El Stinko

By Smitty


Ezra Hendrickson is not enthused about the way the Crew have played the last two weeks.

The Crew came to Los Angeles apparently thinking they were about to have a pillow fight. That's the only explanation I can think of to explain why the Black and Gold came out and looked shocked that Chivas was running at them with a soccer ball at their feet. And sadly, the Crew could not withstand the barrage, falling 2-0 to the Goats. This game left me with more questions than answers, and could have resulted in a terrible hangover had I not extricated myself from the alcohol when I did. Below are some questions that keep ringing in my head, and the answers as I see them.

1. Why does Sigi seem to play for a tie on the road, and how can the Crew improve away from home?

This actually goes back long before Sigmund was the coach of the Crew. In fact, it's one of the reasons that got his ass fired at L.A. when they were at the top of the league. Sigi Schmid, for some unknown reason, is more than willing to bunker down and take the tie on the road. My guess is that The Rotund One leans on his strategy that his team should win at home and tie on the road, and takes anything more than a point on the road as icing on the cake.

Unfortunately, when your team hasn't scored in two games and all but 80 minutes of the third, bunkering down doesn't help re-light that scoring spark. And as Jericho so astutely pointed out on last week's podcast, it is impossible to win a game in which a goal is not scored for your team. Maybe Sigmund was hoping for Guzan to whiff on a goal kick, and the wind that blows through Guillermo's Mullet to somehow nudge the ball backwards into the net. But his current strategy of having Robbie, Moreno, and a bunch of honest-to-God midfielders isn't working, especially when teams have learned Robbie Rogers can't run past them if he's lying in a heap.

Answer: Change up the formations, and be more agressive against teams we've beaten. Defensively, we actually played BETTER than we did the first time with Chivas (only 2 goals instead of 3), but offensively, we need to be more agressive.

2. Why do guys who have consistently underperformed (Gaven, Ezra, Evans) continue to get PT while exciting young players (Moffat, Ekpo, Junge) sit on the bench?

This one again goes back to Sigi. I could scarcely belive Moffat was full 90 fit for that Open Cup match against RSL, yet there he was, only 4 weeks after having his cartilage stitched up. So why did he only enter as a 2nd-half sub on Saturday night? If they were unsure of his fitness, why not play him for only a half against Salt Lake? You have to put the best players on the field for league matches, and last night that was clearly not done.

As far as Eddie Gaven goes, I have defended him, but he is slowly turning into D-Mid at best material. I don't think you can justify putting him on the wing when he shows little effort to get forward. And even the times that he does, like in the New England game, his efforts in and around the box are not worth the time to document.

There's even less that's worth writing about Ezra Hendrickson's ability to perform even minimal duties on a soccer pitch.


Answer: Because of injuries and Danny O'Rourke's red card-induced suspension, the Crew are going to be very shorthanded against San Jose next weekend. If I'm Sigi, I get out my whiteboard, put Eddie Gaven in Brian Carrol's position, move Carrol to center back, and put Ekpo on the wing, and Junge at left back. I also encourage Ezra Hendrickson to take a long vacation. Then when Danny and Padula get back, I put Eddie on the bench, Ekpo on the wing, and set my DVR to record what would certainly be a scoring barrage.

3. Should we as Crew Nation be mad at Danny O'Rourke?

Answer: No. Danny got hacked in the box on that second goal, and the referees continue to turn a blind eye to some of our best players getting fouled, specifically Robbie Rogers. Trust me, Danny's foul on Atiba Harris was deserved (direct retaliation for the cheap goal and excessive celebration), well-timed (San Jose next week), and it had been building LOOOOONG before this game. If MLS doesn't sit some of these officials down and get them to call the games a little more fairly, you had better believe that guys like Frankie Hejduk and Adam Moffat will continue to take matters into their own hands to protect our players.

4. Are the Crew as good as their record indicates?

Answer: Yes. Say what you want about the last two weeks, but 19 points on 10 matches is fine with me. I really wanted to see us above 20 points before May was out, but that was just being greedy. While I have bemoaned this lack of scoring, we have been without some key players during this frigid stretch. Once everyone is back to full health, I believe the Crew will be a mid to upper level team. If we can add a proven striker, we're best in the league.

5. Can the Crew keep up with Chicago and New England?

Answer: The real question is, can the Crew stay healthy and weather the absences of key figures (Rogers, Ekpo, Hejduk) this summer. If so, then I have no doubt we'll be step for step with at least one of those two teams. Chicago could be the runaway Supporter's Shield winner if they add McBride, and New England has kept pace without some of their key figures. For Columbus to maintain pace, they will need another option at forward to assist Moreno and better defensive play than they are getting from the left side right now.

Let's put it this way...there's a good chance the East winner could be on 55 points or more by the end of the season. The Crew are not that team...yet. But with the summer transfer window opening up, I am praying that the Crew make the changes necessary to take the stench off of these last few weeks, and fully unlock the potential of some bright youngsters in Rogers, Moffat, and Hasmer.