analysis

With season nearing a close, a look at fringe players' seasons

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With a relatively slow midweek in place, let's take a look at some of the fringe members of the squad, how much they've played, and what we might expect from them for the remaining six to nine matches.

Out-of-form RSL looks to Tauro for turnaround, CCL rescue

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I think we're all a bit sore from Saturday, but time marches on as it ever does, so let's go over some things in advance of the Tauro match. I'll frame all this in quotes from Kreis, Johnson and Beckerman, all of which are from interviews with Bill Riley on ESPN 700. Go check 'em out, as they provide some great listening.

"If you spend all your time talking about a result, you forget to talk about all the things you need to do to get a result." — Jason Kreis

It's a tough one, isn't it? We're not as bad as we've seemed lately — I'm sure of that. Jason, of course, knows things we don't — especially about locker room attitudes — but we as fans perhaps should be wary of this as well. It's not enough to simply win, but to do the things necessary to win. Obviously enough, this doesn't dictate our actions, but it does make a difference in how we look at the game.

Stats and Musings: Substitutes, long balls, shots, clearances and crosses

Right, a short one today as I'm sure we're all rather anxious to get on with things, so let's have at it. But whatever shall we talk about? Well, given my propensity for stats, I thought perhaps I'd compile a list of interesting things I've gleaned from my vast database of statistics (I'm not actually kidding — the database is reasonably vast) and we could go from there.

As season approaches apex, the cards revealed: An analysis of RSL's depth

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We've heard in recent weeks some rumblings about our squad depth, including a blip from RSL President Bill Manning about our wage structure perhaps limiting depth slightly while boosting the quality of the first 15 to 18 players. I suspect he's right, and while some might argue that this is a bad thing, I'd dispute that quite heavily.

Midfield transformation sees roles defined, responsibility shifted

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The diamond with dual box-to-box midfielders — if it was ever really a thing — is dead. Long live it, and whatnot, right?

Let's step back. It's not really dead, is it? I hinted that I thought it was in Saturday's match report, and to an extent, I think there's some truth to that. But saying it's dead is rather unlike what's happened, which is that it's been upgraded — significantly so.

All-Star Game, fixture congestion present squad selection questions

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On the morning of the All-Star Game, and near the preponderance of inter-season friendlies with European clubs, we're continuing our long march toward the Champions League once again. After missing out in the 2011-12 campaign, we've got an opportunity to make our mark once again, and if all goes well, to lift that cup come 2013.

Attendance and Results: Correlation, points, and home form

There exists among many of us a certain perception that we, as a side, are not as successful when the Rio Tinto does that thing we all wanted to avoid as teenagers and sells out. I've always found it a little bit, well, wide of the mark, because I am inclined to think there are other factors involved than merely crowd size.

Hasty Decisions: Why we shouldn't rip it all up and start again

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The sky, I'm afraid, is falling. Or at least it would seem so, if you're to believe some of the rumblings across social media. Who or what is exactly at fault? The list is wide and varied, but invariably, everyone has an opinion on what's gone wrong. This isn't unusual, and it's not particularly wrong, but the range of opinions runs the gamut.

MLS and RSL: What is meant by physicality and athleticism?

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I reject many popular modes of thinking about our beautiful game. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise. For instance, I don't think it's all about effort or heart in a match, and I reject the notion that we need a "plan B" to pull when things aren't going quite to our liking.

Stats and Musings: Beckerman, the Great Goal Race, and more

Right, I skipped yesterday's post, for which I apologize. I'm trying to work back into a morning-post routine, so that's my reasoning, although I certainly could have found time to do it regardless. Instead, I re-watched the second half of Saturday's match, finding it to be every bit as pleasing as when I was watching live.

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