RECAP: On to Orlando, Hounds Win 1-0

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By @SAdyson

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The Hounds defeated Duquesne University 1-0 after a pretty nice strike by Rob Vincent.

But we’ve come to the conclusion that this preseason has been pretty meaningless for the club.

The Hounds have not received the 4-5 players on loan from the Dynamo. New signings such as Ngwenya, Obodai, and even John have not seen a significant amount of time on the field during preseason. Most of the players out on the field during these preseason matches have been depth players (such as C’deBaca and Green) or trialists (such as Cabrillo and Earls).

As such, it is difficult for us to be particularly excited about the Hounds before they leave for Orlando to face the Lions. We feel as though these matches over the past two weeks have not really shown a whole lot about what the team will look like once the season begins.

Sure, we got to see Angulo eviscerate a weaker college side and Hunter and Blum shut out college teams. But until the season begins, it is extremely difficult to speculate regarding who we’ll see out of the field on March 29th and what the team will look like.

  • Aside from Dallman, Vincent, and C’deBaca, the left-footed midfielder on trial from Rochester, Danny Earls, has showed flashes of brilliance when on the field. He is extremely physical and wins a lot of 50/50 balls in the middle of the field. He may be able to push for a roster spot.
  • At this point, it’s anyone’s guess who the starting goalkeeper is going to be for the Hounds. Both Hunter and Blum have seen about equal time, but Hunter may get the nod simply because of his pedigree and experience.
  • It was nice to see Jason Kutney suit up and take the field against his alma mater. It was quite apparent that several players were trying to feed him the ball so that he could score.

Now, it’s time to put on the big-boy pants. The Hounds travel to Orlando, and then Richmond to open the season. Both clubs will be tough match-ups, and it will be interesting to see how the Hounds gel with very little time having their soon-to-be starting XI on the field during the preseason.

#UNLEASH

steelarmy

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