US Open Cup strategies
by Martin Shatzer on Apr 27, 2010 6:40 AM EDT
6 comments
DC United begins its 2010 US Open Cup campaign tomorrow night against the only other winless team in MLS, FC Dallas.
There have always been two different frames of mind when it comes to the Open Cup. Some teams choose to treat it as inferior to the MLS regular season, resting starters and sending out the reserves instead. But other times, a team might feel that the Open Cup gives them their best opportunity to win a trophy and to qualify for other international tournaments.
United is a team that has used both of these strategies in the past. I think we all remember the embarassing first round loss to the Harrisburg City Islanders at Hempfield High School in 2007. But the past two years, United has been a bit more conservative with its lineups and had a greater degree of success, winning the Cup in 2008 and advancing to the Final in 2009.
So how do we as a fanbase want DC to approach the Open Cup this year?
Do we want them to rest as many starters as possible and save them for the league match on Saturday? If so, then maybe you want to see Bill Hamid get his first start in net. And you'll want to see Boyzzz Khumalo and Tiyi Shipalane run things in the midfield. You'll want to see the fear inducing combination of Adam Cristman and Danny Allsopp up top.
Or maybe you're already ready to punt the regular season, figuring that United has little chance of winning any other trophies this year if they don't take the Open Cup seriously. If this is the case, then you'll want to see all of our available best eleven taking the field, including Jaime Moreno, Troy Perkins, etc.
I guess there could be a third option, which would be a combination of the two. How does Perkins in net but Moreno on the bench sound? The team could choose to play its younger starters like Santino Quaranta and Rodney Wallace, but give a little rest to the older fellas.
The lineup the team chooses could certainly depend on Dallas's strategy also. If they are giving Jeff Cunningham and other starters a rest, then we might be wise to do the same. Afterall, Andy Najar has looked very impressive when playing against lower level competition in reserve matches. And Brandon Barklage was the hero of our Open Cup campaign in 2009 before falling to injury.
What do you think?
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Well if this was going to be a rebuilding year without actually saying it, it would seem to let Messrs. Hamid, Najar, Khumalane, etc. get some time in here to see if they’re worth more minutes. Might as well rest the starters for league play Saturday and the following Wednesday vs. KC.
They're coming.
Here's a more controversial idea
If we’re resigned to consider this a rebuilding year, why not play the starters tomorrow night vs Dallas and next Wed vs KC, and play the reserves Sat vs NY?
by Martin Shatzer on Apr 27, 2010 8:31 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I think we should absolutely be doing everything we can to win the US Open Cup this year
It’s a legitimate trophy, and our prospects for doing well in MLS this year seem pretty well shot (and it’s not even the end of April!). (Alternative quip: that’s the only thing DC United has shot well.) However, giving it our best effort doesn’t necessarily mean playing our starters. As we’ve seen, the starters haven’t done much of anything at all, including Perkins. I wouldn’t mind seeing Hamid, or any other of the reserves get a start in this game, simply because nothing else has worked so far. The only mandate should be that we take this game and the rest of this tournament with the utmost seriousness. United has owned the Open Cup the past couple years, and management has shown a great commitment to getting us homefield advantage throughout. It’s our best chance for a trophy, and I say we pursue it with vigor and passion.
I’m in complete accordance with Brendanukkah on this one.
"My face is my mask."
by Jake Shapiro on Apr 27, 2010 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, now Julius James and Danny Allsop are unavailable for the game on Wednesday
Onalfo might not have a decision to make with who he plays. He’ll just have to run out whoever can actually run out.
That about sums it up. Onalfo said he’s not going to risk Pena, and he really shouldn’t use Simms for more than a few minutes to help his progress back (Open Cup 4th sub comes in handy for things like that). That leaves us with 2 fit keepers (Perkins and Hamid), 6 fit defenders (Talley, McTavish, Wallace, Rice, Adams, and Graye), 7 fit midfielders (Castillo, Morsink, Khumalo, Shipalane, Barklage, Quaranta, and Najar), and 2 fit forwards (Cristman and Moreno). That’s 17 players that could theoretically play 90 minutes, plus Simms.
I think the team will end up like this (right to left): Hamid; Graye, McTavish, Talley, Adams; Barklage, Morsink, Najar, Castillo/Khumalo; Moreno, Cristman. Moreno will probably play an hour, then get replaced by either Quaranta or Khumalo (if Boyzzz doesn’t start). I’d expect time for Wallace (maybe in midfield?) as well.
This team needs to find a way to get something right. Even if this game isn’t a win, it needs to at least be a good effort, something to build on. Maybe fighting through such a long injury list will serve as a rallying point for this team. It could foster a backs-against-the-wall kind of mentality.
by ChestRockwell on Apr 27, 2010 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions
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