The Yura Project...

By Truhlk





While watching RSL play two games so far this season, I have been left with several questions about who and what they are. Today I’m going to examine one of those questions. The question is this: Has Yura Movsisyan improved or is this the same old Yura that we have seen in the past? Good for a stretch and then colder than cold for a stretch, that's been his MO for the few years he has been in the league.


Let’s start by examining his stats...


When Yura first started his career in 2006 he played 221 minutes in 10 games, all for the Kansas City Wizards. He managed 15 shots, only putting 5 of those on goal, with none of them beating the keeper. Those aren’t mind-blowing stats, but they show that Yura had the ability to get shots off but struggled keeping them on frame without putting it right at the keeper.


In his second season he started off with Kansas, and after playing 18 of his 23 games was traded to RSL. That season he managed 5 goals on 42 shots with only 13 on frame. That sets him up for 31.5% of his shots on frame and 8.7% of his shots actually tallied.


Yura's third year is when things get interesting. As we all remember, last year was his “coming out party” and it marked his best run of form with 47.8% of his shots being on frame (33) and 7 goals scored for a 10% mark out of all his shots (69). This was good enough to carry RSL into the playoffs and make Yura 7th in most shots taken and 7th most shots on goal out of everyone in MLS for the 2008 campaign.


Now coming into his 4th season, Yura has started out with 10 shots and 5 on frame for a 50% mark; his best yet. Unfortunately, that has resulted in zero goals. Now two games isn’t much of a sample size so I won’t worry about his lack of goals just yet, but looking at his overall stats, I’m left with a problem. Yura has improved his shot each year, putting more and more on frame. Again this year he is among the league leaders in shots and shots on goal (you can see where he ranked Friday--when most teams had played just two games--below). The problem is that with all those shots he is allowing keepers to get some gaudy save numbers. Off the top of my head, I can’t remember a shot yet this year that he didn’t put off the keeper’s feet or into his body. With as many chances as he gets, Yura must do better.


Out of our two-headed monster up top (Robbie Movsisyan, or is it Yura Findley?) we have seen one great game and one lousy game. The good game came with Yura playing more of a reserved role and Robbie making the crisscrossing runs up top that can prove to be dangerous. This also allowed Yura to utilize his strength battling Marshall and make cuts off of Robbie’s diagonal runs. In the poor game, their roles seemed reversed. Robbie came back too deep to get the ball and Yura didn’t have someone to run up top with him to whom he could play off of like he did with Robbie last Thursday.


Part of this may be due to the way the defenses played them. Part may be the home vs. away conundrum. Or, it just may be the luck of Will Hesmer coughing up the ball to Robbie twice early in the game giving him confidence. None of these things however answer why Yura, with 5 shots on goal, hasn’t put one away yet. Given the stats above and what I have seen so far, it’s just a matter of time. Yura is still a young player and is learning. Thus far he has gotten better each year he has been in the league. Now if he can just learn to keep a shot on target but also avoid kicking it right at the keeper he will be well on his way to being one of the better strikers in this league.


-Truhlk





*Up to date 2009 stats can be found Here



















Will Hesmer - RSL's MVP!
By Truhlk





Will Hesmer, Columbus keeper and RSL MVP, started the night in the best manner RSL fans could hope for. First he deflected a set piece attempt by Will Johnson into an on-rushing Robbie Findley. Then, after Columbus had evened the score on a poorly defended corner by RSL, Hesmer came through a second time by hitting the ball straight to Findley, setting up Robbie’s second goal of the match. Hesmer picked up his play after that, but it wouldn’t matter as he was beaten two more times on the night: with Findley notching one more for a hattrick and Kyle Beckerman finishing the scoring in the 67th minute on a corner.


Findley not only impressed with his three goals, matching Josie Altidore’s total for the USA the night before, but he also provided some great service to fellow striker Yura Movsisyan, right-back Tony Beltran, and others on different plays throughout the night. One of those plays led to the corner that Beckerman scored on. Findley was very aggressive with his runs, pushing forward more than I have seen from him in a long time. If he can continue to make those runs, the striking partnership between him and Yura could prove to be very lethal as defenses won’t be able to focus on either one for fear of the other making them pay.


The one concern that I saw was another yellow card for Beckerman, meaning that he is now 2 for 2 on the season. That and the rain seemed to be the only things that I could find fault with this game. RSL played a full 90 and looked like a team that will be tough to beat at home.


There were a few good moments for Columbus as well, mostly coming from corner kicks where the Crew enjoyed a 7-3 advantage. Two such moments came in the 73rd minute when Jason Garey headed a Guillermo Barros Schelotto corner goalward, only to have Beckerman flick it up and over. The second came on the ensuing corner kick with the ball landing at the feet of Chad Marshall about 2 yards from goal. Marshall somehow managed to hit the ball wide of the near post, as Jamison Olave slid in to try to take it away, saving RSL. Another scare came in the 88th minute when Garey again managed to break through on the left side of the defense and get a chance on goal, only to have Olave slide in and take it away at the last moment. Both Garey and Olave suffered some ill effects from it, with Garey having to be helped off the field and carried to the locker room. As promising as these plays looked for the Crew, they also served to show how good the RSL defense can be in preventing goals when their opponent isn’t perfect in their execution—and sometimes even when they are.


Whether Kreis’ team can continue to play this way or we find that this was an aberration won’t be known for nine days. Real has until Saturday April 11th to rest up before they next take the field against DC United. With any luck that game should see a return of Robbie Russell and Luis Miguel Escalada to the bench, giving Real several more choices late in games. Hopefully it will also come with a bit warmer weather


-Truhlk





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