Atlanta United vs. Seattle Sounders FC Mercedes-Benz Stadium July 15 - 2 pm ET FOX MLSsoccer.com preview here. AJC.com 4 Questions here. This was supposed to be a golden opportunity for FOX, pairing two of the biggest brands in the league right after the World Cup final to gain a boost in MLS viewership, and while the matchup still has some luster it's decidedly less shiny compared to expectations before the season. Put simply, Seattle can't score. The Sounders lost Jordan Morris to injury before the season began and have yet to figure out how to generate a potent attack. Dempsey is old and the midfield can't sustain pressure throughout a full 90. As a result they've only mustered 15 goals all season. Atlanta, meanwhile, has 42. The Five Stripes have no new injuries on offer with Garza and Nagbe the notable absences, so expect the same starting 11 as last week with Tito joining Martinez in the attack and Gressel playing deeper alongside Larentowicz. If the team's form from the past two games holds this should be a solid win, so if FOX misses out on a close contest hopefully it will mean a fun display from Atlanta that keeps the 70k+ fans in fine voice. I'm thinking 4-0, and we all get cheap burritos on Monday.
Sorry if this has been covered already. Will somebody please explain to me why it's a good idea to put BOTH Barco and Almiron over there out of harm's way together on corner kicks, instead of putting one of those pairs of highly perfumed feet in front of the goal where they might do some good?
Well looks like we’re about to drop to third soon... NYCFC and NYRB have been in a lot better form, and no excuses not getting all three points at home if we want the Supporter’s shield.
The whole game was suspect, starting with the ref, and Seattle behaved like either a bunch of Eastern European hooligans or total OwenKlinsmann pansies, depending on the moment. I've never seen that unprofessional a group of athletes in my life.
This was expected. We got CONCACAF'd at home by an inferior opponent. They fouled, flailed, and flopped early and often and it got under out skin. We have the thinnest skin in the league...especially at home when the crowd starts going after every whistle. Once the booing starts, the players get frustrated and play like crap. Seattle knew what they were doing and it worked. On a side note, we need more creativity in and around the box when trying to breakdown a packed defense. Our entire offense appears to be pass the ball around the ball and cross to Josef who is always standing between the two centerbacks. There are rarely any penetrating runs or passes. Everything is lateral, which is fine, if the ball is moved quickly. But we don't move the ball quickly, anyone who receives a pass has to take 3-4 touches before moving the ball again. This allows the defense to recover and reform any lapse in shape caused by the lateral passing.
Does it seem as if Almiron has been off his game lately ... more errant passes and turnovers, shots well off the frame, etc.? Or is that just me?
Hmmm. I saw the video of the game. I had been out at Rose & Crown for lunch, and saw the first 30 minutes there, although audio was non-existent. We heard the radio call of the PK on the way elsewhere, and I finally watched the whole match last night once I got home. The radio call of the PK was far, far more agitated than the network, and probably a good bit more accurate. The network was agreeing with the call and complimented on Seattle's stalling tactics, and didn't point out Loderio taking a stroll for a drink. The original call was around 39:50, but the ref went to the VAR around 42:30, and the penalty was finally taken around 44:30. That took entirely too long. The game was overly long. There were 2 goals, 4+ yellows (I forget) and a red, numerous injury stoppages and 2 massive VAR stops. Yet, only 10 minutes of stoppage time was added on. I estimated about 7 minutes of VAR time, and usually expect about a minute per goal, with cards about 45 seconds each. Plus all the injury stoppages pushed my count to around 14 minutes. That excessive time is all on the referee. This ref did not control the game, pretty much from the start. He allowed the time wasting and lots of pretty aggressive tackles. Players were flopping everywhere. VAR appeared to be used only twice, both in the first half. Walking away from a corner should have been an automatic yellow AND that is a play, which would have disrupted any VAR check of the handball. The handball call was feeble. The defender's elbow was on his side, but the forearm was away from the body with the hand around the waist, a very natural position, especially when turning away from a shot. Horrible game to follow the World Cup final. Bad tactics, bad commentary, bad refereeing. Soccer and MLS may have taken a black eye on the day.
We can debate the PK call all day, but this was my general sentiment regarding the whole match AND the VAR PK call. IMO, Clear and obvious errors don't take 2-plus minutes to uncover, real-time or slow-mo. The referee also allowed Seattle to waste time from almost the get-go. I jokingly tweeted that Seattle wasted time coming out of the locker room for the second half (which, they did, the halftime clock was at 00:00 and ATLUTD was lined up on the field before Seattle was even seen). That's shameful, truly. The referee had zero control over the match.