You can erase FC Dallas from the list of unbeatens (a list they were the last member of). Khano Smith’s 72nd-minute strike helped a severely short-handed New England squad head to Pizza Hut Park and knock off previously unbeaten FC Dallas last night.
For those of you who missed it, here is the goal:
Not sure what happened to Dario Sala on that goal but it wasn’t exactly the hardest hit ball ever.
Smith is REALLY tall and REALLY strong. His long legs are both his greatest weakness and greatest strength. Because of them, he lacks agility in tight spaces. Defenders can do well if they can get in his legs. OTOH, when he gets some room to manuever, he’s almost impossible to knock off the ball. Technically, he’s a pretty poor dribbler, but in effect, he is dangerous because he manages to collect a lot of the balls that go off the defender’s shins. He’s going to look really bad at times, but he’s also got a knack for making some really big plays.
I think Khano was rather hopeless last night but he came through with a pretty well taken goal that the keeper was screened on.
Christman was horrible. I can’t wait for Twellman to return.
A pretty darned good result considering we were missing 6 starters and playing a new formation. Chase Higelbrink and Igwe played suprisingly well and Heaps and Parkhurst were in the right spots all the time. Flood had a quiet but effective match as well.
After a match like this out of Shalrie Joseph I think it is clear that he should not be on this team. He needs to be in Europe earning lots of money. The man is on another level and it was so obvious last night. He’s the most well-rounded player in the league and he showed some real toughness last night and never gave up.
Count me with Homey on this one. I had been thinking up to that point K. Smith had a lead first touch. The move on the defender was a nice one however, ths shot not a cracker but clearly well struck…its not like it went in to the net on its last roll, it was a one hopper that Sala did not expect. A good play, but also Smith’s first good play of the game, he had been weak on possession up to that point.
@Larry – Amen!
In a recent comment on SBI, I condemned Khano Smith as being the worst player starting for the Revs. Despite scoring against Dallas, he fully justified my previous comment. With the exception the goal, he did absolutely nothing productive the entire game.
STX81: “…some credit for out muscling Dax McCarty…”
You have got to be kidding me about a 6-4 guy getting credit for out muscling some one that is 5 foot nothing. If anything he should have been embarresed by how much Dax controlled him and the number of time he took the ball away.
Khano Smith isn’t my ideal winger, but how does he qualify for this level of crap? People comparing him to Alan Gordon are deluded. If I’m a Dallas fan, I’d be much more disappointed with no one closing him down than ripping Sala for not getting to a perfectly placed shot with a bunch of traffic in the way.
Last year Smith was able to step in when there were a bunch of injuries and finished 2nd on the team in assists. He’s physical, fast, draws fouls, comes up with some plays, and only costs about $45k. How is he not a valuable part of an MLS team?
He reminds me of Justin Mapp (looking at it objectively, not what I WISH Mapp would do) – lots of runs ending in turnovers, makes some plays. Similar stats, but Khano costs 20% of the price.
People have been overstating the slowness of the shot. It was hit with medium pace into the far side netting, while Sala started out on the near post. He could have done better, but if we’re going to talk about embarrassing MLS goals, I certainly wouldn’t start with this one.
Ew. Ah.
Gotta go with STX81 on this… Khano gets his first goal of the year to earn 3 points on the road and you guys slag him for it?
I dont get it. How is a curling shot placed right in the bottom corner ‘lucky’ or ‘aweful’?
Khano’s very inconsistent, yes, but lets give him so credit for his 10 seconds of brilliance.
Well Sala never slid more to the center of the goal as Smith was moving toward the center. But I am going to put the blame on the defense on that. You can’t let a guy run along the 18 that long with being 3 yards away from him. It is a guranteed shot going to happen. And I gurantee you in that situation I’d score atleast 60% of the time.
Is it possible that Sala was shielded?
was a pretty poorly played game on the whole….the run was good, the play on call was good….the shot…not so good & the sala positioning…even worse….but overall, that was kind of a summary of the match…some spurts of good play, but the majority was just bang around, loose touches & just overall poor game….crowd was…..uninspired to say the least.
I’m pretty sure the shot was deflected by Serioux actually. Take another gander. The ball was on its way up off of his foot, but ended up all along the ground. Who knows where it was going to end up if there was no deflection . . .
@STX81 – Steve Nicol. At least Nicol could complete a pass to someone who is actually ON the NE Revolution roster. Seriously though, if Khano Smith is better than any of the other eligible players for last nights game……then I’m speechless.
The run was great (Prus did a wonderful job last night, particularly on that play on and the caution for diving), but the shot was awful. Hilariously poor work from Sala.
Well, I guess I’ll be the only person giving Khano props for catching Sala off guard by striking the ball with his weaker foot. Come on people! I know it’s hip to bash the guy (hell, I do it too), but you have to give him some credit for out muscling Dax McCarty to get in position to score.
Homey Boehme, who off of the revs bench would you have played instead of Smith last night?
BFBS, if you watch it again the Dallas defender knocks the ball away from Smith, at which point Smith regains possession and runs in to score the goal. That touch away by the defender has to be why it was an unassisted goal.
The match report made it sound like a cracker. He’s lucky that even got all the way through on goal.
A result’s a result I guess, but after seeing it, it was more luck than skill.
Khano Smith was terrible all game, and I only think poor positioning by Salas allowed that goal to be scored. How Smith has a starting role on this team is beyond me even with a third of the NE lineup out injured.
Ives,
How come Mansally and Dube did not get assists for that goal?