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News & ArtsSaturday, April 11, 2009
Sports We Lost
Posted by Christopher Frizzelle on Sat, Apr 11, 2009 at 10:11 PM
After number 22—the replacement goalkeeper—let the ball go into the net (first point scored against the Sounders yet... GOD DAMN IT!!!), he sat on the field for a long minute. Took a minute to register what had just happened.
"What do we do now? Burn the place down?" someone said after the game.
"I feel sorry for that goalie, man," someone else said.
Out in the parking lot, a drunk fan shouted, "Fuck, Montero! Stop raping people and start scoring goals!"
1
So.... the Sounders just appeared here in Seattle and suddenly they're life or death to you? You can really see the phenomenon of people worshiping whatever teams happen to be in their town. Geez.
2
@1: some of us have been waiting a long, long time for this ok.
Frizz, this is the true test of fandom right here. Soccer is notoriously unpredictable but a strong fan base will keep our team stable through the ups and downs.
Frizz, this is the true test of fandom right here. Soccer is notoriously unpredictable but a strong fan base will keep our team stable through the ups and downs.
6
yeah, on the t.v. cast, they said he was out last week with "the flu"
which apparently is athlete code for under investigation for sexual assault.
kinda brings to light a lot of previous flu incidents, actually...
which apparently is athlete code for under investigation for sexual assault.
kinda brings to light a lot of previous flu incidents, actually...
8
Ah Keller.... Big mistake=short a player for the rest of the game and a third string goalkeep, as well as Keller out for our next game. Argh!
10
Yeah, it was a lapse in judgement, but goalkeepers all have them. Sucks that we'll be without him, especially with Eylander injured. I'm pissed, but I'm pleased at the way the crowd reacted even after going down. Roll on next week...
12
The crossbar and the upright prevented the win. Mighty mighty effort for a team one man down most of the match. Personally, I'm proud. Great game.
13
I can't believe Keller, the most experienced keeper in the universe, made such a STUPID mistake. Now I remember why he was so unpopular during his time at Spurs -- though he never did anything that dumb there that I can recall.
And he gets to sit out next week, too, in our most important match so far -- Chivas USA away, the best team in the league. Nice work, Keller.
Apparently, Dragavon, the third-string keeper (#2 is injured) isn't even really on the roster, though he trains with us; he's a league-supplied "emergency keeper". He did all right; the goal wasn't his fault, and there were hardly any serious chances the whole time.
We have been exposed a bit; we don't really have an offense once Ljungberg is off the field. Typical MLS; speedy and technical but NO BRAINS. Ljungberg is the only creative mind on offense; he really is a class apart (he's a world-class diver, too, which is good to see). Le Toux looked terrible out there, and Jaqua is opportunistic but clumsy, and can't do anything on his own. Zakuani never got on track. Montero's a good player, but you can't do much when three guys are surrounding you at all times.
On defense, Alonso was less than he was in the first three games, though still brilliant at times. He's the only player other than Ljungberg who has any vision. Mostly, the Wizards were smart to just keep the ball far away from him. Hurtado (my #2 favorite after Alonso) and Marshall were great, Riley was decent, and Zach Scott was frankly terrible.
It's OK, it's a loss. We knew we weren't going to waltz through the entire season. If we can correct our problems and build on our strengths we'll be fine.
But man, Keller. What were you thinking?
And he gets to sit out next week, too, in our most important match so far -- Chivas USA away, the best team in the league. Nice work, Keller.
Apparently, Dragavon, the third-string keeper (#2 is injured) isn't even really on the roster, though he trains with us; he's a league-supplied "emergency keeper". He did all right; the goal wasn't his fault, and there were hardly any serious chances the whole time.
We have been exposed a bit; we don't really have an offense once Ljungberg is off the field. Typical MLS; speedy and technical but NO BRAINS. Ljungberg is the only creative mind on offense; he really is a class apart (he's a world-class diver, too, which is good to see). Le Toux looked terrible out there, and Jaqua is opportunistic but clumsy, and can't do anything on his own. Zakuani never got on track. Montero's a good player, but you can't do much when three guys are surrounding you at all times.
On defense, Alonso was less than he was in the first three games, though still brilliant at times. He's the only player other than Ljungberg who has any vision. Mostly, the Wizards were smart to just keep the ball far away from him. Hurtado (my #2 favorite after Alonso) and Marshall were great, Riley was decent, and Zach Scott was frankly terrible.
It's OK, it's a loss. We knew we weren't going to waltz through the entire season. If we can correct our problems and build on our strengths we'll be fine.
But man, Keller. What were you thinking?
15
I think there's no reason for any fan to hang his or her head on this one. Playing a man down for 3/4 of a game has got to be tough sledding. The Sounders' defense is strong. Fnarf, I agree that Marshall and Hurtado are great, and we almost always seem organized on the back line. KC's goal came so quick I barely saw it. Not the keeper's fault at all. Sounders had their chances. Could have easily been a 1-1 draw or even a Sounders win. Our attack just wasn't there tonight--Montero seemed distracted (I wonder why......), we didn't seem to have any width, Ljungberg seems to have lacked anyone to play 2-man with, Alonso didn't seem as commanding, the ref seemed too quick with the whistle. I'm no expert, but, perhaps because we were a man down, we didn't seem able to control the middle and we couldn't get through balls in or deliver the ball over the top. We just never seemed high enough on the pitch, even though KC's defense seemed to stay pretty deep. I wanted Nyassi and Zakuani in there earlier. But the Sounders work very hard (with the possible exception of Montero), and seem to have an idea and lots of heart and talent. It was a good game, even if we didn't pop like we did in the first 3 games. I'd like to hear what Sigi said about this one.
18
Fnarf is 100% right. That was a schoolboy error on Keller's part. And the style of play in MLS is nearly unwatchable -- like watching a pachinko ball.
19
watching football here is really sort of odd, it's about 10 degrees off what going to a match back home is, but everybody is doing and saying all the right things. A really strange experience.
All this lamenting over a loss? You're supposed to say "we wuz robbed" and talk about how good your team were the other 89 minutes.
All this lamenting over a loss? You're supposed to say "we wuz robbed" and talk about how good your team were the other 89 minutes.
20
Had to happen sooner or latter...Seattle sports teams can't win...then the press would be poking around and learning about the Boeing Resonant Wave Oscillators.
21
@15, agreed. From the stands it looked like width and space were the big problems this time -- especially in the first half, oddly enough, when it was 11-on-11. Seemed like a lot of follow-the-ball. Seattle tended to collapse into one side of the field or the other, while KC stayed open, and more often had a clear opening for a pass and enough time to receive it. Among other things, that meant that Seattle had a lot of trouble moving the ball upfield; the man with the ball was always under pressure, and focused more on not losing the ball than on seeing the field or opening space with the next pass.
@13, Alonso looked especially sharp in the second half, I thought, but maybe it was just that our seats were at the north end of the field, and I had a closer look at the defense in the second.
@13, Alonso looked especially sharp in the second half, I thought, but maybe it was just that our seats were at the north end of the field, and I had a closer look at the defense in the second.
27
@24, simple passing is kind of the problem with MLS. They are extremely proud of their technical skills, and love to dink the ball back and forth. But they have no creativity. That's what's so nice about Ljungberg -- he's got some great ball skills, but when it's time to go, he GOES, he doesn't fuck around with the endless dink-dink-dink. He bombs the ball into an open space, which means we'd be scoring more goals if there was anyone on the team who could see what he is doing. They're not "off-target passes", they're goal-scoring opportunities. Montero shows some promise in that regard.
I fear that US players in general are over-coached and over-technical. Football isn't about step-overs; it's about surprise, and bursts of power and speed.
I fear that US players in general are over-coached and over-technical. Football isn't about step-overs; it's about surprise, and bursts of power and speed.
28
The spectator can so easily attain associations of grandeur by proxy with their passive observation of sporting events. Pathetic.
29
I supppose that NW petite bourgeoisie pretend to like soccer, because they think it elevates them from Nascar and UFC lovin' puffy white American folk. It's so Euro...like cloudy beer and Volkswagen Golfs.
But, it doesn't bother me all that much because I'd also rather live in Copenhagen than Dallas.
But, it doesn't bother me all that much because I'd also rather live in Copenhagen than Dallas.
31
@30 - i played it as a kid...doesn't mean I want to sit around in the rain for 3 hours while grown men battle it out to 2-1 score. Lame. If you'd had the same faux enthusiasm two years ago you might still have an NBA team... Seattle will never win a championship in anything - you're a bunch of apathetic passive aggressive d-bags. The only things you seem to care about are perceived slights by the gay community and Nirvana.
32
In news regarding sports with actual action and less faux-European douchery, the Canucks won the NW Division. After missing the playoffs completely last year.
35
The Sounder's did great for being a man down. They really owned most of the second half despite being a man down. The long distance blast that scored was a really low-percentage shot, the shot you take when your offense isn't set up right and you figure you might as well unload and hope the keeper is a little flat footed.
I think the late game subs should have come in about 10 minutes sooner. The boys were looking ragged out there for a while.
And 3-1 start is great. Having one goal against after four games is awesome. Sounder FC are solid.
I think the late game subs should have come in about 10 minutes sooner. The boys were looking ragged out there for a while.
And 3-1 start is great. Having one goal against after four games is awesome. Sounder FC are solid.
36
@ 31 SFEnvy:
"Seattle will never win a championship in anything"
Wha? Short memory? How about the 2004 Seattle Storm? If ever there was a 'gay' sport, I'd nominate women's pro basketball.
I watched the game at home on TV - playing as well as they did, the Sounders only losing 0-1 while playing most of the game a man down is very respectable. Their attacking play coming out after half-time was impressive. They're no Barca, but I've been impressed watching the team progress; each game they seem to be playing better as a team.
FWIW- I am a soccer fan, went to the 1st game, but am not a 'spectator sports' fan in general. I was surprised how many of the Sounders season tickets I've met aren't even much into soccer, but are more into spectator sports - they couldn't get their Sonics season tix this year, so now they bought Sounders tickets. I like soccer, but I didn't get Season tickets - too much $$ and commitment for me. I'll follow the team, watch some games on TV and attend a few games in person. I just don't get the 'spectator sports fan - no matter what the sport' personality, I guess - but I'm glad they're out there supporting soccer in Seattle....
"Seattle will never win a championship in anything"
Wha? Short memory? How about the 2004 Seattle Storm? If ever there was a 'gay' sport, I'd nominate women's pro basketball.
I watched the game at home on TV - playing as well as they did, the Sounders only losing 0-1 while playing most of the game a man down is very respectable. Their attacking play coming out after half-time was impressive. They're no Barca, but I've been impressed watching the team progress; each game they seem to be playing better as a team.
FWIW- I am a soccer fan, went to the 1st game, but am not a 'spectator sports' fan in general. I was surprised how many of the Sounders season tickets I've met aren't even much into soccer, but are more into spectator sports - they couldn't get their Sonics season tix this year, so now they bought Sounders tickets. I like soccer, but I didn't get Season tickets - too much $$ and commitment for me. I'll follow the team, watch some games on TV and attend a few games in person. I just don't get the 'spectator sports fan - no matter what the sport' personality, I guess - but I'm glad they're out there supporting soccer in Seattle....
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