I agree the penalty definitely killed the match for us. Prior to that we had all the momentum and dominated the match but that just killed it, I knew watching that unfold from my seat at the Clink that it was gonna be very hard to overcome and the team seemed a bit deflated after that. I haven't seen the replays of that or the Johnson goal that was called offside So I can't comment on those. -I didn't necessarily like Estrada coming in for Montero but hey Sigi had to use everything he had and Montero wasn't cutting it and hasn't this whole playoff. -I thought Zak was outstanding his play was a big reason we had a chance. -Estrada should of nailed that opportunity he had late in the match. Anyways valiant effort from the boys a complete 180 from the match in LA. Should be an interesting long offseason.
I knew there was something wrong with Hurtado's red against Montreal. Referees that tend to have "history" with the SoundersFC, want to be consistent with their calls, which is usually in favor of the opponent.
The sooner you give Sigi some flack for his choices in the first leg, don't blame the refs... if you had any teeth in the first leg it would have been a different story.
I'm about as big a Montero fanboy as there is and we needed better from him in the playoffs. Of course the same could be said for our other 2 DP's.
Montero needs to train alot this off season especially his dribbling. If he can do that, he wont need to rely on Rosales or any playmakers.
if seattle wants to go from good enough to actually being great then get rid of Montero, he is a waste of money. Sigi should go too, he can't rekindle the magic he had with columbus and la oh yea and keep complaining about the refs, because that has done wonders for all the seattle sports teams
Hmm? This is the furthest we've advanced in the playoffs yet and we've historically sucked during the playoffs.. This series has just been a well worn repeat of all of our previous playoff experiences.
I literally said "we're fucked" as soon as they scored (again) after the first disallowed goal. No Donovan and no juninho and no ability to link anything on that surface.... it was looking real bad.
Of course, there was MLS's planning failure to schedule two away games within four days. There was this thing called snow in Utah and lack of direct flights to LA. But this thread is about the game last night. If we're to talk about Leg 1, there's a separate thread for that.
okay my two cents: i also am upset about the refereeing but i don't think it was a conspiracy, it just seems that Seattle teams always get shafted. i'm still upset about the Seahawks gettin' the shaft in the SuperBowl in 2006. i still remember Charles Barkley gettin' all the foul calls his way for the Suns against the Sonics in the 90's. but those are different sports and not related to the Sounders. what i'm upset about, and probly what a lot of fans are upset about is: this is the second time this year where the Sounders got shafted in an elimination game. the first was obviously the Open Cup final in KC, where i think there was some definite conspiracy goin' on because the USSF wanted a new winner after the Sounders won three in a row. the handball call on Scott in that game was bogus, as well as the retaken penalty at the end. Sigi went on a quote rampage after that game and got fined, i don't think he would have done that without some cause. then we get the handball call on Johannson in this game. i think it was the correct call. however there was also a Galaxy handball (against Franklin i think it was) in the first leg when the score was still 0-0 that wasn't called. so that makes three handball calls in three games that didn't go our way. but what i thought was most upsetting was the offside calls in the first half. Eddie was clearly onside on the disallowed goal. but offside calls get botched all the time (which drives me nutz even when it's not my team playing). what i thought was really telling was after that call when the score was 1-0 and there was a Sounders shot from outside the box (by Alonso i think it was?) that went just wide, and they called offside on that as well. does anybody remember? when i was watchin' that i said to myself, "wow, that linesman is really goin' out of his way to keep the Sounders from scoring". there was no offside there. that's what i hate about soccer, especially in playoff situations when one goal is so vital, linesmen seem to feel like it's their job to keep teams from scoring, like they're playing defense for the other team, when even is supposed to be onside and they should be givin' attackers the benefit of the doubt. then on the flip side, when the Galaxy were attacking in the second half there was a Galaxy attacker that was way offside (Magee i think it was?) and Geiger waited waaay after the play to blow the whistle. when compared to the offside calls against the Sounders in the first half, that was pretty fishy. but again i don't think there was conspiracy in this game, i do think the soccer rules are stuck in the 19th century and need to be updated. i think the ambiguity needs to be taken out of the game regarding handballs and 'intent' and i think referees need to give attackers the benefit of the doubt, rather than ruling out so many legitimate goals 'cos they think it's their job to keep teams from scoring. hmm i guess that was more than two cents...
Wow... I just watched this. I honestly don't know what we're showing before seeing this. It would've been way cooler though if those guys at the front rows of section 122 & 123 could hold their signs till the song finished.
Get rid of Sigi?, who should replace him? Perhaps maybe (I hate to say this because I am also a VfL Wolfsburg supporter too) Felix Magath? Perhaps maybe Felix can bring some of the discipline and passion that brought him 3 Bundesliga championships, including that double-double (Bundesliga and DfB Cup back-to-back years) with Bayern Munich, and also our championship in 2009 on his first 2-year stint with VfL Wolfsburg, if anyone can take shit-like teams like Der Grün-Weiße VfL were before he came in in 2007 and turned us (VfL Wolfsburg) into champions, it's Felix Magath. I know that his disciplinary tactics have been criticized by both players and the media alike, and his passion for winning and hatred and intolerance for losing have been compared in my world to those of both former NCAA basketball coach Bobby Knight, or even former Mariners' manager and sure-fire Baseball Hall Of Famer Lou Piniella, but he has won with them, so obviously I wouldn't question his firey style of coaching. You don't want to piss the man off that many throughout Germany call either "Saddam", or even better than that, “Quälix”, a mash of his first name Felix and the German verb “quälen” (to torture). If Fredy Montero can't work with it, Felix Magath will make him, or just like Mario Mandzukic did, he will wind up being up for sale so fast his head will spin. Here's a bit more about Felix Magath: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Magath
hmm now that i learn that was Beckham's second-to-last game with the Galaxy maybe i'm changin' my mind about last nite not bein' a conspiracy...
man EJ played his heart out. when Levy Films comes out with documentary, you guys will be amazed at how much our players love our club. im a GAM and i get misty eyed.