Competent at times and in certain aspects is the best I’ve seen us so far - with brief flashes of something more. True, I haven’t seen all the matches but teams don’t usually move instantly from competent (and not entirely competent) to the next level.Originally Posted by jloome
Competent will certainly win games in this league and too we’ve had a more than a fair amount of good fortune to do with the states of the clubs we’ve faced. Some lucky breaks, excellent keeping.
Mostly we’ve got the ‘buy in’, the everyone working for the other (or when not at least working hard), and a certain amount of confidence.
That “mostly” just above, has 100% do with Herdman and his staff.
Long, Flores, the work Herdman is doing with the younger players (I’d say JMR is Herdman’s ‘special project’ the way Richie was Vanney’s) all help quite a bit, and then there are the Italians and the defence - the return of Petretta to something more like his form in the Europa and Champions leagues with Basel; someone here pointed out Rosted was the one who moved Spicer inside for his first goal and covered for him; O’Neil is more useful in MLS playing something of that Canada Alastair Johnson role than he has ever been.
There is no substitute for a sensitivity to what players are/need individually and as a group, and no substitute for high professionalism.
Even if it takes a while to improve the roster further it seems to me we are in very good hands. I don’t see this all going wrong, though it should take some more time.
And of course the fates can intervene with injuries, etc, etc., overall one never knows in MLS. But these are different matters, I think.
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