Which brings us to the unavoidable truth of the Right Back situation:
The Black Hole
on a serious note, foresight was always the need of a CAM and RB. That seems to be being proven correct.
— MotuekaSzimcoeSzitra (@TrueMartyParty) March 19, 2017
Uncontested giveaways, bad positioning, and a number of awful decisions has to see Harrington start on the bench, next match. He-who-must-be-replaced has shown enough for us to know what he is, a USL-level center back.
I can’t say that he was exposed last game because most were able to ascertain this truth last season. That is why I refuse to believe that this is simply an oversight by the Chicago Fire’s lead talent evaluator.
Nelson Rodriguez has done a great job as of late amassing top talent, and that’s commendable. It has certainly bought some time for his project, but my patience in regards to the right back position is starting to wearing thin. Valuable points look likely to be lost because of the neglect of this position.
I can’t blame Paunovic for putting Michael Harrington out there if he really is the best right back on the squad. However, I assert that we have seen more than enough to know what Harrington is: not good enough.
Enter, homegrown player Patrick Doody.
There are other RBs. Why not give @PatrickDoody19 a chance? He's a good player. #cf97 @Jiggly_333 @FireConf
— John Kass (@John_Kass) March 19, 2017
Harrington has clearly played himself off the pitch. A switch for Patrick Doody is beyond past due. Please give the second best outside back on the depth chart a chance to overtake Harrington. I don’t care if he’s a lefty, please start Doody.
Kappelhof has been floated as a potential placeholder for the role, but more than anything, Kappelhof has proven to be the linchpin of the the back line and needs to be in the center, at all times.