Game against the Ducks

That's a first. Now Michelle has too much speed to play forward! Someone tell her to slow down and maybe the coaching staff will change their mind.

bluffer wrote:What I don't see is Danielle having the ability to make the play that Michelle made against Colorado in the 2007 playoffs or the 60-65 yard run (The Goal) Michelle made against San Diego. She just doesn't appear to have that kind of game changing - Dagger to the heart of the Opponent - athletic ability/skill, which I think will be sorely missed when it's needed in a tight game.

I suggest you look at the stats for SanDiego State, Florida, Texas, And James Madison last year.

You might haveto modify you "dagger to the heart " comment.

"The Goal" was against San Diego. It was two years ago, and you can see it here:

bluffer wrote:That's a first. Now Michelle has too much speed to play forward! Someone tell her to slow down and maybe the coaching staff will change their mind.

Now now thats not what I said. The more speed all the better for a forward. What I was thinking about is where people fit in best overall for the team. I think we have a consensus that Dani plays forward. The debate seems to me about who should play the other forward. Sophie is a choice and Michelle is a choice.

Midfielders tend to play endline to endline. I like someone with Michelle's speed covering a lot of field. Either way, I predict she will be moving far up the pilot all-times charts in goals and assists.

No problem, bluffer. Part of the fun of this game is the chance to talk about it. As you say, we can agree to disagree.

I think Michelle E's pace is used to best effect in midfield and that Danielle is a better finisher. You don't.

You think that Sophie would make a good attacking midfield player. I think that she would be good anywhere on the field, to be honest, but that she and Keelin are a little too alike to play together in center mid, and she's best up front.

Bottom line: what we think doesn't count. In Garrett we trust!

Any way you arrange these 11 players (Kelsey, Jessica, Michelle O, Cloee, Elli, Kendra, Keelin, Charney, Michelle E, Sophie, Danielle) UP has a good team next fall. If someone else is good enough to put one of these players on the bench: great.

It might depend on the situation. If we are breaking out of our own end, with the forwards at the halfway line or just beyond, Michelle's explosive speed can be a game-changer. We'd want her up top.

But if we are dominating the ball with the opponents hunkered in their own box and our front line compressed, we need a back-to-the-goal target like Sophie. Each has a role to play in front. I could imagine them switching up depending on the kind of game it is and how the other team is defending us.

One quick question, who can remember the last time we scored an "easy" goal that we didn't have to grind out? I remember several from 2 years ago when Michelle just flat beat the defense and had a breakway, last year, not so much... Danielle while a fantastic nose for the ball in and around the box does not have the breakaway speed to beat someone on a through ball and beat the keeper 1v1 Michelle does, can, and will. I think that you negate a huge advantage in pressuring the back line with no top end speed up top.

My 2 cents - I agree with both Sore Knees and Harry - Michelle basically at mid where her speed can be used to good advantage but moved to forward if the game is more free-flowing. If it is a grind it out game mostly in our offensive end, the breakaway speed Michelle has is wasted at forward. I also agree that Michelle's best and most effective position is at forward, with either Sophie of Danielle, but - you have to look at the team placement as a whole, the big picture, consider the entire 11. Danielle is a forward, period. If Michelle is to play forward, that means 1- either Sophie must move to attacking mid, or 2- Danielle has to come out. I personally don't like Sophie as an attacking mid, but it's an option that could make sense. However, if you opt to leave Sophie at forward with Michelle, which I think is the strongest forward combination, so that Danielle is out, who comes in to replace her, and where? It's not just a question of where Michelle should play, but what the 11 as a whole look like, and I think we are weaker with Danielle out, or with Sophie at attacking mid.

Isn't this a nice problem to have? And, isn't it great to have a coach who we know will make the right decisions?

Another possibility would be a 4-3-3 with Sophie in the middle up front and Charney and Kendra moving in a bit from the wings to play a more generic midfield. Both of them have good ball skills in tight situations that would work to advantage in the center of the pitch.

But ultimately the game is so fluid that it may not matter too much what we call them. Michelle is going to make long runs toward the goal, Sophie is going to be a target up front, and Danielle is going to take advantage of her opportunities near the goal.

The reality is that in tight games you need both players who can dominate the midfield as well as finishers. We need players who can win the ball in the air in the midfield, have give-and-go types of assists, and finishers. I trust Garrett to make the team work.

As far as formations go, I'm biased toward a 4-3-3 with one attacking midfielder who can push up to form a 4-2-4 like the old Brazil teams used to play. I mentioned in another post how I love the 4-2-4.

Anyway, I trust Garrett to get the job done, and there's really nothing to fret about in April. Thanks for posting that goal, PurpleGeezer. Definitely a classic.

I personally would like to see UP play a 4-4-3. Might have a problem with the refs, though.

Garrett has certainly earned our trust. But that doesn't make it any less fun to speculate.

This is just a general comment... I think one of the things that really hurt the Pilots last year when Michelle, Elli, and Keelin left the team was an overall lack of speed. Now that's not to say that we don't have great athletes (we do!), but without Elli and Michelle out there we lost our two players that had game-changing speed.

So putting those players in the right spots where we can take best advantage of their speed makes a lot of sense, since we don't really have any other burners on the team especially now that we lost Megan Rapinoe, who also had good speed.

And the way UP uses it's outside defensive backs and wing players, those are the positions that can really stretch the other teams defense, especially with the overlapping runs coming from the backs.

Good points, Stonehouse. Random poll:

Who will our best set piece kicker be?

Sophie

Kendall