Soehn Still Seeking Solutions, But Needs to Look in the Mirror
DC has stumbled to a 2-5 record on the season so far and is still searching for answers. read more...
Soehn Still Seeking Solutions, But Needs to Look in the Mirror
Mike Martin
May 10, 2008
DC United's coach Tommy Sehn watches his team during the pre-game warmups
Photo: Martin Fernandez
DC United is again off to a dreadful start to the MLS season, and judging by the finger pointing and frustration they might be on the edge of a major meltdown unless Soehn steadies the ship. Unfortunately, he may be part of the problem.
Washington D.C.,
Last year, Tommy Soehn looked a like a genius when he turned around a horrible 0-3 start to the season by switching formation to a 4-4-2 which integrated new players Fred and Emilio into the mix better and helped the team to their second straight Supporter’s Shield.
This year the task is tougher as he is not simply adding a two dynamic role players to an established core group, but has to essentially create a new core group around designated player Marcelo Gallardo and fellow South Americans Gonzalo Martinez and Gonzalo Peralta who along with Zach Wells in goal have essentially replaced the spine of the team.
That along with the cruel loss of veteran leadership in Ben Olsen plus some inopportune injuries to Moreno, Fred and Gallardo, as well as a crush of games and travel early in the season has truly hampered the ability for this team to establish its identity.
However, all that said, Soehn has shown pathetically little in minimizing the effects of all those things by his making some truly bone-headed and stubborn tactical decisions, some very poorly thought out player management decisions, and clearly has some grossly inadequate motivational skills which includes recent attacks on specific players in the press. On top of that, his ability to find and develop young talent has to truly come under scrutiny as well.
So, let’s rock and roll. Payne wants this to be the year of accountability and nobody likes a little acocuntability more than United fans, so let's have at it. Leaving aside Payne and Kasper and the rest of the braintrust who created this monster since it’s really too early to judge their overall personnel changes just yet, let’s just focus on the coaching staff for the moment. If Soehn feels it’s appropriate to call out Santino recently some other players in general, let’s just put the old microscope on Toxic Tommy if we are to be thorough in our quest for accountability.
Exhibit A: tactical acumen. Formations are somewhat overrated, but what they do is assign responsibilities that should accent the strengths of a player and hide the weaknesses. What they should never do is put players in positions where they fail.
With that in mind, Soehn has fumbled the ball exactly three times in seven MLS games this season, which considering we’ve only lost five is not a good ratio for the apparent arbiter of appropriate play. Soehn put the team behind the eight ball in RSL, in Colorado, and last night against Chicago. That’s three times out of five total losses the team failed to bail out his bad decisions.
In RSL, he had the nerve to trot out a 3-4-3 on that ping pong table without Martinez and Gallardo both of which are the best suited to handle such a formation. Not only that, he replaced them with cannon fodder considering the overall state of the team at that particular time. To his credit, he didn’t blame the loss completely on them.
However, after the painful losses at Colorado and last night against the Fire, where he sashayed out predictably bad tactics in the form of a 3-5-2 this time, he did manage to point fingers at the players when his poor planning did nothing to prevent the players on the field from being woefully exposed. You play 3 in the back on the largest field in MLS in a formation that demands possession football, but you bench the best possession player not named Valderamma in the history of the league in Jaime Moreno, and you blame the players for not showing up in Colorado? Seriously, you make Clavijo the clown look like Alex Furgeson and then have the gall to say the players let you down?
Last night, Soehn put Quaranta literally out on a wing on his lonesome expecting him to be able to play a position he does not have the skills to play properly, and you blame him for giving up the deciding goal? No excuse, that’s poor coaching, pure and simple. Santino has no business being expected to track back all night against a team that has the tools to expose his weaknesses. If you're missing key players, you simplify and get the tie, you don't go for broke and blame the team when it craps out.
So that’s three games that can be laid squarely on Soehn for not maximizing his talent, but it doesn’t stop there. He also has hamstrung his own team through some hideous player management. Of course in the rigors of a long MLS season you have to rest players, but Soehn’s management has been especially deficient so far this season for no apparent reason.
Which leads to Exhibit B: Soehn rested Fred in the opening loss to KC despite the fact Fred was the best tactical matchup we had in that particular game. He didn’t chose to rest a multitude of others that could have used the rest given the CONCACAF commitments, but he chose the one guy that gave United the best chance to win, and thereby gave KC all the edge they needed to win the match.
He inexplicably rested Gallardo and Martinez against RSL and that cost the team. He also refused to play Moreno in the first half against Colorado when the game was in the balance for no apparent reason either. Sure, Jaime came in when it was 0-0, but the damage was done, the team was in the crapper and he had no chance to salvage the game on top of the tactical mistakes already made.
His substitution patterns are also way out of whack in MLS. His choices did work against Pachuca, but against MLS competition, not so much. Emilio has played horrible nearly all year, but he is apparently immune from getting pulled out of matches. Must be nice for him especially as he just got a fat bonus after the crap he has played so far this year. Sadly, Dan Stratford may not look upon things with such a worldly view considering he got yanked after 40 minutes of the kind of play Emilio has got away with all year.
I don't care who the player is. If they won't trap a ball and play a simple pass properly, then yank them. Don't just do it to the rookies. There's been plenty of poor play this year, but precious little punitive benchings. Emilio responded after a benching last year, give him a few more this year so he can count all his new money and maybe that will sharpen up his focus on actually helping the team by maybe making an agressive move in the box and getting off a shot or two. You know, the kinds of things forwards are expected to do in this league.
So, tactics and management have cost the team at least three of their five losses, but how about a look at his motivational techniques? Soehn has resorted to excuses all the way up until recently, but now he’s flat out put the blame on the players. At first it was the CONCACAF Cup is distracting us, the schedule is hard on us, etc. Now it’s the team in not trying hard enough, they are not concentrating long enough, they are fouling up his whole vision of the universe, etc.
Well, in five out of seven games so far the team has come out flat and disinterested. Who's fault is that? Why haven't they been motivated to play? Why haven't they been told to work their butts off or be benched until things get turned around. There's plenty of hard workers on the bench put them out there whenever you need to send a message if talking isn't getting through to the stars on the team.
Another thing, how about the fact he has not got them play up to their talent? Who’s to blame for that? Injuries, bad situations, scheduling, whatever. He is the pulse of the team, how is it he has not mitigated those factors? This is MLS, not rocket science. If idiots like me and Webb can handicap games and trot out reasonable lineups, the why can’t Soehn?
For that matter, why can’t Soehn actually coach some players up? Exhibit C: Niell is a hard worker, but dear god, why can’t Soehn explain to the man you can’t just fall down in America and expect a call. Or here’s a good idea, how about actually coaching your players to hit thru balls to a guy like Niell, as latching onto thru balls is his strength. How about coaching Emilio to hit certain spots on the field as those are the places Gallardo likes to hit passes to. How about coaching wing players to make runs into the box as that’s crucial to scoring goals in a 3-5-2?
Or here's a thought. How about coaching rookies to do a specific thing that you need when the team as a whole is playing badly. No wing play? how about a rookie able to launch crosses into the box at will? No forwards actually shooting the ball, how about a guy with no conscience hammering shots at every opportunity? No defenders willing to take a chunk out of someone, bring on a hatchetman. Seriously, that's what you have them for. Coach them up and launch them like heatseeking missiles. Use your full roster, how hard is that?
For that matter, why not simplify the entire strategy of the team? Get them playing basic football here there and everywhere. Play players in their natural positions, use tactics that accentuate their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. Don’t jigger formations in order to put players outside their comfort zone hoping it will work, get the best possible players into the style you’ve chosen to play. How hard is that?
Bottom line is that Soehn has not held up his end of the bargain by a long shot. Before he or Payne or anyone starts casting stones, they better be willing to take their share of the blame. This team is flawed and floundering right now. Their pointing fingers is not likely to solve the problems.
How about simplifying the playbook, taking a load of the blame, and defining roles on this team. Quit shooting for the moon right now. Drop back and punt. Just go for simple things and expand on that once you get that right. If Soehn can’t or won’t do those things, then nothing the players do will make any difference. They better get on the same page, or this season is over.
Visitor Comments
Thanks for the comments Rico,
Mike tkaes a very critical look at what Tommy has done thus far - you have to admit that there have been lots of formation changes and tweaks that could have caused United's current state.
If you listen to our show you'll also know that we are strong believers that there should be some creative benching to hold players accountable as well.
As far as time - Coach sohen been with the team for over a year, and while he has "new players" to deal with it is he who is ultimately responsible for his troops...
Give me a break. How shallow are we to think that just because we have not won every game, it is all the coaches fault. Coaches make decisions and the players have to execute. Players have not been held accountable. If we knew that the players sucked, then yes, blame Tommy. He brought them in. But until the players perform, we have not seen the DC that we expect. Give the man more time. That's why he is there. He can't do it over night.
I assume you mean to hang Soehn with? I disagree. I absolutely think he should remain at coach until it is clear he has lost the team. He should stop calling out players for sure. He should actually coach by simplifying tactics and asking for specific things from each player. But, assuming he gets himself and the team under control, I see no reason he shouldn't finish out the year at least. If he hasn't turned things around by June, or shown any signs that he has control of the situation, yes he should go. But, firing a coach midseason would be new territory for DC and it's not something I would like to see unless it's totally necessary.
Editorials
Riding Out the Perfect Storm
May 19, 2008
DC United Seeks Solutions for Slow Start
April 24, 2008
Los Tuzos and Ticos School MLS in Concacaf
April 03, 2008
2008 Eastern Conference Preview
March 26, 2008
2008 Western Conference Preview
March 24, 2008
Coming Together the United Way
March 07, 2008
DC United Looking to Texas for Results
March 02, 2008
DC United’s Goals are to Score Some
February 29, 2008
DC United and Poplar Point
February 18, 2008
Gomez Gone for Good
February 09, 2008
DC United: Excitement is Building for 2008
January 29, 2008
DC United Signs Gonzalo Martinez
January 24, 2008
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
December 24, 2007
Veron Spurns DC United
December 14, 2007
Boswell Is First Domino to Fall from DC United
December 12, 2007
MLS One Liners, tidbits from around the league...
