Oh I know his strategy. Once again I was just pointing out that your "better players" weren't. Either from tiredness or from quality your (the general you) boasts about winning with "better players" turned out to be wrong.
Listened to GS comments on the match - he talks about the introduction of LaBauex late in the match. He says the the reason for the intorduction was to clog the midfield and force RSL to play long-ball. He stated that is what they got and unfortunately one of the long balls led to a goal.
Yeah Man !!! Our B rated outside back ( Wallace, who's 21 ) handled your A rated striker Espindola all night long there Homeslice.
Hey - I just wanted to chime in and say your supporters were great at Rio Tinto Sat night - Was really surprised at how many Rapids fans made the trip. Totally added to the atmosphere at the stadium - I'm loving the intensity of this rivalry - look forward to these games every year. Good luck with your playoff run down the stretch.
Yes, you are correct. Wallace did a great job on Espindola, probably the best marking against him I have seen in a while. He seemed to read Fabian's mind and was always a step ahead of him. Except for the shots where Espy was wide open and flat out missed the goal or hit the post. Combination of good defending by Wallace and poor shooting by Espy. Kudos to the traveling fans. You added to the great stadium atmosphere. Now try to get another 10K fans to show up to your stadium so it doesn't look so empty when we play you in a few weeks.
Given that we can only pack in about 5K-6K more above our average attendance, that would be a bit difficult. I know its hard for Utah residents to count above 3.2, but give you're best shot OK?
One comment I wanted to make and completely forgot. Why do refs allow seemingly unlimited time for throw in's and goal kicks for the first 80 minutes then in the last 10 decide to become dicks. The guy on Saturday was the worst. Every Rapids throw in or free kick in the last 10 minutes he immediately went, sometime ran, to the player gesturing, demanding quick action. I have my doubts the rules change so why is "time wasting" okay for 90% of the game?
Yeah, the yellow on Wallace was a joke. He had taken less time than a normal throw-in before the ref brought out the yellow.
IMO, the first 80 minutes of the match, the ref tolerates the behavior no matter what the score line is because the players tend to take a their time to either catch their breath or try to get into better position prior to the kick or throw. During the last 10 minutes and into extra time, the ref has to speed up play for a few different reasons. If the match is a blowout, everyone is ready to hit the showers and get back home thus the players better not waste time. If the match is a tie, the ref needs to be able to tell both coaching staffs that he/she did everything possible to ensure a fair match. If one team is losing, they insist that the ref makes the winning team hurry up and play the ball. If one team is winning, the ref has to become a jerk when the player wastes time in order to save face and not let players get the wrong impression of how he/she calls a match. Kind of a way to demand respect from the players to play fair. Well, just my two cents.
Apparently we dont need to, our 3.2 is better than your full strength. Also looking forward to the return leg! It was great to see you guys get some numbers out here.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/us-referee-chief-addresses-olsen-kinnear-ejections Unless Tamberino has access to footage we don't I don't think its "clearly" a hand ball, but interesting information about what happened. I'm still not sure the ball didn't deflect off of Wynne's thigh into his arm, which would not be deliberate handling as I understand it.
This is fantastic. Great to see all your traveling support, and sorry I can't return the favor this year. These two games are always my favorites of the season. Don't worry, we'll keep the cup safe until next year when you can try again.