Warzycha Feeling Heat?

From wonder coach to one year wonder, the idea that Robert Warzycha’s position as head coach of the Crew is under question would have been shocking a month ago, but the October swoon, early playoff exit, and some odd personnel choices have focused some of the blame on the rookie head man.

First off, Hunt Sports Group won’t fire Warzycha, have stuck with coaches with far worse records. Barring that,  they are too cheap to buy out his contract. He will have time to retool the Crew and prepare them for the 2010 season.

Even if his employment isn’t under real threat, I still have questions about his handling the last quarter of the season and the playoffs. This was a team in awful form the last couple of months. After getting demolished in Mexico by Cruz Azul, they dropped a game against New York, and did not look convincing against Houston and Chicago. There were signs this team was already struggling.

The added games forced him into an aggressive rotation policy. This was vital as the Crew worked their way through a heavy load of games in September, but as October rolled around, Warzycha did not tighten the roster. He believed that there were no set starters and I fully believe that this led to the uneven performances heading towards the playoffs.

I was really confused with his decision to leave star forward Guillemo Barros Schelotto on the bench in Salt Lake. He did not even make a subs appearance. He chose Renteria and Lenhart instead, the same Renteria that wasn’t in the 18 five days later at Crew Stadium. I understand tactics, but that lineup shuffling is much more confusing.

One last thing that troubles me is that Warzycha repeatedly said that the Crew looked the better team in games that they lost. He said it again on Thursday night after Salt Lake came into Crew Stadium and ended Columbus’s season. Even though the Crew outshot RSL, they did not look like the sharper team. Salt Lake controlled the midfield and had a couple of chances early that would have killed off the game before it started. I saw a team that was outplayed (even slightly) on their home field with playoff advancement on the line.

I certainly don’t want to overlook what Warzycha achieved this season. He was able to successfully guide the Crew to a 2nd Supporter’s Shield and passage to the knockout stages of the Champions League. That is something that no other coach in MLS can say this year. I hope that he learns from this dose of failure and retools the team back into Cup contention in 2010.

Crew Crash Out; Face the Crossroads

Questions Surround Schelotto's Return (Fahmi/Studio79)

So the champs are done after Real Salt Lake beat the Crew on Thursday. Everything that needed  to happen did at first. Needing two goals to win the series, Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored both by the 35th minute. All that was needed was for the stalwart defense to hold up the potent Real Salt Lake offense. That was when things started to turn. The defense started to crack, RSL controlled the midfield, and Columbus gave up a two goal lead at home.

Early on, Schelotto willed the Crew to a two goal lead in the first half. The Crew defense had looked shaky and an RSL goal would have sealed the game before the game really got started. Schelotto sent in a dangerous ball for the first goal and Rimando somehow missed it, but it was the second goal that was reminiscent of classic Guille. Directing pressure to get the ball back, reading the defense and making a run, getting the ball from Ekpo, and finally creating his own shot. The game couldn’t have gone more to plan.

The offensive outburst masked the difficulty the Crew were having in midfield. Salt Lake had controlled possession and had a couple chances to open the scoring so it wasn’t surprising that they pulled a goal back quickly. Beckerman found space to lob a ball and Hejduk kept Morales onside and the aggregate was tied within 2 minutes of the Crew going ahead.

I think the Crew might have been able to hang on if they were able to get to halftime with the 2-1 game lead (2-2 on aggregate), but the penalty looked like it took the fight out of the team. I thought it was a penalty at the time and I still do after seeing the replays. It was a light call, but Hejduk was pulling the shirt and looked like they got their legs caught together. It was a gift that RSL took.

With a tie game (3-2 RSL lead on aggregate) at halftime, the Crew had squandered a great opportunity and it showed on the team’s faces and in their posture. They looked defeated. A long season and a lot of games in September and October had taken anything this team had left in reserve.

The third Salt Lake goal made the remaining 20 minutes a formality. It seemed like a microcosm of the last 2 months. Everyone flailing to hold on but ultimately falling short, unable to see, let alone stop the danger. The Crew can look to some questionable calls by Toledo, and he did have some, but this was a team that looked 2nd best on the night. Real Salt Lake came into Crew Stadium and beat the once invincible Crew team. The champs reign ended with a thud.

It was the perfect kickoff for an offseason filled with critical decisions. This certainly wasn’t the crowning achievements of 2008, but it wasn’t the dismal failures of 2005 through 2007. Now the team has missed out on some high expectations, there will be a lot of examination of how to move this team forward. Decisions will be made on older vets like Schelotto, Moreno, and Hejduk. The team will have to look for goal scorers. Even first year head coach Robert Warzycha’s performance is up for debate.

Pregame: RSL @ Crew

The Crew season hangs on tongiht’s game against Real Salt Lake. The story is well known by now. After losing game one, the mordibund offense has to start scoring goals. The 2009 Supporters Sheild winners are in danger of crashing out of the playoffs early.

It does help that the team is returning to Crew Stadium where the team has scored 10 more goals than they have given up. Added to the fact that Real Salt Lake has been horrible on the road, the Crew are in a pretty good position to advance.

Crew on Offense: Here is the biggest question, how does the team score goals? They haven’t scored one in the league since October 10th, that’s three straight games. Making it more difficult, Salt Lake will probably try to play defensivly and bunker. The Crew have struggled to break down compact teams. The Crew is best at counterattacking.

The Crew will have their big game maestro back on the field. Guille is again expected to carry the team on his back even though he has been woefully out of form the 2nd half of the year. When he is on, his vision can open up almost any defense. His deadball skills can also turn the game. One great free kick that finds the head of Chad Marshall can equalize the series and open up the game.

Barring a corner or free kick that goes in, the team will have to find some offense from the run of play. The strikers on this team are workers rather than classical finishers. The midfield will have to step up and provide some offensive pressure. Many times this has come from the wings, but tonight the team will have to find offense from the central midfield.

The defensive central midfield does not support the offense. Eddie Gaven is an obvious choice to provide the springboard out of midfield, but I would expect to see a little more defensive posture. Brian Carroll is a lock in the defensive mid spot. Danny O’Rourke has played in the central midfield spot lately, but I would like to see Adam Moffat as a linking player with some offensive flair.

Regardless of the lineup, I expect to see early changes if the Crew are still down at halftime. Warzycha is not one to patiently wait for a goal. He will try to put the players on the field to create one.

Crew on Defense: If the offense has been a question, the defense has been a certainty. Even without Marshall, the Crew defense has matched up against the best offenses in the league and shut down teams. With the current offensive woes, the defense will have to be even better and pitch a shutout.

To keep the team in the game, Columbus will have to shut down the counterattacking speed that Real Salt Lake uses to great effect. With the offense trying to find a tying goal, Salt Lake can sit back and counter using the speed of Movsysian and Findley. The speed of Danny O’Rourke may be the better option to match the pace that Salt Lake is going to use.

Final Thought: An early goal will change the complextion of the game. If Real Salt Lake scores, then things get a whole lot tougher. If the Crew scores, then they might start to break open the game and the offense may start to roll and avoid overtime and a possible penalty shootout.

RSL 0 – Crew 2

Home Sweet Home

There is some nervous energy amongst the Crew and their fans. I could sense it when I went to the rally last night for my Columbus Underground story (a story which is now up). The team hasn’t played their best and faces elimination and an early end to the season.

This is not a lighthearted group right now. They haven’t scored in almost a month. There is that bit of controversy about Schelotto not starting. Quite a few of the players gave the required quotes about a do or die game and dreaming about the Cup, but the stress of being number one was apparent on many of the players faces.

There isn’t the looseness that I have seen before; this team is all business. Frankie Hejduk had a few words for the assembled masses about taking the game to visiting Real Salt Lake. Jed Zayner talked about the home crowd being the fuel to drive the team forward, but the realities of being the favorite are really starting to set in. They are the marked men, Salt Lake took a good shot at them on Saturday and now are 90 minutes away from knocking out the champs.

I guess that’s why I found the loosest and most relaxed person at the rally was Coach Warzycha. He even joked about the Guille controversy by saying “I read a lot this week so I am now clear on who will play on Thursday.” For all of the criticism that came his way this week, Robert is looking past it to the game. A Crew win and he will look like a genius.

With a goalless streak and 3 straight losses, this is a team that is playing tight. The longer the game goes on Thursday without a goal; the tighter I bet they get. Sometimes goal scoring is more mental that physical. An early goal may just open the floodgates and restore a little confidence and swagger to the champs. Without that championship swagger, home field advantage won’t be enough.

Warzycha and the Offense

So Craig Merz gets the scoop about Robert Warzycha’s offensive game plan and it doesn’t really tell us much more than was already guessed. The Crew hoped to get out of the mountains with a tie, thus the insertion of Lenhart and Renteria to bruise up front. Schelotto’s benching was for tactical reasons and the MVP didn’t like it.

That decision also creates tension on a team that doesn’t need any added distractions. Schelotto is a professional, but could not hide his disappointment at being benched. He looked anxious on Saturday, unable to affect the outcome of the game. This is the worst time to have a sulking star player.

Even more disappointing was the change in style on Saturday night. Warzycha played a defensive game trying to minimize the damage of playing in Utah. I can understand it from a tactical sense, but it still was difficult to watch such a negative display with two holding midfielders and the wide backs being held back more than normal.

It does sound like the Crew will return to form with it’s playmaker taking the field again. Schelotto will try to spring the Crew midfield past the defense while playing off a strong holding striker. Warzycha may be hoping to catch some of his magic from earlier this year on offense, I hope the extra rest and motivation spur Guille into playoff gear.

ECSF Game 1: Notes

Warzycha tried to bunker and counter to spring the offense. Well it almost worked. I have the full recap up at Columbus Underground.

The offense looked lost yet again. Schelotto didn’t even get off the bench. I happen to agree with the game plan, but not the execution. The strikers did not play off each other well at all. There was little offensive support from the midfield, especially the defensive minded O’Rourke and Carroll.

• I know Schelotto is a professional, but I have to wonder how he will take getting benched a playoff game.
• I did like the shots from the outside of the box. It gives defenders something to think about.
• The Columbus offense looked pretty good in the first half. They countered effectively and had a couple of chances.
• Rogers played his best in the first half, he combined well with Lenhart at times.
• The defensive minded midfield did well to contain
• The Crew collapsed around the 75th minute. They looked gassed. The midfield was torn to shreds.
• On that note, Movsysian was a good switch. Warzycha tried to counter with another forward. Doesn’t work if you don’t get service.
• Three things went wrong on the goal, Hejduk was slow to close down, Brunner was late on Findley, and Hesmer got beat near post. If any
• Being down a goal and returning home is not a time to panic. RSL has a +23 goal differential at home. They are –15 on the road. Crew are +10 at home, 0 on the road.

Grades:

———————Hesmer: 5———————-

Hejduk: 5–Brunner: 5–Marshall: 6—Padula: 5

Gaven: 5—O’Rourke: 6—Carroll: 5—Rogers: 6

——–Renteria: 5—Lenhart: 6——————

Subs:  Garey: 5, Ekpo: NR

Crew Man of the Match: Marshall

Pregame: Crew @ Salt Lake

The Crew open up their MLS Cup defense out west against a dangerous Real Salt Lake team. Columbus is in a very bad run of form; three losses this month with one fluke goal in four games. Either they are starting to tire after a packed late season schedule or they let up after they raced ahead in the Supporters Shield standings. Either way, they will have to elevate their play a couple of notches at Salt Lake will be gunning for an upset at Rio Tinto Stadium, a place they have lost once all year.

Crew on Offense: Warzycha says practice would be key in deciding who starts at forward this week. He certainly has options. Schelotto is looking sharper as he comes off of injury and starts to develop a rhythm. He was was massive in last year’s playoffs, and seems to be able to play the best in the biggest games.

Alejandro Moreno, Schelotto’s normal strike partner has been off form all year. With only four goals and not really holding up the ball as well as he has in the past, I expect that Warzycha will look to Steven Lenhart or even Emilio Renteria as the other option. They are a little quicker than Moreno and hold up the ball very well. Lenhart has three goals in over 1000 minutes, not a great rate of return, but it is better than Moreno’s output.

The team desperately needs the midfield to step up on the offensive end as well. Salt Lake is at altitude and that will cause fatigue to set in earlier. Having Rogers and Gaven run around on the wings won’t be an answer for the entire game. The central midfield must play a more polished passing game. Moffat looked good in the center with Carroll last week as he was able to move the ball around well. Whoever lines up in that spot will have to play with an eye to springing the wingers and forwards a little quicker than the Crew have as of late.

Crew on Defense: Robbie Findley scored 3 of his 12 goals against the Crew in April as Real Salt Lake demolished the Crew 4-1. Columbus will need to guard against the speedy counterattack was so successful the last time the teams met out west. This will have to start with the speed the team transitions from offense to defense. They will have to match the unbelievable pace that Salt Lake has over the field.

Unlike the anemic attack, there is reason to believe the defense is well prepared to handle the challenge. Chad Marshall returns to the lineup for the first time since September 13th. Other players have stepped up, but no one can compare to the skill and presence that the MLS Defender of the Year brings to the table. He is a force on the offensive and defensive ends of the field.

The Columbus midfield will also have double duty to shut down deep lying playmakers Clint Mathis and Andy Williams. They have the ability to spring the attack from anywhere on the field. Moffat and Carroll neutralized Joseph last week, but will have to be vigilant against the dynamic pair’s ability to turn a defensive third possession into a fast break offensive threat.

Final Thoughts: This is a dangerous game for the Crew. They have looked sluggish and disinterested over the past month and Salt Lake won’t have the same pressure on them, coming in as the 8th seed. If the Crew can salvage two goals, they have a good chance at the win, but since this is a two game series, I can see the Crew trying to bog down the Real Salt Lake offense and get back to Crew Stadium with a tie.

Crew 1 – RSL 2

Rewarding Passion

The Crew’s awards night was a couple days ago now and I don’t disagree on any of the choices for the awards. You can find the whole list over at the Black and Gold Standard. I will mention that Danny O’Rourke is a fine MVP choice; he has played wherever the team needed him.

Beyond that, I was struck by the passion that has really developed around this team and I think that the Crew actually get this. The first award was given out to Rick Thomas. I had never met Mr. Thomas, but I knew his work.

This man has been making banners for over ten years for Crew games. He’s made dozens of them. From when the supporters section numbered in the dozens to now when it’s in the thousands. He wants others to feel that same passion he does and to bring some of that to the games.

Mr. Thomas truly believes anyone can do what he does and I think he’s right. Many people may not make banners, but they certainly have brought a voice to the stadium, waved a flag, or just came and cheered. Later, I had a chance to talk at length to some of the people that work countless hours to organize the supporters section. They aren’t doing it for glory, they feel that passion and it is truly a labor of love.

For all of the troubles that the Crew have had with striking the balance with the supporters, their decision to give the Fan of the Year award to Mr. Thomas shows they understand their fans a little more they are given credit for. It’s an inspired choice to give an award to a man who literally displays his passion game after game. Painting tifos in a small apartment, driving from Toledo, just so he can support his team. That’s a passion that keeps me coming back to the stadium.

Game 30: Notes

Goalless again. I had a few prescriptions in my pregame, an Adam Moffat and Guille did spray the ball around, but still no goals.

• Schoeni played a great game for learning he would start 45 minutes before kickoff, but he chose poorly when setting up the wall on the goal. He screened himself out of the play.
• Schelotto is looking like he is getting sharper by the minute. I was wondering if he would be able to be ready by the playoffs, looks like he is on schedule.
• Andy Iro is the weak link on the back line. He kept people onside a couple of times and was wasteful on three headers in the box.
• Jed Zayner can fill in anywhere in the defense. He played centrally in high school and college and showed he can handle the more physical nature of central defense in MLS. If he’s not protected in the expansion draft, I would take him.
• Rogers is showing signs of life. He would have had a one on one early if he was able to control a Guille pass.
• I expect Gaven will get the start in Salt Lake this week. He can make life difficult for a defense on the right side and can finish off a chance if it falls to him.
• I, however, wonder if Moreno should start. Lenhart and Renteria play the same physical game and are slightly faster. Neither has Moreno’s vision though.
• Padula played another nice game. He even added a few early crosses, one of which almost led to a goal.

Grades:

———————Schoeni: 6———————-

Hejduk: 6–Iro: 5–Zayner: 6—Padula: 6

Ekpo: 5—Moffat: 6—Carroll: 6—Rogers: 6

——–Moreno: 5—Schelotto: 6——————

Subs:  Lenhart: 6, Gaven 6, Garey: 5

Crew Man of the Match: Padula

Quick Hit

Postgame is up at Columbus Underground. Game notes, a couple thoughts from the Awards Night, MLS Awards, and a look ahead to the playoffs are coming soon.