^^^^^^^^^
Maybe in 1975
Last night the Crew went down 2-0 to Real Salt Lake on goals by Javier Morales and Robbie Findley. The Crew looked really flat throughout the game and never really got going. I believe a large reason for the offensive struggles was the green concrete also known as astroturf that RSL plays on. Hopefully RSL gets their new stadium open as soon as possible so visiting teams no longer have to put up with that nonsense. The Crew seemed to be content with just packing it in and taking the loss from the tactical awareness we showed with our second half subs. In the second half we subbed out Junge (shouldnt have started), Schelotto (had the only legit chance of the game to that point) and Ekpo, who is always dangerous. Why didnt we sub out Junge for Lenhart or Jason Garey, instead of Miglioranzi? The move that really bothered me was when we subbed Ekpo for Duncan Oughton. Granted Ekpo wasn't having his best game, but Duncan Oughton has as much chance of scoring as Gilbert Godfried at the Playboy Mansion.We needed more offense, and Sigi decided to sub one of our attacking wingers for a defensive midfielder. Duncan Oughton works extremely hard, but he is not an offensive threat.
Last night's game was honestly one of those "Worst Case Scenario" games for MLS on TV. From the empty stadium, to the football lines and the Astroturf, and the low level of play from both teams, this was a game I would rather put behind us as soon as possible. I think MLS should not allow National Broadcasts (ESPN Thursdays, FSC Saturday nights and so forth) in cities that have football lines and Astroturf for fields because it makes the league look like Garbage. The league would never do this because it would Eliminate the the Red Bulls from ever hosting games on TV, but I think it would do a lot for the aesthetic of the league to do away with National Broadcasts of Stadiums with Football lines and turf. Since these facilities tend to be Football Stadiums as well, even a decent crowd of 15k to 25 k looks like a complete joke in these stadiums. Teams such as Columbus, Chicago, Dallas, Colorado, LA/Chivas and Toronto should host the majority of the National broadcast games because they do not have Football lines on the field, and they have their own stadiums with a more intimate feel for MLS crowds. MLS is past having to look like a bush league pseudo-professional outfit on TV like we are the Major League Lacrosse or Pro Beach Soccer or some other nonsense.
On the bright side, the game was only one of 30 in a long season. The Crew can put all of this behind them with a win on the "Worldwide Leader" on Thursday. A few positives I can take from the match is Steven Lenhart looked very composed on the ball and did a good job holding up the ball for the offense to get into the attack. In the future I would like to see a Lineup such as this for the Crew:
Moreno Lenhart
GBS
Rogers Ekpo
Carroll
Danny O Marshall Iro Hejduk
I think another striker will add to the offense and Brad Evans no longer needs to be starting as an attacking midfielder until he can score a goal or at least look like a threat to score. Overall, this was a night to forget for Columbus, but Columbus still has the 2nd best record in the league and a National TV appearance on Thursday. Hopefully Columbus shows more offensive knowhow and ability in the confines of The CCS
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