04.18.09: Sounders @ Chivas (Pre/In/Post)

Discussion in 'Seattle Sounders FC' started by jd6885, Apr 12, 2009.

  1. jd6885

    jd6885 Member

    Jun 30, 2001
    Tacoma
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    After our first loss, Sigi will have the guys up for this game. Preki is an excellent coach, and their team is very good as well. It won't help that we're also playing them away.

    This will be the first time we play on grass. I wonder how this will impact our play.
     
  2. AndersTheSwede

    Apr 7, 2008
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Big test for the boys, looks like Eylander is good to go.

    I would really like to see more speed outside, are Zakuani and Nyassi really going to be bench players all season? Lame.
     
  3. ness77

    ness77 Member

    Jan 11, 2007
    The 2-0-6
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I would imagine we'll have some sort of lineup change. Zakuani is probably playing too well not to start, maybe Evans will be pushed to the bench? Sanna might still come off the bench though.

    Speaking of lineup changes, are we really going to run Scott out there again? He had an abysmal game Saturday. If he couldn't keep up with the modest attack of the Wizards, there's no way he'll keep up against Chivas.
     
  4. EastLAChiva

    EastLAChiva Member

    Jun 26, 2007
    Section 138
    Club:
    CD Chivas USA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Looking forward to this one. Anyone coming to SoCal?
     
  5. PaulUW1

    PaulUW1 Member

    Feb 7, 2009
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    My line-up wishes:
    Montero-Jaqua
    Zakuani-Ljungberg-Alonso-LeToux
    Sturgis-Marshall-Hurtado-Riley
    Eylander

    We need to come out with the fire we had in the first 3 game and in the second half of game 4.
     
  6. jd6885

    jd6885 Member

    Jun 30, 2001
    Tacoma
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    451
    ----------Jaqua-----------
    -----Freddie----Fredy-----
    Zakuani---Alonso----Le Toux
    Scott--Marshall-Hurtado-Riley
    ---------[Eylander]---------

    -I'd like the Freds to continually switch sides
    -Exploit their left flank when Bornstein moves up to attack.
    -Stay compact in the midfield to shut down their short passing game.
    -Counter wide with Zakuani, Freddie, and Fredy; not too many long balls to Jaqua
     
  7. bright

    bright Member

    Dec 28, 2000
    Central District
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    We outplayed KC a man down and with our 3rd-string keeper. What kind of coach starts benching people after that? It's early in the season. Games like Saturday's game are learning experiences and a chance to establish our team's character. Benching people after a great showing undercuts that.

    We should start the Chivas game the same way we started the KC game. Give this lineup a chance to show something other than just 30 minutes at full-strength. Even Montero sucked the first 30 minutes, probably because he was upset about personal stuff and he hadn't played for 2 weeks. Zakuani, Nyassi, and Sturgis can come off the bench, and we'll likely see them a lot earlier than the 80th minute this time. Also, I think it is foolhardy to break up the back line in the same game where a backup keeper is forced to start.

    The KC game was an anomaly. There are things to learn from it, but nothing from that game tells me that anybody deserves to be benched. If anything, I think it proved that the 10 guys left on the field are a solid unit that shouldn't be haphazardly busted up in a knee-jerk manner.
     
  8. jd6885

    jd6885 Member

    Jun 30, 2001
    Tacoma
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Are you referring to Scott being benched in Paul's post or Evans being benched in mine? The only reason I benched Evans is because he looked tired last game, but then again, we were down a man...
     
  9. Sounder95

    Sounder95 Member

    Jul 31, 2008
    Bay Area
    I like this lineup, although I doubt Sigi will sit Evans. Zakuani and Le Toux could cause hovoc down the wings and Sturgis will show MLS experience unlike Scott.

    Montero-Jaqua
    Zakuani-Ljungberg-Alonso-LeToux
    Sturgis-Marshall-Hurtado-Riley
    Eylander
     
  10. bright

    bright Member

    Dec 28, 2000
    Central District
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Scott has 4 games of MLS experience, and 7 years prior as a starting left back for the Seattle Sounders. He has also played with both Eylander and Dragavon since 2006. Nate Sturgis has 8 games of MLS experience in the last two seasons, and he is a midfielder first. Explain to me how Nate Sturgis is somehow going to 1) improve a back line that hasn't given up a goal except in the 80th minute a man down after taking it to other team, 2) add to the comfort level of either Eylander or Dragavon as they make their first MLS start away to the best team in MLS?
     
  11. Chizzy

    Chizzy Member+

    She/Her
    United States
    Aug 7, 2003
    Upper Left, USA
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This is going to be a tough match in LA. The boys need to continue the same intensity, and create as many chances like we did against KC. We'll have our 11 men back on field and I'm sure we can get the result we wanted.
     
  12. WestSeattle

    WestSeattle New Member

    Nov 14, 2007
    Seattle
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    My lousy two-cent prediction:

    Huge loss for us in LA-LA this week, as the wind in our sails is lost due to the "stun effect" of that ridiculous KC goal (that shouldn't have been a goal if we'd been paying attention).

    Chivas thumps us, and the early "Chicken Little" fans go nuts, crying for radical changes.

    However, it is the kind of loss that galvanizes a team and allows Sigi to introduce some coaching emphasis that wasn't registering before because it was all going so well.

    We'll see a different team entirely after this Chivas loss...a team that learns to finish, that learns a little patience on the attack, and learns to defend the sides a little more cleanly.

    We lost 3-0 and just when the league writes us off as a "lousy" expansion team again; we come roaring back an even better team than before.
     
  13. seadoc

    seadoc New Member

    Mar 28, 2009
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    **If you don't know already** We've got our supporters section for this game in sec 138 - should be in the right corner opposite the TV camera, so keep an eye out for us!
     
  14. EAB206BLUES

    EAB206BLUES Member

    Jul 19, 2007
    Seattle
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The KC game is history time to move on. Chivas is gonna be the best team that we have faced so far this season (no disrespect to KC). If we continue playing the way we have played the first 4 games so far we have a chance to atleast escape from LA with a point. Obviously most of us would like to walk away with 3 points but realistically speaking Chivas is gonna pose some serious difficulty for us. Hopefully the boys come out swinging and take control of the match early. I also hope Montero seems more comfortable than he did during the KC game. As always heres to hoping for a great match and may the Sounders end up with a victory. Should be a good one.
     
  15. carella211

    carella211 Member

    Apr 6, 2009
    2-0-6!
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    i see no reason why we can't at least get 1 point from this match. even a man down, our side outplayed kc most of the match. we had 5 or 6 good scoring chances still, we just had an off night. it happens. no biggie. i believe we'll be able to score a couple on chivas. the game will all come down to how we defend. i'd rather have tim start rather than drago. haven't heard an official word on that yet. but even still, our backfield has been playing very well so far this season. keller may get the credits for the clean sheets, but setting the mls record for consecutive scoreless minutes to open the season (which we did) is something that is accomplished by more than one guy. how many shots has keller faced on average? 3 or so? that's good def. hurtado, marshall, alonso, all deserve some respect. and knowing that keller is out, i think all are going to dig down a little deeper and bring something extra.
    chivas is beatable. their best man is out. they couldn't score on a weak la side. if we can get through the first 20 minutes without losing control of the game, we'll be fine. i'll be happy with a draw, but i truly think this is a winable game for us.
     
  16. Neemtree

    Neemtree Member

    Jan 11, 2003
    Seattle
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think the Keeper issue is huge. With a recovering Eylander or an inexperienced Dragavon we are a bit weaker for a couple of reasons.

    First I think the defense has played with a lot of confidence because they know they have Keller behind them. If they lose there mark or are a little to aggressive they know Keller is back there able to back them up. With the change I think the defense will be a little more tentative and give the goats a little more room to operate.

    Second I think that there us just a huge drop from an inform Keller to a returning Eylander and Dragavon. In the first three games Keller came with big saves on numerous occasions. In the NY game he stoned Kandi on the break and came up big on Rojas's volley. In the RSL he came off his line and shut Mosisyan(sp?) on the break to take away there best scoring chance. In the TFC game he made a brilliant reaction save to take away a sure goal. These are just a few examples Keller has been one of our best players and at a key position his loss can't be underestimated.

    Don't get me wrong I really like Eylander and was even a little disappointed when the signed Keller instead of giving Eylander a chance. The problem is Eylander is not at his best he just returned to full training and has never played with this back line. If we can come away with a point from LA I will be happy.
     
  17. PaulUW1

    PaulUW1 Member

    Feb 7, 2009
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    A coach that realizes that he played Evans out of position and it greatly effected the speed of our attack.

    A coach that realizes that other teams now have a scouting report on Zach Scott and if you pressure him when he has the ball he will turn it over and if you make a cut-back move on him on near the end line you can get behind him in the box.
     
  18. bright

    bright Member

    Dec 28, 2000
    Central District
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Paul, we were a man down for 60 minutes. You conveniently omitted that qualifier from my quote. How can use that game to determine that Evans slowed the speed of our attack or that Scott is beatable? We were taking the game to KC, a man down! I think that two of the ten players on the field contributed to this.

    My point is that after busting our asses in those circumstances and showing that we were the better team, a coach who benches players is showing himself to be spiteful and unpredictable. Sure, if you are the coach of a video game team, you can pull stunts like that because the computer players are just a bunch of 1' and 0's. But when dealing with live human beings, you have to show some respect for a team's heart and ability to work together. Otherwise, you sap team spirit and players are pitted against each other. That is NOT the Sounders way. We fight for each other, and we win as a team.

    So, how do you expect the team to react, especially the other players on the back line who all seem to be gelling as a group, if you stick a young midfielder just coming off injury with only 8 MLS appearances in the last 2 seasons in Scott's place? It just doesn't make sense. I think you are judging that Scott isn't the best player out of the starting 11 (and someone has to be this person), and then extrapolating that to "bench his ass". As if there is anyone who can take his place, and as if we have an unlimited salary cap where we can just go poach whoever we want.
     
  19. WestSeattle

    WestSeattle New Member

    Nov 14, 2007
    Seattle
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Sigi has nothing to apologize for, he's taken an expansion team and made them a hard-working, cohesive unit in mere weeks.

    Evans and Scott (Scott in particular) had sub-par games, but personally I think removing Le Toux was the right decision.

    I won't make excuses for the loss though. We lost. We lost because we squandered opportunities and then got lazy late in the game in our zone. We lost because our goal-tender is barely USL-1 material and blew a shot he should have had. But really, we lost, because we were beaten. We made mistakes...and the other team capitalized on those mistakes and won.

    Kudos to KC. Bring on Chivas.
     
  20. Artesian

    Artesian New Member

    Nov 8, 2008
    The Evergreen State
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    We'll beat Chicas lite 3-1. There's no intensity in that stadium from the rabble in the stands. Starfire practices with Sigi yelling is more intense.
     
  21. EastLAChiva

    EastLAChiva Member

    Jun 26, 2007
    Section 138
    Club:
    CD Chivas USA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    Soooo tough. That's why they play the game.:cool:
     
  22. PaulUW1

    PaulUW1 Member

    Feb 7, 2009
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    The first 30 he looked out of place. The last 60 he looked slow and out of place. I like him as a CAM but he is #2 there behind FL. Zak and Nyassi get up and down the wing way more aggressively.

    These are pros, not Co-Rec players who won't go out with the team for beers because they are miffed. Jerking players around without justification is a negative. Makiing a coaching decision that improves the team's chances of winning is not. Tweaking a line-up at this level is common practice.

    How do I expect the team to react when the coach plays a guy with 5 more MLS appearances over the guy playing poorly? Like pros. And just because he might not start the game doesn't mean he couldn't be a sub if Sturgis isn't playing better. Or couldn't be back in the line-up the next game. Treating these guys like their place in the starting line-up (after 3 games) is a god given right and not a privlege, is a way to create a fragile team with little depth (see: Mariners 2008).
     
  23. scott47a

    scott47a Member+

    Seattle Sounders FC; Arsenal FC
    Feb 6, 2007
    Austin, Texas
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I can't decide who to agree with. On the one hand, I gave both Zach Scott and Brad Evans low marks on the player ratings thread. On the other hand, I think Bright is on to something saying you don't want to mess with success too much and create instability.

    I guess I would go with Bright and say that Sigi won't make any changes.

    I think the replacing of Zach Scott is waiting for the return of Taylor Graham -- which could lead to Hurtado heading out wide and giving us a Hurtado-Graham-Marshall-Riley back four, which could be really good.

    In terms of Evans, I think he is misplaced on the wing, and badly, considering we have as good an option in Zakuani -- though both have different strengths. But Evans is a Sigi guy that knows the system. I can't see Sigi pulling him until it becomes obvious that Zakuani can handle the defensive responsibilities of being a MLS midfielder as well as he handles the offensive responsibilities.

    My prediction on the game: 1-1 draw. And we should consider ourselves lucky if that is the case. Chivas are good enough to beat us and they are exactly the opposite of us -- their skill level is low, but they make up for it by hacking and grabbing and hard tackling and just daring the refs to card them. That will make it tough on skill-first players like Ljungberg and Montero, I'm afraid. Hope I'm wrong and we win.
     
  24. SounderMan

    SounderMan Member

    Nov 8, 2006
    Lacey WA
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Geeeezus........ I don't believe what I am reading. The Sounders lost a game 1-0 that could have easily been 1-0 in Seattle's favor or even a draw at 0-0. They played down a man for 60 minutes and took the game to KC. They're 3-1, which is far better that most gave them credit for at this point in the season. Sigi is the coach and he'll make the decision reagarding players. Zak is going to be great in this league but he's still a rookie fresh out of college. Nyassi hasn't played a FULL game yet in either USL or MLS. There has to be a reason for that. Evans is one of Sigi's boys and will get the playing time he merits in the system. Let's see the lineup with FL play a full match FULL STRENGTH before we go second guessing one of the best coaches in league history. For christ sake.... you would think we were on a 4 game skid and running out of chances to make the playoffs. We lost one game and WILL lose a few more over the course of 30 games. Relax and let Sigi do the coaching.
     
  25. scott47a

    scott47a Member+

    Seattle Sounders FC; Arsenal FC
    Feb 6, 2007
    Austin, Texas
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Ummm, if you have a problem with people speculating on what they would like to see done and such, you might want to avoid Web sites where people talk about what they would like to see done and such.
    :eek:
     

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