Not the world’s best game from the Roots down in Seaside, but a much better performance than week 1 in Irvine.
- Roots have four goals in two games. They accomplished that only four times in all of 2024.
- Sinisterra looks real. Some of what he tries doesn’t come off, but at least he tries stuff and is very fun to watch. I wouldn’t have pulled him off while chasing unless he was absolutely gassed.
- A number of Roots players struggled to keep their feet but Riley in particular and it bit him on MB’s first goal, much like it did for OC’s opener. Gotta figure out a solution there.
- Hack is as good in the air as ever but he looked slow and I think it caught the Roots on the penalty, but my vantage point for that was terrible.
- I missed the third MB goal in its entirety.
- Damm lined up at forward when he came on, and it looks like he has some ideas.
- Armenakas is doing a lot and it’s not all working, but I think that’s a factor if where we are in the season. I think it’s basically his team from an attacking perspective and it will take time to come together.
- Wilson didn’t show much but it’s his first minutes. Hopefully this means he’s ready to start in the Coliseum.
- All of our fullbacks make defensive mistakes and it’s frustrating to watch.
- The LED advertising boardings are too bright and it makes half the field impossible to see.
- Gibson/Gomez may have looked a little better this week than last week, but they have a ways to go as a partnership if they’re the long-term plan.
- Thought Alekseev looked good off the bench, although it’s a little weird he came in as a forward.
- Gomez got a little lucky when the fight broke out, but frankly it looked like the first shove came from the referee. Also Gomez was very justifiably angry about the MB player leathering that ball into the back of… someone’s head.
- Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn
These are my initial thoughts. Really recommend making the trip down to Monterey for an away game if you haven’t before. Dress warmly, though.
This group was not in sync last night. There seemed to be way too many missed passes. Perhaps slightly better than game one, but I’ve watched pickup games where the play was more organized. Filling out the rooster days before the season starts is a recipe for disaster. San Antonio will be a challenge.
For sure the late roster additions are frustrating. I think there might be political reason why international players were slower into the squad than we might have hoped, and there is not much to be done about that except make the best of it. I am glad that Wilson and Damm got game time at all. Should mean they can start next week. Thanks for reading!