Armada 1, Union 0 - Ten Observations From A Rainy Exhibition Match
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) Saturday's preseason opener in Jacksonville was not an instant classic, but no one expected it to be. After all, the Union are a whopping two weeks into preseason and working through the biggest rebuild in franchise history. Both teams battled the weather and each other, with steady rainfall and wind making for sloppy conditions at Community First Park. Charles Eloundou's 80th-minute goal was good enough for a 1-0 Armada win. The Union played three different teams, handing about 30 minutes each to a group of starters, a group of trialists and Bethlehem Steel/academy players, and finally a group of "second teamers".
Observations:
1. The Union started the game without a true defensive midfielder.
Maurice Edu is still recovering from that sports hernia surgery and had to sit this one out. Instead of going for Brian Carroll or Warren Creavalle, Jim Curtin used Vincent Nogueira at the #6 spot and put Roland Alberg in the #8 role with Tranquillo Barnetta at the 10. Alberg mostly played on the wing or behind the striker during his time with ADO Den Haag. I don't think he's a number 8 and we'll see where they play him once Edu gets healthy.
2. Alberg took the Union corner kicks during the first 35 minutes. Ilsinho took a corner when the "second team" was in the game. Walter Restrepo hit a free kick for the "third team".
This was Cristian Maidana territory in 2015. 'Chaco' took most of the corners and set pieces, with Barnetta and Le Toux chipping in occasionally. I'd guess that Alberg and Barnetta will share the duties this season.
3. The best combination of the game was a Fabinho left channel run in the 21st minute. Fabi did well to use the space and link up with Barnetta, then split two defenders before looping a cross just over C.J. Sapong's head.
4. The majority of first-half play was on the Fabinho and Chris Pontius side of the field. Sebastien Le Toux barely touched the ball on the right side. As expected, Fabinho made several attempts to get forward while Ray Gaddis played more conservatively at right back.
5. Andre Blake looked solid enough in goal. He stopped a blistering Mechack Jerome free kick in the first half, and also showed some good footwork in the box to evade an attacker about 10 minutes prior. He later cleaned up a botched Union clearance by staying on his feet, making himself big, and blocking a Matt Fondy shot before the first wave of subs.
6. Richie Marquez started at RCB alongside newcomer Anderson. One of Marquez's best traits is that he's smart about going to ground, and last year he handed out some perfectly-timed, crunching tackles. In this game, he made a nice recovery to close the space on Fondy and clean him out before he could fire in a cross.
http://https://twitter.com/KevinKCBS3/status/696121239811833856
7. Ilsinho had some quality moments out there, especially in the second half when he first beat three defenders on a channel run, then hit a curling shot that had to be smacked away by the goalkeeper. This is a guy with a ton of experience. At Shakhtar Donetsk, he played with guys like Luiz Adriano, Willian, Alex Teixeira, and Dario Srna. He's got Champion's League experience to boot. The Union looks pretty good in central midfield already, but if the price is right, how can you pass on him? He's got a better pedigree than 90% of people who come through Union camp.
8. We got our first look at draft picks Josh Yaro, Keegan Rosenberry, and Fabian Herbers. I thought Yaro looked smooth on the ball. He had a nice Cruyff turn with a defender in his face, and also split a trap with a nice mid-range, outside of the boot clip. Yaro was closest to Eloundou on the Armada goal, but I really don't think he could have played it much better; it was a nice combination play and first-time hit by the former Colorado Rapid. Rosenberry tried some adventurous passes early on before settling into a more defensive role. Herbers didn't get too many sniffs of the ball, just like the other Union forwards.
9. Another trialist is Nigerien forward Moussa Maazou. He's from the country of Niger, not Nigeria. If you're from Nigeria, you're a Nigerian. If you're from Niger, you're a Nigerien.
Capisce?
Anyway, he's a journeyman center forward and he got stuck with the Union's team of trialists and academy/Bethlehem Steel players. We saw one instance of a turn and shot that went wide of the post, but otherwise he didn't get any service. Maazou reminds me of Fanendo Adi a bit and could be a nice signing for a team that still needs forwards.
10. Credit to Union PR and the technical staff for releasing the list of trialists, and also for divulging information about Roland Alberg's contract status. This stuff always goes over well with fans and media and seems to suggest that Earnie Stewart understands the value of transparency.