Well, we get to play again really quickly after the tie against the Revs on Thursday. Check out the game on Comcast Sports Net at 3pm today.
Fred is out with a groin injury and Devon McTavish is out with a hip flexor.
So the big question is do we roll out the 442 again? I think we do. With Fred out, my guess is that Justin Moose takes his place on the right flank. I think this is the best, least disruptive change to make. I think Moose would work great with a defender behind him in Brian Namoff where he doesn’t look as good (most don’t) as the winger in a 352 responsible for the whole flank. He is also very comfortable in the center of the midfield, so he can pinch in just like Fred does.
A really risky move, and frankly one I wouldn’t mind seeing, is starting Kasli Yinka Casal on the left flank. Casal is very raw, and his defense is ummm… suspect. But if we’re in a 442, that is a great situation for him. He would have Josh Gros behind him to help defensively and his speed and size would cause great fits for Chivas. If Jaime Moreno sits again and we have a startinging forward pair of Addlery and Emelio like on thursday this could be a very good day for us offensively with crosses swinging in from both Ben Olsen and Casal.
Another big question is whether Moreno starts again. I thought Addlery did a commendable job and when Moreno came in our pace of play slowed considerably and our willingness to spread the field also stopped. I think Moreno contributes to this, but I also think that those guys who are used to playing with him also foster his. They feel the need to feed him the ball centrally *because* he is such a great player. I thought we played collectively much better without Moreno in the lineup.
Also an interesting choice is Clyde Simms or Brian Carroll at defenseive mid. Again, I thought Simms did a better job and is more suited to being a lone DM than Carroll is.
We’ll see how they lineup…