It has never been about scoring or nil-nil draws. It is the whole "It's not an American game" thing. It is sloooowwwwlllllly changing, but MLS is never gonna rival the NFL.
For the most part that's true. But ask the Boca fans if they didn't think their 2-2 draw against River last Saturday felt like a win and conversely the River fans surely felt it was a loss. Difference between the traditional 0-0 snoozefest and a 2-2 draw where the equalizer is scored in 2nd half stoppage time.
Soccer fans have been saying for the last 30ish years that soccer was gonna make it big any time now. And for the first time since I remember reading/hearing that I think it's semi-possible. We certainly aren't going to rival the nfl for a long time, if ever, but MLS is stable and growing, and the dinosaurs who hate the sport are slowly being replaced by ones that may not love the sport, but at least to a degree respect it.
Off topic (or maybe on topic).....I saw that Vermes said Nagamura is out for the Sunday game but Espinoza is likely back. Any thoughts on Nagamura's replacement and what the midfield will look like without him?
This is why I am rooting for Chicago today--more wide open play. I think they have the slight advantage by playing at home tonight. Neither team has been playing well of late, which is why I think this is a good matchup for us in the first series.
My guess would be Zusi moving back to mid and Peterson going in as a forward, like what happened when Nags had to sub out last week.
Either the same as last week with Espinoza replacing Nagamura or Peterson entering and Zusi dropping back.
In other semi related news, I love NBC's promo for the playoffs. I've been really happy with their product this year.
The smart money is on KC of course, but we've never worried too much about being smart. Should be fun as always!
Yeah, Houston in the playoffs is not a fun matchup. They've got the skinny field and love to pack it in, so I don't see us getting wide and finishing in the run of play at Houston. I'd gladly take a 0-0 scoreline back to LSP. Man this is going to be an ugly series.
I 100% agree with you. PV seems to be always out coached by Kinnear, but to be fair. A lot of MLS coaches seem to be out coached by Kinnear. IMO he is the best coach in MLS. I was rooting for Chicago all the way. I am really unexcited about playing Houston, but I really couldn't ask for a more even game. This is going to be physically tough. If either one of us come out of this series it is going to suck playing the next round on Saturday. I think one of the keys to this game is trying to beat Tally Hall. The man owns his box. We can't whip the ball in around 6-8 yd away for the goal without him coming out. He is also the only keeper to come out for throw-ins. That means Chance Myers can't put in those worthless balls across the box. We are really going to need the big game from Zusi and Roger. We need to control the middle attacking third. I could be wrong, but does anyone see the back curling post pass as Houston achilles heel? It worked against them in the last game with Sapong. It just seem to be like Chicago did it once or twice and just seem to lay an egg.
I don't think Houston can beat us on talent alone (though Bruin and Davis (both St. Louis guys!) scare me). This is gonna be an ugly, chippy series. Nothing would please me more than scoring a goal in the first 15 in Houston. Grabbing an early lead would really open everything up and force them to play us. I imagine we'll see bunker and counter from the on the return leg, so this may well be a low scoring affair. 2-1 to us? I hope... extra time wouldn't be out of the question. I'm not even going to think about that other thing.
Patience, patience, and more patience. Houston straight up handled Chicago. We cannot fall into the trap of being frenetic with no purpose, get bored, frustrated and then concede on the one or two opportunities Houston gets ... like last year. I'm fairly confident, from Vermes down, we've learned this lesson. I see this first leg as a violent staring contest. We can't be the team that blinks.
As I watched the game last night I was struck by the lack of energy from Chicago. Houston definitely came with a well prepared plan of attack (Kinnear does this well) that kept Chicago unsettled though most of the game. I was hoping that Chicago would win because their back line is much more susceptible to the SKC method of attacking. Houston's defense, on the other hand, matches up with us well and has been tough for us to crack. Vermes is probably not going to change his basic game plan (because it has been working), but he is going to have to introduce something different to knock Houston off balance and expose some cracks in their defense.
evidently NBC's commitment to MLS doesn't outweigh their commitment to their huge CFL audience. Thank God the guy made that FG at :02 or we probably would have missed the start of LAG-Vancouver.
That has nothing to do with it. They have the same rule as ESPN they stick with the live game they're showing. Soccer fans don't complain when games run long...
Here's to a great series ladies and gentlemen of the sky blue. I hope some of you can make it down Sunday and have a great time. I got my tickets and reservations for your lovely neck-of-the-woods all finalized today. I hope your team continues on their impressive form and plays great. I just hope my team plays just a tad greater as well. I am worried about our legs over three games in 8 days. Watching SKC in the Spring I was impressed. I concluded that Vermes had very smartly built a team and tactics that might struggle a bit in the heat of summer but was designed to excel in the chilly air of playoffs. The tweaks from last year were all things that work especially well in the physical battle that is MLS playoff soccer.