Wake Forest vs NC State

Wake won on State's Senior Night 5-2. Wake deserved the victory. Even though State dominated the shooting stats but Wake dominated the possession. I feel as if State's coach got a couple of things wrong with his lineup.

First, I don't know why Nazmi Albadawi doesn't play in a more central position He is the most dangerous option for the Wolfpack (he did score two goals tonight of the highest quality)

Secondly, I don't know why Gbenga Makinde isn't starting. I understand that the guy who is there now has a long throw in but he doesn't offer anything in service or getting forward. If hoping for long throw ins to be your offense then you will have problems scoring.

Wake Forest
Chris Duvall
Right back. Likes getting forward. Traps well. He took a couple of high balls down clean and went along in the attack. He tends to make too many runs. That leads him into being out if position when State got the ball out to the left midfielder. Good prospect for the future. Fast and athletic player with technical ability is what MLS clubs love in fullbacks.

Ben Newnam
Solid player. Can play multiple positions. Good technically. Makes accurate passes. Average speed but makes up for it with his intelligence. Has vision. Made a couple of nice one time passes. He will be a decent prospect. He is a reliable player that makes good solid decisions.

Danny Wenzel
Wasn't impressed with his performance. Good leader. Very vocal. But is average technically. Plays simple but accurate. Made one long ball that was successful. Powered in the ok he took in the second half. Tenacious defender but slow. Zabarle Kollie ran by him to set up State's first goal. He'll get some MLS looks but I think he'll start off with the reserves that is unless he stays for his last eligible year. He's a redshirt junior so he could come out this year.

Others: Luca Gimenez scored two goals. He impresses with his skill and speed. At times he's a bit immature but he is an impressive player once on the pitch.

Andy Lubahn had his best game that I've seen. He holds up the ball well. He's very strong. He muscled two players off the ball and slid a nice through ball to Gimenez who calmly slotted it in to make it 2-0 going to the halftime break. Has decent feet on the dribble and he's okay with his trapping.

NC State:
Nazmi Albadawi
Was still State's best player. He scored both of their goals. Has a wicked shot. Scored his second from about 20 yds out. He disappeared for patches of the game. He was isolated out on the left wing. He's not a fast player but he's crafty and has soft feet when it comes to trapping. He had difficultly getting around Chris Duvall at times. But overall, he was the best of the bad. He can be a decent future prospect for the pros in the next couple of years.

Nadir Jihat
Tall Forward who made an impact in the game as a 2nd half sub. He held the ball well and used his tall frame to shield and create shots for himself. He beat multiple players then had his shot blocked by a possible handball. Has above average pace. Always causing havoc.

Zabarle Kollie
Fast and Athletic player. Bit raw technically but has some moves. He delivered a couple of decent crosses. One of them Albadawi scored off it. Needs to develop as a player but he's decent.

Others: The back line had a terrible game. Moritz Steidten held on to the ball in the back, then got stripped by Sean Okoli and then punished them with a goal. Also the back line was just slow compared to Wake's attack. Simon Cox, State CB, made a rash tackle in which the Wake got the pen and it was converted

That's all for this weekend. I head to Durham and Charlottesville next weekend.

UNC vs Maryland

Two top 5 teams were out on display last night. It was a big game to see who could take control of the ACC before the end of the season. It ended in a 1-1 stalemate. Both teams had good moments during the course of the game. It eventually turned when London Woodberry got an red card for handling the ball in the box. Which Enzo Martinez converted moments later. Maryland begun to sit deeper and deeper just trying to preserve the tie.

In fact about two minutes before the end of extra time, Sasho Cirovski took off his two top scorers, Patrick Mullins and Casey Towensend, to get fresh players to boom the ball forward.

This was the first time I watched Maryland and I came out being underwhelmed with their play. They actually possessed well in the back and across the midfield but once it came to attacking, balls were driven across the air for the forwards to run onto. They do have players with hops like Casey Townsend but other than that they weren't productive with their possession like they should be.

North Carolina on the other hand is the same story. They possess across the park but can't get that final touch to score goals. At times I feel they struggle with the "Arsenal Syndrome" where they possess and possess but they can't score or they try to walk it in the net. Also at times I feel as of the three frontmen play as individuals rather than as a collective group. How many times you see Rob Lovejoy take someone 1v1? It wasn't only him but just using him as an example.

NC's Defense continues to be solid. Matt Hedges had a steady performance and Boyd Okwuonu was solid and didn't make any mistakes that a freshmen could make in a big game. It is interesting how Carlos, UNC coach, has his fullbacks bomb forward and leaves his two CBs. It shows his trust in them (CBs) that they can get the job done.

Maryland:
Taylor Kemp
Left-back with dangerous service. He likes to getting forward. Passes well out of the back. Good with his feet can take players off the dribble. He did well defensively against Rob Lovejoy. Ron won a couple of battles but so did Taylor. Isn't the fastest player but is smart with his positioning.

London Woodberry
Athletic CB. Adequate with the ball on his feet. Very lengthy, he is able to stick his long legs to make crucial tackles. He had a solid game until the red card. He saved the ball with his hand on the goal line. At times he's clumsy in his tackling. Very good player will be an intriguing prospect that will get serious looks.

Jason Stertzer
Scored his 12th goal of the season. Otherwise he didn't have the greatest game. He's a pretty good leaper. He smashed a great header that was equally saved by Scott Godwin. Good technical player. Decent vision, he played a couple of one touch passes that were unsuccessful but the idea was right just the execution wasn't there. Towards the end of the game he was playing more defensive as they were holding on to the tight.

Casey Townsend
Huge ups for a 5'11 guy. He actually won a couple of headers from 6'4 Matt Hedges. He didn't have the proper service last night. Often he was left on his own devices to create. Decent speed and has good feet on the ball but wasn't able to show that too often.

Honorable Mentions: Will Swaim had an excellent match in goal. He was dominant in the air. Made crucial saves. All his clearances were clean and went away from goal. Faoru Forbess showed good pieces of skill during the second half, ghosting past a couple of players then sending a perfectly through-ball into Townsend's path. He was more effective when he had the ball in the middle rather than being out in the wing. Jereme Raley did a couple of neat things last night. He flicked the ball around Jordan McCrary and hit a decent shot on goal.

I've seen North Carolina too many times so I didn't pay too much attention to them. Kirk Urso had a good game before he left with an injury. His passing very accurate. I saw him carrying the ball up the field in a couple of occasions. He mistimed a couple of tackles but that could have been due to that injury. At least he's making an attempt at tackling which at times is lacking across the Tarheel team. Enzo Martinez was good, not as good as the standard he's been setting all season with his play. The weakness in his play is that he dribbles too much. He is a good dribbler and does go around players with his quick feet but he tries to take on too many players.

Rob Lovejoy was average tonight. He should have worn studs. He kept on slipping especially during key moments. Taylor Kemp for the most part neutralized him. Rob used his speed to get around Kemp a couple of times but couldn't make the final pass. I don't think he is ready to make the Generation Adidas jump this year. He still has some maturity issues with his play. Knowing when to pass or shoot. He is a decent prospect that can go left or right.

That's it for this game. Tonight I'm going to watch NC State take on Wake Forest. Should be an interesting game. Wake is currently in rebuilding mode and trying to find themselves. State is trying to pick up another big ACC win. See you soon.

Wake Forest @ Duke

I expected to be heading to Greenville for the night to get ready for my trip to Norfolk. There was a little screw up in the assignment schedule. The ODU-George Mason match is actually in Fairfax, VA. That is a longer drive that I necessarily don't want to make. So I'm canceling that trip. I get to see Old Dominion when they come down to North Carolina next Tuesday.

I decided to make the trek down I-40 West to Durham and watch Duke take on Wake Forest. This is my first time watching Wake play. I've seen Duke two times already in their tournament.

Duke won the match 4-1. Wake started off brightly and faded towards the end of the half. A Jonathan Aguirre penalty kick gave Duke the lead. Also James Belshaw (DU) saved a penalty by Luca Gimenez (WF) to keep the lead to 1-0 at the half.

The second half was pretty much dominated by Duke with Andrew Wenger scoring twice and Joe Pak rounding out the match. Wake got a consolation goal from Ben Newnam. Also Wake was down to ten men due to a red card by Jared Watts with a studs up challenge on Aguirre.

Duke's play seems to revolve around Andrew Wenger. If they didn't have a player like Wenger, I think the match would be equal. Jay Vidovich tries to incorporate his slick passing style with this crop of players. The problem is that as of right now this group isn't good enough to do the things that Marcus Tracy, Zack Schilawski, Sam Cronin, etc.. could do. This Wake team is definitely in rebuilding mode but they do have some promising players.

Duke:

Andrew Wenger:

The Junior forward pretty much does it all. He is a good passer, has a powerful shot, decent pace, and does a good job in leading his team. I didn't notice how fast he was in the first two games I watched him until I saw him ghost past Sam Fink, WF Center-back on numerous occasions. He doesn't mind tracking back also.

I believe whenever he comes out, he will be a top 5 pick in the MLS SuperDraft. He's one of the best players I've seen play this season. He is pivotal to the success of this Blue Devil team.

Sebastien Ibeagha:

Tough Center-back who is pretty good in the air. Very aggressive tackler. Possibly too aggressive. He fouled Luca Gimenez to set up WF's PK. Decent technically. He can pass or dribble out of the backline.

His Communication was much better than that of the SMU game. He was barking out orders that were more constructive to his teammates along the backline. Has some pace and reads the game well. Able to intercept passes or put players in an offsides position.

Wake Forest:

Danny Wenzel

Tenacious Defender. He has leadership qualties. Very vocal. Another aggressive tackler. A solid defender overall. His passing was inaccurate. He couldn't make the longer distance passes to a forward checking to. Has average technical ability.

Doesn't mind putting his body on the line. Made a couple of goal-saving tackles. Also he put his body in front of a couple of shots.

I think he will make a MLS roster but I can't see him making much of an impact as a center-back. He isn't dominant enough to play in the CB position. He might need to move into a fullback role but he will definitely need to improve with his technical skills to play the part.

Luca Gimenez

Brazilian Left-Winger who doesn't mind taking players on. He is a right-footed player so he would cut inside rather than cross with his left foot. Has some good pace and nifty moves but he isn't as good in making the final pass. He usually makes the wrong choice in either making the wrong pass or he'll dribble into defenders.

Kinda hot-headed. Let's his temperament get the best to him at times and makes the wrong choices like diving in the box or yelling at teammates when he doesn't get the ball.

Overall he is a good player who could make an impact with the Deacons in the next couple of years and can be a good professional.

Charlotte @ Elon

September 9, 2011

I ventured out to Elon. I was surprised that they were playing on their own field instead of inside the football stadium. The two times I played regular season games in Elon, they were on the football stadium instead of apparently their own soccer field they have. Maybe it had something to deal with it being UNC and that is a huge game that deserves to be on the football field.

Anyways, I went out to watch Charlotte play against Elon. That is the game I was assigned to watch. I did my research and decided that I was going to do reports on four players. Unfortunately I was only able to do two proper reports and I can summarize a couple of other players that I saw on the night.



Charlotte won 3-0. It was a pretty much a dominating performance from the 49ers. They controlled the game from the start. There were patches in the game where Elon gathered steam and got some quality opportunities. Once the Niners scored their first goal from Jennings Rex, they took full control until the end.




Charlotte:


Issac Cowles- Senior Centerback for the 49ers. One of the team's leaders. He communicates a lot with his team. Directing his backline in where they should go with the ball and their shifting along their line. He is a pretty good header. He won every header, defensive and offensive, that I saw. A very sure tackler, he tackles hard and firm making sure the ball gets cleared out. Technical ability is okay. Makes simple and short passes. When he does make those long range passes, they are often inaccurate. He is a bit slow but he makes up for that by reading the game real well by intercepting key passes.

My Opinion: Decent player if he decides to go to the next level, I think he would be better off playing in the NASL or USL Pro. MLS might be too fast of a league for him and the lower divisions often play a slower game with tons of crosses. He has shown that he can be dominated in the air.

Charles Rodriguez- Saw him against UNC earlier in preseason and he was playing CB. On Friday night, he was at the left-back position. I was not a huge fan of him in that outside position. Looked uncomfortable and exposed him as a slower player. Has decent vision able to play longer passes with great accuracy. Also is a player that can play with his left and right foot. Didn't get forward a lot but when he did, he drove in a decent cross. Got too over-agressive with his defending. An Elon player had his back to goal and Charles pushed him down multiple times to give Elon set pieces in dangerous positions.

Opinion: Not a MLS player. Technically, he is average. I wouldn't project him as a left-back. Could fit in with a USL Pro team that could use his accuracy in long balls. But I don't see him as a MLS talent.

Other Players I scanned from the Charlotte team:

Junior Forward Jennings Rex scored two goals for them. He is a junior for Charlotte. Hard worker. Likes to make runs in behind the defense. Nothing else stood out for me.

Another junior forward Donnie Smith might be an intriguing prospect. He is one of the leading scorers of the team. I didn't have a good look at him and nothing popped out about his performance on Friday night.


I wanted to look at senior forward Evan James. He didn't start the game. Even though he's started many before. He is an okay player. Has pace. Tends to over-dribble A LOT!! (had to put that in all caps). I hardly saw him make a pass. Then a couple of minutes before I was about to leave, he gets the ball at the half-field mark. He strikes a perfectly struck through ball to send Rex through. Which surprised me. He has tons of pace and he likes to dribble. I don't see him much as a pro prospect.


Elon:

Tried to watch junior forward, Chris Thomas, but he didn't get the start either. It shocked me even though he was the SoCon Player of the Year as a sophmore last year. I didn't see too much from his play. Elon were on the back foot for the majority of the game. The times he got the ball, he held it up well. But the service was lacking. So I couldn't get an accurate reading on him. I'll hopefully get to see him more this year and next. Maybe Atlanta would be interested in him, he is from there. Probably should have watched their game today, I saw on their website that he got 2 goals and 2 assist. It was against North Florida but I probably could at least gotten a better reading. I wonder why he didn't start on Friday with the Sunday performance he put on.


Nick Millington, senior transfer from Wake Forest. Defensive Midfielder. Kinda like Claude Makelele. Bull-dogish in his defending. Make a couple of key tackles to stop attacks. Okay technically. Keeps the game simple. Don't think of him much as pro prospect. He is too small for my liking. It isn't a problem with being small but definitely have to bring something else to the table.


Denzel Ogunyase, senior forward. Very quick player with decent dribbling ability. Took on Charles Rodriguez a couple of times and was very successful. Just a guy to note of.

Assessment of Liverpool (against Manchester City)

As part of my course that I am taking, I am learning to make team evaluations and scouting assessments of clubs. I decided to make an assessment of Liverpool against Manchester City in their Premier League match.

Teams: Liverpool (3) v Manchester City (0) Goalscorers: Andy Carroll 2 (Liv) Dirk Kuyt (Liv)	Competition: English Premier League
Date: 4-11-11	Scout:

HOW THEY LINED UP: Liverpool (4-4-2) Reina: Skrtel, Carragher (C), Auerlio, Flanagan; Spearing, Lucas Leiva, Meireles, Kuyt; Carroll, Suarez

FORMATION COMMENTS

Seems as if they are playing a straight 4-4-2. Jaime Carragher (RCB) is on the same side with John Flanagan (RB) to keep him from being over awed with the occasion. It is his debut in the EPL. They are playing with two banks of four with their midfield and defending crew. Suarez showing deep as Carroll stays more as the centre forward that controls and holds up play.

KEY POINTS
General	Pressuring higher up the field, forcing Man City players into errors. Resulting into the first goal. Playing at a fast tempo. Quick passing.
Defence	Wingbacks could potentially be a weakness; Adam Johnson has been causing troubles for Fabio Aurelio, surprised that Mancini hasn’t put AJ on John Flanagan’s side. Centerbacks are doing a good job in keeping Dzeko and now Balotelli very quiet Flanagan hasn’t had much to deal with. Quite surprised about City’s inactivity on that front.
Midfield	Lucas Leiva and Spearing sits in from of the backline and gives them support. Closing down players fast They don’t venture forward often. They leave that job for the two wingers and forwards. The outside midfielders play box to box. When in possession, they get in support of Suarez and Carroll. On defense, they get back to support their defenders as fast as possible. Playing at a very fast tempo. Pressuring quickly and passing quickly.
Attack	Suarez checks deep so they can complete shorter passes. Also allows him to run at defenders which he likes to do. Carroll if possible, tries to stay further up the pitch. Whenever the defenders need to clear it up to him, they can trust that he can hold up the ball or flick on to oncoming attackers. Basically attacking with at least four players (two forwards and wingers). Fabio Aurelio has more of a license to get up rather than the inexperienced Flanagan. Quick short passing when in total possession of the ball. However when pressure is felt, they use to long ball as a safely valve and Carroll is able to control or flick to his teammates

THE TEAM
Reina	When needed to make a catch from a high cross, he did. Not many shots came his way.
Flanagan	(Debut) He was good for an 18 year old debuting in Anfield. Didn’t venture forward. Can show a good piece of skill
Carragher	Nothing too much to deal with tonight. Very comfortable performance. Being a calming influence for Flanagan
Skrtel	Same with Carragher. Won a few headers. But nothing much to deal with
Aurelio	Had little trouble in the first half with Adam Johnson. Got forward to add a fifth attacker since Flanagan stayed back.
Kuyt	Hard-working. Doesn’t show pieces of skill but he gets on with the job and does it pretty well.
Spearing	(Same as Lucas Leiva) Learning a lot from Lucas. Didn’t have much to deal with.
Lucas Leiva	Has a steadying influence in the midfield. Doesn’t do much in the attacking side but he does well protecting and supporting the back four. Closing down players fast
Meirles	Great ball to Andy Carroll for his second. Quality of his crosses very good. Central midfielder playing left mid. He wants to go further inside when possible. Still a threat going forward
Carroll	Taken both of his finishes very well. His support play was superb. Aerial ability- good. Close control of the ball.
Suarez	Lively, checking into deeper positions so he can run at defenders. He enjoys roaming from side to side also. Have to keep an eye on him. Stays close to Carroll to get on the end of his flicks. Him and Carroll seem to work very well together.
Substitutes:

MISSING KEY PLAYERS

Steven Gerrard, Daniel Agger, Glen Johnson

ASSESSMENT:

This was a very good performance by Liverpool. They seemed more up to it than the City side. They were crisped in their passing. Finishing ever so clinical. Almost everything they touched turned into gold. Even John Flanagan had a pretty good outing in his first Premier League game. The combination of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll can be one of the most lethal combos since Henry-Bergkamp or Yorke-Cole. Suarez wants the ball at his field. Carroll also likes having the ball on his feet but where he is at his best is when he gets his head onto crosses. They are lively, playing in a faster pace than I have seen them this season. They were positive from the start. Chasing City defenders from inside their own half. Causing all kinds of havoc for the City defense. This performance is being done without the team’s captain Steven Gerrard. It seems that they are playing without the pressure of having to get Steven Gerrard involved. Liverpool seem different. They aren’t relying on one player like Gerrard or Torres. Everyone is getting involved rather than just a one person show. In fact, in their second goal, even though there weren’t consecutive passes made, everyone of the attacking four touched the ball. I think once the 11/12 season starts, this team will be one to reckon with. Probably a top four finish and possibly in the hunt for the Premiership title.

Drogba or Torres?

Chelsea takes on Manchester United in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Carlo Ancelotti (or should I say Roman Abramovich.) has a dilemma up top. Should he start Didier Drogba or Fernando Torres?

The choice is a very complex one. If it is based on form, it is simple. Drogba should start on Wednesday. The complex theory is that Roman is actually picking the squad and Carlo is letting him do this because Carlo should be grateful to stay on as manager after they fell asleep for two months in the season.

Another situation is Fernando Torres' record against Nemanja Vidic, who is currently Utd's best defender this season. Overall Torres has dominated Vidic however this year in their three matchups so far, Vidic has been out-performing Torres. Also El Nino has been off key since he changed from red to blue.

Even though he has not scored so far, Torres has started picking up some sort of form and it is possible to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The old adage: All it takes is one goal. Maybe Torres can find his form over the two-legged series.

180 minutes is too short of time to figure out if an out-of-form stirker is going to gain his form back. I would not trust him starting these games. Maybe coming on at around the 65th minute mark, I can see him sparking the game into life. However I would not give the keys to the car just as of yet.

Drogba, on the other hand, seems to always be frustrated by Vidic. Prime example when Drogba tries to choke out the Utd defender in the 08' Champions League Final. Has only scored a total of three goals against the Manchester outfit. He does seem to be the more in-form of the two and he is a trusty go-to-guy for Ancelotti in the clutch.

Anelka is not in the discussion because he'll more be on starting out as a right forward and be coming into deeper roles to get the ball and set up the attack. Nowadays, Anelka has not been chosen as a first-choice striker unless Drogba and Torres aren't available. Anelka should be considered over the other two, his form this season is better (he has 16 goals, Drogba-11, Torres- 9 in all competitions) and he does give center defenders more problems because he moves all around the pitch that it is possible to lose him as he drags himself in wide positions or in midfield positions.

On my complex thought: Why is Abramovich "picking" the squad? I think the Russian has an influence in putting Torres in the squad, even though he has not hit form yet. There is that 50 mil that was given to Liverpool in the deal for him. Also there is Ancelotti being grateful not to get the sack after a dreadful couple of months that actually took them out of Champions League contention. This is the same sort of form that got Big Phil sacked. So I can see that Carlo is just letting Torres play to please the owner. I don't think that is how a club should be run but I can understand how Ancelotti's hands are tied right now. He'll be back in Italy next season and enjoy not having an unbearable owner and team off of his back.

My opinion is that Drogba should start. Chelsea can't just hope and pray that Torres will finally step up his form. For this home leg, the sure thing is needed. Even though both player's forms aren't great, Drogba would be the sure thing at this point in time.

The Pilot

I have decided to dedicated this blog strictly to match and player reviews. This won't be an editorial type deal where I state my thoughts on a current situation in the World of the Football. It will more have to deal with how I think both teams played on the weekend or weekday. Or how a player plays in a single match.

Why do I do this?
I want to develop a career in player and match scouting, so I feel as if this blog will get me thinking more into scout mode than just watching the games with a bias. I want to go further into depth of matches and develop my brain into thinking the game in tactics and why the teams or players play how they do.

I want to keep this post short and to the point. I hope to discuss some of this weekend's games next week and go on from there.