After watching the Furious game and reading KW's thoughts on Sockeye, I have a few follow up thoughts on the NexGen tour.
Past
It looks like club teams are not bringing it the way I thought they would. In watching the Furious game, there were some notable players missing including Oscar, Gabe, and Andrew Brown. I'm not certain where in the game they would have improved things, but each has valuable assets and I think a break here or there could have been reeled in with them on the field.
The argument is even stronger with Sockeye. Only 11 players? Wow. One of the things that struck me from the Furious game is how shallow the NexGen roster is. On the sidelines there was so much more red than black, and considering the gambit NexGen is signed up for, I hope everyone stays healthy. Nevertheless, 11 vs 13 is pretty comparable, making Sockeye's 15-11 win appear more favorable for NexGen than it could have been.
Present
Regardless of how hard Furious or Sockeye fought against NexGen, I fully expect them to bring it to Rhino. The confidence and chemistry developed in these two games are significant not only becuase guys like Eric Johnson and Nick Lance have made huge plays, but they have come against what these kids believe are two of the best teams in the world. Egos were already huge on this roster and now they are only bigger.
Intangibles aside, I think NexGen's biggest weapon tonight will be their two Rhino members (Dylan Freechild and Cody Bjorklund). In addition to providing skill and scouting tips, their absence will be felt with Rhino. Portland had their heyday in '06-'07 but now that Seth is long gone and they haven't been to Nationals in a while, they really need all their standouts. Given the competition Rhino faces in the NW, a loss to NexGen won't be that big a deal. Portland has enough trouble and one more drop in the bucket shouldn't be that significant.
Future
Given NexGen's success against Furious and Sockeye (ie not getting blown out), I think their remaining opponents will be incredibly focused. I fully expected Revolver to crush NexGen and I am even more certain of that now. Don't suck Chicken ;)
However, of the games left, I am the most interested in NexGen vs Bravo. JB has quietly added Austen Gregersen and Joe Kershner, two of my favorite ultimate people. Austen was a stud for Sunburn and Barrio and Kershner hasn't come up for air since winning the Callahan. Unless I am mistaken, this NexGen game will be our first look at these two players together since (cue misty eyed Match) they captured our hearts back in 2008. Hopefully both play.
Closing Thoughts
I think NexGen's first two games have gone as good as one could hope. They have been close, expectations have been met and momentum has been built. Given the fact that July is typically a down month for elite club teams, I suspect NexGen will get past a few slumbering squads. This should be good for NexGen becuase it will validate the entire tour and teams caught sleeping will have a wake up call before the series.
Keep up the good work.
Match Diesel, PhD
1 comments:
revolver game last night: traded to 6-5, revolver scores and then breaks four times in a row, nexgen fights back, turns it on the goalline down 11-14 and revolver punches it in for the win. Revolver had some sloppy turns and wasn't playing as tight of a rotation as they might have, but they had a full roster and nexgen played them close to level for most of the match.
these kids are good. nick lance and montague really stood out in particular.
any idea why matt rehder isn't on the team anymore?
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