#4 more wins and they complete the ‘no loose’ treble

[rubyroses222]

how insane do you wanna be?

xabi alonso and his players: yes

[fmlfpl]

Lineup Lamentations - GW31+

Our Transfers, Captains, and Starting 11s for the week!

—

WALSH

TRANSFERS:

OUT: Pukki and Grealish

IN (for -4 points hit): Richarlison and Connolly

I'm having a real fucking clunker of a season, worst of my FPL career by a lot, so I am feeling pretty loose. I'm backing what I saw with my eyes this weekend which, among other things, was that Grealish is an FPL non-option and Norwich are completely incompetent. The idea that Villa and Norwich would come back from the break revitalized and with a new fire burning was maybe too steeped in fairy tale than real life upon reflection, so, here we are. I'm not going to sit here and hope that either player turns it around and just fix the problem.

Rich looked really good against Livp, gets to play Norwich, and I guess I'm backing Everton and Carlo pretty hard here for the run in as he joins DCL in my team. Not the best fixtures but I am feeling them right now so we'll see how this goes. They are on a short break but DCL and Rich both seem like they could go 90 every day so I'm not too concerned with that. No FA Cup game so I'm not worried about Rich missing out.

I did spend more than a few minutes thinking of Alli in this spot but felt a bit too cute and leap-of-faithy with more question marks while Rich feels more of a sure thing with a similarly high ceiling.

Connolly is just cheap fuckboi who I will bury on my bench. Could've gone Necktie or something but figured that I'd rather have the extra change in my bank for what might be in my future.

GK:

de Gea (SHU)

DDG is a bit shit but he's gonna be between my sticks for the duration. Sheffu look like a beer league team right now so this clean should be extraordinarily easy.

DEF:

Maguire (SHU)

Slab makes it the double on their clean so depending on the way the wind blows here will have a big impact on my GW.

Doherty, Saïss, and Boly (BOU)

Speaking of wind and blowing, Wolves v Bournemouth. Woof. Treble Wolves D with the Dock, Saiss, and Boly get their second roll out.

Bournemouth looked holy shit all kinds of fucked up and bad against us last game and it seems like they will have an extremely difficult time finding a goal in this game. Clean feels like a pretty good shout here and I feel good with these three.

That's it for defense lol. It's just these two fucking teams. Eggs and baskets...

MID:

Mané and Salah (CRY)

Mane and Mo against my team. Whatever. Dunno what Livp will be up to or what XI he will pick after a very lethargic and shit performance against Everton. Feel like it might be enough to get them into gear before they face City the following gameweek, and with no FA Cup to distract them, they could disassemble us.

Richarlison (nor)

Rich is in against Norwich...ready to bang ok Richy let's go Rich.

Fernandes (SHU)

Lastly is Bruno. Don't really need to say anything about him. He's decent.

FWD:

Vardy (BHA)

Pretty fucking nervous about Leic and Vardy tomorrow in the early game with FA Cup for them this weekend and only two days off from the Watford game which was honestly pretty intense. Dunno what kind of XI Br0dge will select, but my hands are tied here. Much like my aggression in removing Pukki and Jack...if Leic don't pull it together quickly I could see Vardz being on the chopping block for Jesus or something soon mayb.

Calvert-Lewin (nor)

DCL looked really good to me against Livp - did his very difficult job well and nearly banged a worldy at the end of the game. Get in there lad.

BENCH:

Armstrong (ARS), Connolly (lei), and Egan (cunt)

It is harsh on Stuy that he's dropping to my bench, to be honest. It really was the biggest factor in my head towards saving, but realistically, he was always supposed to be my first shield on the bench and not someone who I rely on to start. Wouldn't be surprising if he came off anyway, but just wanted to give Stuy some words of encouragement because I love him so much. I love you Stuy, don't be mad at me kthx.

CAP:

Calvert-Lewin (nor)

I'm going to stick with DCL as shouted on the pod.

Hopefully he just like plays Bernard and Siggy with fucking like Andre Gomes and they just go into assault mode on Norwich. It'll certainly feel bad if/when Rich outscores DCL but its hard for me to justify going away from the tip of the spear for cap here.

—

ALON

TRANSFERS:

OUT: Mahrez

IN: Son

Planned switch and I made the move on Friday after Sonny boy looked good to me and came out of the match unscathed.

Mahrez is honestly one of my favorite FPL guys of all time and a true darling for me and he came through for me one more time but it’s time to go. Not really interested in Pep Roulette with him and Son to me is an easy and automatic pick from this moment through end of season. He will bang in loads of points. Simple.

GK:

Ederson (che)

Well this was supposed to be Leno but big RIP there.

I still back City to clean against like... every team in the.. world? Except Liverpool :).

So Eddy goes and will just be back there for the rest of season for me. If I need money at any point Leno down to a 3.9 might be where it comes from.

DEF:

Alexander-Arnold (CRY)

As good a clean fixture as there is in the league. Should be an easy job with upside of attacking returns and bones. Hopefully Trent’s shaken the rust off.

Maguire (SHU)

Blades are missing a lotttt of guys and they’re looking horrible so this will be the type of game where United need to just be mistake-free and not concede the oneish chance that Sheff U create and other then that should be an easy clean in complete control for 90′.

Doherty (BOU)

Doherty what a treat. No King for Bourney makes this an even tastier fixture... Hopefully Solanke starts and it’s just a shredding from Wolves. Also fingers crossed for Walsh’s treble to work out come on Wolves.

MID:

Son (WHU)

Go the fuck off Son it’s time.

Praying that Jose doesn’t maintain the Jose tactics and allows Son and Berg and Alli to run free in front of a passing midfield of Ndombele, Lo Celso, and Kane... I mean I can dream right?

Fernandes and Martial (SHU)

Plzplzpzplzplzpzplzlzplzz give me a Pogba start. I need a Pogba start so desperately... Otherwise we know what this will look like which is a dickless red devil humping a concrete wall for 90 minutes. Ugh.

Martial turnt up at the end of the Spurs match so I hope he can carry that momentum forward. Go on lads.

Traoré (BOU)

Adama! Was so thrilled when he came through for me. What a great lad. Love him. Now start him Nuno please sir.

FWD:

Aubameyang (sou)

Redemption arc begins here. No way he’s rested for FA cup right?????? (I’m terrified).

Jiménez (BOU)

Good ole Jim keeps Jimming it up. No problem gaffer.

Calvert-Lewin (nor)

Agree with what Walsh said above still love the look of this lad and think he’s got so much energy in those legs to go do it again against the by far worst defense in the division. Rip their hearts out and stomp on’em big Dom.

CAP:

Son (WHU)

I felt like I had at least 4 really good captaincy options and 2ish more then that still good sorta rogue ones too. So many good players with good fixtures in the team you love to see it.

I went to Son because Spurs must win and they have no FA Cup and he’s the best player of the group. All of those boxes being ticked swung me to Sonny boy and then for funsies I looked up his record vs West Ham which just further hammered (hehe) it home for me. This season he had a thirteen pointer goal and assist and in his seven career matches vs the bubble bois he has four goals and five assists... Absurd numbers. I usually dismiss these kinda stats but also, they’re not bad to have around, ya know?

Let’s go Son. Huge risk of ruining my week on the first day of the GW but fuck it I love the pick and loved the way he looked vs United. Cometh the hour cometh the man.

[sportsleague365]

This weekend, Manchester City have the opportunity to continue their dominance over English football by completing the domestic treble. Pep Guardiola’s side have already secured the League Cup and the Premier League title, with Watford being the only side to stand between them and FA Cup glory at present. Javi Gracia’s team have had a productive season, with a cup final to look forward to, as well as an 11th placed league finish attained, albeit after spending the majority of the campaign in and around seventh place. His Watford side have several threats, and they’re a determined bunch overall, indicating that it’ll certainly be no walk in the park for Guardiola’s champions. This is highlighted by their two previous meetings this season. Despite City wininng both fixtures 2-1 and 3-1, the actual competition on the pitch was much tighter that the scorelines suggested. Guardiola’s team had to hang on to an extent in the latter minutes at Vicarage Road, and at the Etihad, City failed to break through until the 46th minute thanks to a goal from Raheem Sterling that should have actually been labelled as offside. Ultimately, Watford have presented City with tests this campaign, so based on these previous meetings, how should Guardiola approach the cup final in terms of personnel? READ MORE READ MORE Firstly, it’s reasonable to suggest that the first meeting in November acts as a more accurate gauge of how the two sides match-up, given the excessive number of changes Gracia made for the second fixture at the Etihad, apparently to prioritise the FA Cup. The clash in November was one of the few moments all season in which Gracia has altered his team’s formation. Watford have utilised a 4-4-2 shape for the large majority of matches, but to face City, Gracia altered to a 4-1-4-1, which offers another body in midfield. Watford where then able to retreat and form a midfield bank of five, which is problematic for City as it nullifies one of their key strengths. City often have joy when facing opposing teams that operate with two banks of four, because it allows outnumbering to occur, with an example pictured below. City’s offensive bank of five outnumbers opposing banks of four (Image: Wyscout) In the screenshot, Burnley’s four defenders and four midfielders face a serious prblem. Due to City rushing at them with five attackers, it effectively means one will always be free. Gracia appeared to negate this, at least to some extent, and a 4-5-1 formation was present when the teams met for the second time. From City’s perspective, this essentially means that their usual means of attacking, by creating overloads whereby an opposing player is outnumbered or isolated, has less of an impact. Consequently, City become more reliant on individual injections of creativity. Despite this problem, Guardiola opted to keep his usual 4-3-3, with the play becoming slightly more direct in order to break through Watford’s defence. Three players in particular appeared to play key roles in both meetings, with those being David Silva, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez. In regard to Silva, he was less influential at Vicarage Road, but especially important at the Etihad. His first contribution is pictured below, in which he’s drifted towards Ilkay Gundogan and brought a Watford player with him. Silva drifts towards the ball and carries an opposing player with him (Image: Wyscout) Silva simply lays the ball back to Gundogan, who then plays a pass into the vacated space, and Sterling concludes the move with the opening goal, pictured below. Gundogan then plays a pass into the area that Silva had vacated, and Sterling scores the opener (Image: Wyscout) For the second goal, Silva retrieves a loose ball around the box, and dwells in possession before sliding in Mahrez, who’s free to tee up Sterling, shown below. Silva plays Mahrez into an area whereby he’s able to assist Sterling’s second goal (Image: Wyscout) Then, for the third goal, Silva drifted into another deeper area before playing an incisive pass to assist Sterling’s hat-trick. Silva plays a through pass to Sterling for him to secure his hat-trick (Image: Wyscout) Clearly, Silva and Sterling were crucial to the home win and in terms of Mahrez, in addition to assisting a Sterling home goal, he also provided a goal and an assist at Watford, with that pictured below. Mahrez fires a cross towards the back post for Sane to open the scoring (Image: Wyscout) Ultimately, these players stepped up to solve the tough tactical problems that Watford presented to them earlier in the season, and given those experiences, they may now be well-suited to do so once more with their individual levels of creativity. READ MORE READ MORE Source link The post The Man City stars Pep Guardiola must play vs Watford in FA Cup final appeared first on 10z Soccer. #FACup #PepGuardiola #DavidSilva

[alanjguitar]

Best Semi Hollow Body Electric Guitars Reviews

Semi-hollow body electric guitars are versatile instruments that you can play in a huge range of genres.

If you want to rock out hard and heavy, they deliver deeply resonant tones with plenty of low end oomph to make your hair stand up.

If you’re more of a softy, they can produce beautiful clean tones bordering on acoustic aesthetic that will make your soul soar.

And if you’re somewhere in the middle or looking to try your hand at every genre, semi hollow guitars are tonally balanced in a way that lets them fit nicely in nearly every musical style.

We’ve tried out the best of the best on the market to bring you this list of some of the greatest semi hollow guitars around.

For this list, I’m keeping things around my own budget, which as a man of rather average means, should encompass the price range that the typical player will find reasonable for a guitar of good quality.

Our Recommendation

You’ll see in the last and #7 spot the Dean Boca 12-string. It hits all the quality markers of a good semi hollow, but is too susceptible to warping and feedback to rank any higher on this list of the best.

Awarded the win, the best of the best semi hollows, is the Gretsch G2662T Streamliner.

We’ve raved on this guitar before, and personally I rave on Gretsch guitars a lot, because they’re solid, dependable, sound great, and are true classics in the semi hollow category.

The Top 7 Best Semi Hollow Body Electric Guitars – Overview

#7 Dean Boca 12-String

4/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Mahogany with Flamed Maple top

Neck – Maple

Fingerboard – Jatoba

Electronics – Dual DMT Design humbuckers

Pros

Beautiful Flamed Maple top adds brightness to the warm tone

12 strings for extreme chorus effect

Dependable Dean electronics

Cons

Can easily warp if kept in poor storage conditions

Review

This is the first 12 string semi hollow electric I’ve seen, and Dean did a great job of putting it together.

This Boca 12 String is an absolutely beautiful guitar, both in appearance and in tone, and it’s one I’d be happy to call my own.

12 strings on a semi hollow body guitar is rather unusual, and for good reason. Semi hollow electrics are often heavy in harmonics and overtones, and can be subject to feedback when played at high volumes.

In the Boca 12, the over-abundance of overtones is somewhat dampened by the maple neck, which is also the best would they could have chosen to prevent warping caused by the tension of 12 strings.

The DMT Design humbuckers do a good job of tamping down unwanted buzz and feedback, but you can still have a problem if you play at full volume.

Its mahogany body does what mahogany does, which is present a warm, earthy tone that is heavy in the bass and low midrange. If it weren’t for the maple, the subtleties of the 12 strings would be almost completely ignored, but this neck material brings out just enough brightness that you can value this guitar for what it was made for.

The Dean Boca 12 is great for blues and jazz, and can even hold up pretty well in some hard rock scenarios. However, I much prefer its tone clean over distored.

Despite having the hard, dense maple neck, you’ll still need to be careful about how you store this guitar, as 12 strings put excessive tension on the neck and can cause it to warp badly if subjected to high levels of humidity.

#6 Squier Affinity Starcaster

4/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Maple

Neck – Maple

Fingerboard – Maple

Electronics – Dual Squier Standard humbuckers

Pros

Bright, crystalline tone

Dual humbuckers cut down on the treble of the all-maple build

Comfortably contoured body shape

Cons

Overabundant high range

Review

Another unusual semi hollow body electric, we’re following up with the Squier Affinity Series Starcaster.

This is a really unique looking semi hollow guitar, following the body shape of the original 1976 Fender Starcasters and looking like a Stratocaster molded by Salvador Dali.

It’s an all-maple guitar, which in most cases would yield a tone that I find too flat and lacking in the low end. However, thanks to its semi hollow build and dual humbuckers, the low and mid ranges are boosted just enough to keep up with the glassy highs produced by maple.

Its pickups are the Squier Standard humbuckers, which are nothing special but do a good job of cutting back the buzz and putting forth a tone with enough power to let you rock out in most genres.

I’d recommend this guitar especially for jazz, as its clean tone is super articulate and there aren’t a lot of overtones. Overdriven, it can sound a bit harsh, but with a little bit of distortion it performs well.

If you upgrade the pickups in the Squier Starcaster, you can have a really nice and interesting semi hollow electric in your collection. Otherwise, you have a decent guitar for practicing your chops.

#5 Epiphone ES-335 PRO

4.25/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Maple

Neck – Mahogany

Fingerboard – Rosewood

Electronics – Dual Alnico Classic Pro

Pros

Vintage looks and tones in a modern re-issue

Classic ES sound nicely replicated by Alnico Classic Pro humbuckers

Gibson style SlimTaper “D” neck for fast licks and firm chords

Cons

Wiring can become loose if jolted too hard

Review

Gibson debuted the original ES back in the 1950s, and now Epiphone has crafted this modern remake to bring you a vintage sound at an affordable price. You can hear a full history of this famous Gibson model here.

The ES-335 PRO is so close to the original Gibson that it’s amazing they sell it at such a low cost.

The woods are virtually identical, with a mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard set in to a maple body with a maple center block.

Sound-wise, this tonewood combo exudes great balance in every range, with poppy highs and cool lows and a middle range that sinks just low enough for vocals to fill the scoop.

It has two humbuckers designed in the same fashion as those that appeared in Gibson’s original ES-335, sending forth a tone that is reminiscent of classic rock and mid-century blues hits.

The Epiphone ES-335 PRO could be a near-perfect semi-hollow guitar if it were more dependably soldered. Unfortunately, due to Epiphone’s streamlined production process, the wires in the pickups are often easily bumped loose, causing crackle and static and sometimes entire loss of sound.

A quick trip to the guitar tech can remedy this issue should it arise, but as long as you take care not to knock your guitar too hard on anything (no smashing over heads), this shouldn’t be much of a problem.

#4 D’Angelico Premier SS

4.25/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Maple

Neck – Maple

Fingerboard – Ovangkol

Electronics – Neck: Seymour Duncan HB-102N humbucker  Bridge: Seymour Duncan HB-101B humbucker

Pros

High quality humbuckers deliver powerful semi-hollow tone

Comfortable C-shaped neck

All-maple build for highly articulated riffs and chords

Cons

Unconventional ovangkol fretboard

Review

This guitar is more on the expensive side for this list, but that’s due to the great pickups it comes with.

The D’Angelico Premier SS is a semi hollow electric in an all-maple build, similar to the Squier we looked at earlier.

If it weren’t for its pickups, it wouldn’t be on this list at all, but these are high quality Seymour Duncan humbuckers that perfectly transmit the guitar’s vibrations.

Since it is completely maple, you don’t get a lot of low end depth, but there’s enough resonance from the hollow wings that it doesn’t sound too tinny and sterile.

It’s a great jazz guitar, and if your amp has enough boost to fill out your low end it can do well in rock genres as well.

It would be a place or two higher in this review had D’Angelico opted for a higher quality fingerboard. There’s nothing particularly wrong with ovangkol, but I much prefer the smoothness of rosewood or the responsiveness of ebony over the rather standard feel of this wood.

If there’s no chance you’ll upgrade your pickups at any time and you have the cash, this is probably the best choice for you.

#3 Hagstrom VIK-SHB Viking

4.75/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Maple

Neck – Canadian Hard Maple

Fingerboard – Resinator

Electronics – Dual Hagstrom HJ-50 humbuckers

Pros

Great tone at an affordable price

Dependable construction for years of playing pleasure

Versatile for many genres

Cons

Synthetic fingerboard material

Review

I have to start this review by saying I don’t know what Hagstrom’s secret is. Theoretically, this should be lower on the list, as I’m not super fond of all maple guitars or synthetic materials.

However, the Hagstrom Viking is an amazing sounding, super fun to play semi hollow body.

It’s probably their pickups, which though not a well-known brand, are bold and punchy without being over the top in hotness.

Hagstrom started as an accordion manufacturer, which isn’t exactly a skill I’d think would transfer to guitar craftsmanship, but whatever it is, they do a great job.

The VIK-SHB is the first guitar on this list I’d recommend for any genre. It’s not too bright, it’s not too warm; it’s in the Goldilocks zone of semi-hollow perfection.

You can crank the gain to max and play metal, or keep it clean for super funky progressions, or go somewhere in the middle for rockabilly and blues.

I had a hard time moving on from this guitar, and am seriously thinking of adding it to my personal collection.

#2 Ibanez Artcore AS53TKF

4.75/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Sapele

Neck – Nyatoh

Fingerboard – Laurel

Electronics – Dual Infinity R Ceramic humbuckers

Pros

Unbeatable price for a quality semi hollow electric

Infinity R humbuckers good enough for small shows

Fast playing Ibanez neck profile

Cons

No traditional tonewoods

Review

Mostly, the Ibanez AS53 is in the number 2 spot for its price, which is about the lowest I’ve seen for a decent semi hollow body electric guitar.

I surprised myself by liking this guitar as much as I did. Normally, when I see that a guitar is made entirely from non-standard tonewoods, I won’t even consider it for a best of list. But, Ibanez is a big name with a lot of experience in making high quality low cost instruments, so I gave the AS53 a closer look.

In an acoustic, sapele is a fine enough wood for the back and sides, but I wouldn’t want it as my top wood. With the AS53, it’s a bit different, and seems to really put out a nice, complex tone.

It’s not a huge sounding guitar, but it does have enough force and proud enough voice that I’d play it at small gigs.

For practicing in home, yes, it’s a perfect little semi hollow. It has an undersized body which is really comfortable to hold, and a Ibanez custom Artcore AS neck profile that is sleek, slim, and speedy to play on.

Although its pickups aren’t remarkable, they’re not bad either, and I could see myself having a great time owning the Ibanez AS53.

#1 Gretsch G2622T Streamliner

5/5 Star Rating

Specs

Body – Maple

Neck – Nato

Fingerboard – Laurel

Electronics – BroadTron BT-2S humbuckers

Pros

Great traditional sound

High-standard Gretsch design

Bigsby vibrato tailpiece for funky tonal warping

Cons

None

Review

This isn’t the first time that we’ve awarded Gretsch first place. This same guitar is also the number 1 spot in our review of the best semi hollow body guitars for the money.

If this wasn’t a list trying to keep things within a moderate budget, most of the top spots would go to various Gretsch models, as there’s hardly any competition for them when it comes to top quality semi hollow body guitars. They’re simply one of the best, with several decades of expertise in this category.

In the Gretsch G2622T Streamliner, this expertise is apparent in the pairing of a treble-rich maple body with the warming properties of a nato neck, topped up with Gretsch’s house-brand BroadTron humbucking pickups.

The resulting tone is super versatile and can be used in blues, jazz, rock, country, pop, funk… you name it, you can probably manage it with the G2622T.

It’s the only guitar in this review with a vibrato tailpiece, which is really a shame. More semi hollow guitars should have this feature, because a little whammy goes a long way to having a fun, experimental jam session. You can just get a lot more out of your sound with this addition. It’s one of the main reasons this Gretsch is our winner in this list.

The BroadTron pickups are no joke. They’re hot, but not too hot, and really pronounce the resonance of this semi hollow with perfect boost and clarity.

It’s a joy to play, and sounds great clean or distorted.

So, once again Gretsch, my hat’s off to you for beating out the rest in the semi hollow body electric guitar category.

For more of this great brand, check out our full review of the Gretsch G5420T.

Buyer’s Guide

What Are Semi Hollow Body Electric Guitars Good For?

For the most part, these are great guitars for jazz and blues. They’re earthy sounding instruments, with a lot of resonance due to the hollow wings and usually a fairly prominent mid range.

Clean, their applications extend in just about every musical direction. You can hear them in country, pop, bluegrass, folk, jazz, blues, rockabilly, rock’n’roll, and so on and so forth.

Distorted, they make exceptional guitars for jam bands, dirty blues, rockabilly, and rock from hard to soft.

You can see them played by a wide array of artists, from Lady Gaga to Paul McCartney to Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys.

They’re extremely versatile, and probably the only exception to their capabilities is heavy metal. Though, if you’re daring, you might even venture into this territory with a semi hollow body electric guitar.

Who Should Buy a Semi Hollow Body Electric Guitar?

Normally, I’d say these are best for players with at least a little bit of experience.

If you’re just starting out, I’d recommend you think about what you want to play more, acoustic or electric, then pick one and get good at it.

Semi hollow body electric guitars have a more niche kind of sound and artist following, and are best if you really know what tone you’re aiming for.

This is hard to be sure of when you’re just beginning to play, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll vacillate over the first couple years between wanting to be the heaviest metalhead that’s ever been to only wanting to play beautiful fingerpicked folk progressions.

If you do have experience, semi hollow body guitars are great for blues and jazz, considered maybe to be the best guitar for these genres. They fit nicely into the mix of these types of bands, and are only the dominant voice when you want them to be.

Want to know some other great guitars for blues? We’ve got you covered in this review.

Of course, I can’t tell you not to buy one if you’re a beginner, but I truly think you’d be better off learning the basics on a guitar that swings either full hollow or solid body.

What’s the Difference Between a Semi Hollow Body and a Hollow Body?

In tone, semi hollow body electric guitars are less resonant than full hollow body guitars and offer less in the way of overtones and harmonics. They’re a more “closed” sound, more similar to solid body electrics than to acoustics.

Hollow body guitars have a more “open” sound, being much more resonant, more full of harmonics and overtones, and so similar to acoustics that they are often called semi-acoustic guitars.

These differences are attributable to their variations in construction.

A hollow body electric guitar started simply as an acoustic guitar with a pickup added. Over the years they became a category all their own, with slimmer body profiles, f-holes rather than round sound holes, different bracing patterns, and different choice tonewoods.

Today, they stand apart as a separate type of guitar altogether and are used largely in country-style music genres.

Semi hollow body electric guitars were designed to decrease the issue of feedback that is inherent with full hollow body guitars. They are usually constructed with a solid center block attached to two hollow wings.

Sometimes, they are simply solid body guitars that have had some of their wood routed out and covered with a solid top, giving them the appearance of a solid body electric while actually being semi hollow.

This semi hollow construction reduces feedback, while at the same time reducing resonance. They are often much slimmer than hollow body guitars, and can weigh a bit more due to this solid center block.

Interested to learn more about hollow body guitars? Check out our review of some great hollow bodies here.

What’s the Difference Between a Semi Hollow Body Electric and a Solid Body Guitar?

This question’s answer is basically in the asking.

A semi hollow body electric guitar is very similar to a solid body electric guitar; it just has less wood in certain spots.

Sometimes, they can look identical. This is the case if the semi hollow body guitar is of the type that has wood routed from its body and then covered with a solid top. It creates the appearance of a solid body guitar, while having less weight and more resonance than a solid body electric.

Solid body guitars, on the other hand, are exactly what they sound like. Their body is a solid piece of wood, with no air pockets, no holes for resonance, no gaps and spaces in which air can vibrate. Their sound is the most “closed”, and unamplified you’ll get almost no tone from them.

Solid body guitars can do a lot of the same as semi hollow electrics, but are less well-suited for genres that favor a resonant guitar tone such as country, blues, and jazz.

Solid body sounding more like your style? We’ve reviewed the best value electric guitars here.

The Final Word

If you’ve made up your mind that a semi hollow body is the right choice for you, more power to you.

There are a lot of great options out there, and I’ve barely scratched the surface with these seven more affordable models.

If none of them really speak to you, keep searching, though you’ll have a hard time finding better models of comparable cost.

When we’re talking the best guitars, we have to take cost into mind and consider what the average player will be able and willing to spend.

This cost to quality ratio turns up some good choices, and I’m confident that from among those we have chosen the best semi hollow body electric guitars in production.

Whether you go with the all-traditional Gretsch or the modernized Dean 12-string, these are guitars of great quality that will bring you joy for as many years as you play guitar.

If semi hollow doesn’t sound like your thing, keep tuned in to us at BeginnerGuitar.pro for in-depth looks at the best of the best guitars.

The post Best Semi Hollow Body Electric Guitars Reviews appeared first on Beginnerguitar.

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[gadgetsrevv]

Euro 2020 qualifying round-up: Croatia boost hopes by beating Hungary

Euro 2020 qualifying round-up: Croatia boost hopes by beating Hungary and Robert Lewandowski hat-trick secures win for Poland

Croatia remained on course to reach Euro 2020 with a 3-0 win over Hungary

Wales kept alive their hopes with a 1-1 draw at Slovakia in qualifying Group E

Lewandowski’s treble gave leaders Poland a comfortable 3-0 win in Latvia

By Reuters

Published: 18:24 EDT, 10 October 2019 | Updated: 18:27 EDT, 10 October 2019

Croatia remained firmly on course to reach Euro 2020 after two goals from striker Bruno Petkovic helped them to a 3-0 home win over Hungary, while Wales kept alive their hopes with a 1-1 draw at Slovakia in qualifying Group E on Thursday.

The Croatians top the group with 13 points from six matches and will secure a berth in next year’s finals with a match to spare if they beat Wales away on Sunday.

Slovakia are second on 10 points from six matches, one ahead of third-placed Hungary, while Wales are fourth with seven points from five games. Bottom team Azerbaijan have one point from five matches.

Croatia dominated after captain Luka Modric fired them into a fifth-minute lead on Thursday

The Croatians dominated after captain Luka Modric fired them into a fifth-minute lead when he picked up a loose ball in midfield, raced down the middle and steered a shot past Hungary goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.

Petkovic made it 2-0 with a delightful back-heel from close range after Ante Rebic left his marker for dead on the left flank and squared the ball to the Dinamo Zagreb hitman.

A catalogue of defensive errors allowed Petkovic to bundle in the third late in the first half, as Tamas Kadar and Gulacsi misjudged Ivan Perisic’s low cross from the right.

Gulacsi made amends in the 55th minute when he saved Perisic’s penalty after Rebic was fouled but any slim hopes of a Hungary comeback were dashed moments later when Laszlo Kleinheisler was sent off for a second bookable offence.  

Bruno Petkovic doubled Croatia’s lead with a delightful back-heel from close range

Austria defender Martin Hinteregger scored a goal that any striker would have been proud of to set up a 3-1 win over Israel in Euro 2020 qualifying on Thursday.

The Austrians moved into second place in Group G above Slovenia, who were surprised 2-1 away to North Macedonia with a Eljif Elmas brace, while a Robert Lewandowski hat-trick gave leaders Poland a comfortable 3-0 win away to basement side Latvia.

The top two in the six-team group qualify for Euro 2020.

Austria made a slow start in front of a half-full Ernst Happel stadium and were stunned when Eran Zahavi, scorer of a hat-trick in Israel’s 4-2 win in the first meeting of the two teams in the group, put the visitors in front with a sublime effort in the 34th minute.

Munas Dabbur threaded the ball through to Zahavi who side-stepped his marker and lashed a dipping shot into the top corner from 25 metres.

Valentino Lazaro slotted in the equaliser from Marco Arnautovic’s pass seven minutes later and Austria went ahead 11 minutes after the break.

Andreas Ulmer thumped a cross into the area where Hinteregger, between two defenders, controlled the ball on his thigh, turned and sent his effort past keeper Ofir Marciano

Marcel Sabitzer added the third with a deflected shot in the 88th minute to leave Austria second with 13 points from seven games, two ahead of North Macedonia and Slovenia. Poland lead with 16 and Israel are fifth with eight.

Robert Lewandowski’s hat-trick gave leaders Poland a comfortable 3-0 win away to Latvia

Slovenia nearly took a first-half lead in Skopje when Josip Ilicic ran the from near the halfway line and cut the ball back to Andraz Sporar whose effort was deflected wide.

Five minutes after the break, Elmas played a one-two with veteran Goran Pandev and dinked the ball over Jan Oblak to put North Macedonia in front.

A Slovenia corner lead to the second goal in the 68th minute. As the ball was cleared, North Macedonia burst forward and Arijan Ademi found Elmas who ran on and slipped a calm finish under Oblak. Ilicic’s stoppage-time penalty was too late for Slovenia.

The prolific Lewandowski took his tally to 11 goals in his last seven appearances for club and country with his treble against Latvia. He exchanged passes with Sebastian Szymanski and beat keeper Andris Vanins after nine minutes and then turned in Kamil Grosicki’s low cross after Latvia were dispossessed in midfield.

He completed his sixth Poland hat-trick by tapping in Grosicki’s cross-shot in the 76th minute.

Latvia, who have lost all seven games in the group, extended their winless run to 15 internationals. 

Belarus played out a goalless draw with Estonia and Kazakhstan were beatehn 2-1 at home by Cyprus.

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Greatest Champions League game of all time? What about these?

Tottenham and Manchester City have stunned the world with one of the craziest Champions League games you'll see.

The draw saw four goals in the first 11 minutes of the quarter-final draw on Etihad and then Raheem Sterling scored in injury time, only for the goal of being excluded from offside

But was it the best match since the name change of the Champions League in 1992? Sportsmail experts have unveiled their greatest games ever.

<img id = "i-76e8f09ff73dcfd4" src = "https://dailym.ai/2Dm50JR Fernando_Llorente_scored_the_winner_as_Tottenham_won_an_incredib-a-80_1555588080246.jpg "height =" 422 "width =" 634 "alt =" Fernando Llorente scored the winner when Tottenham won an incredible quarter-final clash Llorente scored an incredible quarter-final clash "

Fernando Llorente scored the winner when Tottenham won an incredible quarter-final clash

The ball looked like it was coming loose from the arm of Llorente and then his hip and into the net "<img id =" i-3e9ecb7c994bb07f "src =" https://dailym.ai/2W0vMyw 6936201-image-a-98_1555589355243.jpg "height =" 762 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-3e9ecb7c994bb07f" src = "https://dailym.ai/2OTvk2r / 04/18/13 / 12432120-693620 1-image-a-98_1555589355243.jpg "height =" 762 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-3e9ecb7c994bb07f" src = "https://dailym.ai/2OTvk2r /04/18/13/12432120-6936201-image-a-98_1555589355243.jpg "height =" 762 "width =" 634 "alt =" The ball looked like it came from Llorente & # 39; s arm and then from its hip and in the net "Poor and then his hip and in the net

<img id =" i-d5a3393075e6754 "src =" https://dailym.ai/2uS4u1n /1s/2019/04/18/13/12432198-6936201-image-a-102_1555589530554.jpg "height =" 459 "width =" 634 "alt =" Pep Guardiola was in disbelief as a VAR rule Raheem & # 39; s injury time winner "

<img id =" i-d5a3393075e6754 "src =" https://dailym.ai/2VTQU9F -102_1555589530554.jpg "height =" 459 "width =" 634 "alt =" Pep Guardiola was unbelievers because a VAR Raheem excluded Sterling's injury time winner "class =" blkBorder img

[lacht] Laurie Whitwell – Manchester United 2-1 Bayern Munich – May 26, 1999

I'm sorry but it must be 1999. The quality in the actual game was perhaps quite underwhelming but the drama was huge. It was a slow burner, where the potential glory awaited Manchester United who hung over the action to unleash the tension, which was realized in the most incredible way after 90 minutes. The quality in the game was perhaps quite disappointing, but the drama was immense

Mike Keegan – AC Milan 3-3 Liverpool – May 25, 2005

Last night cannot get far from the top of the list. It had everything – except decent defense. Manchester United fans would have a valid claim for the 1999 Final, considering what it meant and how it came about. However, it is hard to look beyond the Liverpool comeback against AC Milan in 2005. Yes, they have won with penalties, but their story is as close to fiction as you can get. After a close split-off of the play-off against the Austrian lovers Grazer AK, they qualified from their group on goal difference. It was incredible to score three goals and even more if you look at the four from Milan. Cafu, Jaap Stam, Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini. Ridiculous.

<img id = "i-eb8b7c6a2794b43a" src = "https://dailym.ai/2Dm0Q4J image-a-82_1555588260895.jpg "height =" 477 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-eb8b7c6a2794b43a" src = "https://dailym.ai/2CXoYdR /18/12/12431436-6936201-image-a-82_1555588260895.jpg "height =" 477 "width =" 634 "alt =" it's hard to look at, it's hard to look after the three-handed comeback from Liverpool against AC Milan in 2005

It is difficult to look past Liverpool & # 39; s return of three goals against AC Milan in 2005

Paul Newman – Manchester United 2-1 Bayern Munich – May 26, 1999

As a Spurs fan, I really have to say that this newest monumental match against Manchester City or the & # 39; taxi for Maicon & # 39; match in 2010 against Inter Milan when Gareth Bale himself announced as a world class talent but I have to go for the final of the Champions League in 1999. For some reason I was in Barcelona to see how Manchester United defeated Bayern Munich in such dramatic circumstances and saw my old schoolmate Teddy Sheringham play a major role in the triumph. Unforgettable.

<img id = "i-604038b15cdd2b0b" src = "https://dailym.ai/2DlgQ6O image-a-83_1555588308769.jpg "height =" 513 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-604038b15cdd2b0b" src = "https://dailym.ai/2CXoYdR /18/12/12431476-6936201-image-a-83_1555588308769.jpg "height =" 513 "width =" 634 "alt =" Teddy Sheringham (right) scored in extra time at Manchester United defeated Bayern Munich "Manchester United defeated Bayern Munich

Teddy Sheringham (right) scored in extra time when Manchester United defeated Bayern Munich

This is the first game that comes to mind, so I stay there, an opportunity that is still being talked about at Tyneside to this day Juventus won away to Dinamo Kiev and tried to become the first team to come out of the group stage after losing their first three games. and from Craig Bellamy and Hugo Viana, but were injured because they were put back to 2-2. And when Kieron Dyer realized the goal and missed it, they thought their chance was gone, only for Bellamy to attack the rebound and score from an impossible angle. To this day, I have never seen a Newcastle goal that has been celebrated like this.

<img id = "i-e76c28b1023cf6ad" src = "https://dailym.ai/2Dm53p1 image-a-84_1555588385333.jpg "height =" 480 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-e76c28b1023cf6ad" src = "https://dailym.ai/2CXoYdR /18/12/12431522-6936201-image-a-84_1555588385333.jpg "height =" 480 "width =" 634 "alt ="

<img id = "i-e76c28b1023cf6ad" src = "https: //i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/04/18/12/12431522-6936201-image-a-84_1555588385333.jpg "height =" 480 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = " i-e76c28b1023cf6ad "src =" https://dailym.ai/2DkGGYF "height =" 480 "width =" 634 "alt =" Newcastle were sailing after goals from Craig Bellamy (photo) and Hugo Viana

[Engelse vertaling] [Engelse synoniemen] [Engelse synoniemen] Oliver Todd – Barcelona 2-2 Chelsea – April 24, 2012

A game with the biggest team in the history is of club football, spectacularly set down on a night of dramatic tension with a grandstand finish. The late goal of Fernando Torres was the showstopper, but the subheads contained an absurd red card error by John Terry, Chelsea plays without a center back, Lionel Messi misses a penalty and a brilliant chip from Ramires.

was the night that the Barcelona dynasty of Pep Guardiola ended in the most surprising fashion. Oh, and Gary Neville's comment was pretty memorable too.

<img id = "i-94ec54dc9548e7c7" src = "https://dailym.ai/2L10pDl 13 / 12431802-6936201-image-a-87_1555588860146.jpg "height =" 464 "width =" 634 "alt =" Fernando Torres rounded goalkeeper Victor Valdes in Barcelona during the semifinal clash the semifinal clash "

Fernando Torres round Barcelona-keeper Victor Valdes during the semi-final clash

Adam Crafton – Juventus 2-3 Manchester United – April 21, 1999

One of the handful of games who transformed Alex Ferguson into Sir Alex Ferguson. These Champions League wins become more important as they form a road to glory and this comeback victory for United had it all. Two goals down and he had to win, Roy Keane produced the performance of his career and Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole were at the peak of their strengths. There was triumph and torment, the United overcame the Juventus of Zinedine Zidane and Antonio Conte but Keane and Scholes picked up bookings to exclude them from the final. The result also remains, because it was crucial for United & # 39; s famous treble. The abandonment of Manchester City on Wednesday night reminds us of how extraordinary and fragile the pursuit of the three main prizes can be.

Two goals down and he had to win, Roy Keane produced the implementation of his career "

<img id =" i-fca32e2ead5938db "src =" https: // i. dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/04/18/13/12431916-6936201-image-a-95_1555589129214.jpg "height =" 426 "width =" 634 "alt =" Two goals down and needed Roy Keane produced the execution of his career "

Two goals down and he had to win, Roy Keane produced the implementation of his career

Chris Wheeler – Barcelona 6 PSG 1 – March 8, 2017

It is hard to find a bonkers competition than Tottenham's victory over City, but Barcelona managed to reach the quarter-finals two years ago at the expense of a shocked-shell PSG

the first club in the history of the Champions League that dropped a 4-0 deficit on first base, but it was the way of winning it was even more special.

Barca was still 5-3 on aggregate in the 88th minute and had to score three times because and PSG had an away game. Then Neymar struck twice and a 95-minute effort from Sergi Roberto completed an incredible comeback at the Nou Camp.

] Dominic King – AC Milan 4-0 Barcelona – May 18, 1994

The obvious for the Merseyside would be to nominate Liverpool 3 AC Milan 3, May 2005. That game only represents the club, its fans and the players involved, but the story has been written a thousand times. So, for something else, I am going to say AC Milan 4 Barcelona 0 in May 1994. If you have the time, watch the highlights on YouTube. It was undoubtedly the most complete implementation by a team in the final. Barcelona was glorious, but AC Milan played football from heaven that night, the goals of Marcel Desailly and Dejan Savicevic put the shine on perfection.

<img id = "i-996ae343361a30c3" src = "https://dailym.ai/2Dm5507 image-a-96_1555589243178.jpg "height =" 422 "width =" 634 "alt =" Barcelona was great, but AC Milan played football from heaven that night gloriously but AC Milan played football from heaven that night "

Barcelona was glorious but AC Milan played football from heaven that evening

Joe Bernstein – Barcelona 2 Chelsea 2 – April 24, 2012

A result that was hardly possible even now. Barca was at their Messi peak, the great Chelsea team was at its best. Barca threw the 1-0 hind leg short to lead 2-0, Messi missed a penalty and Chelsea let John Terry leave. The cricket score was on the cards, even when Ramires only scored a goal at half-time. Still, Chelsea, a 10-man man, survived a barrage of barca pressure to protect their lead goal and a late escape by Fernando Torres recorded a very unlikely Champions League final. Extraordinary scenes.

A late escape by Fernando Torres recorded a very unlikely Champions League final "class =" blkBorder img-share "very unlikely Champions League final

A late escape by Fernando Torres booked a very unlikely Champions League final

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Armchair Analyst: Your complete guide to the Week 10 MLS slate

May 4, 201812:54PM EDT

This is the weekend 2018 officially rounds the quarter pole, by Sunday night 98 of 391 regular-season games will officially be in the books. We throw some numbers around here in this column, and elsewhere, and some of them mean more than we’d like them to and others much less, but here’s the one that really matters:

3.3

That’s the current goals per game in MLS in 2018. The league as a whole hasn’t been scoring at that rate since 2001, and has only gone over 3.3 for an entire year twice (in 1996, MLS’s debut season, the leaguewide average was 3.37 gpg, and it was an insane 3.57 in 1998).

I like goals. So I like what I’ve seen so far in 2018.

Let’s look at Week 10:

Friday Night

Toronto FC vs. Philadelphia Union

8 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Naturally given all that, the second-lowest scoring team in the league just happens to be last year’s treble winners and this year’s defeated CCL finalists, Toronto FC. They’ve got six goals and four points through six games after banging home 74 for 69 points in 34 games last year en route to the greatest season any MLS team has ever had.

We all know why they’re off to a slow start. Injuries and midweek international dates have taken a toll, and here they are at the start of May eight points below the playoff line. Given how good the East is, they need to start winning now.

The Union are in a similar situation, and they have a plan: Stop Michael Bradley from dictating the tempo of the game (whether he lines up at d-mid or CB), and get out on the break:

“For me, I’m sure what a lot of teams try to do is disrupt his game,” Union midfielder Alejandro Bedoyatold ProSoccerUSA.com this week. “They try to put pressure on him and get him away from the ball so other guys make plays because he’s probably one of the only guys on that team that can ping a 60-yard ball or get it to [Sebastian] Giovinco on the counterattack.

“As long as we get him off the ball and disrupt his flow as much as possible, I think we’ll be alright and be able to handle the rest. Looking at tape, they’re a team that can be countered on and we just have to be opportunistic and take our chances.”

I’m less convinced that TFC can be countered on, and more interested to see how they plan to handle the Union’s cross-heavy attack. I think there are goals at the back post for Philly in this one, but they can’t just settle for hitting cross after cross, and Borek Dockal has to be just as aggressive about getting into the box as he was last weekend.

Saturday Slate

Montreal Impact vs. New England Revolution

1 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

So after two months I feel like it’s safe to say that the Remi Garde era has not been kind to the Impact. They’ve conceded 21 times in eight games, and whether they put two men behind the ball or 10, it doesn’t seem to matter. Teams figure out a way to crack them open:

The Revs don’t have nearly the same patience or explosiveness as Atlanta, but they are murder when they see any sort of hesitation or loose distribution from an opposing backline. New England’s been selective about how and when they use their press, but what really matters is that when they unleash it, they come in waves.

Expect to seem them on the front foot for a good chunk of this one. And if that’s the case, expect to see the Impact try to Route 1 it to Ignacio Piatti at least a little bit.

New York Red Bulls vs. NYCFC

1:55 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Bradley Wright-Phillips has been beyond human thus far in 2018:

Goals + Assists Per 90, MVP Seasons Past 10 Years Ranked

1) ’15 Seba: 1.23 2) ’14 Keane: 1.17 3) ’12 Wondo: 1.09 4) ’08 GBS: 1.06 5) ’17 Valeri: 1.02 6) ’11 DeRo: 0.90 7) ’16 Villa: 0.85 8) ’13 Magee: 0.81 9) ’09 LD: 0.75 10) ’10 Ferreira 0.70

2018 BWP so far: 2.05

— Tutul Rahman (@tutulismyname) May 1, 2018

And for the record: David Villa is at 1.24 G+A per 90 so far in what’s been an injury-plagued start to the season.

Obviously it is fun to conceive of this as two of the league’s great forwards going mano a mano, and on some level it is always that. On a bigger picture level, it’s “Can the Red Bulls disrupt NYCFC’s fanatical devotion to building from the back?” and it’s also “Can NYCFC punish RBNY for throwing both fullbacks so high, so hard, so often?”

Minnesota United FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

2 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

MNUFC got themselves a nice and necessary home win last weekend, and made what I felt was a pretty good trade on Tuesday when they picked up Eric Miller from the Rapids, and obviously Darwin Quintero has fit well. Despite their never-ending injury battles, they are a better and more balanced and deeper team than they were a month ago, even if defensive midfield and central defense still appear to be season-defining problems.

This game won’t be about those two spots, though. This game will be about being responsible with the ball and not letting the ‘Caps go vertical. Vancouver are under 40 percent possession so far in 2018 – a staggeringly low number – because they really only want to do one thing: sit deep, turn you over and get out on the run. And in Alphonso Davies, they have this:

Davies is currently the most vertical 1v1 player in the league, and is the most successful high-volume dribbler. He has elite pace, and he’s also got elite change-of-pace, and a great (plus improving) first touch. To all of that he’s added a more precise last touch, as he’s creating and finishing chances this year that he simply didn’t see last year.

Simply put: If the Loons turn the ball over anywhere near Davies, I think they’re cooked. If they don’t, they should end up in good shape here.

LAFC vs. FC Dallas

3:55 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

One of the things I’ve been talking about with my colleagues over the past two months is the effect Marco Ureña has had on LAFC. He’s amongst the most unselfish runners of any center forward on the continent, and his passing – he has five assists, which is tied for the league lead – sort of speaks for itself. Obviously his finishing is awful, which is why he’s bounced around so much in his career, but with plenty of goalscorers around him that hasn’t been an issue so far with LAFC.

But now Ureña’s out. He’s got facial fractures which means he’ll be gone for the next month (and probably longer, since he’ll be at the World Cup after that) and this, my friends, is the Black-and-Gold’s first big hurdle. Ureña hasn’t given his team goals, but he’s given them shape and definition when pushing forward whether it’s been in their usual 4-2-3-1 or the 3-5-2 they’ve toyed around with here and there.

The obvious solution here is “just put Adama Diamande into the lineup,” though that sentiment may be at least a little bit misguided as the Norwegian international hasn’t played since February and almost certainly lacks match fitness. Same goes for Lee Nguyen, though the idea of Nguyen, Carlos Vela, Diego Rossi and Benny Feilhaber in the same XI is intriguing in a sort of “let’s see how many true 10s and false 9s we can get onto the field together” way.

By the way, Dallas have been very good recently, and it seems like internal competition for spots is finally paying some dividends in terms of mentality. They’re not sleepwalking through games anymore, and while that didn’t help change the final result at NYCFC last weekend they were far more competitive than most teams who venture to Yankee Stadium these days.

LAFC’s defense is similar to NYCFC’s in that both take tons of risks, both with and without the ball. If the Dallas midfield is able to draw those defenders upfield, they’ll be able to send runners through on goal.

Seattle Sounders vs. Columbus Crew SC

4 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Here’s a very good breakdown of how different the Sounders look, week to week, depending upon who’s playing underneath center forward Will Bruin:

The Sounders used two different No. 10s in their last two games, and they couldn’t play the position more differently. https://t.co/PdsvsStiwT

— Sounder At Heart (@sounderatheart) May 3, 2018

I called Cristian Roldan a “false 10” in that role because his job isn’t necessarily to be a playmaker. Rather, it’s to run and combine, to sniff out overloads and to drag defenders around. He doesn’t create chances; he creates space.

When it’s Clint Dempsey playing that role the whole focus is “let’s do what we can to get him on the ball in the final third and then see what happens.” Both approaches have their merits.

As for Columbus… it’s hard to write the same take 34 times a year, right? They still do pretty much what they’ve always done under Gregg Berhalter, and their two weaknesses – not enough goalscoring from the flanks, and an error-prone central defense – are still their weaknesses.

Chicago Fire vs. Atlanta United

8:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

A month back Veljko Paunovic made the decision to start flipping Bastian Schweinsteiger between central midfield and sweeper, alternating between a 4-3-3 and a 3-5-2. Chicago have responded with a 2-1-2 stretch – obviously not great, but much better than their 0-2-0 opening to the season – during which they’ve played mostly credible defense and mostly covered up for everybody’s weaknesses by figuring out a way to play to each other’s strengths.

Schweinsteiger’s been organizing the backline, and on occasion stepping into the midfield to create useful overloads. This is what the sweeper’s supposed to do, and he’s been good at it.

That said, the sweeper as a positional/tactical choice went out of vogue 20+ years ago and never really came back for a reason: It’s a fundamentally reactive way to play defense, and fast, front-foot teams could punish any side that played with a classic sweeper. Teams got smarter at understanding where the gaps were and faster at exploiting said gaps, and no amount of emergency defense or after-the-fact organizational ability could change that.

Which is to say: I like Atlanta’s chances on Saturday.

Houston Dynamo vs. LA Galaxy

8:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

This graphic is very easy to read. The dotted red line is actual points. Look where the Dynamo are on their particular curve:

And here’s the West, where the spread of points is a lot tighter. SKC is the best of the group, but there aren’t clear favorites, and even San Jose at the bottom isn’t too far off pic.twitter.com/tpsSyZJyga

— Kevin Minkus (@kevinminkus) May 1, 2018

They haven’t been finishing, and their defense has not been good enough to make up for it. At some point that stops being an unfortunate trend and starts being “well, you are what you are” – which is a journey the Revs made last year.

Houston have only two wins in two months: Back in Week 1 they blitzed Atlanta 4-0, countering them to death. And a few weeks back they beat Toronto’s USL team 5-1, capitalizing on the Reds being catastrophically short-handed.

Other than that they’ve gotten two draws and three losses, and I’d say they left points on the table in four of those five games. 

Sporting KC vs. Colorado Rapids

8:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

One of the most entertaining games of the year was back on March 24, a 2-2 draw between these two teams in Colorado. The Rapids were up 2-0 inside the first 10 minutes, and during the subsequent 80 SKC battered the door down before finally coming up with a point.

The raw number of long-balls the Rapids hit has come down since then, but they’re still the most Route 1-reliant bunch in the league, as 20.1 percent of all their pass attempts are long-balls. Despite protestations to the contrary they are, indeed, a long-ball team.

And it’ll be interesting to see how SKC handle that from a defensive perspective. They’re much better on that side of the ball than they were in March, but are still slower to get pressure upfield than in years past – obviously having a bunch of new personnel being one of the reasons for that. None of their preferred starting front three have what I would consider to be exceptional defensive instincts, and that has, at times, left the backline exposed (especially since both SKC fullbacks push way up).

It’s been an ongoing project to fix the above, and credit to Peter Vermes & Co. for collecting a bunch of points while making some necessary adjustments. Three of their last five outings have been very good defensively – last weekend at New England was a legitimately excellent performance – and beyond that, Tim Melia’s been able to save them some points here and there.

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Portland Timbers

10:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

It is two months into the season and I have no idea what the Quakes do well. They’re near the bottom of the league in expected goals because they generate fewer shots than last year, their defense has been a mess and they allow a ton of useful possession to teams in and through central midfield. Their doesn’t seem to be a unifying approach to… really, to just about anything.

The same is nearly true of the Timbers, but not quite and it’s because we know one thing for sure: This continues to be a devastating counterattacking team. Two weeks ago Portland hung back in their own defensive third, invited NYCFC forward and then cut the Cityzens up in a 3-0 win. It wasn’t the beautiful game, but it was effective and it got them three necessary points.

For MLS, point totals after Week 9 are mildly predictive of the final point totals. NYRB 2016 had the best recovery season. pic.twitter.com/50oPTKjsJ4

— Charles Wilson (@andthenthehex) May 1, 2018

If I’m Portland I do damn near the same thing in this one. There’s every reason to think that the Quakes will over-extend themselves pushing their fullbacks up, and no reason to think they’ll be able to stop the ball through central midfield once the counter’s on.

Sunday’s Capper

Orlando City SC vs. Real Salt Lake

5 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

I don’t entirely agree with my colleague Bobby Warshaw’s take here that Orlando City are just scraping out some points:

They’ve legitimately been the better team in each of their last three outings, and in the previous two some good adjustments from Jason Kreis earned them the points. They have depth and flexibility in attack, and that’s been their main asset. Since Cristian Higuita’s been inserted into the starting lineup they’ve been harder to play against through central midfield – in the last three weeks they’ve only allowed goals on set-pieces or long-balls, none through build-up play – and that’s allowed them to do more with the ball.

It’s been a process and they’re not where they need to be, but this doesn’t feel like the early-season, 2017 version of the Lions. That team was scraping out wins they didn’t deserve, and were eventually exposed.

As for RSL, they’ve taken one of 12 available road points thus far, and have been outscored 9-1 in their last three away games. It has been neither good nor cohesive, and while they did some fun stuff in attack during the first half of last week’s eventual 2-0 loss at Vancouver, it felt typical of this year’s Claret-and-Cobalt in that they would advance into the final third with the ball but then create nothing meaningful once there.

They have nine goals in eight games, and just one is from a center forward. This is a song we’ve heard before.

One more thing to ponder…

A & B are the same color.

Happy weekending, everybody.

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Armchair Analyst: Your complete guide to the Week 10 MLS slate was originally published on 365 Football