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So, these kinds of posts really only work if you can point to a previous post where you said “hey, this is interesting. Something to keep an eye on.”

Sorry folks, I failed you in that.

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I’m here to fill in a blank that you probably didn’t even realize was there.

You may not even really be in the mood to accept any of this, either. That’s fine. I don’t really blame you. But do press on and give this a chance.

We know very well what Carl Robinson’s preferred playing style is: he’s of the Mourinho school, where you let the other team have plenty of possession, where you wait for them to make a mistake and then attack on the counter.

He’s also, as I noted last year and JJ Adams did earlier this year, of the Simeone school, which says “work hard on your set pieces, no one else is, if you get it right, you’ve taken control of an underrated part of the game.”

It’s not glamorous. If it doesn’t work, it’s down right ugly. Of course, when it does work, it can get you to the MLS western conference semi-final.