Yep, Zusi was playing center mid all night. First goal is a thing of beauty - Zusi receives it centrally, sprays it wide to Roger, who plays a fantastic low cross back to the top of the box where Russell is waiting.
Here is the list: Total number of wins Goal Differential (GD) Goals For (GF) Fewest Disciplinary Points* Away Goals Differential Away Goal For Home Goals Differential Home Goal For Coin Toss (tie of two clubs) or Drawing of Lots (tie of three or more clubs) It’s in this very long page of rules: https://www.mlssoccer.com/league/official-rules/competition-rules-and-regulations#tiebreakers
I like Zusi in the middle too, so that's not bad to see. I hope we see Lindsay come along well, because that means we have some much more solid midfield depth. Or at least the occasional rest for poor old Graham.
really happy for croizet that he got his goal (though it looked offside to me), and kinda sad that he will probably be benched right at the time that he finally has seemed to find his footing. only two negative points i had about this game: shelton - dwyer used to kill us with his inability to score, shelton doesn't really seem to be able to even get in good scoring positions. 2 relatively minor shots, not on goal, in that kind of a game is just not good enough from a striker. he plays really well until he gets into the penalty box area but then he doesn't seem to have any clue what two do. still would like to see gerso get a start - possibly against atlanta where we will probably not dominate possession? secondly, i thought the felipe sub was really silly. putting our most important player in just coming from an injury against visibly frustrated whitecaps when we are 5-0 up and there are several other people who would like to see some playing time..
Eh, I think Gutierrez is about healthy. Getting a minimal-stakes game to get an important piece back in the rhythm of playing? Not the worst. But yeah, would not have been sad to see Lindsay or somebody get some debutish time.
My thoughts exactly. And doing it against a monster in Waston. It's not like Johnny ran up all tough on some 18 year-old winger in his fifth game. Waston is 6' 5" and 200 lbs. He's 30 years old and knows what he's doing. Johnny was like -- screw that i don't care. Statement there by him. If I'm on SKC roster , I cannot ignore that from my teammate. Just can't. I'm sure Roger took plenty of note.
.@Sporting KC has tied the #MLS record for shots in a team’s first eight games of a season (148), a record set by Colorado in 1998. SKC’s total of 55 shots on goal in the highest through eight games since 2008, when the LA Galaxy had 56. (Per @EliasSports)— MLS Communications (@MLS_PR) April 21, 2018
Anybody have a link to a video of the scuffle? EDIT: https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2018...ard-shown-reyna-and-juarez-after-video-review
At least we are actually scoring at a higher rate... much higher. In our Kamara days, we were often putting up 20+ shots per game with very little to show for it. I remember calculating some stats on it, it was not pretty. However, we will not be able to retain this rate for long unless we start getting more out of Shelton and others. We can't rely on our fullbacks scoring the way they have all season. On another note, this is my first BS post in over 5 years. It is nice to see you guys are still here even though it seems to be lacking in action. FB Groups killed forums which saddens me. These forums are often the best part of the internet or at least, they were.
I knew Medranda’s goal was a stunner, but from my seat I had no idea the kind of insane bend he put on the ball. Pretty sweet angle on the @jimmymedranda goal from our seats, courtesy of @sthrock4 #SportingKC @SportingKC pic.twitter.com/yD3aHTFq2G— Matt Gordon (@Mattandemma1) April 21, 2018
I’m not a fan of Facebook. I think the forum is a better place to talk about the sport without all the other junk thrown in. It has lost a number of good members over the years, but it’s still more interesting than Facebook.
Coming back from an injury you never really know what you're going to feel like in a game until you actually play in a game. This wasn't much of a game, but it takes the place of loaning him to SPR for a week, I suppose. BTW on Croizet heading to the bench, maybe we wait a week. Espinoza has been brilliant, but he's always brilliant in April and May and June. It's August and September when his body breaks down. We could do worse than to rest him. I think we have to take that view with Zusi as well. He is a monster, but he needs a rest now and then. That said, it's hard to mess with a team that is firing on 10.5 cylinders. That said, while the restof the team was running rampant, Shelton was less running, less rampant. He barely touched the ball. That said, not sure what he could have added.
Welcome back! I would agree that MOST teams cannot rely on their fullbacks scoring all season. But with SKC? Who knows? At least in MLS, I cannot recall any team having the offensive weapons that we do at fullback in Medranda and Zusi. They both have such a good touch, are both excellent on the dribble, both completely unafraid to take long range bombs. Other teams have to worry about them more than any other pair of fullbacks in the league. This team is seemingly breaking models, inventing a new style of play. I would love to have a center forward scoring goals, but at what expense? Who knows what would happen? I cannot argue with results, and right now this team is flying. It's so weird and so un-Vermes-like in so many ways. I mean, Roger with 5 assists, his career high, and it's still only April? WTH? With Gutierrez, Espinoza, Ilie, and now Croizet getting more comfortable and looking good, we might possibly have the best midfield in the league. The quality of the midfield, wings, and wingbacks almost makes a center forward superfluous. I just don't know what to make of it, but I'm happy with the results so far.
And we have to give Medranda credit for really working on his shot. He had a rocket of a shot last year, and before that, as well, it just tended to go where it would. I'm pretty sure a couple of his shots didn't even end up being goal kicks, but throw ins. He's pretty much there or threreabouts these days. Last season I was convinced Zusi was the best RB in MLS and SKC/Wiz history. Medranda might not yet be our best ever LB but he is becoming the most dangerous. Do you think that if Shelton were scoring a goal every other game it would detract from what the rest of the team is doing? I don't see that, but if it was the case, yeah, I'd be fine with a lost 9 who's just there to hold everyone else together. He has four shots on goal, off of 13 shots in total, in 568 minutes, so a shot every half and shot on goal every game and a half. I can't see how if his shots were going in, it would detract from anything else. That also means I can't see how a 9 with similar hold up skills, but also the ability to score goals, would change much. Ideally, his shots will start going in. He should take lessons from Jimmy.
#%^#^&@#$%#%^& Really bummed I was out of town and missed this one. I've been saying for years this team has a 6-0 blow out in them somewhere and I just want to see it. I don't miss many home games, but I feel like I've missed the two biggest regular season ones (the Vancouver game a few years ago where we came back and won 4-3) in the past few years. Personal bitching aside, what a great result. Definite statement game, and holy hell Johnny Russell is already a legend.
Yeah it was pretty surreal to be there and really have absolutely no anxiety at all about the result. I'm not sure I've ever been able to sit through more than an entire half essentially guaranteed three points. And as for Russell, I remember a post on Reddit right after he signed from a derby supporter. What they said (workrate, going at players etc) has been super spot on. The poster said he would be the best player on our team and would be a fan favorite. I, and many others weren' so sure (remember this was before Gutierrez was sined.) But I'll be damned if that post hasn't turned out to be almost entirely accurate. Johnny has been but the most important player on the team other than arguably Felipe through 8 games. And everyone already loves him
After nearly quitting soccer, Sporting KC's Russell thriving "Johnny Russell preferred not to make a big deal of it, hoping the incident would be disregarded rather quickly. But there it was, playing on an iPhone circulating through the Sporting Kansas City locker room. "Moments earlier, Russell, a 28-year-old Scottish winger, had two-hand shoved one of the more intimidating presences in MLS, all 5-foot-10 of him chest to chest with 6-foot-5 Vancouver defender Kendall Waston. "As Russell returned to the chair in front of his locker, his teammates watched the replay, using their fake Scottish accents to re-enact the confrontation. "'You were ready to (expletive) kick his (expletive),' one teammate said, and that finally elicited a sheepish grin from Russell."