That ought to do it. Teal in the 85th minute going left, across his body from outside the top of the box. 3-1 Revs FT: @TealBunB seals it. The #NERevs are on to the @opencup final pic.twitter.com/7RGkWF09PU— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 10, 2016
Red Card for Accam in 87' (?) minute for a tackle on Rowe and post tackle shenanigans with Rowe. Rowe gets a yellow.
Interesting to see the team dynamic without Lee in the middle for most of the game. The ball seemed to be moving faster, and more players than usual seemed to hold themselves accountable for creating some meaningful part of the attack. But, I may just be imagining that I saw that.
agree. I think Rowe was very good, too. I liked seeing him make runs in past Kamara when Kamara got the ball. It's my impression that Nguyen wants more to sit behind Kamara and pull strings, whereas Rowe wants to pushpushpush all the time. I'd like to see the dynamic of Rowe in the middle with Nguyen on the wing against a team that can actually play soccer. I think Nguyen on the left wing would help him get isolated 1 v 1 more, especially with Tierney overlapping to drag away the 2nd defender. Then we could get penetration on the left from Tierney, in the middle from Rowe, and on the right from Bunbury or Fagundez.
Rowe was fantastic last night. The game actually slowed once Lee came in. I found that very interesting. Of course, on Saturday night, I fully expect Lee to be starting. Because ... Heaps.
Yes, and the slowdown seemed to work for us, at least as far as regaining some possession after Chicago had been getting the better of us. I thought the Koffie -Woodbury sub was fascinating/concerning - was wondering what Heaps thought process was?
I thought Rowe played well last night. His biggest problem is he's a hot head. That's 2 games in a row - could be more - where Rowe started, or was looking for, an altercation. Yes, Accam bumped him hard; he didn't kick or elbow him, it was basically shoulder to shoulder. The previous game the high boot gave him fits. By the way, Peter Walton said on ESPNFC that it was not a foul. As more and more teams see his reactions to any perceived slight or foul, he's going to see more of that. It will become quite easy to take his focus off the game and have the other team take advantage of his lapse in concentration.
No, you're right - they were in a much more attacking, vertical mindset. That's one of the things I really like about Koffee, when he's facing his own goal, he senses when there's no pressure on him and immediately spins and looks to play the ball straight up the middle (instead of reflexively playing the ball back). Yes, I've been calling for Nguyen on the wing for a while now. I think it would get him back into a more assertive mindset, that he seems to have lost. I thought he still failed to impact the game (though he managed to miss one of his patented curling shots on a beautiful set up). He had a little tiff with Kamara, who hoofed it across the top of the box, rather than playing it to an open Nguyen. But, I have to say that I like the chances better with the ball at Kamara's feet. Nguyen very likely would have fiddled/diddled and lost the opening even if he had gotten the ball). I think one of the things that Heaps has come to love about Watson is that he can play 3 positions, so he's an ideal person to work his subs around. He was able to spell a tiring dmid without weakening the defense, because his best backup dmid was already on the field. I think Heaps feels (and appreciates) the same thing with Rowe - he can make changes in the attacking half and move Rowe around just about anywhere if need be.
If you're having a slow afternoon, go over to the Fire board and read their comments on the game. It makes this board look like a bunch of Pollyannas! If you want to cut to the chase, read post 288 for a great assessment of their flavor of dysfunctional ownership.
Thanks for pointing to that thread -- it was really cathartic. Many of their complaints are the same as ours, just magnified double. Their coach must go thread is waaay better than ours -- "a Deathwatch."
Cannot help but wonder how the Chicago fans might be feeling if the Jones coin had landed the other way. Even if Jones left 18 months later after getting suspended in a playoff game. Might have bought their owner some good will and "air cover"?
I want this cup so bad I can taste it. I want it more than I ever wanted a win in MLS Cup. It's been too long and this has too few trophies. Don't care what else the team does this stuff. Win this and then put together a team that can bleach the memory of Joe Public from my mind. And it's going to be Dallas after scoring off two late corners in OT.
... or if they had landed Drogba... or Bedoya... It seems like they've been in the mix for a number of bigger name players but have been forced to (or decided to) take allocation money, draft picks, etc. instead of the marquee players themselves.
That was/is our story before Kraft's relationship with Garber earned us a a coin flip. Less seriously, one cannot underestimate the power of the Kraft - Garber relationship and the Curse of McBride (stealing McBride - with MLS help - from TFC). When you mess with both, you lose a coin flip that never should have happened.
Their situation is a lot worse than ours. We actually win a road game occasionally. I was hoping for LA, but after watching Dos Santos get gifted a pk for diving, I'm kind of glad that it will be Dallas - at least we won't have to deal with all the LA DPs getting the star treatment. And what a whiner Arena is?! Too much added time, the referees shouldn't be handling the time-keeping, bring back the fixed clock, waah, waah, waah. After getting Gio's gift pk, he should be embarrassed to complain about anything.
It may be a generational thing for MLS 1.0 players who became coaches. Heaps, Olsen and Marsch (in no particular order) are all whiners. Arena is more prick than whiner.