What are they smoking down at Cashman?

Las Vegas Lights FC fell 3-2 away at Swope Park Rangers this weekend.

The result is not actually what I wanted to talk about. Swope Park are a good team (better than us, to be honest), so to lose by one goal away from home is nothing to get bent out of shape about.

What I want to discuss today is what we are all talking about after the game - the penalty.

Down 3-2, the Lights were awarded a penalty kick in the last minute of stoppage time. It was a gift-wrapped opportunity to steal a point, on the road, against one of the better teams in the division, with the very last kick of the game. But instead of taking the shot, the Lights did this:



What? Why?

A penalty kick is literally a free shot from more or less the perfect position on the field. As in - the team spends the entire game trying to get the ball as close as possible to the penalty spot before taking a shot. About 75%-80% of penalty kicks are scored. That number jumps up to about 85% if the taker manages to keep the ball on target.

So why in the world would you want to mess around and pass it to a teammate at that moment.

Now I know what you are saying: Messi and Suarez did it, and it turned out fine:

Yes, they did but (1) they were already two goals up with ten minutes to go, not a goal down with seconds remaining against a better team on the road, and (2) it's Messi and Suarez (we can all admit they are on a slightly different talent level than Alvarez and Ochoa).

It the end, Ochoa and Alvarez's attempt turned out to be less "Messi-Suarez" and more "Pires-Henry."



After the game, both Chelis and Isidro Sanchez defended the pass-penalty attempt, calling it "brave."

Fair enough, the coach is supposed to defend the players in public. What I worry about is what is happening in private.

In isolation, one ill-advised pass-penalty wouldn't be a big deal. But when you start to look at it in connection with this:

And this:

And this:

And this:

The goalkeeper catches the free kick and then just dribbles all the way out past midfield on his own personal counter attack! I'M DYINGGGGG pic.twitter.com/PPtg7Qe9Si

— Mike Manganello (@MikeManganello) June 3, 2018

And all of a sudden your club starts to look less like a professional soccer team and more like a 
circus.

So my main question in response to the pass-penalty is this line from the report for the Las Vegas Review-Journal: " a play they’ve practiced since their first week of training in January came up short."

In soccer, you only have so much time on the training ground before the players get tired. You don't want to run the team into the ground, as they have (at least) one game every single week, and they need to start fresh. So with your limited time, the coach has to make some tough decisions. What do we practice most? Because if you spend a session practicing, let's say, crossing, that leaves you with less time to practice corner routines, or organizing the defense, or shooting.

So the question is, what did the team give up in order to practice pass-penalties "since January"? Shouldn't we have just been practicing real penalties (you know, like every other professional team in existence)?

And what exactly environment is going on in the backroom? What is the training environment that leads to the goalkeeper thinking that it would be a great idea to try to dribble from his own six-yard-box past the entire opposing team in the middle of the game, like he is some sort of Neuer/Maradona hybrid? Is it even possible to instill discipline into a team when the technical director can't even go a month without getting banned from the touchline?

The coaches claim it is part of the "show" - but I don't know anyone that is going to renew their season ticket based on the number of weird plays that the team tries during the season. They are going to renew based on whether the team is successful, and whether they play good, quality soccer. That's why we go to games and tune in to watch, because we love the game, not the sideshows. The sooner the coaching staff learns that, the better.

-VSB

Las Vegas Lights FC: 4 - Seattle Sounders 2: 1 - It's All About the Mistakes

Man what a wild ride we've been on.

The last four games for this team have been a 7-2 loss, then a 4-1 win, then a 4-0 loss, and now another 4-1 win. Talk about inconsistency.

Here are three thoughts from the Lights' latest 4-1 win over Sounders 2.

1.  Focus on the Mistakes

Famously, Jose Mourinho's footballing philosophy is defined by a focus on mistakes. In his mind, for most matches, the team that makes the most mistakes loses, and the one that makes the least amount of mistakes wins. Therefore, not only does he drill his team within in inch of their lives to avoid costly mistakes, he also foregoes possession. The theory is that the less you have the ball, the less opportunities you have to mess up, and the more opportunities the opponent has.

That's kind of how this game went down.

The Lights' first goal came from putting pressure on the Sounders 2 backline. When their defender made a poor decision to head it back to his keeper, Ochoa was ready to pounce and make it 1-0. Same for the second goal, Ochoa put in some good work to pressure the keeper, who made a mistake, and it had a fortunate bounce to make it 2-0.

On the other hand, the Lights were diligent in keeping their own mistakes to a minimum, and keeping the Sounder 2 attack relatively quiet.

2.  Staying Alive

The coach and the team has come under a lot of pressure recently - both for the results on the field and the technical director's ludicrous antics off of it. It has gotten so bad that the owner has given the Chelis the ominous "100% vote of confidence." (For those who don't follow european soccer much, a "vote of confidence" from the owner/board of directors is more often than not following by the coach getting sacked within a month or so).

This win was exactly what the team needed to relieve a bit of that pressure.

Let's be clear - Sounder 2 are not a good team, and the Lights were at home. They should have won this game, and they did. This win keeps us within touching distance (4 points) of the final playoff berth, which is what the goal for this team should be in their inaugural season.

We need to, at a minimum, keep beating the teams that we are expected to win (such as Sounders 2). And if we are serious about challenging for that last spot, we need to start picking up a result or two when we aren't the favorites. Next weekend, on the road at Swope Park Rangers, would be a great place to start.

3.  Pick Something and Stick with It

In the last five games, the Lights have tried to play in a 4-2-3-1, a 4-1-4-1, a 4-4-2, and twice in a 3-4-2-1.

Let's just pick something and stick with it, shall we? That could go a long way to achieving the kind of consistency that the team has been lacking in recent weeks. It's hard for players, especially at this level, to get familiar with their roles and surroundings when the formation, spacing, and players around them are constantly changing. You need to build up unconscious patterns in the players' mind, and when things are always changing, that can't happen.

Out of the formations listed above, I think the 3-4-2-1 (or 3-4-3, or whatever you want to call it) is the best suited for our players. Our defense can be, to put it nicely, a bit creaky at times. While Huiqui seems to come up with goals as often as our strikers do, his backline can also look a bit slow and a bit disheveled.

With three at the back, that should give the center backs a bit more cover for when they do inevitably let someone run by or lose a runner. Think of it as a safety net.

One thing though - in the Phoenix game, we tried a 3-4-3 with Carlos Alvarez, out best #10, as one of the midfield two. And clearly, it wasn't very effective.

If we stick with the 3-4-3, we need to make sure to have two more solid midfielders in the middle, who are a bit more adept at playing defense. This will give the backline a bit more protection, and will also move Alvarez (who is probably our most effective attacker) closer to the opposition box, where he can do the most damage.

Let's hope we stick with it and find some consistency in both performance and results, starting next weekend.

-VSB

Dear Chelis

Dear Chelis,

"...I want to apologize many times. But my action and my only intention was to point to him. Without intention, and with one finger, you can’t hurt anyone. I made a mistake... It will not happen again."

That was from last month. When you received a 7-game touchline ban because you confronted a referee and poked him in the chest with your finger. You apologized profusely, and said that it was a mistake, and claimed that things like this would not happen again.

Yet here we are.

This week you were given yet another touchline ban (this time 8 days) for confronting a fan in our midweek game against Phoenix. In a bizarre attempt to defend yourself, you said this on twitter:

No me dijo puto desde la tribuna 90’. Al final me lo encontré afuera y lo enfrenté. Lo tuvieron q haber sacado del estadio y nadie hizo nada.
El me tocó mi orgullo y yo te toqué su cabeza https://t.co/2qHaxQNiMu

— José Luis Sanchez (@Elchelis) June 16, 2018

My Spanish isn't great (ok it's bad), but if I'm understanding right, you are trying to defend yourself by saying that he called you a [bleep], and so you found him outside the stadium and confronted him. "He touched my pride, and I touched his head." (I'm pretty sure something has been lost in translation for that last line).

For starters - that's a horrible excuse. You are a 59-year-old grown man. That is supposed to be in charge of the Las Vegas Lights FC organization. I don't care what some drunken fan calls you at a game, the technical director of an entire football club should not be trying to meet him outside and fight it out. Get a hold of yourself.

This is the second touchline ban you have received within the space of two months. Let's try not to continue the streak, shall we?

Second, what exactly is the demarcation of duty at the club. My understanding is that you are the technical director, and your son, Isidro Sanchez, is the coach. So why are you even on the touchline in the first place? Isn't it his job to conduct the in-game management (pick the team and formation, make subs, yell at the players in general)? Isn't your job to oversee the direction of the club. As in work on transfers, manage the academy, oversee contracts, etc.?

Wouldn't it be better for all involved if you just kind of took this touchline ban as an opportunity to take a step back and work more within your role? that would give you more time to focus on your specific job, and would give your son more control to focus on his specific job. Plus, as an added bonus, no-one would yell names at you, and you wouldn't have to try to get into fights in the parking lot.

Sincerely,

A concerned fan.

-VSB

Las Vegas Lights FC Back on Track?

Las Vegas frankly surprised everyone with a convincing 4-1 victory over the visiting Colorado Switchbacks this weekend. The Lights came into this game on an absolutely terrible run of form, but they somehow managed to turn it around on a night that reminded us how fun it is to win a game now and again.

Two early goals (both from set pieces) certainly helped the Lights to get over the psychological pressure of the losing streak, and you could almost visibly see the pressure lift as the team started to play with more confidence and swagger.

So now is all well in Vegas? No, we're still earning just over one point per game, nowhere near the playoff picture. But having been pretty harsh on the team for the previous run, it's time to give credit where it's due and recognize the importance of the win. Here are my three thoughts from the game:

1. Timing is Everything

The Las Vegas goals in this game could not have come at more perfect times. When a team is on a bad run like the Lights were, goals are almost more important for their psychological effect than their effect on the scoreboard. If the Lights had conceded the first goal, it almost certainly would have made their heads drop, and they probably would have gone on to lose yet another game.

Instead, the Lights scored first. From a well-worked throw in by the corner flag, the Lights worked the ball to Christian Torres, who crossed it in for who else but Carlos Alvarez to head home.

Just as important in this game was the second goal. When a team is struggling like the Lights were, confidence can get shattered in a moment. Take for example the game against LA Galaxy II - we scored first, but they equalized shortly thereafter, and the game really went south fast after that.

That is almost certainly what the Colorado coach was telling his players at halftime. They would have come out int he second half really up for it and ready to make life difficult. So when Freddy Adu scored his birthday goal within two minutes of the restart, it redoubled the confidence of the Lights, while shattering the belief of the Switchbacks.

2. The Perfect Goalscorers

You could not have asked for better players to pick up the goals in this game.

First, Carlos Alvarez scored. If it wasn't clear before his goal, it should be clear now - Carlos is our best attacking player, and his form is vital to the smooth operation of our attack. When he's on, the Lights are on. When he's not, the Lights struggle.

Second, Freddy Adu scored. We all know Freddy's history. He's been a few places and seen a few things in his career. If he can gain some confidence here in Las Vegas, I think he has a lot to contribute to the other players who maybe haven't had the experiences he has had. This goal will hopefully help him to step out a little bit more and take a little bit more responsibility.

Third (and perhaps most importantly), Sammy Ochoa picked up his first goal of the season. I don't think I'm being too harsh here to say that so far, Ochoa's season has been disappointing (he'd probably agree). He does a lot of work for the team (knockdowns, running off the ball, etc.). But the fact of the matter is that a striker's first job is to score, and we were ten games into the season without Ochoa picking up a single goal. Some strikers are patchy scorers, meaning that they can go ten games without a goal and then rattle off ten goals in the next ten. Let's hope Ochoa follows that pattern over the next section of the season.

Fourth, Matt Thomas scored right at the end with his second of the season. With Ochoa struggling recently, it is important for the Lights to have alternate methods of scoring (you can't rely on Alvarez and set pieces from defenders all season).

3. Pretty Play

There was a definite re-think in the way the Lights approached this game compared to the last few seasons. I'n not sure how much of it came from the coach, who said "What we (did) today was the things we (did) the first four games... being brave, stepping out. It was difficult after six, eight weeks of not obtaining the results.” It may have been a more player-driven thing (either consciously or subconsciously).  But looking at the numbers, the Lights matched Colorado for possession and passing. 

Now that isn't some sort of crazy stat - most teams win the possession battle at home. But the Lights aren't most teams. Also, usually game states have a large effect on passing - when a team goes ahead early, they often try to sit back and counter-attack, ceding the possession battle to the team that now has pressure to score. 

Today, the Lights took better care of the ball, and seemed to make it a point to find players and play it on the ground to feet. Let's hope that it is something they continue to work on.

4. Bonus  - What was that?

I'm sorry, I couldn't write about this game without covering this:

The goalkeeper catches the free kick and then just dribbles all the way out past midfield on his own personal counter attack! I'M DYINGGGGG pic.twitter.com/PPtg7Qe9Si

— Mike Manganello (@MikeManganello) June 3, 2018

This is absolutely, positively crazy. This is not "oh he's just being an aggressive keeper." This is insane. The only time I have ever seen this happen is in indoor 5 on 5 pickup games when nobody really knows the score anyways - and even then players get annoyed because it leaves the goal open.

This was stupidity, and Ferrino was really lucky that Matt Thomas was on hand and willing to pick up a yellow card when Ferrino inevitably lost the ball at the halfway line.

If anyone reading this is, or knows someone, who is wanting to be a goalkeeper - this is page 1, line 1 in the book of "Things not to do."

Till next time

-VSB