Well that was about as ugly as we expected it to be. At least 1-1 is better than 0-0. Now it's time to bring it home and finish it off.
Very thin advantage. I'll take anything though. Vermes plays such cautious playoff ball sometimes. I get it, but also I really hate it.
Of course. But Pete does seem to overdo it sometimes. I remember the 2015 open cup final, which we should have cruised through, somehow made Philly look great and dangerous. Yes we won, but boy did the team look really careful and inelegant. I mean, I'll always take the win. But sometimes you worry about coaches who knock too much swagger out of their team for a big game.
Matt Besler was the keynote speaker at my son's HS banquet. He was asked about the "game plan" for the weekend. He acknowledge they can advance with a 0-0 draw, but made it clear they are going for the win. He also said they plan to come out and play at a much higher tempo than they did in the away game. Also mentioned that the away game was difficult because of the long wait to play, made worse by the time change. Basically, the game didn't start until 10pm per their body clock. It was something I hadn't thought of. Last - he mentioned that it is very important for RSL to feel the "pressure" of the moment, and that we fans need to get their early and be loud. He wants them under pressure from the warmup. All interesting stuff.
One of the best games I have attended. Highs and Lows, tenses scary moments and moments of pure joy. To bad we have to wait two and a half weeks for the next home game.
this was from the game against seattle. Well, maybe we have a shot after all? Amazing performance by him tonight. Also, kudos to him for not retaliating as much as he got kicked today. unbelievable that beckerman did not get a second yellow (or third, for that matter). on the other hand, this was melia's worst performance this season if not ever in a skc dress. hope that's a one off and not general playoff jitters
Even r/MLS is tough. Am I just crazy, or was that an okay PK call? I didn't see much wrong with it other than it's a bit soft. But a bit soft doesn't mean wrong. I'd have been grumpy if it had happened to SKC instead of for SKC, but I think I would have come to the same conclusion. Anyways. RSL is always a major bogeyman for us. Here's to hoping that Portland, as a team we match well against, will be less ridiculous but just as pleasant of an outcome. Other aside... RSL was the last team in these playoffs I genuinely dislike. Of course I want the trophy here, but there's no one left that would really piss me off to see win it.
I didn't see anything wrong with the PK call. Would I have been upset if it wasn't? Probably a little bit with my blue glasses on. But it was by the letter of the law probably a PK.
Felipe was awesome today. Haven't seen that player since the early season. That said, I think Besler was incredible. Ellie's penalty was awesome and hillarious. Beckerman remains a stain on North American soccer. This had to have been uncomfortable for RSL fans to watch, for multiple reasons. I'm good with that.
I think it's one of those pk calls where you can find arguments for (defender clearly ran into rubio) and against (rubio no chance to get to the ball / rubio stopping his run so that the defender makes clearer contact with him) - we definitely got lucky that we were on the good side of this one.
Just said the same thing on our board with my RSL-tint on it. Sucks to be on the wrong side of this one, but oh well. That's soccer. There's also no guarantee RSL would have scored a 2nd if that penalty didn't happen, so saying we would have advanced if the call went our way is stupid. However, I'm really bummed that my wife was out of town and left me with the baby so I couldn't fly out and spend all my non-soccer time at Kansas City Joe's on 47th. But then I heard it was closed for Veteran's Day. So I guess I saved $750! Hate you guys, but you've got a great team and a great coach. I hope y'all represent the West (because everyone needs to get off of Savarese's jock). But we all know Atlanta has this in the bag. Best wishes!
Well, that was an emotional rollercoaster of a soccer game. It started out looking like it was going to be a easy win and ended up a nail biter. Props to RSL for not folding up shop after the first half. A couple of things....: 1. Rubio earned the start and it payed off. His form is peaking just at the right time, but picking up his second yellow of the playoffs puts him out of the first leg in Portland. 2. Felipe got his mojo back and played like the player we saw prior to his injury. Best player on the field yesterday. 3. Salloi continues to be a rising star even though he is one of the slowest guys on the pitch. The guy just gets in the right places at the right time and scores. Smart player. 4. Roger was invisible for long stretches of the game, then he got frustrated and picked up a yellow card. Not his best effort. 5. I cringed when Ilie got up the take the PK after watching his last blocked PK attempt. I thought Johnny or Rubio would be a better choice. He proved me completely wrong with that subtle little chip to the center of the goal that completely fooled Rimando. Outstanding. 6. It was good to have Seth back. 7. Rivero called two different soccer games. He let everything go in the first half, but found his whistle and special purpose in the second. Still shaking my head. 8. The RSL/SKC rivalry continues to be epic.
Definitely one of the more entertaining matches I've ever been to, but I'd like to see a little more cohesion against Portland. Also, what the hell was with the goalkeeping? Melia and Rimando both were looking pretty shaky at times, and obviously you'd expect nothing but the best from those two. I'm guessing the cold was affecting the ball and their hands way more than the last few weeks?
i would bet that vermes was going to start shelton in the away match anyway. he does seem to have that fox in the box quality, though this particular fox doesn't limit himself to the box. still, he makes some bad decisions/passes that, if he wasn't producing the goals for us, should land him a place on the bench. he's gotta clean that up and keep producing. 'course, if/when that happens, we probably wouldn't be able to afford him anymore, so there's that. we got the win and moved on, which is really all that matters, but my god, we were complete garbage for the final 10-15 min before stoppage. ale moreno was destroying vermes and the team on the broadcast for how the team was managed in the second half, and he was totally right. vermes made subs like it was a regular season match instead of a tournament. we should've brought on fontas to add to our backline instead of croizet on the wing, and our wingbacks should've stayed home a lot more.