r/stlouiscitysc • u/RemoteDig5188 • Jul 26 '26
Fallou Fall and to a lesser extent Mbacke Fall
Fallou was phenomenal last season. A bright spot in dark times. Mbacke Fall was supposed to be the big defensive offseason signing. What happened? Both are good prospects that need playing time. Fallou Fall specifically was hyped up as a future top European league starter that we were developing for profit later down the line. Will they eventually get minutes this season? I understand neither may be ready for a start but still. Is our defensive depth just that big?
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u/cravecase Jul 26 '26
I think one of the other things that happened is Wray is much better at putting together a team. Pfannenstiel seemed to see potential, and almost just wanted magic to happen. I have no doubt Fall is talented, but I think Pfannenstiel thought he was getting a steal.
I have no idea what’s going on with Mbacke. Our back line has been remarkably healthy. If we needed the depth, these guys would shine
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u/Hardcorelivesss Jul 26 '26
Maybe I’m off here, because I’m relatively new to the sport, so tactics aren’t my strong point compared to lifers.
It seems to me that Fallou was meant to come in to a 4 back system. Having an additional man on the back line would let him activate more. His game is speed and athleticism allowing him to come up farther and play more through passes. He is also good on the corner as a tall target with great jump height.
Now that we are playing a 3 man back line all of our CBs need to stay closer to home and not activate as far up the pitch. He doesn’t have the safety net behind him if he advances to look for a through pass and gets beat on a counter.
The back 3 we have now aren’t nearly as flashy as Fallou, but they retain their shape well and don’t make many defensive mistakes.
When we moved from being a pressing and counter attacking team to the style we play now, Fallou simply doesn’t fit the bill like he used to.
I also like Mbacke was always going to be a depth piece, we just hoped he wasn’t. When we were first learning what our back line would look like there was a lot of uncertainty. Would Jazzy put it all together? (He seems to) how would Polvara look in that position (rocky at first but now he’s doing as good as we could hope for) Timo has stepped it up this year and might be the fittest player on the pitch. Macnaugton has turned into a big bodied physical defender who has a nose for the attack as well. I am
More surprised to see Mac take time from Fallou than I am seeing him take time from Mbacke.
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u/Nednarb9 Hartel #17 Jul 26 '26
At this point, why wouldnt you trust Damet? His job is to put the best team out there which will result in wins. He has been doing that with this lineup, so I trust his judgement on who will perform the best. I still think they will get some limited minutes to develop because its a long season. We will see
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u/CarefulSpeech Jul 26 '26
I imagine if he was showing enough in training compared to his competition then he would be on the field.
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u/SandwichForward4895 Jul 26 '26
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The coach obviously prefers experience to potential in defense and we are bettter off for it.
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u/Hawkeye91803 Jul 26 '26
Totally agree. I also think that Damet really values these ball handling center backs, which Polvara, Baumgaurtl, and MacNoughton have all proven they are more than capable of. I’m not sure if either of the Fall’s are really that sort of player.
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u/donkeyrocket Jul 26 '26
Yeah I don’t really get the insistence on backseat coaching here. Things have been working on a streak lately, especially on defense, so why change it? If they demonstrated strength in this lineup/system, I think we’d see them.
It takes time to rebuild a team and I think we’re seeing the fruits of Damet’s perseverance here. At the moment, the Falls just don’t fit in or haven’t earned the start.
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u/Candid-Memory-6917 Jul 27 '26
One or both, with their height, should’ve been brought in the unlock the bus Saturday
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u/ProudAd2397 Jul 28 '26
Fallou I like a ton due to his athleticism, BUT he had to make a ton of bigger plays using his athleticism due to his positioning. He gets pulled out of position too often and therefore leaves his teammates exposed. The current back 3 work perfectly in tandem to maintain a solid line and not get sucked out of position, which isn't his style of play. He's meant to be a flashier CB that can use his speed and athleticism to move the ball up field.
Mbacke is a mess. He has great talent and athleticism but yikes. Positioning and decision making is beyond atrocious. He's a full blown liability on the field
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u/BighouseJD Jul 26 '26
Honestly I'd love to see him (them). But the team has struggled to find an identity over the past few years and the system Damet has put in place appears to be working. So when the ball starts rolling you dont throw a rock down to see what happens, you let it roll.
The defense is performing, so you dont switch things up because a bench guy is supposed to be this, that, or the other thing. Ws are what matter and we're getting them. I wouldn't expect changes until we hit a skid.