The Crew welcome the confines of home this Saturday as they take on Chivas USA. They are more than happy to be home after a disastrous west coast swing from the past two weeks. They have had problems lately keeping the ball out of their own goal. San Jose scored three goals in twelve minutes and Portland scored their goal right after the start of the second half. The Crew had a good run after a loss in D.C. in week one but they seem to have lost their form as of late. I have been saying two things all year; one, we need two strikers to be effective in the final third, and two, the defense seems to play for only 75-80 minutes a game. Well the last game proved me right and wrong. They played a 4-4-2 and the defense had a lapse in judgment, however they lost even with my suggestion of changing formations. The Crew needs to change something to play as a better unit. At times they seem disjointed and this is starting to cost them. All three losses for the Crew have come on the road and for them to be an elite team they need to start getting points away from home.
With that being said they have been unbeatable at home, 3-0-2. They welcome a Chivas team who is coming off a loss to intercity rivals L.A. Galaxy in this year’s first edition of the “Superclasico”. Chivas has a record similar to the Crew, 3-4-3, and are looking to claw their way back into contention in the West. They will be coming into Crew Stadium to steal a point whereas the Crew are looking to get back on track and back to their winning ways. This should be a hotly contested match.
Robbie Rogers was named to the USMNT Gold Cup roster this week and should be playing full of confidence. Many people are saying that he does not deserve a spot because of his play off the ball. I think that he has proven himself and congratulations to him. On the other hand, Chad Marshall and Eddie Gaven might be playing with a chip on their shoulders. I feel that they were snubbed. There, I said it. These two veteran players have had a great season thus far, ushering in a new generation of players into the MLS. It seems that the Crew are riding on the backs of the youth movement and it may be coming back to bite them. However, Marshall and Gaven have proven that they have the maturity to lead these younger players and their experience will be missed on the USMNT.
I have said my piece on the USMNT. I think that the Crew needs to stay with the 4-4-2 formation from here on out. This will allow them to have a better finish in the final third. For them to get back to winning, they NEED to start scoring in the first half; all of the Crew’s goals have come in the second half. It is difficult to play from behind at all times. Tim Heinemenn had his first start for the Crew last week and I feel that he will be central in the Crew’s rise to the top. I said in an earlier post that he would be massive this year if he gets the playing time and I think that despite the loss last week, he had a good game. He nearly had a goal if not for a finger tip save. If the Crew play as if they want to win then look for a good score line this weekend. They should be able to get back to their winning ways as long as they have a better finish in the final third.
(image courtesy of thecrew.com)
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