yes, this! tsaldana for President! i'll add, i'm not usually the biggest Dema fan, but that quote of what he said to Schelotto is pretty fricking fantastic. also wanted to add that i'm glad we deployed Jovan up top. i'd advocated doing this a few weeks ago, as he's been very useful to us up top, more useful than anywhere else on the field. he helped take some heat off of Buddle with effective play (ahem, Magee) and was good at distributing the ball and bringing the midfield into the play as we moved forward in attack. ok, ONE MORE THING, it was pointed out above, but I want to acknowledge that LD really did play a very physical game with some hard fouls. frankly, it was good to see. he was engaged and committed and showed that he cared a great deal. i can't remember the last time he played THAT physically.
Anyone know why Buddle was sub'd out at half time? I didn't get a chance to scroll so if you know could you post. Thanks!
They called it leg cramps and said it was precautionary. He apparently had a tight hamstring during the week, but it was obviously good enough for him to start.
Turned out to be a great game! They looked great! a lot of great combinations which led to a lot of opportunities. Great cross from Sean Franklin in the first half, he didnt get enough credit for that. His overlapping runs were giving the crew fits. Sean Franklin use to do that when he played in the PDL for the SFV Quakes. Check out the article we did on him recently: http://www.scoutme.com/soccer/scoutme-com-sits-down-with-2008-mls-rookie-of-the-year-sean-franklin/
for entertainment value, or just fits and giggles the Columbus thread of the game is making me smile... https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1535313
Sent my buddy and his son to the game Saturday and watched at home on Fox. For all of you that bitch and moan about the AYSO moms and the Beckham teen love brigade consider this. I had to listen to Watson and Rogondino for two hours of my life that I will never get back. Why are we second class in the booth still? Back to the game itself. When I saw the starting line-up I wondered if Bruce had indeed got it right, especially in the midfield. Alex Cazumba played his best game in a Galaxy uniform all season. I'm not saying he doesn't have plenty of room for improvement, but it was complete in terms of attacking Frankie Hadjuk, maintaining possession, linking with teammates, defending now and then and actually creating a terrific chance for Jovan on the FK. You never know how a young player like Juninho is going to respond after having been gone for a while. Well he sure as hell answered that question and looking back closely it is the young Brazilian's willingness to anchor the center of midfield defensively that allowed Dema the freedom to challenge all over the field like the mad man we all know him to be. At one point in the first half Dema chased a ball back to Hesmer from 40 yds out. The only way to do that and not leave gaping holes is to trust the other three guys will all defend and keep their shape. Landon, Cazumba and Juninho came to work this night. Now if we could just get Landon to stop committing silly fouls from behind. Get goal-side son and it becomes much easier to win tackles in this league. You all know I love Jovan, but Saturday we got a glimpse of why Bruce was willing to part with Gordon (no goal production) and pass over Magee (no work ethic). Jovan battles and this team has lacked fight for at least a month or more. He plays with his back to the goal which allows Buddle to run on both flanks, he links up with teammates and he defends high which you all may notice was absent when Iro had all day to play the ball forward on CBus' goal. Eric Wynalda said it (although didn't always practice it), that defending starts up top with the forwards trying to win the ball back immediately and pressuring all over the field. Buddle and Kirovski are both big guys who will chase and defend and work to close down defenders. It makes everything else easier. Its already been said but a healthy David Beckham will ultimately be preferred to Cazumba. Hell, we saw DB defend more in the last 20 minutes than we've see LD defend in the last 20 games. He completes a huge percentage of passes and creates better chances for everyone else. Unfortunately he pushes Chris Klein right off this roster at some point. Bowen is the future right wing, Lewis has already announced his retirement. Stephens can play any of the four MF positions in a pinch. This team will be deep and younger off the bench down the stretch. The schedule sets up nicely for us. All we need is the back four to stay healthy. Berhalter is still the starter the day he's back 100%. I like Leonardo, although that goal was all on him (and not even a little bit Rickett's fault). We're just a better team with Gregg in the back. Dunivant and Franklin were perfect, again. I'm still concerned about Omar. He needs to develop some more consistency, but he's young and SHOULD get better. Bruce said it in the post-game interview. Effort, intensity, hunger. We saw a lot of that Saturday which had been missing. More of that will lead to a championship, and personally I've waited as long enough. Our biggest concern should be the playoff format. All the tougher teams may end up on our side of the bracket, while a team like San Jose may get to play the crap Eastern teams. The SS is still ours for the taking. Can't wait to pile on DC then face RBNY at home.
Yeah, Juninho came back recharged as you say which was pleasant too see. Didn't know what to expect especially since I didn't know what the personal matter was. Also good point about the increased pressure up top. Agree somewhat about Cazooomba in that he was more active on D and moved the ball up a lot. Still he was awful the few times he got open space in front of him. It's bad enough that he dribbles with his head down, totally unaware of where his teammates are/ But at least if you are going to be that guy it important to to not flub your shot attempts worse than most AYSO players. You have a fairly strong position on Ricketts culpability on the goal but I disagree here as well. There is a fine line between the coming out too quickly and overcommitting yourself (leaving you vulnerable to ground shots to either side) or coming out too slowly and passively (giving the forward too much time and shot angle), and getting it right. It appeared to me that Ricketts was mentally caught by surprise due to Leonardo's whiff and maybe b/c of that he then over-rushed his approach toward the CLB forward making it easier to score. But that is based on a couple Tivo'd replay viewings only and is just my opinion. And we all know what opinions are like....
You see, nobody believed me about the TechFit jerseys, but just as soon as they show up again, we win. Bam.
anyone eles see that kiss Dema smacked on Edson after the goal.. That was hilarious..I think I should give Edson some shit about that one
Latest INJURY REPORT OUT – None DOUBTFUL – None QUESTIONABLE – David Beckham (Left Achilles tendon), Gregg Berhalter (neck), Edson Buddle (hamstring tightness), A.J. DeLaGarza (Left knee) PROBABLE – None hahah yeah i saw that but its Dema we don't want to go to war with him lol
I had a fun time on my LA trip..... ACB tailgate was a good time. We made sure no-one at the game got chicken. Went to Magic Mountain on Sunday. good times.
good to hear but some people did get chicken lol the guy next to me try to get his free water bottle till he found out they where outside came back to his seat and had some coupons lol
Highlight time folks [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-gUq-44wJ0"]YouTube - 09/11/2010 MLS - Los Angeles Galaxy 3-1 Columbus Crew.Highlights[/ame]
He looked like he was doing his best to suck his gut in (along with almost every male over 40 in the stands wearing a jersey) .
I thought it was funny that Beckham's looked like the ones in the ads, which are clearly airbrushed. I bet he was like, "$hit, seriously? Are you sure that isn't Juninho's shirt? No? $hit, it says my name on it." Hahaha. Seriously, though, that is how they're supposed to look (If you believe the ads...I've only seen him and some AC Milan guys wearing them that tight).
what a fiasco to get a bottle.... best quote I heard while waiting in line "... did Alexis Lalas organize this...?" props to whoever was the unknow voice
so..... let's say Becks + Cazumba are on the pitch....assuming they will now take over the free/corner kick responsibilities? no more LD? Just watched our third goal, and that ball that Cazu served up was a thing of beauty.
Lol i should know better than to take goal.com seriously, but 4th in the current power rankings??? after the dismantling of Columbus? well, let's agree to disagree. NYRB have no business in a top 3 discussion. it's all about the western conf, and all three top teams (LA, SLC, DAL) have a decent argument to claim the #1 spot...
Re: so..... That wasn't actually a very well-taken free kick. It was a high, looping ball, and Hesmer shoulf have gotten on the end of it to at least punch it out. It was also deeper than it should have been. Ideally those balls should be more driven into the heart of the penalty area. I'm not sure Cazumba is going to see a lot of success if he continues hitting them like that.