If anybody can help me with a ticket stub for this match, I'd really appreciate it. Please PM me. I collect match tickets. (I'm willing to pay.) Thanks and good luck.
Sadly for you, Sporting has gone 100% digital for tickets. I don't know how to get in without a mobile app. Maybe the Will Call window can print a paper with a QR code? I've not tried.
Dear Peter, I can’t defend you here. We have 2.5 heathy wingbacks, one actual d-mid, and one actual striker. This CCL tie is done. Our first team v Monterrey is batsh** crazy stupid stubborn as hell. Forget Thursday, if we lose or draw this weekend, you’ll get crushed, and you will deserve it. Sincerely, KOp
It's April and we're sitting in a playoff spot despite having focused on CCL. I took enormous solace in the tie v Cinci with essentially the second team. That's the sort of thing that will really benefit us later in the year. You are correct, we're out of the CCL, but if Vermes decides to go our guns blazing, meaning the second team is fully rested for Sunday, I'm okay with that. we are a really good team. Monterrey is clearly better, but ffs Toluca toasted them on the weekend. I'd be thrilled with a 2-1 win in the return leg. I know, meaningless, but I'm quite encouraged by the way our second team performed and I think that's more important than points in April. I'm also cool with the second 11 going v Monterrey, and really, 5-0 or 8-0, who cares. Actually, I do. But I would understand the thinking.
I'm feeling delusional this morning. It's as if I'd just purchased a lottery ticket for a $500,000,000 prize, fantasizing what I'd do with the money. I'm not really expecting it, but dreaming as to how it will be when we win 7-1 and advance to the final on aggregate 7-6. One of the epic comebacks of all time it would be. I'm guessing I'll wake up from this dream sometime around 10:00 PM.
More likely we will all wake up around 8:45 pm, if not sooner. But I am still going to support the team, no matter the odds. I am hoping for a decent crowd, but wondering how many Monterrey fans are in Kansas City and if they are buying all the tickets offered for sale by season ticket holders?
Or, by 10 pm, wild celebrations!!!! Just saying that game time here is 3 am, so wild celebrations at 5 am, which really would be falling asleep again. I mean, I live in Berlin, so I'd hardly be the only person up between 3 and 5 and celebrating, but probably the only one not stoned out of their mind.
Lol, the Mexicans show up. There will be no shortage of support for Monterrey tonight. They could be louder than the SKC fans.
Yard house has been packed with Monterrey fans since before 3. One next to me from Dallas, the other from Chicago
Glad to see our best 11 out there risking injury and wasting energy. And we now need one more than when we started. Genius.
awful again. the first half was at least respectable... but then we embarrassed ourselves again in the second half. also, thanks vermes for wearing out all of our starters in this pointless game. great management.
Well, that's over. Too bad. I liked this run, but not the ending. Fascinating to look at the CCL heatmap of the game. While in the first half Monterrey were playing out of their own half (normal) in the second half they completely dominated in the quater between the midline and top of our box. Look at the interceptions they were making: they were swiping the ball in the forward half of that same zone, a lot. Well, maybe. I don't know, CONCACAF's map feels off to me. But beyond that, look at our most common passing patterns compared to their most common passing patterns. Ours, best case scenario, ends with Ilie having the ball as he's just reached the center circle, or Felipe wide at the midline. Obviously, we passed much deeper than that, but these were our most common connections. Monterrey most commonly ended up with Striker Hurtado receiving the ball deep on the wing. or LW Gallardo in a mirror of Felipe's position. Their ball movement showed constant attacking menance. their fulcrum was ACM Ortiz, with CM Rodriguez playing a supporting role. Our Fulcrum was Besler. Our most common passing combos: Besler to Ilie, Besler to Fontas, Besler to Felipe, Besler to Zusi. Mad props to Besler. He sprayed 43 passes around, only 2 weren't on target. That said, wow. 10-2 makes sense. Our players attempting the most passes: A CB, DM, and our Defensive wings. Their top four? Two central mids, a striker and a left wing. That's a pretty strong indication of attacking intent, or at least execution. Overall, we attempted and completed more passes, though it was close (277-242) but they only had 20 picked off all day, while we lost 54. BTW, these are really interesting game stats on the Concacaf site. It was a good measuring stick for what it will take to step beyond where MLS is right now. It's a big step. We probably screwed ourselves for RB, but so what. The reboot begins now, by the time we land in San Jose, we should be fully updated and ready to dominate MLS.
I have a different take on the game. I am glad the PV put out the best 11 last night. SKC got punched in the face in Mexico and I know they were itching to get another shot at Monterrey. I thought they played toe to toe with them for a lot of the game and earned a lot of respect from the fans on both sides. Monterrey is the most dominant team in the entire North American, Mexico and Central American region. They are, top to bottom, a more talented team than SKC. The combined salary for the three subs that came off the bench for them is twice the amount of SKC’s entire team! It was really fun to watch them play. Their skill with the ball, their speed, their ability to read the game and their ability to finish was a thing of beauty to watch. I hope the MLS can rise to that level of play some day. Can you imagine the kind of joke the game would have been if PV played a combination of bench and Rangers to play Monterrey? That would have been an insult to the best 11 SKC players, the fans and a waste of time for Monterrey to even come here and play. PV did exactly what he should have done for the players, the fans and the league.
Every sentence in this is exactly how I feel. I said in earlier posts that I wanted to see how the best SKC team I've ever seen so far, measures up to the region's best. Now I know. And for that reason, I'm glad we played our style of ball and didn't bunker up in game 1. This was an honest game played hard by both sides - Monterrey desired the win last night so they could host the 2nd leg of the Final. Thus, this was the highest quality opponent - playing their top players, and playing for "real" - that this 24 season old KC franchise has ever played. (The Man Utd friendly in 2010 does not count, as that was a pre-season warmup with no meaning for them) I greatly applaud SKC's players, and Vermes for bringing heart and fight to last night's game. It inspired me as much as anything I have seen from the club in the last few years. As the old saying goes, if you want to see a man's character, put him under adversity. We were under adversity since the 2nd half in Monterrey a week ago. I liked our psychological response. Some critics (and there is reasonable justification for their view) may call it foolish, or naive, or wasteful to do what we attempted yesterday. But I believe it takes a lot of cajones to want to go toe-to-toe with Monterrey the way we did last night, and risk taking our lumps on counter-attack (which we did). I have mad respect to the 14 Sporting players who stepped on the field, the others who were prepared to do so, and to Vermes for readying them. Also much respect to the many SKC fans who showed up in the cold and wind - many more than I would have guessed - to cheer their team on even though down 0-5 in aggregate. As to Monterrey, a class club, with talent I could only dream SKC will field in a decade, a beautiful stadium, and great supportive fans - 44K at their leg, and many at CMP last night who were, at least in my section, friendly and respectful guests at our place. I couldn't muster even the slightest bit of dislike for Monterrey. Instead, I quickly grew to respect them for showing some of the beauty in the beautiful game, even if it came at the expense of my beloved club. If I had to adapt a LigaMX team, the Rayados would be it. My hope is that SKC's Starting XI after a week of physical, and more importantly mental and psychological rest, comes out very strong the rest of the MLS season. The model for this is the way Besler and Zusi came back from USMNT games in 2013 and 2014 playing at a much higher level, due to exposure to a higher level of play. Our 2019 CCL journey may be over, but the journey of our SKC franchise continues on with much to look forward to. Onward, my fellow SKC fans, it was a pleasure to take this last ride with you!
Wasn't it during RBNY's CCL run last year that we played them. and they started a second 11/USL hybrid team? And I know, TFC, but didn't RBNY win the supporters shield? I'm glad we got a couple goals. I wish we'd been good enough to hold them to, say, a max of 7, but we weren't so we move on, wiser and I also want to believe, better for the experience.