Vic’s Fall 2-0 to Railhawks

I’d like to apologize in advance for the crude personal opinion that may be expressed here, instead of an informative news article. But these days, being a Vic’s fan just keeps getting harder and harder, and it’s nearly impossible to discuss the Vic’s at all without acknowledging the rumors, turmoil, and speculation surrounding them.

There is pretty much only one reason why last night’s scoreline didn’t read 12-0, and that is because of ‘The Enforcer’, goalkeeper Eric Reed. For a team that seems to be waning on their enthusiasm level, Reed consistently shows his professionalism, intuition, and energy on the field. Time and time again last night, when defenders found themselves on the wrong side of the person they should have been marking, Reed showed that he knew when to come out to meet a challenge or keenly parry – sometimes one-handed- each shot. In the 23rd minute, as one Carolina attacker cut through three Vic’s defenders, Reed came out alone and stymied the shot on goal. In the 36th minute, Railhawks super-striker Bailey got around defender Randolph – again – and attempted to chip a shot in. Again, Reed was there to deny Bailey. So many times Reed saved difficult, challenging shots, that could have been avoided with a defense that was paying attention.

When the defense is not pulling their weight, it seems to make the rest of the team nervous and the midfield unsure of themselves. How can the attack move forward if they are worried about the back?

This isn’t to say that the rest of the team doesn’t have any quality: they do. But there is some serious disorganization. The introduction of many new players, combined with the ridiculous exit of players like Josh Hansen, is not doing the attack any favors. Who is the strike force? Who is the midfield, that should be preventing the constant turnovers? Standout players, such as Morales, Kim, Munoz, and Sanchez – who all played last night- and Casillas and Fitzgerald – who did not- have all displayed the ability to get possession and attempt goals. But in pausing for a moment, searching for someone to pass to, and trying to get their bearings – the Vic’s lose a precious moment and allow teams with strong defenses (PDX) to pounce on them.

The current ’situation’ of the club must weight, at least somewhat, in the back of the players minds. As most of you already know, Dmitry Piterman, who owned the Vic’s at one point, relinquished his interest in his other club Deportivo Alaves, after an apparently extremely acrimonious fall out with their supporters. This move prompted a ton of new questions. What would happen to the Vic’s? Will this be their only season? Will they be sold? Can they be sold? Then the Earthquakes announced their comeback. Will the Vic’s now be a feeder team for the Quakes? Can they compete with the Quakes for fans interest?

Most of these questions remain unanswered, and the Vic’s management have left their supporters in the dark. According to a Victory spokesperson, ” Piterman will continue to support the club until the end of the season.” After that, evidently, it’s anyones guess.

Perhaps one of the bright lights of this situation, though, is the 1906 supporters club. Despite the turmoil, they still come out in force to the games, organize viewing parties, and heatedly debate team issues on websites. So for Vic’s players who might feel a bit out of sorts, just know you guys still have a lot of fans and support. Better luck at Charleston.

Category: Team News

Tags: Team News

Subscribe   The Offside RSS Feeds

Print

Share