Sorry shellacking starts Carnell era, 3:0
September 6, 2020
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0:3
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Philadelphia |
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When an interim coach comes in, sometimes the team responds. Heck, Richie Williams is remembered fondly in these corners for his work back in 2006 and 2009. That last team was as flawed as any in MLS history, yet Williams somehow guided them to two straight wins out of the gate. (But that season was lost already; The Juan Carlos Osorio firing came about three months too late.)
This season is not lost yet; with the virus-enlarged playoff field, Metro is anything but out. But Bradley Carnell's first game in charge did not change on the Chris Armas era. In fact, it seemed like an obvious continuation of it: shutout, with zero shots on goal. On the other end, Philly scored three. It is what it is.
We can go into lineup details, and the mistakes made by numerous players, but let's just zero in on one play: midway through the second half, Tom Barlow received the ball deep in the box. With no defenders on him, the so-called striker missed the net completely. Mistakes led to two Philly goals soon after, and that was that.
Chris Armas is gone, and, don't get us wrong, it was the correct decision. But he was only part the problem. This team's substandard roster, specifically in the forward position, is just not good enough to compete on this level. Sure, they can squeeze a point here and there, but tonight's example only emphasized the problem that Kevin Thelwell can obviously see. Red Bull's roster negligence that started at the end of 2018 has left this team in a tremendous hole, and a coaching change will only get you so far.
It is what it is...
Lineup: Meara, Egbo, Tarek, Parker, Duncan, Casseres, Valot, Stroud, Romero Gamarra, Royer, Barlow. Subs: Fernandez, Jorgensen, Pendant, White, Yearwood.
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