Just my typical list of random thoughts and observations about the game Saturday. I love discussion, so by all means - if you disagree with something, please jump in and tell me why I'm wrong.

• I thought Harrison did just fine. I'd obviously rather have MacMath in goal, but Harrison proved effective enough.
• Speaking of Harrison, can anybody explain to me why Jacobson didn't get at least a talking-to from the ref after he body checked Harrison in stoppage time? I thought it was card worthy, but at the very least, shouldn't the ref have said something to him?
• Dude took a beating Saturday night. Dallas's game plan clearly seemed to be to make as much contact with him as possible, likely to try and rattle him. Big props to Harrison for finshing the game out on what looked to be a sprained ankle.
• And speaking of things that looked deliberate and/or dangerous... Did anybody else think Hartman whacked Gomez on purpose? Sure looked like the shot was well off by the time Hartman got out there and kicked Gomez in the thigh.
• The offense looked absolutely dead until Josue Martinez came in. Maybe it's a coincidence that everything improved once Martinez came on, but at this point I think he needs to start.
• I really wish Okugo would have connected solidly on that one play. As it was, Martinez almost turned it into a spectacular goal. But really, that's Okugo's ball to bury.
• There was a moment late in the game where Mwanga had the ball at the top of the box, facing the goal, and decided to lay it off to the right. I really want him to take that shot. Rigby commented on it too.
• I love Williams. But I'm done with this whole experiment of him playing CB. I'm OK with Fropez playing CB - he looked fine there both in the Schalke friendly and the end of Dallas. If the coaching staff still isn't comfortable with that, then slide Okugo back there. And yes, I understand that this will force either Garfan/Marfan or Gaddis to the bench. I'm willing to live with that - though I hope Gaddis is the one that stays on to play left back.
• I thought Keon Daniel played more aggresisve than usual. I liked it - I love his ball control and footwork in tight spaces, and if he's going to keep playing aggressive then it's a big benefit. Just, you know, somebody please teach him how to stay with his mark on corner kicks...
• Pajoy was invisible the 1st half, even though Mwanga was playing that center forward role. The second half was a different story - creative, sick footwork a couple times, pairing up with Gaddis on a few runs. I still can't figure him out.
• Lahoud didn't impress me very much. That's OK - he had exactly one training session with the team, and was probably dealing with jet lag since he flew from CA to Philly, then Philly to Dallas.
• I don't understand the card given to Valdes. Can anybody explain why that was card worthy? (And if the answer is, "The ref was terrible" I'll accept that.) I sort of assumed that he'd be allowed to stand his ground on a play like that, and if anybody would get a card, it would be the offensive player who ran him over.
• The Toronto match scares the hell out of me!

So, there's my thoughts (and some questions). As I said, by all means jump in and correct me if I'm wrong on something. I love good discussions, and I'm always looking to learn more about this game.

Dear Philadelphia Union,

My name is Adam Schorr, and I am a season ticket holder.

But that will only be the case through the end of this season. My family has already decided not to renew for next season, and as much as I love the blue and gold, I agree with their decision. I do not claim to know the inner workings of the organization, or what goes in to making decisions. But the team’s play this season and the baffling moves this organization has made, speak for themselves.

Continue reading this post »

The news is official, our captain, Danny Califf, has been traded to Chivas for another player plus something else. Nowak's reluctance/inability to elaborate further other than to say the deal is in the hands of MLS right now makes it seem as though he doesn't care if we even get a box of cheerios for Califf - he just wanted him gone. Chivas further confirmed this with their surprise reaction to Nowak's statement.

Lets get down to what counts, how does this trade affect our performance on the pitch? Is Nowak's plan for improving the team working? We need to know where we stand before we can assess the loss of quality player in any given position.

We all visually see the issues the team has, confused players with regard to their roles on the pitch, Nowak's volleyball style position rotation and Nowak's temper tantrums/ego governing player choices and trade policy (Mwanga tread lightly). But how do we quantify this to analyze it and turn it into something other than just opinion and personal preference for a certain playing style?

The basic problem is we are letting in more goals than we score. Is that a problem with our offense, defense or both? Let's do a little statistical analysis and see if we can't figure this out. Then we will know if we have breathing room in the defense that losing Califf won't hurt so much.

Because I am not comparing full seasons, I have broken each of the stats down into "per game" averages. I did not do a direct comparison of the first 9 matches of this season to the first 9 matches of last season, but, believe me, the numbers would have been even worse if I had. All of these stats were compiled from information on official MLS team web sites.

Of the seven goals we have scored in the regular season, 4 came from the midfield; Gomez with one and Adu with one. Pajoy if the lone forward on the goal tally. Pajoy has 3 goals, 20 shots, 7 shots on target. All of our other forwards combined have 0 goals, 9 shots, 2 on target. True, Pajoy has the most minutes played with 794. The other 6 forwards who have played combine for total of 606 minutes. On average 101 minutes each. Is that why they aren't scoring? Not enough time on the pitch to make something happen? No relationship with the midfield and other forwards because of a lack of playing time will can definitely have a negative effect. This rotational squad is killing us.

Offensively, not only have our "per game" average of goals, shots and shots on goal (shots on target) dropped, but our accuracy has decreased as you can see in the goals per shots and goals per SOG numbers. We are not converting on the limited opportunities we get. Not only that, but our assists have dramatically declined which, combined with the other numbers, points to problems in the midfield and players not communicating/working together as a team. Of course, when you don't score, you can't have an assist.

One might think a decline in the off sides numbers is a good thing. Certainly if our goals per game had increased and off sides per game decreased that would be a fantastic indicator of an improvement in the quality and efficiency of our offense. But when both of those numbers decline, it is an indicator that we aren't attacking and getting behind the opposition's defense as frequently or aggressively as we did last season. Pajoy, with three goals, accounts for 13 of those off sides. All other forwards combined only have three off sides. NO PENETRATION! Note that Gomez, with 3 goals, accounts for only 1 off sides, but of course, he is a midfielder and not up front as much.

When you look at the defensive numbers in table 1, we discover more bad news. Our numbers increase in yellow cards, red cards and fouls. We already have one third of the amount of fouls that we had last season and we haven't played one third of the season yet. A dramatic increase in fouls points to panic on the pitch. We are scrambling. On a good note, we have not given up any penalty kicks.

The midfield accounts for 10 of those yellow cards, 2 of the reds and 72 fouls. Gomez has 19 but Marfan leads the pack with 21! However, Marfan does have 13 shots, 1 on target and some beautiful footwork getting down the sidelines and crossing balls in. Even up front Pajoy has managed to commit 10 fouls. Methinks we may be giving the ball away too often in the final third of the pitch. This theory certainly holds up when you combine it with the decrease in off sides we have committed.

Defensively in the midfield, Okugo, Torres and Carroll are taking the least amount of shots, which is a good indicator they are doing what they are supposed to. They are winning the ball and putting off to the wingers, attacking mids and forwards. Torres injury has really hurt us this season.

Anyone who has watched the matches closely can see disarray on the pitch. Players are rotated in and out of the starting eleven like commuters going through a turnstile in the subway station at rush hour. Defensive midfielders have been brought on when we were losing. Attacking midfielders were taken off when we were losing. Defenders have been swapped from one side of the pitch to another. It's nearly impossible to tell what's going on out there or who is supposed to be doing what at any given time.

In the midfield only Marfan and Gomez have played in all 9 fixtures and neither of them played a full 90 minutes in all games. Look at the midfield table below and you see a total lack of consistency in the center of the pitch. We have had 9 different midfielders play in 9 matches. Eight of those midfielders have also started in at least one game each. This has to be contributing to poor individual performance when you don't know who the other guys on the pitch are. This is insanity! Nowak has not clue how to use these guys and that is showing up in our results.

Our midfield situation in a snapshot:

Combining the next set defensive numbers with those from table one starts to paint a clear picture of what's happening with the back four. Sixes and sevens might be a better description of our defense, however. That is not to fault the players, but how they are being played.

The only defender to appear and start in all 9 matches is Valdes. He also played a full 90 minutes in each of those matches. The rest of the defensive rounds as this: Albright, 3 games, 2 starts, 152 minutes, avg 50.67 mpg; Califf, 4 games, 4 starts, 360 minutes, avg 90 mpg; Garfan, 4 games, 3 starts, 310 minutes, avg 77.5 mpg; Lopez, 4 games, 4 starts, 315 minutes, avg 78.75 mpg; Gaddis, 5 games, 5 starts, 442 minutes, avg 88.4 mpg; Williams, 8 games, 8 starts, 720 minutes, avg 90 mpg.

Any soccer fan knows that defense is the last place you make changes and regular substitutions. Williams and Valdes are the only consistency in the back and, at that, they have been moved into different positions on the backline this season. Califf is the only other defender to play a full 90 minutes in every game he has started and we just sold him!

How do expect to have a solid, unified defense when you play them rotationally and sub them out regularly? Defenders are almost never subbed unless they are performing poorly or injured. Four of our 7 defenders have less than 90 minutes per game average on the pitch.

Defenders account for 11 of our 88 shots this season. That's 12.5%. Valdes and Williams each have 4 shots or 9% of our team's total shots. TOO MUCH! This means our two defenders with the most games/minutes on the pitch are playing very far forward instead of holding the back line. Valdes even has one off sides called against him! Granted, outside defenders usually move forward more than center back. But as we can see, we don't have two, or even one, regular center back to anchor the defense. That is disaster waiting to happen.

Look at the fouls committed by defenders and the average number of fouls per game/minute played. Valdes, 11 fouls, .812 pg, .014 pm; Albright, 3 fouls, 1 pg, .020 pm; Califf, 3 fouls, .75 pg, .008 pm; Garfan, 8 fouls, 2 pg, .026 pm; Lopez, 3 fouls, .75 pg, .010 pm; Gaddis, 3 fouls, .6 pg, .007 pm; Williams, 9 fouls, 1.125 pg, .0125 pm. Valdes, who has played all 9 matches is 4th in the least amount of fouls committed. Garfan, who has only played four games, partially due to his extended suspension, is the team leader with 2 per match - clearly he is struggling with his position. Gaddis has the best numbers when it comes to fouls, but maybe that's because he isn't getting anywhere near his man or putting in challenges (watch the footage.)

Forty fouls committed by just our defense in 9 matches. That's 4.4 times per match our defense gives away set pieces. DEADLY! Add to that they have accumulated 4 yellows and one red already this season. Scramble on defense much, Union?

Nowak likes to use his outside defenders as wingers. Danny Califf has always been a solid anchor in the middle of our defense. This allowed Williams more opportunity to roam last year. But with Califf only appearing in 4 games (at least three of his absences were due to Nowak and not injuries as claimed) who is going to fill in? Who has the discipline, experience and skill level? Califf is second on least number of fouls committed per game/minute.

Here is our defensive lineup from 2010 and 2011. In 2010 Califf spent the third most amount of time on the pitch behind Fiscal and Harvey. In 2011 Califf was clearly number one in the back with more games/minutes played than any other defender. Looking at their playing time vs. who is still with the team, it seems that the defenders Nowak depends on the most are the ones he values least. Should Williams be concerned next season?

How do you jettison your top players without having a replacement lined up. Yes, we have 6 other defenders on the team, but none of the center backs have played any significant amount of time in that position with the team. Where is the transition? Nowak keeps cutting off the vital parts of the team and expects it to keep performing.

Let's move on to table two where there is actually some good news defensively. Particularly in the one position where we have a quality replacement for player we let go in the off season, goal keeper.

Looking at table two, the numbers show our per game average of goals against has increased. Combine this with our decrease in goals scored and our goal differential average has increased by 5.7 times! That is not good.

However, we do see some positive numbers in this table. The shots we have allowed against us have declined. That doesn't correlate with the panicky defense we see in the numbers in table one. But one could draw the conclusion that we do have some quality defenders and midfielders who know how to stop an attack, but they aren't being used properly and don't have familiarity with each other.

The number of saves, shots the keeper has to physically stop, have increased almost four fold while the shots against have decreased. This is a clear sign that the shots our opponents are getting on goal are much more accurate - presumably because they have beaten their defender and are left unchallenged. But most of the time our defenders are preventing the opposition from getting a shot off.

Another positive aspect of table two is that our clean sheet and saves percentage have improved. Note that for the 2011 season, rather than calculating the total percentage for saves and wins, I was lazy and posted each keeper's individual numbers. The first numbers are Mondragon's and the second numbers are MacMath's. Yup we made the right choice for starting keeper this season even though his individual save percentage has declined by one point. The joint numbers from 2011 make it a dead heat with 2012 for saves.

Unfortunately, as we know, our win percentage has dropped significantly.

How do we sum this up - well - I don't. You do. But it is clear that our defense, midfield and attack are all less potent with the changes Nowak has made. The fact that he just shipped out our defender/captain to Chivas with no signs of a replacement for him can only mean a further decline. Note, though Califf has only featured in 4 of the 9 matches this season. I also have to ask Mr. Nowak and Mr. Sakiewicz, "How do you sell your Captain at the start of the season? Isn't he the one you put your faith in to lead the team on the pitch? What kind of message does that send to the players?"

We are clearly performing well below last season's squad. This is directly due to decisions Nowak makes on and off the pitch. The numbers don't lie. How does the chairman allow this to continue to happen to his club unless he is completely oblivious and clueless?

I wonder if I should have run the numbers for 2010 too. Extra curious now to see how we are performing compared to the makeshift, expansion line up of our first season with Seitzy in goal. Perhaps a follow up will be forthcoming.

Moving forward, when the trade rumor of Califf and McInerney in exchange for Juan Pablo Angel started circulating, I started crunching the numbers. Guess what I came up with? We don't need to sign Angel. We just needed to keep LeToux.

Admittedly, I went along with the team at the time of LeToux's sacking, aside from how badly the situation was handled. At the time it appeared as if Nowak was watching out for the best interest of the club by making moves to cut costs while at the same strengthen the squad with new incoming talent. I was wrong.

The above statistics prove that Nowak has not strengthened the team. In fact he has weakened it if only by the tactics and player choices he uses. The players clearly have individual talent, but Nowak has proven he doesn't know how to play them as a team. The two times we saw Hackworth calling the shots, I think proves that he is not the answer either. This is a team devoid of leadership and now captainless.

Moving on, when the rumor of us acquiring Angel in a trade for Califf surfaced I was truly puzzled. We just offloaded a star striker in the off season. We know already know how that the majority of our forwards we have are underutilized and underperfomring. Let's look at the numbers of what we have lost in selling LeToux versus and what we might have gained in signing Angel, assuming they played.

I am not going to compare LeToux and Angel's numbers to Pajoy as that would be an unfair comparison this early in his MLS career. I could throw Mwanga into the mix, but when he doesn't get played regularly again, it's not a fair comparison.

This is a side by side comparison of Juan Pablo Angel and Sebastian LeToux over the past four seasons. The salary numbers came from documents on the player's union web site and reflect total compensation for the season as opposed to just base salary. Keep in mind that we found out LeToux was asking for $500k this season - still wel below what Angel is getting.

This season and the 2009 season are both skewed due to playing time and other factors. I think by the end of this season, LeToux's numbers will improve dramatically and you will see consistency in his performance as Angel's drops off. This is the norm with players in these age groups.

In 2010 and 2011, the seasons LeToux played for Philadelphia, you are looking at a statistical dead heat in terms of goals scored per game. LeToux just slightly edges out Angel. LeToux also has a slight edge on making the most of his chance based on the goals per shots and goals per SOG numbers.

LeToux is 8 years younger and plays more minutes per game and more games per season than Angel. This means he has more opportunity to score. In these same two seasons they are almost dead even on shots per game despite of Angel playing less. This may be an indication that Angel is slightly better player than LeToux or has better people around him so he can get the ball and take shots.

However, considering salary and fitness, LeToux is a far better asset as long as he is delivering the same number of goals per season. Every game and every minute that Angel is incapable of playing because of his age and fitness levels, his talent is wasted money sitting on the bench. Those are goals that aren't going to happen. Those are minutes his team mates have to make up for. Additionally, with LeToux you have a future as he is still young. Isn't that what Nowak keeps saying we are building for, a future?

It's hard to believe that we are still operating as a transitional team a quarter of the way into our third season with no solid anchors up front, midfield or in the back to give us stability from season to season. Is there a year to year plan for building the squad with achievement goals outlined? Is there a five year plan? Ten years? We don't know.

We do not know why Nowak is making the changes he is or what his plans are for the future of this club as he will never offer a shred of what's going on inside his head. Likewise, we do not truly know the financial situations of the trades and player contracts due to MLS privacy policies. We have no idea what the club's financial situation is. Nor do we know the club's long and short term goals as the front office is notoriously silent about any details. We don't know if any of the new players will start performing the way we need them to. We don't know if there is a plan to bring in new players with more experience and success in top flight football to help the youngsters.

We know that Allocation Money is highest paid player on the team. We know that it appears when you piss off Nowak your ass is out the door at the first opportunity. We know that our team is second to last in the league. We know that we lost to New York at home for the first time in our history, though the lads put up a valiant fight.

We know that we love our club.

I don't believe Nowak and Sakiewicz do.

Sugarman, the Buccini's and Pollin are all extremely smart businessmen. I can't understand their failure to see the decline of a great brand built by loyal fans that are becoming more disenfranchised every single day. I really wish the ownership group would step in and make the necessary changes to save the club we love.

Some Game 9 thoughts while we all wait for the press conference to officially announce the departure of yet another original member...

• I was a bit surprised to see Michael Farfan playing right back. What's the point of having Albright and Lopez on the roster if we're going to just play midfielders in the back? Lopez played some CB vs Schalke and didn't look bad there. Or if they didn't want to risk that, Albright is a FB. And yet, Farfan did just fine.
• Loved the look of the offense. Pajoy played his best game, I think. Not just because he scored two goals - though that's great, of course. With the burden of being by himself with his back to the goalie gone, Pajoy was able to run, take defenders on one-on-one, and create. He was, I thought, spectacular.
• Mwanga looked rusty. I think that's probably to be expected. Saw some things I liked, and hope he keeps on playing. (Of course, if Scott's twitter rumor of Mwanga to Vancouver is true, well...)
• Speaking of best game... Freddy Adu! Dude! We've been waiting for that sort of performance!
• Speaking of Freddy Adu... Dear MLS referees: if you're going to keep screwing us, could you at least be kind enough to use a little lube?
• Speaking of the officials... I will never understand why an official (in any sport, not just soccer) gives out repeated warnings for the same problem. It's like those parents you see at the playground, whose kid is running around all wild. And the parent keeps yelling, "If you don't stop, we're going home!" Then a minute later, "I mean it, we're going to leave if you don't behave!" "This is your last chance!" And, of course, it's not the last chance. If your warnings have no consequences, they're meaningless. Similarly, when a ref constantly warns somebody against diving or time wasting or whatever else, but doesn't follow through, then the warnings just serve to waste more game time while 18,000 people sit there and watch you feebly tell the Pink Cows to knock it off.
• I'm still not sure how somebody didn't score on that one play along the goal line in the 2nd half. I haven't seen a replay yet, but from our seats in 109 we thought the ball crossed the line. But since nobody closer really made a big fuss, I assume it was just a trick of the eye for us.
• Cooper's goal, I think, was the worst play of MacMath's (short) career. Everybody makes mistakes, but damn that's a really bad time in the game to make one.
• I was very glad to see we were getting more shots. Now, I'd love to see the offense turn more of those shots into shots on goal. The Union had great control and runs in the first half - when it was still 11 vs. 11 - but too many of the shots were wide or over the net. Even in the 2nd half, possession seemed really solid to me up until the final 5 or so minutes, when the Union were pushing for the equalizer.
• Speaking of the push... Gaddis made a spectacular play very late in the game. Everybody - including MacMath was down in the offensive end pushing for the tying goal. And the ball popped out to a Pink Cow poacher. And Gaddis chased him down from behind and made a spectacular slide tackle to knock the ball into the corner. That goal is, more or less, immaterial as it probably doesn't matter much if the final score is 3-2 or 4-2. But I loved the hussle and the effort. I think Gaddis is quickly turning into the steal of the draft.

So there's my thoughts and what I remember from the game. As always, I'm interested in conversation, not just me typing away. So by all means argue with me if you think I'm way off base on something.

-----------------------------Mawanga

Martinez ----------------------------------------------Pajoy

------------------------------Gomez

-----------------Carrol --------------------Daniels

Gaddis ---------Valdez---------- Calif ------------Williams

A dream of mine... any chance of coming true? Yes Adu is on the bench OMG!! ever figure the team may be better without him starting Pitor? I was unable to see the game but heard that the top 3 played excellent. Will we play like that against the red bulls?

And yes, creating lineups, and debating lineups is a hobby of mine therefor I do it alot

I feel like Adu, Okugo and Hoffman are 3 very strong players off the bench. Adu could come on for Pajoy after the first half if Pajoy doesnt "Do that on Sunday"

[Editor's note: Promoted to front page for eye witness analysis. Good stuff]

Sticking with recent tradition, here's my thoughts on the Philadelphia Union friendly game versus FC Schalke 04. In honor of the game being a friendly, I'm going to keep my comments friendly - or, at least, as friendly as possible.

• Whoa! Lionard Pajoy looked good! Dynamic, even. Two big differences in this game compared to the others this season. The first was the 4-3-3 setup, with Danny Mwanga and Josue Martinez running high with Pajoy. We've all been yelling for the U to put somebody up top with Pajoy all season; they did it, and it looked really good. The other big thing I noticed is that they didn't ask Pajoy to play back to the goalie - at least, not exclusively. Which leads to...
• The three forward - Pajoy, Mwanga, Martinez - seemed to rotate through the three positions throughout the first half. I'm in section 109 - right behind the visitor's bench, basically - and through the 1st half, I saw significant stretches of time where all three were on our side of the field. Pajoy looked dangerous with the ball on his feet when he was out wide. Martinez's speed was a factor. Mwanga did a very nice job, I thought, both in the center and out wide. I'm in favor of this formation against the Pink Cows and seeing what happens.
• I didn't know Fropez (Porfirio Lopez) could play CB. He actually didn't look too bad there.
• Keon Daniel's free kick that lead to the first goal was spectacular. Well placed, good power. All around great job there.
• Either shortly before that or shortly after that, the U had a corner kick from each side. Daniel took one and Herdling took the other. Both of those also looked dangerous, with Herdling's being a bit better.
• Kai Herdling, I thought, looked good overall. Confident, attacking the ball. Hope this means he's gettig closer to game shape and feeling more comfortable with his teammates.
• Jack McInerney: A yellow card for tackling from behind? In a friendly? Seriously? I know you need to use every moment you have to impress the staff, but I really don't think reckless tackles are the way to do it.
• _LOVED_ the "Do that on Sunday" chant from the SoB after Pajoy scored. Well played!
• The Union won, and that's always nice. But they really should've lost. Brian Carroll saved a goal. The crossbar saved a goal on the PK. And the left post saved a goal at one point. So they're definitely still a work in process, and will likely to continue to frustrate us fans at times.
• I'd like to see almost the same starting lineup Sunday. Obviously, Zac MacMath in goal instead, and Danny Califf at CB with Garfan (Gabriel Farfan) out of the lineup. But I liked the look of the midfield and forward group, and want to see more of it. In the second half, subs can be used to lock things down if we have the lead, or put fresh legs out there to attack if we need more offense. But I'd very much be in favor of seeing: MacMath; Sheanon Williams, Califf, Carlos Valdes, Raymon Gaddis; Brian Carroll; Herdling, Daniel; Pajoy, Mwanga, Martinez. Attack the cows early and put the pressure on them on the road.

And on an entirely personal note, we woke up this morning to find an email from the Junior Supporter's Club. Seems my daughter has been chosen as the next Jr. Supporter of the Mlonth, so look for her in the game day magazine, I would assume in June.

Depressing. Let's get onto the thoughts...

• Sigh
• Congrats to Lionard Pajoy for ending his shotless streak. It only reached 550 minutes. The bad news is that I'm quite certain any kid on my U-11 teams could've made the save on the "shot" that broke the streak. Keep working, Lionard. Maybe some day you'll be able to test a goalie.
• Once again, the Union announced a 4-4-2 lineup, with Herdling moving up top. And once again, they looked to play more like a 4-5-1. The announcers made a point of mentioning that Herdling was supposed to stay up high and play forward, though his instincts kept bringing him into the midfield. I have a crazy idea. Instead of playing midfielders as our second forward, how 'bout we do something wild and crazy, and play one of our forwards at forward. I know, I know. It's a radical idea. But hey - just tossing it out there.
• I've mentioned previously that I wouldn't necessarily mind making Hackworth the head coach if they canned Nowak. I take it back. Given his sub usage the past two games, I don't think I want any part of Hackworth as the man in charge.
• Speaking of canning Nowak... Is it too soon to put that idea on the table? Is it commonplace in MLS (or soccer in general even), for a coach to get replaced during the season?
  
• I can't tell you how many times I yelled "SHOOT" at my TV Saturday. I know at least once I had to censor myself from dropping an F bomb, since my daughter and one of her friends were watching with me. I'm flabbergasted that professionals seem to be afraid to shoot - from distance, in the box, whatever. Shoot the damn ball.
  
• I don't know how Rose didn't get a second yellow for the tackle from behind. Brutal non-call.
  
• Sigh

*

And a couple questions that maybe somebody can answer:

A) Can Garfan play in the friendly Wednesday? If so, I would assume it makes sense to throw him in to help him keep his fitness level up?

B) Can somebody explain to me the significance (if any) of the "04" part of Schalke's name?

Heading into todays game we knew it would be an uphill battle but the U will not score playing like this.

Apparently we lost our swagger this offseason as well as our players, what happened to our mentality of "were going to score one more then you" now its were going to defend for the whole game and hopefully well get a goal.

This style is unattractive, i could care less.... if it worked. Were in the MLS Nowak, were not facing world class strikers we dont need to have a mentality of defend first attack second, maybe when we face a BPL team.

Our Problems are a long list. Ill try to start it out

1. our mentality (touched on it up ^^ there)

2. Pajoy. Im being serious, i think every time he touched the ball he turned it over, somehow the ball landed on his feet inside the 18 and i thought he was going to score, turnover. I honestly think that sometimes players wont pass it to Pajoy because he sucks on the ball.

3. According to the broadcast Adu said "people need to remember im only 22" does that mean we expect less of someone who is younger? someone who is suppose to be the star on the team? He needs mentality check as well.

4. I really like our back line, as long as we keep 3 players back we should be fine and not worried about the counter attack, and one of the outside backs should enter the attack as well.

5. We actually did a good job of getting to the attacking third on the field. We got 1 shot that the keeper got his hands on, it was a slow roller and i dont know if it was even on target.. IT WAS THE KEEPERS FIRST START IN THE MAJORS! shoot the damn ball

I dont know what else to add. Im a senior in high school and next year ill be moving away, meaning I wont have my SOB tickets and I wont get the chance to watch every game as I do this year. Im very upset, after the season last year I thought we could only get better, then the offseason came. This is my last chance to watch the U this vividly and this is just upsetting. I feel bad for any fan of this team, dont get me wrong, I love the U just as much now as I would if they were undefeated... I just feel like it was a cheap shot and blindsided.

Some random thoughts about the San Jose match, while I wonder how much longer I can carry the "Soccer Newb" title...

• I've been with the Union since the first home game. This is the first time a loss made me feel sick to my stomach.
• At this point, I've seen quite enough of the "Pajoy as a lone striker" experiment. It's a complete and utter failure. I would very much like to see them switch back to a two striker tandem. It's not like they don't have the options available for it. I thought McInerney and Mwanga played exceptionally well together Saturday evening. I'd love to see them get more time, but really I'll take any combo the technical staff want to toss out there. I think Pajoy and Martinez could also be an interesting combination. Hoffman has talent. Whatever - just give me two forwards, both of whom are actually playing forward. (I make that last point because the team insists on announcing Freddy Adu as a forward; he's not playing forward, so please cut the BS.)
• Speaking of Pajoy, on the positive side of things he seemed to me to be taking more of a leadership role on the field. There were several instances where I saw him playing "traffic cop," directing the mids where to run and such. I don't recall seeing him do that in previous matches.
• I thought Herdling looked OK, but I need to see more. He definitely didn't shy away from rough stuff, which is a good thing in this league.
• My seats are in section 109 - basically, right behind the visitor's bench. At least three times in the first half, Freddy Adu or Sheanon Williams were wide open along the left flank, with their arm in the air. And the pass was never even tried. The opportunities to stretch the field wide were there.
• Gaddis seems to be picking up confidence, which is good. The most important confidence he seems to be gaining is knowing that his speed can cover a lot of mistakes. I think that's a good lesson for him to learn - it makes him dangerous.
• Dear Peter Nowak/John Hackworth: Make sure Gomez takes all the free kicks that are in dangerous positions on the field from now on, please. I really don't want to see Freddy Adu taking those kicks. (Though I will say, he had a dangerous one in the first half.)
• I'm all in favor of throwing the kitchen sink at the opposition to get the equalizer - even if that means pulling out Gaddis in favor of another attacker (Hernendez on Saturday - an odd choice, I thought, but I don't get paid to make the touggh choices). However... once you get the tying goal, please please please do not ever put Hernendez back at left back ever again. Pretty please? Hindsight is 20/20 and all, but I really would've preferred pushing Valdes out to the left and slotting Okugo or Gomez into the center back spot. At that point of the game, we don't need the LB to make runs down the field; we need him to defend. I'd really like to have a defender in that position. I understand Valdez isn't an outside-type defender. But I'm looking to bunker in at that point and be happy taking one point from the best team in the league.
• Possession seemed to be terrible Saturday. I haven't looked at game stats, but I wouldn't be surprised if SJ had somewhere between 65 and 70% possession.
• Did I mention... I felt physically ill at the end of the match? blech...

So... there's my thoughts. Feel free to point out what I have wrong and why - I enjoy the learning experience.

In the interests of generating conversation, here's my thoughts on the Chivas match. As a quick refresher, I'm overall fairly new to soccer. The first game I ever watched that didn't involve one of my kids was the 2010 home opener at the Linc. I was hooked at that point - came home and bought season tickets that very evening. And I've been learning ever since. So, with that out of the way, on to the match...

• Marfan seems to be a rare player who gets better the closer he gets to the goal line. His footwork in tight spaces is amazing. His assist Saturday evening reminded me a bit of one he had last year, from the left side, where he also faked a defender out of his jock strap and sent a pass into the goal mouth for an easy goal.
• I liked Adu's work on the goal, too. All year we've been crying about Union players taking too many touches. The backheel play there was perfect. I think if he turns, the defender or goalie gets to the ball.
• Adu looked dangerous most of the game.
• Gaddis again impressed me (ignoring the almost-header into his own net, of course).
• Williams goal was pretty; too bad it was offside. (And looked to be the right call.)
• Very un-Keon-like play there on the red. Don't know what he was thinking, but he just can't make that tackle and put his team down a man. Terrible play.
• Speaking of terrible play, Garfan's gotta know better too. I don't care how much Chivas was baiting him all night with rough stuff; when you're already down a man, you can't do anything to cause the ref to reach for the red. Although I am wondering how - after all was said and done there - Garfan was the only card out of the whole thing.
• I had no problem with either red card. Both plays looked reckless enough to me to warrant red. That said... the second red, I think, is at least a bit at the doing of the ref. The match was most definitely getting chippy at that point, and it's the ref's job to get things back under control. That doesn't excuse the dangerous tackle by Garfan, but (in my opinion) the ref could've done more to rein things back in before that.
• I'm not quite understanding why Nowak would choose to sub out Gomez for Okugo at that point of the game. I like Amobi, but I'd rather have Gomez on the field. Other than "Peter being Peter" is there any decent rationale for this move?
• I think Jack McInerney made a spectacular play near the end of the match. He might have been able to take the ball down the middle and get a shot on goal, or at worst a free kick. Instead he took the ball outside and completely killed the clock. Great team-first play, and I'm glad to see him thinking so well on the field.
• Pajoy disappoints me to this point in the season, even though I know that judging him is unfair given the way he's being used. I'd love to see what Pajoy can do with a partner at top.
• Congrats to MacMath on his club-record shutout streak. I'm sorry I doubted you - just a little bit - earlier this year, Zac.
• I really liked having the same lineup two weeks in a row. Too bad that streak will come to an end Saturday evening.

So, there's my thoughts. What did I get wrong? What did I overlook?