Thursday's draw at Dallas felt like a loss. The club may have been cheated out of full points by a poor call in extra time. Maybe, maybe not. Personally, I think so. I don't think the referee should have determined the outcome of the match with that call at that point of the game. That call aside though, the team didn't play very well. Again.
In fact, I don't think they've played very well all season. The offense hasn't been able to hold possession nor take many shots, let alone shots on goal. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado had a brain fart that led to the first Dallas pk, but otherwise the defense has been stellar. At least when it comes to preventing the opponent from scoring. They have been horrible about keeping the ball, however. Tyrone Marshall has been especially egregious about just kicking it as far as he can, and usually giving it right back.
The team seems to have the talent to provide consistent, if not dominating, offense but have yet to show any semblance to teamwork this season. It seems as if they are "flat" or "just missing" week in and week out. I'm now tired of it. They've played five games (plus pre-season) and have a respectable record, but they should have gelled by now. Nate Jaqua has been injured, but I don't believe for one minute that his absence is the root of the problem. I don't know what is, but Sigi Schmid should.
The fact that Schmid hasn't hammered the team into a cohesive group is the reason I'm putting him on notice. I'm giving him two more games to show marked improvement or I'm calling for him to be fired. I don't think many people will agree with me on this, and I can't blame anyone. But I see a few things that have me concerned. First and foremost is the lack of offense. Second is the tinkering with the lineup. Michael Fucito and Sanna Nyassi have both shown well in brief stints but neither got the call to start, or even as a sub, in Dallas. This, despite an altered lineup that featured Roger Levesque and forward and David/Erik Estrada playing midfield. I'm really surprised Estrada played instead of Fucito. That's hardly a reason to fire the coach, I know. But he juggled the lineup last week against KC, giving Peter Vagenas a start over Brad Evans. We'll see who he throws out against Toronto.
They have two games this week in short order, so resting some players is to be expected. The short time between Dallas and Toronto matches doesn't provide much time to make improvement, that's why I'm giving him one more game - at home against Columbus, to show me something. I'm not asking for much, but I want them to play better and I suspect he can get a better performance out of his team. If not, then I'm calling for Brian Schmetzer to come on down!
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