TU Soccer 2023
- Thread starter TU_BLA
- Start date
I still think we invite too much pressure trying to force the ball through the back and I'm not sure this group has the same capabilities as guys like Fazio and Sach or Mitchell Cashion. It cannot be stated enough how much we miss a guy like Cashion who could make someone miss a tackle and then put a defense on their heels in a heartbeat.
TU up 1-0 at FAU. TU has dominated every aspect of this game. The finishing hasn't been there or else TU would be up 3 or 4. FAU only has 2 shots and neither were on goal. TU also made several line up changes which seemed to have shored things up in the back and the possession and technical skill have been better today. Vincent THOMAS got the start at CB and he's been really solid.
TU wins 2-0 on a thoroughly dominant performance. Good timing too as they take on Creighton at home on Tuesday. FAU didn't record a shot on goal.
I had insomnia from overly spicy food and obsessing over the dismal football loss.
So I watched this one at 1 AM. Impressive performance. Dominant. Slept better after.
TU looks very good so far. No goals to show for it but they're doing a really good job of keeping the ball away from Creighton and moving into the attack and creating chances. Creighton looked like they wanted to press TU's backline and Alex when TU is playing out of the back but they've abandoned that for the most part after the first 15 minutes. TU was breaking it down pretty easily.
TU had had 3-4 really good chances. Creighton has had 1 good chance but the defense rallied well to block it out.
TU had had 3-4 really good chances. Creighton has had 1 good chance but the defense rallied well to block it out.
0-0 at half. TU is playing with more pace than any other game I've seen this year. Luke Jeffus is deceptively fast with the ball at his feet. Creighton looks sluggish.
TU is playing as well as they did against FAU the other night. Just need to find a goal.
TU is playing as well as they did against FAU the other night. Just need to find a goal.
Certainly. TU was actually the better of the two teams and didn't finish any of the excellent chances they created. Creighton had a couple promising attacks but I'm not sure they finished with more than one actual SOG.
Runnin Rebels on Saturday
TU looked dominant the entire match to me. Hate it ended in a tie but we showed we were the better team. A couple times we could have finished better but overall it was just bad luck on a few of those not going in and a couple great saves by Creighton.
Finishing does need to get better. I'm not sure MHS was offside on the one he did put in the net but the camera angles didn't show it clearly. I thought AR1 was out of position all night though...he seemed to lag behind plays.
We do need to finish better. Victor Thompson had a sitter on a header really early and steered it wide. Taka had a volley that he pushed over the net off a great feed from Will Edwards. I'm happy to see Tom has moved Will to a MF role so he can jump into the attack more. He was tremendous last night. And I think working some of the new guys into the D has shored the back line up as well. I think we'll be fine moving forward but we absolutely need to finish great chances when we've got them. Heggeland for sure on those as well. Takes too much time to set up his shot...just hit the damn ball towards goal.
BTW, the shot from Jeffus late in the first half that went off the defenders shin and had such insane top spin was a thing of beauty. TU has a chance of running off 4 or 5 straight against not great teams to build some confidence before getting to the nitty gritty of the conference schedule (FIU, SMU).
And I think TU is dealing with some injuries. Segeguchi didn't appear to be in uniform yesterday after starting the first few games. Baena is nursing either a quad or hamstring injury and isn't full speed. He's been playing really limited minutes recently. And MHS seemed to go down with an injury in the first half yesterday. TU is better defensively when MHS isn't on the field, but they are also limited in scoring when he isn't on the field. He can turn and shoot as quick as anyone I've seen. Richnow is also hurt which opened the door for Thompson to start (and I think TU has actually been better with Thompson back there).
Will Edwards was a stud!
I know the weather played a pretty big part on some of the finishes. The header in the second half, he made decent contact but on the replay you would see the amount of water kick off the ball and his head and you could also see the skid it made when it hit the ground. It lost some of its spin and made it look like a header straight to the ground. That was one if the weather was better I think it finds the back of the net.
I am still learning names but we had a player middle of second half with an amazing run. He went around about 3-4 defenders. He should have taken a shot but decided to do one more move and it was stolen. That was a HUGE missed opportunity that I am sure he wanted back. Short haired blonde fella. He was a stud as well.
I know the weather played a pretty big part on some of the finishes. The header in the second half, he made decent contact but on the replay you would see the amount of water kick off the ball and his head and you could also see the skid it made when it hit the ground. It lost some of its spin and made it look like a header straight to the ground. That was one if the weather was better I think it finds the back of the net.
I am still learning names but we had a player middle of second half with an amazing run. He went around about 3-4 defenders. He should have taken a shot but decided to do one more move and it was stolen. That was a HUGE missed opportunity that I am sure he wanted back. Short haired blonde fella. He was a stud as well.
MHS has been playing really well so I'm wondering where the goals will come from if he has an extended absence.
Wyatt is not the solution. He is fun to watch in some ways - kind of like Iraj used to be back in Roughnecks days. But he's hit or miss on creating and converting opportunities. He is better as a change of pace IMO.
Wyatt is not the solution. He is fun to watch in some ways - kind of like Iraj used to be back in Roughnecks days. But he's hit or miss on creating and converting opportunities. He is better as a change of pace IMO.
I think you're talking about Eijgendaal. He needs to get rid of the ball quicker. Someone set a sitter up for him in the first half from about 10 yards, left post, and he took an extra touch and the shot got blocked by the defender. That shot HAS to be 1st time. He's actually had quite a few chances because he is able to beat defenders 1 v 1 on the turn and dribble, but he usually takes things too deep and gets dispossessed. The one you're talking of, he needed to lay the ball off to his left to the overlapping runner as he drew 3 Creighton defenders to him.
My only other criticism is the weight of passes. We consistently try to be too fine. Hammer the damn pass to your target and their touch should be good enough at this level to get things going. That's one thing watching Fazio and Sach, Cashion, and Bromstedt the last couple of years...they hammered the passes around the back and it opened up space. Ball travels faster than players.
TU men beat UAB 1-0 tonight. Goal came in the 10th minute. TU played a majority of the game with 10 as the GK (backup for some reason tonight) got red carded in the 37th minute. I haven't seen anything so I can't comment but we seem to pick up an abnormal amount of straight red cards.
A match up between two Top 10 teams, Marshall vs West Virginia, is already sold out. The game is in mid October with 3,100 tickets sold. There’s no reason this can’t be done in Tulsa.
He miss hit a goal kick right to a defender. Then he went out to the defender damn near 15 feet outside the box and put his hands on the ball. He did save an almost guaranteed goal but it was definitely a red card. Really boneheaded play.
I just watched it. He had to do it at that point.
So consecutive games with big GK errors.
TU also sluggish and fortunate to win. They really miss Malik Henry Scott IMO.
I'm pretty sure Tom was giving Alex a rest but also a pseudo benching for the play against UNLV. Everyone knows you're the best GK in the country with the ball at his feet...don't be arrogant about that fact and try to make a play that requires flawless execution by both the passer (Alex) and the receiver of the pass. That pass in that situation with that pressure against absolutely should never be made. Clear the damn ball and reset.
As for Stern, it really doesn't hurt TU much beyond the 10 men for the remainder of that match (unlike Fazio's red card last year). Alex was likely going back between the pipes in the next game anyway.
I am not surprised at the UNLV error.
Even the most flawless midfielder will occasionally have an errant pass. I have been thinking that for several matches now - that type of GK error is inevitable. All it takes it a small error of concentration or miscommunication.
No need to keep tempting fate like that no matter how skilled you are.
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Well Matt Turner got lucky today. He decided to just not clear a ball first time. Forward touched it around him, and he just kicked the hell out of the forward. For some ungodly reason, neither the referee or VAR didn't give it. Clear PK. No questions asked.
The lads started the game looking like they hadn't woken up yet. Conceded a really early goal to USF on a through ball and the CB just couldn't keep pace with the forward. TU has just now equalized in the 13th minute on a freaking highlight reel diving header! Seriously this should be an ESPN top 10 play today.
We don't. Lacking some confidence up front. Not enough speed in the back. We just gave up an own goal and our down 2-1 with 16 min left.
We also dropped off when subs came on around the 20 minute mark.
Tough loss at home especially with a back loaded conference schedule. Not a lot good to say about that performance. Struggled with passing, first touch, and service. Outside backs looked athletically overmatched much of the game. We are dangerous on set pieces. Need to capitalize more on these. Last three conference game are daunting.
