Hammering Down: This Legion Team is FUN

And I want to have a film study coming out later that's going to really break it down. But the big things that I want to take away from the match. And this might be a shorter episode because it's you can't really get into formations right now. Like the team started off in a four two three one where they had you know, Trial is number five as his mother

knows him who I think his name is. Maybe it was like Robbie Robbie Moore Mora maybe possibly there there's a guy that played for Gonzaga that kind of fits the bill for for this but anyway, but we all just know him and love him as Trial is number five stupid And you also had oh my gosh, what's his name, Dawson McCartney starting as the other holding midfielder. This is of course because Kobe Hernandez Foster was out

for this match assumingly injured. Same thing for A. J. Patterson who is out who you heard said on UH on the Red Mountain radio that he is injured and he's going to be back. And we also started off with Trey Garthen on the right hand side and placed up Passuer. So like there's there's a lot of missing pieces from this match and it's only our first three season match that we were and some people were getting a little upset over just kind of how way some

things went. And I just need to remind people Elaine United has been in training for three weeks now. That was their second friendly. Legion have been in training for one week and that was their first friendly. Things are going to look way different. And this is a constantly and I side. After talking to some of the guys from soccer down here, where the expectations for this team is top four in MLS, I think Legion fans can

be happy with what they saw, especially defensively. The goals that they conceded were honestly a really clever set piece I mean, I'm gonna when I have my film study, I'm want to break it down and I have a lot of stuff and I'm excited about breaking that down on But it's really clever. It's really really clever, and an old goal. That's it. Now you can sit there and say, well, there wasn't a shot on target. I'm

willing to actually disagree with that. Where Yana Bazini, or as his mother knows him as Trial Is twenty eight, he those two got onto kind of the same page with Trialis fourteen. I love this time of year, and Yana Bazini again Trial Is twenty eight puts in a nice little shot that was destined for the bottom corner but ends up like getting cleared off the line. I think that that should be a shot on target. I really don't know why that's not a shot on target.

I understand it's a quote unquote blocked shot. For to be a shot on target, the goalkeeper has to save it, which I think is a little silly sometimes. Anyway, not

the point. I think that this team created a ton of pressure, and I think that's what you take away from this match is you can sit there and say, well, we're going to play a four or four to two three one maybe, But things may look different when you have Kobe hern and Nez Foster on the pitch right, you know, trial is number five, might not be in the might not be in the lineup. You may not have Dawson McCartney in the lineup. Maybe Dawson McCartney goes

somewhere else, Maybe Enzo plays a little bit deeper. There's a lot of ways that this can flow. And the biggest thing that you need to know is that this team is going to press. And I was trying to figure out what they're like their press trigger is, and the best I can kind of find here is that this team kind of once it gets into the winged areas, they are hyper aggressive. They are trying to force teams to the touch line, and they are just trying to

win the ball back. There were a lot of times where Legion forced Lanta United to play faster than they wanted to. They sped the game up, And so some people were sitting there and saying, well, Atlanta United just looks so much faster in the Legion because Legion made them play faster than Atlanta United wanted to. It was really impressive to watch, and I think one thing you did see was a gap in quality. And guys, I'm sorry. I love this Legion team. I think this Legion team

is better than some MLS teams. But when you're looking at a potential top four team in MLS versus a top four team in USL, there's a sizeable gap there. There just is. And I mean they bought Miguel Almaran mcgalmaron for like more than this entire team is worth,

like all together, It's okay, it is really okay. And I think when you start getting into moments where you saw some of the crosses that Danny trey Hat was putting in, you saw some of the moments that you saw, especially with Steven Turnbull, he was so good where it was like, okay, this is kind of working out. I think that Ronald o'damis wasn't getting a lot of play through the middle of the pitch they were relying on.

He was relying on a lot of crosses. But I also think that changes when you get a Kobe Hernan Nez Foster onto the field. I think that going through the middle of the pitch is going to be a lot easier with Kobe. I think that this is a team that has a lot going for it. There was some conversations about the center back that started in the first half. That was, if I do understand correctly, Ethan KOs who the reason he looks so good despite being

from the US. He was born in the US. He has been playing in the League of Ireland, in the top tier of the League of Ireland for a year or so. Now he plays for Kerry FC. Just interesting stuff. I mean, dude played a full season, thirty four matches at center back. I mean he is a young player, twenty three years old. And I think one thing you should really take away from this match was how defensively

solid they were. I mean, Fanwell looked good. Fanwell looked really good, honestly, and I can't believe I want to say this. Fanwell might have looked. Now, this is not fair. This is just so not fair. Just to understand I'm saying this. This is the level in which this defense played. That Fanwell weirdly looked like the weakest link. I don't think he is, by the way, but that's just what it looks like. Because Ethan coach played so well. Uh. Thiago Suarez Oh my gosh, I love Thiago's us. Don't

fall in love with the Loney. Just don't do it, because you're gonna be heartbroken when they eventually leave you. And I'm falling in love with the Loney and my man of the match, Ramy's and Moudhah. His time over at Verda Bremen must have just took him from being a teenage boy to just a grown man who Ramy's just got the U seventeen call up. I think that just i Romy's was good. He was so good. What he was doing with the ball at his feet when

he was playing center back was just wonderful. Last year we couldn't played Ramy's at center back. He was he just wasn't strong enough yet he was bodying grown men. It was unbelievable. Not just that he was our set piece taker in the second half. Okay, go off, young king their sound about legion and letting the sixteen year old take set pieces. I miss you, Matthew. Speaking of Matthew, I think that we kind of got our confirmation that

Matthew is gone. Jackson Robel Warble, I never know how I pronounce his last name starts with a w that freaks me out. He was wearing trial is number seventeen Jackson, who of course played with the Legion back in twenty twenty one, just a few minutes, like legit cup of coffee when like as an academy player. Then he goes off to Watford, the college, not the team, and then he went off to Clemson, where I think he just

graduated and he's done with his collegiate career. Jackson was back, looked pretty good, but he was wearing the seventeen, and unless Matthew was planning a kit number change, was like he's gone. That it hurts. It does hurt to see Matthew gone. But I also think this is the strongest position roster wise of this team could have been left in. And I kind of circle back. This round of Rommy's was just so good, so so good man that you know, I talked a lot about talents like Matthew don't come

around very often. You know, you need to appreciate the young talents that you have, Rommy's in terms of like what kind of reputation he's going to build for himself, especially if he gets real deal minutes this year Rommy is my get more he might get be more recognized, more internationally acclaimed than Matthew. And that's not to say Matthew isn't good. It's just I think I think Romy's a mudha is that good? He just looks like a different from beast this year. I am just stunned at

how good he looked. Tiago Suarez was awesome. He is fast and also six ' five he is about the

same size as a Now's cornale. So when you think about set pieces, if you sign Ayana Bazzini, who again he was from Forest Green, he also played for the University of Vermont, if you look at Ayana Vazzini, which by the way, he would be the second of Vermont Green guy that comes to us, which I don't know, that's pretty cool if he does sign does two six y five guys that if you're chasing a game in the final few minutes, throw those guys into the into the box. Ay, hey, go get your head on something.

And Romie's is not a slouch either. I mean I think he's taller than me at this point. Those are big, big bodies that you can throw into the box and win some And it's not to say that we won't miss Alex. I I miss Alex for a lot of reasons. But when we're talking about purely set pieces, I don't know this This team has the ability to be a weapon and the set pieces. I think just in general, you're going to see this team grow. What you saw out of Treyjo. He had a couple of moments that

were really fine. Uh. One player that really stood up to me on the wings, of course, would be a Taboro Taco Preston. Preston was awesome. He was really causing issues for that back line that he had a couple of dribbles that just completely unlocked this this Atlanta United team. It was really impressive to watch he He just stuns me every now and then. He just kind of has

the ball glued to him. In general, I think the biggest missing piece was a holding mid possibly a cam where I think that getting Kobe Hernandez Foster back changes a lot of that. I still think you're looking for a cam and maybe you say ends is enough. I don't think I love endSo there and some people are going to say put Danny Trejo there. I just don't think that gets the best out of tray Ho. I

think it's not the best idea, but we'll see. I mean, things could shake out, and maybe this situation where we say we don't need a cam, We're just going to go to like a four to two four, have two holding mids, and we'll just bomb the wings, because that's what this entire match was. We were just going to work the wings, and that can work. Look at a Sacramento of Republic these last couple of years where they were winning matches on death by a billion crosses. You

win that way, and maybe it's not as sexy. If some people want they want that tiki taka through the midfield and just a perfectly slid through to the middle of the pitch and you score a goal that way, it looks awesome. Aesthetics are beautiful, but goals is goals, babe. Goals is goals. If we score, who cares? Who cares? I think that was great. Dorado showed me a lot of good things. He was able to work some space

and he came so close as scoring. I mean he was probably about two inches on the wrong side of the post from slotting it away. Dorado was really creating some stuff. Bazini was really played him through. I didn't get an id on who trial as fourteen was, but dude,

as fast as lightning. He was awesome. A cool moment I saw was and I have it in the film Breakdown that's going to be coming out sometime this week where Trick Garthen and h Turnbull we're going down the right hand side and dreg Garth and basically Turnbull played it into Tregarthan and Turnbull goes to make the overlap and treg Garthan does not play him. He tries to just turn around and go to the midfield, and I mean, Turnabule was not mean, but it was coaching on the field.

He said, look, you get that ball, you see me making that run, just play me, Just play me. I'm there because we need to put in a cross. I am there. Also, Turnbull had a couple of good recoveries. It was really fun to watch just in general, even though the goals did not happen, this match was fine. This team is fine, and we didn't really talk that much about, you know, what could have gone wrong, what

could have been better? And I think one thing that we saw, and it was a difference from last year as well, where the gap between the first half team and the second half team. Sure, the first half team was able to put on a little bit more pressure, but I also think that was Atlanta United. It's kind of not their two team, but like their second eleven, and then we've had our best eleven, so the quality

is a little closer. The second half was closer to Atlanta United's first team, not completely, but closer, and it was our kind of best or our second eleven, and the gap was not that far off each other. The first half legion had a little bit more success, but honestly, our best shots came in the second half. The gap between our trialists and our starters is not a billion miles away. Our depth is not far off from being our starters, and our starters include Ornaldo Damas and Danny Trejo.

That's a great thing. That is a great thing, and I'm excited to see what this closed door friendly. Get your season tickets. By the way, they don't pay me to say that. I'm just saying it because I think you should just watched this team as much as you can before March eighth, I think that's the day anyway. I just really think that you should watch this team as much as you can because This team's gonna be so much fun. This next weekend, there's going to be

Chattanooga FC. Who they are. They beat Atlanta United just last week. They have real talent on the pitch. I think this is gonna be an interesting test because I think Chattanooga is going to be prime to make a real MLS next pro run. So I think that this team is going to be a little bit closer to our level than Elana United was to us, and I think this is gonna be a good test. I think it's gonna be interesting to see what this team can do. But just go and watch them, because they're fine. Man.

They are just so much fun. But that's really all I have. There's really not a lot of tactics we can break away from this because when you're dealing with trialists fourteen five, twenty seven six and I don't know name your trialist number, who is your favorite trialist? Tell me stupid? When you're just dealing with that, it's kind of hard to really break stuff down. So it's kind of the best I got. So thank you so much for listening. I appreciate you all. So next time, guys, keep paring it on.