. Columbus’ decision to defend high and, more importantly, choke off 90% of the conceivable close passing lanes out of the back forced...those guys to get creative. Not quite trying to teach a Labrador to dance ballet, but the rates of success between the two probabilities have fewer multiples than you think. I hear it’s 1-in-10,000 with the Labradors....
Columbus opened the scoring early (15 minutes in) when all the work down the flanks paid off by prying open gaps in the middle. Credit to the Aidan Morris (who I will never underrate again) for the efficient, high-quality finish – seriously, think about how many times you’ve seen that same opening either blown or collapsed, or, more often, the ball sky over the bar – but more credit to the Crew collective for putting in the work that made that opening.
They took even less time to score the second – a (clean) penalty kick called for an Alvaro Barreal handball (justified, if harsh; not clear on how much he planned it and he didn’t gain much by it in any case; also, arrgggh, you'll have to consult the full highlights to see the fucking call) – but not much had changed between Columbus’ first goal and that 23rd minute moment. Columbus stuffed (at least) 75% of Cincinnati’s builds and Cincinnati stopped (approximately) none of Columbus’. The hosts played out of the back at will, not infrequently by having Steven Moreira just carry the ball out of the back and across one line after the other. They passed it out other times, mostly without bother, and that’s the first segue.
Cincinnati defended very, very passively...for most of the game, honestly, offering only a shaking fist’s worth of resistance to Columbus getting into their half. A counter-punching strategy isn’t a wild call against a team that likes to use the ball, but it does absolutely require, y’know, the counter-punch. Apart from a half-desperate foray in the fifth minute built between Luciano Acosta, Aaron Boupendza and Brandon Vazquez one strained individual effort at a time, Cincy struggled to land anything. They scratched out a couple more moments – Boupendza almost poked a wrong-footed shot (hold this thought!) past Columbus’ Patrick Schulte, but he didn’t put anything on it a stiff breeze couldn’t have and the Crew SC defense scrambled admirably, in waves even. Stats, like Shakira’s hips, don’t lie.
Punching, counter or otherwise, would have been swell. The trouble came from how much Cincy struggled with so much as swinging. Far as the starting defense was from ideal, I say the rest of the team owes them a beer for how much the rest of the team made them defend. Sometimes a ~60/40 split in possession cloaks 11th-dimensional rope-a-dope, but the Orange & Blue could barely hold onto the ball, never mind get it out of their half, for disturbingly large portions of the game. The same defense I just...defended contributed enormously to that failure for the simple reason that none of Alvas Powell, Nick Hagglund, Ian Murphy and Raymon Gaddis are great passers of the ball. Columbus’ decision to defend high and, more importantly, choke off 90% of the conceivable close passing lanes out of the back forced...those guys to get creative. Not quite trying to teach a Labrador to dance ballet, but the rates of success between the two probabilities have fewer multiples than you think. I hear it’s 1-in-10,000 with the Labradors....
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| Seriously, put Boupendza's right on this thing. |
If this game turned on anything, I’d put it down to Columbus running the midfield in both directions. Obinna Nwobodo ran down a couple drives into the heart of Cincy’s defense on his own, but he didn’t have much support – Junior Moreno played half his size and a quarter of his speed for most of the night – he was still chasing, and nearly all of what he tried in the other direction got swallowed in a swarm of yellow jerseys, most often worn by Darlington Nagbe, Alexandriu Matan and Morris. Even when Cincy could break through or around the blockade that cut off Boupendza, Vazquez and Acosta from the rest of the team, some of it took the situationally maddening form of a cross from the left finding the very left-footed Boupendza on the right (hold that thought), and Columbus largely shut that down by defending him toward the byline. Which is like Tactic A. It works because if Boupendza has no discernible right foot. I’m not sure even his parents could tell you where he left it.
The smart set on reddit (which I’ve learned is, or can be a thing) puzzled over Pat Noonan’s failure to adjust, but I’d argue he did some tinkering – i.e., was it just me or did he flip Boupendza to the left in the second half (significantly, when Boupendza’s shots dried up; so, so puzzled), plus he replaced Hagglund with Santiago Arias at the half and replaced half-a-Moreno with a full Yuya Kubo at the 60th. Call it cosmetic, say that thinking Arias passes better than Hagglund ain’t some hare-brained theory, that Kubo’s work-rate may have helped tighten the midfield, or dismiss the whole damn thing if you want. It didn't matter because the changes neither helped nor hurt Cincy. I didn’t use the phrase “smart set” in a snarky way, either, not least because I spent the last 15 minutes of the first half thinking “adjustments are coming," even as I’m looking at the available subs and wondering which players I would have put in to just to get hold of the game – and at what cost? [Ed. – If you believe Cincy lost the game in central midfield, maybe you’d go with getting Kubo on earlier, plus, say, pulling either Boupendza or Vazquez (choose your champion!) for Marco Angulo. Maybe you pull the visibly frustrated Acosta for Sergio Santos and push the line of engagement high as possible?]
Columbus put a bow on the Rivalry Week win (roll with it; it’s MLS’s equivalent of Infrastructure Week) with a third goal by homegrown forward Jacen Russell-Rowe, but not many games start and end with that much more of the same – especially not games involving FC Cincy in 2023.
Perhaps more significantly, this marks the second recent game in as many weeks where one of Cincy’s closer geographic and/or competitive rivals have more or less stuffed their attack; for those who did the right thing and blacked it out, the other was Nashville SC in the Leagues Cup knockout rounds. Again, Noonan et al know games like these are coming. Their track record makes a good case they’ll adjust, but, y’know, you don’t know till you know, y’know?
It's nothing but stray thoughts from here. In no particular order.
1) They Do What They Do
Powell played one of his semi-annual terrible games yesterday, but most of that had to do with his serial failures with moving the ball forward. Powell has a role on the roster – not unlike Gaddis, honestly – and most of that comes on the defensive side of the ball. Both players are good fullbacks, Powell mainly through speed and strength, Gaddis courtesy of a brain drunk on veteran savvy with a chaser of poise. Murphy’s Murphy and Hagglund’s Hagglund, and as much as fall four players’ limitations stifled Cincy yesterday...I mean, they won’t win a team a championship, but they’re all serviceable and do things well. And there’s real value in that when a coach can optimize their upsides.
2) A Man and His Ball
Being the straw that stirs the drink is a heavy burden and Acosta has carried it well and stirred it smartly for most of the season, but he played as crap a game as any Cincy player yesterday. On the rare occasions he got the ball in a decent place, he either misplayed the simple pass or tripped in the spotlight by trying to do too much. And I will harp on this “doing too much” theme until Acosta either continues to prove me wrong or stops doing it. My loose theory is the more he holds the ball and tries to run through three dudes, the more the opposition will send a fourth dude to crush it. I want to see him move the ball earlier, basically, maybe even give up a little control. You have teammates. Trust them!
3) A Man and His Left Foot
In no way am I writing off Boupendza, but, my GOD, does that man have a smoldering love affair with his left foot. Not since Daniel Day-Lewis’ breakthrough role, I tell you...
I appreciate that there’s work left to do with sorting out his upsides and finding his best role, as well as the learning curve with his partners – e.g., Acosta, Vazquez, hell, why not Santos? – but I have to say, I did...just did not see that extreme left-footedness coming. Yeah, yeah there are enough “very left-footed players” to make the whole skill-set a cliche, but Boupendza hasn’t yet joined the Ring of Honor of the men who do it right, at least not in Cincinnati. Noonan said something about how much better he looks running at players – something I struggle believe given that everyone should both know and expect him to go...left – but I’m still on a wait-and-see with him that I expect will last until Spring of 2024 – and, yes, every good thing he does adds to that timeline, even if he doesn’t do them consistently.
To be clear, I’m not dumping on the man. Badly as having just one leg hurt him when he received the ball in good places on the right (see above), he received most of those in a space where breaking to the end-line took his (highly-) favored left foot out of the equation. So, why play him there?
Oh, yeah. Because he didn’t do much better on the right. Fuck it. It’s a work in progress.
To wrap up, does this result genuinely concern me? Nah. Cincy has enough soft-ish games to assure me they’re safe for playoffs. And yet, that’s not the same as peacocking one’s way into them, ideally, after all the lesser teams have sullied themselves.
Eyes on the prize. Till the next one...
The smart set on reddit (which I’ve learned is, or can be a thing) puzzled over Pat Noonan’s failure to adjust, but I’d argue he did some tinkering – i.e., was it just me or did he flip Boupendza to the left in the second half (significantly, when Boupendza’s shots dried up; so, so puzzled), plus he replaced Hagglund with Santiago Arias at the half and replaced half-a-Moreno with a full Yuya Kubo at the 60th. Call it cosmetic, say that thinking Arias passes better than Hagglund ain’t some hare-brained theory, that Kubo’s work-rate may have helped tighten the midfield, or dismiss the whole damn thing if you want. It didn't matter because the changes neither helped nor hurt Cincy. I didn’t use the phrase “smart set” in a snarky way, either, not least because I spent the last 15 minutes of the first half thinking “adjustments are coming," even as I’m looking at the available subs and wondering which players I would have put in to just to get hold of the game – and at what cost? [Ed. – If you believe Cincy lost the game in central midfield, maybe you’d go with getting Kubo on earlier, plus, say, pulling either Boupendza or Vazquez (choose your champion!) for Marco Angulo. Maybe you pull the visibly frustrated Acosta for Sergio Santos and push the line of engagement high as possible?]
Columbus put a bow on the Rivalry Week win (roll with it; it’s MLS’s equivalent of Infrastructure Week) with a third goal by homegrown forward Jacen Russell-Rowe, but not many games start and end with that much more of the same – especially not games involving FC Cincy in 2023.
Perhaps more significantly, this marks the second recent game in as many weeks where one of Cincy’s closer geographic and/or competitive rivals have more or less stuffed their attack; for those who did the right thing and blacked it out, the other was Nashville SC in the Leagues Cup knockout rounds. Again, Noonan et al know games like these are coming. Their track record makes a good case they’ll adjust, but, y’know, you don’t know till you know, y’know?
It's nothing but stray thoughts from here. In no particular order.
1) They Do What They Do
Powell played one of his semi-annual terrible games yesterday, but most of that had to do with his serial failures with moving the ball forward. Powell has a role on the roster – not unlike Gaddis, honestly – and most of that comes on the defensive side of the ball. Both players are good fullbacks, Powell mainly through speed and strength, Gaddis courtesy of a brain drunk on veteran savvy with a chaser of poise. Murphy’s Murphy and Hagglund’s Hagglund, and as much as fall four players’ limitations stifled Cincy yesterday...I mean, they won’t win a team a championship, but they’re all serviceable and do things well. And there’s real value in that when a coach can optimize their upsides.
2) A Man and His Ball
Being the straw that stirs the drink is a heavy burden and Acosta has carried it well and stirred it smartly for most of the season, but he played as crap a game as any Cincy player yesterday. On the rare occasions he got the ball in a decent place, he either misplayed the simple pass or tripped in the spotlight by trying to do too much. And I will harp on this “doing too much” theme until Acosta either continues to prove me wrong or stops doing it. My loose theory is the more he holds the ball and tries to run through three dudes, the more the opposition will send a fourth dude to crush it. I want to see him move the ball earlier, basically, maybe even give up a little control. You have teammates. Trust them!
3) A Man and His Left Foot
In no way am I writing off Boupendza, but, my GOD, does that man have a smoldering love affair with his left foot. Not since Daniel Day-Lewis’ breakthrough role, I tell you...
I appreciate that there’s work left to do with sorting out his upsides and finding his best role, as well as the learning curve with his partners – e.g., Acosta, Vazquez, hell, why not Santos? – but I have to say, I did...just did not see that extreme left-footedness coming. Yeah, yeah there are enough “very left-footed players” to make the whole skill-set a cliche, but Boupendza hasn’t yet joined the Ring of Honor of the men who do it right, at least not in Cincinnati. Noonan said something about how much better he looks running at players – something I struggle believe given that everyone should both know and expect him to go...left – but I’m still on a wait-and-see with him that I expect will last until Spring of 2024 – and, yes, every good thing he does adds to that timeline, even if he doesn’t do them consistently.
To be clear, I’m not dumping on the man. Badly as having just one leg hurt him when he received the ball in good places on the right (see above), he received most of those in a space where breaking to the end-line took his (highly-) favored left foot out of the equation. So, why play him there?
Oh, yeah. Because he didn’t do much better on the right. Fuck it. It’s a work in progress.
To wrap up, does this result genuinely concern me? Nah. Cincy has enough soft-ish games to assure me they’re safe for playoffs. And yet, that’s not the same as peacocking one’s way into them, ideally, after all the lesser teams have sullied themselves.
Eyes on the prize. Till the next one...
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