key to defense is the tactics, we focus too much on the individual players. It is not as simple as finding the 4 best defenders and putting them on the field.
The coach need to figure out what is teh defensive strategy and then pick the players that can execute the startegy.
People talk about akelee edwards being a poor defender at international level but you have a man like keon Daniel playing in from of him on the wing, who does not run back which leads to 2V 1 situations which results in no chance for edwards to stop attacks down our left side. (Us game in Chicago)
the same edwards is playing for Defense force and they are giving up very few goals and dominating the pro league.
Part of being sucessful is being put in a position to succeed.
Our biggest issue with defense is that we do not realize it is a team effort.
you cannot blame one man for getting burn and being a poor defender when a major part of defending is cover.
If edwards get burn on the flank who is covering for him.
Defense is more than just finding a man who nobody can pass.
it is more complicated than that!
That goes without saying. yuh could have the best defensive plan in place, but if yuh don't have the right players to execute the plan then it's all fall down.
as for the keon daniel aklie edwards scenario, i remember JLLoyd played against the U.S. with keon on the left side, and he did quite well with the team only conceding one goal and a spirit goal @ that.
my philosophy, class goes a longer way than strategy, but strategy and class together is a recipe for success. those player whom i afore mentioned is not in the international class bracket, they need not apply.
as for defense force leading the pro league and aklie being part of that defensive structure. bredder do you, or have you been watching the concacaf champions league? every team we send yr after yr looks out of their league, real poor and out of sorts, it's like night and day compared to MLS and central american teams.
not dogging our league, but if yuh said aklie was playing for ah champoinship team and they were leading the league, or even an SPL team, i would be forced to reconsider, but PFL? comon KND give me a break son.
Excellent post KND2
Just Cool, i think you completely missing his point, and I will prove it using that very US game as an example.
First of all, Keon Daniel DID NOT start that game, Carlos Edwards started on the left and regularly switched flanks with Tinto.
With Carlos and or Tinto being a presence on left offensively and in the case of Carlos defensively as well, the US right back did not venture forward.
Why because it was a double gamble, he would have worry about Carlos' speed on the counter and would also have to elude him while trying to create a play going forward, making Jlloyd's job easier.
Secondly, that was probably the best defensive game we played under Latapy. We frustrated the United states because every time we lost the ball, the team worked to regain possession. Our two defensive midfielders (Leon and Noel) combined well to close down passing lanes and forced numerous errors and turnovers. Donavan was hardly allowed any time on the ball. Dempsey was a non-entity in the game.
That had nothing to do with the awesomeness of our back four, because as you say: two throwaways started that game. Abu Bakr started at CB for that game with an over the hill Dennis Lawrence. American sports media outlets almost unanimously stated Bakr was the most competent cog of our back who had to clean up errors made by Lawrence and Silvio Spann.
As for Akile and the continued ignorance of what players actually do well and when a system fails, how many goals have we actually conceded due to an error by Akile Edwards on the left?
Fact: most of the goals we concede are due to errors made by our RIGHT BACK then a lapse by the central defensive pairing.
The "spirit" goal we conceded against the US was after our right back Silvio Spann was outfoxed by Donavan and the ball played out to Clark to shoot.
And even when Akile is beaten, where is the rest of the defensive line or his cover?
Just my two cents
