Great job on the first league win, Hawks! Railhawks started off looking pretty good, then seemed to lose their way a little after scoring the pk. Second goal was very nice, though. The team is looking better every week. However, It seems they are somewhat prone to mental lapses... both individually, and as a team. There have been some poorly conceived soft passes on defense and attack... and, as a team, they've looked a little shaky defending leads or chasing back from being down. Tonight, later in the game, I was taken back to the 65th minute or so of the first game, when they were content to really fall back and just give the other team time on the ball. Falling back and playing defensively is fine... but a lack of pressure on the ball in the defending half really allows the opponents to create way too many chances. This game was pretty hot-headed though. It's great to see passion for the game... but I get a little tired of the arms getting thrown all over and the scrums forming up... To me, it was odd that Stokes got a second yellow for his tackle, given many examples of what looked like worse tackles to me, that went un-carded. Really not the prettiest game, but a creditable win, especially given the need to play a man down for half an hour. Looking forward to next week!
I predict that Worthen will not last the entire season. Someone will probably clock him in the next few games. He is quite possibly the dirtiest player I have ever seen.
I really don't have an affiliation with any particular team. I just watch some of the matches on the internet. I know someone that follows the Silverbacks but I have not been to a match yet. It is too far for me to travel to. I am really closer to you guys. It must be sour grapes.
ok i ask again, what exactly did worthen do in this ONE match that you watched that makes him the DIRTIEST PLAYER EVER....in fact i have no clue what he could have done that would have even made him the dirtiest player of the day(Dickau the vampire) now me personally, i've seen worthen play, in person, three or four times now, and yes he is aggressive, is he dirty..debateable, dirtiest player EVER edit: oh and all 6 of your posts are about/defending the silverbacks...now im no statistician, but thats a pretty high percentage for someone with 'no affiliation'
Worthen reminds me of Danny Mills, even down to the bald head. Love him or hate him, you have to admit that is the kind of player that makes stuff happen on the field. Yes, he's a guy other team's are going to love to hate, but only half of that has to do with his physical play, the other half has to do with his offensive threat on the ball. And based on the way the RailHawks have defended each other so far this season, I can tell you without a doubt if someone does go mental and clock Joey, he'll end up being stretchered off himself before the night is over.
Sour Grapes http://www.atlantasilverbacks.com/news/displaynews.php?id=414&cat=1 That's the most homer match report I've ever read. Take for instance this passage: "The animosity that has been building between the two teams over the past three weeks reached a boiling point tonight in the 38th minute. Scott Buete was taken down in a rough tackle and a scuffle between both teams ensued including a 80-yard dash by the RailHawks’ goalkeeper to put in his two cents – Buete received a yellow card." Go back and watch the play again. Buete grabbed Worthen from behind and slung him down (not the other way), then, as Worthen tried to stand up, he got a two handed shove back to the ground from Buete. Quintero was the first keeper to arrive in the scuffle, McClellan was mirroring the Atlanta keepers's sprint. Misreporting the match on the team's website is pretty shoddy, imho.
Well said; I agree with everything that you've said. Except maybe the part about Danny Mills since I have no idea who he is I've had the pleasure of watching the Stormin' Mormon for a couple of years and I wish that we still had him on our team. Unless he has changed tremendously I just can't associate him with being a dirty player. Physical? Oh heck yeah. But never dirty
Worthen is not dirty. He just has an awful lot of heart running 100% for all 90 minutes. He just doesn't go away and give up which is what drives the opposition nuts, but, he is not dirty. His style of play reminds me a bit like Brian Mullen. As far as being the dirtiest - ever? One of the most inane comments I have read on Big Soccer and that takes some doing!! I think he looks like Phil Stacy from this years American Idol. Infact, thats the nickname my wife has given him!! Congrats RailHawks on the first win, they certainly deserve it with the football they have played this year so far. -Richard
hahaha he does remind me of phil stacey.. couldnt watch the game, cuz i was at prom, but it was a great suprise once i got home this morning!! really stoked for the win. glad we look to be coming out of this drought. Looking forward to the game this weekend!!! Another southern rival!
Worthen is a good player. Game smart, physical, and skilled. He is playing dirty because he is getting away with it. When the refs catch up to it, he wont do it anymore (or as much or perhaps he will and get called for it). I have seen to much not to feel that way. I will have to rewatch the games and provide my evidence of course. I can understand how you guys feel but perhaps I can persuade you, when I will have the time to do this is another matter.
Even if we did agree with you, would we admit it? Isn't backing your club unconditionally what suppporters are supposed to do? Maybe he's a player only a supporter can love The interesting thing about your comment about the refereeing is that the RailHawks also feel that we haven't gotten a fair shake on the refereeing side. I haven't seen a well officiated game this year in USL-1, and that goes both ways, not just for the RailHawks side of the equation (I do have a ref license and tend to watch the referees pretty closely). I agree that Joey gets away with a lot of contact in the games but the refs seem to be allowing it. So the question is does it make him a dirty player if he pushes the envelope on what a ref allows? It's one thing to push, tug, pull, and spar with a player physically during the match using hands and arms. It's another thing to spit, stamp, bite, headbutt, etc. So far, what I've seen from him I'd classify as "physical" and "pushing the envelope on what he can llegally do to get an advantage". I haven't seen him doing the things that I purely classify as dirty (spit, stamp, two footed horror challenges, etc.).
Officiating is one area that the USL needs to work on. I do not know what the problem is but it has gotten worse in the last couple of years. It is the consistency that bothers me. I have watched some of the West Coast matches and it seems that the officials out there are better than our officials here in the East. Some of the guys we get here are in over their heads and it shows. In the Silverbacks-Railhawks match the guy lost control because he let both teams escalate the rough play and then he could not stop it in the end.
When he didn't send off Buete for the two-handed shove to Worthen, I knew we were in for a wild ride. That set the level for what was "acceptable" and they pushed it as far as he would go.
I agree with your assessment Jarrett. There is a big difference between being dirty and pushing the envelope as to what a ref. will allow. -Richard
McClellan and Dombrowski in Week 4 team of the week: http://trisoccerfan.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=723
Perhaps the case here is what each person considers 'dirty' play. I would consider someone who fouls off the ball a 'dirty' player, because it is against the spirit of the game. I see what Worthen is getting away with off the ball as beyond physical play. We will see if the USL feels that way or if they will allow him to continue.
ok i just finished watching saturdays game, can you please tell me where are the off the ball plays you are referring to? the only instance i can think of is when he was fouled right before half and while falling grabbed the atlanta player(a possible yellow card play), but that was definately not off the ball and after hearing all this talk about how rough and physical the game was, i went in expecting to see the worst....what i saw was 2 teams playing for their 3rd time in less than 2 weeks in a derby match, HARDLY worse than a typical epl game. im sorry but every league can't be serie A, so i think everyone should stop expecting both teams to prance around making sure not to touch or anger the other team also, re:stokes red card, if the atlanta usl-live people call it a weak call(second yellow) then there is no doubt it was a weak call, i also don't see how they can argue against the pk, especially ALL broadcast, his arm was out...and not only did he hit it but the ball went UP
For reference, I pulled the yellow card stats on the season. Through 5 games, Atlanta has been carded 11 times. Through their own 5 games (3 of which were against Atlanta), the Carolina Thugs, I mean RailHawks, have been shown 10 yellow cards. It all adds up, doesn't it?
'Off the ball' in my experience refers to any play made while not in possession of the ball. Worthen did not have the ball when he took Buete down. It was 5 feet away because Buete knocked it back to Jarun right before Worthen hooked him over his legs. Perhaps the Railhawks will be allowed to continue playing that way, but I doubt it. A big fight will happen or someone will get hurt, I just hope the league will eventually sort things out.