Excellent point. And after Saturday, they get another team in the same situation next Saturday. I'll wait and see with these guys. Any team with Kobayashi and Dorman as midfield anchors I can't take too seriously. United/NE, it's a toss up, they both have serious holes.
My Rev hate goes back to this guy: Those damn curls and his horrendous dive against us back in April 1996.
The pre-match thread on the Revs board is the mirror image of ours: "I hate those hack-ball Uniteds and their once-thuggish coach", or words to that effect.
Nice Sawatsky pull! The wife was in Seattle last year on business and got into a suite for the DC game and Tarzan was in there too. She was talking DC soccer with him and he said he had played for Revs. She didn't recognize him, so texted me and I verified he did hack for NE early on in league history. We texted back and forth throughout the game and he turned out to be a funny, interesting guy. I still hate him though. Heaps and Joseph and Franchino and Rusty Pierce and all the rest of those festering weasels. I hate NE more than RedBull or the Crew. Going to be tough tomorrow though. Before the season, I thought that offense would be lighting it up, but their weak defense would give up just as many. Then they couldn't score early on, but wasn't giving up any either. Now, they are explosive and still not giving up much defensively. Good point about them having an easy schedule for those recent 5 goal games, still NE will be a tough one to keep under wraps and apparently score on as well. I can see this one going 5-4 or 4-0 or 1-0 with either team being on either end of that score. Plus, there always seems to be some hideously bad calls or some horrible breaks when we play them too. Fingers crossed. Anything could happen in this one.
I know several festering weasels. They're fine upstanding individuals. I would be proud to call any one of them my friend.
1/3 thru the season and its nice not facing a must win game. Before the season any team in the league would have been happy with 18 points at this stage. Anyone know when Franklin will be back? The most dangerous player on the field tomorrow will be Fernandez trying to play defense.
Fernandez will have competition for the "best crosses from a left-side defender." Tierney, when on, is the best I've seen in a long time.
I believe Franklin was in the 18 last week ... so he's "back" ... although not sure if ready for 90 minutes.
Boh, I'm probably the only one but I don't hate the Revs... there are plenty of teams I dislike a lot more...
A blurb on United's site said he was participating in full training the other day. I can't see Korb starting over him once the staff dubs him match fit.
Goff's "probable" lineup has no changes from the Houston match except for EJ at forward, but paired with Rolfe, with Espindola at left wing and Neal back to the bench. If this is so, perhaps Benny thinks Rolfe is more likely to pair well with EJ up front.
True, but add to that the symbiotic relationship of Olsen's grit and Espindola's game last match, I wouldn't put it past Olsen to take all 4 of whoever's on the wings aside and have a little "Boys, it's mission impossible, and here's the mission briefing- we're gonna own those thuggish ankle-biting studs-to-the-gut cowardly bastards and you guys are going to do it- following Fabian's lead." A serious side note-Thanks for the 2004 clip, still a fond memory for me as I attended that game, wielding a 18" Tama floor tom, alongside my father, may he R.I.P.(Sadly he passed Dec. 2012, from ALS). It's him playing the metal cowbell you can hear throughout the match from deep in the Barra Brava section. Proud to say we were able to witness probably the greatest soccer match in MLS history together. What a vindication of this team's progress, what a statement would be made this far into the season if we could see United stop this team in the tracks of it's win streak, at their own home, with a resurgent Eddie Johnson, who had to be looking at the Houston game, looking at Fabian and saying to himself, "Yeah, I could probably do some of that.... sure looks like he's having fun." And as far as Cristian- I think a simple study of Korb's game vs. Houston will give him a shining example of how much better a player he will be by just pulling back a little more within himself, and simplify things just a bit. I hope Olsen, or someone noticed this and pointed it out to him- it seemed a blatantly obvious example to me. We don't want the guy to sulk, but that type of constructive criticism could do wonders in eliminating what I'd guess many feel is the team's biggest spot needed for improvement. It seems some of NE's success has been found interchanging their midfield a bit. Hmmm- didn't I just see some of that Wednesday night? Hopefully it will serve our side well in not only preparing us to defend them, but also give them some trouble defending us. My prediction- I'm betting the vets are itching to get a little team swagger going, and I KNOW there's no better opponent currently, save maybe NY, that them beating would have a quicker effect of not only whipping the fan-base into a bit of a frenzy, but help serve notice to the league as well by stepping into 1st place by taking 3 points on a road match. Here's hoping Espindola and Rolfe get EJ going, to the tune of a brace or more. DC 4-NE 1 Vamos United! Vamanos!
I spoke briefly with Franklin after Wednesday's game. He says he is match fit and ready to go. Given that Johnson and Espindola tend to run to the same spaces, sometimes to be joined by Deleon, I will be pleased to see Rolfe paired with Eddie up front. When I commented to Lewis Neal that Rolfe was like him, but with speed, he agreed. Rolfe plays off others' tendencies and finds the space to create and finish. The Revs will be well tested by attacking wings while dealing with power and guile from the forwards.
Doyle and Silva didn't travel (illness). Rolfe not in the 18 either. Took a knock sometime Wednesday? Martin and Caskey are the 2 new faces starting along with EJ. Espindola on the bench.
Here's hoping tonight's match will be as enjoyable to watch as our midweek match was! I haven't enjoyed watching DC that much since....well...I can't really remember...