Um...They looked fairly good last night. Not a tough opponent but not all teams that beat a bad opponent look good (see Dallas Cowboys). Think I'd rather have Blake in goal but the back line looked solid, Ray had a pretty good game and there was good service into the box from the wings. Still some weak finishing on some solid chances but improving overall. Play the same D in the game v NER and rest everyone else, especially Nogs. Give him time to dig out the hunks of cleats deposited into his ankles by Houston. (How was that NOT straight red?)
Looked a red to me as well. That referee is working his way back into MLS. He lost a Fifa badge and was released by pro for, as I understand, a combination of fitness and poor performance. He had the Union's open cup semi which surprised me, and I thought he did ok, but looked sluggish and off the pace.
Replay made it look less like a red than full speed. Definitely right on the border, and a red certainly would not have been a terrible decision. Agree about Blake. McCarthy had a good game, but, after 11 starts, he has the same number of clean sheets as M'Bolhi had through 9 games. McCarthy has a GA/game of 1.64 vs. M'Bolhi's 1.44. He also has a 0.561 SV% vs. M'Bolhi's 0.576. So, overall, he has worse stats than M'Bolhi, but doesn't get near the hate that M'Bolhi did? Yes, I know salary comes into play, but when you're playing that bad, even league minimum is too much. We got rid of M'Bohli, and I would have no problem getting rid of McCarthy, too.
Interesting that Barnetta was the one running over to get in Miranda's face. That move made me more than convinced that it should have been a red when watching at full speed. Also, is it not a foul to climb up the back of another player? CJ looked like he got tired of making the effort to jump since he had a defender to carry every time but even just standing there Houston players were climbing all over him. Not sure if they didn't care by the time CC went up top or if he just has sharper elbows but didn't seem to happen to him as much.
Put Edu, Barnetta, Maidana and Nogueira on the field at the same time and the team is pretty good. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened much this season.
Interesting. I thought he was quite lenient generally. Apart from the Nogueira hack, there were several late challenges by Houston players that went unpunished. I've given up expecting anyone to get called for climbing over CJ, seems every ref allows that.
Miranda was playing dirty. Early on he plowed a Union player over after the play had been whistled dead, and it's not like he didn't have time to slow himself down.
Last night felt like an early stage Open Cup game. Brought the wife along hoping to convert her. Walking up to the stadium I was like "Where are are all the people?" Then it dawned on me that the NFL season started. Was hoping for terrible soccer with good ambiance, instead I got the opposite. Despite the win, I somehow came away disappointed. Even when the Union get it right, they get it wrong. I'm just now realizing it's not you, Union. It's me. You will never please me. I'm sorry.
I was surprised to see him stay on the field for the full 90. Though, I suppose a lot of those challenges by Houston were more chippy than straight-out nasty (the most egregious one, excepted). While I wasn't particularly happy to see those kind of challenges, I was galvanized by Barnetta's reaction. Nice to see him really giving a shit.
That's because M'Bolhi made as much money as a cardiologist and JMAC makes as much money as a mediocre used car salesman. The kid is paid to exist, not to excel. Its not his fault Curtin keeps starting him.
I hate telling people how to be a fan, but can we please stop cheering for former players on opposing teams? yeah, he may have been your "buddy" but get over it. I'm certain I'm in the minority with this point of view, but I had to get it off my chest
... the goals were nice, the possession was decent, but I still walked away disappointed and not very impressed with the team. fun time, good win, but I want more. Williams was getting heckled where I was and I didn't hear any support for him.... but other than that I agree.
he got a big pop when they announced the starters, he was serenaded when he came off the field post game, and there was a number of Williams dynamo jerseys in the parking lots
I just hope the game yesterday was the end of the recent trend in which the internet decided to pretend Williams was some great player the Union foolishly traded away. Williams is lazy, not that great, and that stupid throw of his hadn't worked since Hackworth was manager. Hell, 90% of the time it landed 3 inches inside the box and was swept away instantly by a defender.
I don't get the Williams love either. He was good for a time, but I do not forget the lazy play and the gimmicky long throw that rarely worked. He also missed a flight over candy, CANDY! The problem with the trade is that Gaddis got torched by the brothers Wright-Phillips right after it was completed and took a few games to recover. Harvey is another guys who I didn't rate but fans seem to clamor for, so either I am watching a different game or don't know what I'm seeing.
Thanks to people retweeting his SO's tweets (since she blocked me for some reason), I was able to see that she was having a small meltdown about what people were saying about him. I guess the "lazy" stigma has followed him to Houston.
First time back for a former player, I could see a pregame announcement applause. Get it out of your system, because anything after than is unacceptable, it's water under the bridge. He's in the opposition's colors, he deserves to be treated as such from then on out. It's bad when it happens for opposing players who are NOT Union alum; see Dempsey, Clint.
I don't see anything wrong with acknowledging pre-game a long-serving player who's high in the all-time lists for appearances and assists. Joke all you want about the long throw in, he did something right for us for a good while. And leaving was nothing to do with him - unlike Okugo, Jack Mac, etc.
Sheanon wasn't the star some revisionists make him out to be, but he put in a good long tenure and didn't choose to leave. I think a pre-game cheer and maybe even post-game recognition are fair.
Pregame and post game, I'm fine with. The BOOM during one of his throw-ins? Nooooooooooooo, sir. Get that hot crap right the flip outta here. Pardon my French.
I thought that was sarcastic. We were happy every time he did it because no one's scored off his long throw since like 2012.
I think some people here are a little too serious about people having fun at a game with a tiny crowd and nothing to play for...
I've longed for Williams because it turns out Gaddis is pretty terrible. But I'm more than happy to say they both suck.