Once again, I'm not rooting for the teams that performed the best, I'm rooting for the underdogs or rooting against annoying, arrogant teams. Your mileage may vary! I'm happy that Vermin's team sucked, and happy to see him go into his gasket blowing routiine. That was fun! Similarly with Seattle - happy to see all those fans go home dazed, and confused (but we were supposed to win!). As I said, my main motivation for watching the playoffs is schadenfraude. It's interesting to hear on the broadcast that RSL has kind of owned SKC over the last few years, even in KC. I wonder why or if it's just an anomaly. Possible (maybe) theory: Flatlander SKC relies on a high press. RSL is high-altitude fit. Is it possible that SKC's high press loses its effectiveness as the game wears on because RSL is a little more fit? Maybe a bit of a stretch - I'm probably making too much of altitude, but in this game anyway RSL seemed to own them more and more as the game wore on.
Just watched Eric Calvillo and Seth Casiple's Orange County SC playing in the USL Championship Final against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on ESPN. OC German GK Patrick Rakovsky saved a pk in the first half. He seems wasted in the USL and Almeyda should give him a look. Both teams looked better than the Quakes. The final score is Tampa Bay 1- and Orange County SC 3. Congratulations Orange County SC, the new USL Champions!
Happy for Eric Calvillo. He just wanted a chance to play. Almeyda couldn't/wouldn't give him that with the Quakes. He picked a good team and got better as the season went on.
RSL certainly looked stronger the first few minutes. After they got jobbed on the PK -- given to SKC soon thereafter -- the nature of the game changed. The crowd really got into it, and RSL seemed deflated. Then, after I went out, RSL started looking stronger (according to my husband) and subbed in Julio. When I came back, RSL seemed like a totally different team, and SKC could do nothing right. Everyone expected RSL to bunker again, but they showed they had more dimension than that. Meanwhile, SKC could only score on the sure thing.
SKC never should have started Pulido. He had not started a game since September, and he was not the playmaker they wanted him to be in this game. It just helped to sink their ship.
Four SOG from the run of play is awful for a home playoff team, and yes RSL was not really bunkering. I really like that guy Julio. He makes less than $500k. That's the kind of player we need, as opposed to Fierro for $900k.
Glad we're not the only ones that have keyed on P.V.'s demeanor over the years! Whenever K.C. is in town, we always yell something like, "Take it down a notch, Brooks Brothers!!". This is Pete pre-meltdown!
I heard an interview where Benjamin Galindo praised him but I don’t think Almeyda cared for Calvillo that much. I didn’t realize he chose to play for El Salvador. Playing for their national team could help improve his game. It will be interesting to see if Matias finally gives him a chance. He is turning 24 on January 2nd so his time to shine is this next season.
I never realized RSL was league owned.... MLS Playoffs: Real Salt Lake, the ultimate underdog, does it again by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Nov. 28 in Kansas City, Kan. Sporting KC 1 Real Salt Lake 2. Goals: Russell pen. 24; Julio (Brody) 72, Wood (Meram) 90+1. Sporting KC -- Melia; Fontas, Zusi, Isimat-Mirin, Walter, Sanchez, Kinda (Espinoza 70), Pulido (Shelton 73), Salloi, Russell. Real Salt Lake -- Ochoa; Herrera, Glad, Silva, Brody; Everton Luiz, Ruiz, Menendez (Julio 57), Kreilach, Chang (Meram 57); Rubin (Wood 71). Att.: 21,650. Ronaldo Damus shoots Orange County to USL Championship title by Mike Woitalla @MikeWoitalla, Today USL Championship Champions 2011 Orlando City 2012 Charleston Battery 2013 Orlando City 2014 Sacramento Republic 2015 Rochester Rhinos 2016 New York Red Bulls II 2017 Louisville City 2018 Louisville City 2019 Real Monarchs 2020 * 2021 Orange County --------------------
"The MLS" -> immediate loss of credibility. If you can't even get the name of the league right, you haven't done the homework. Next!
Ouch! And I seem to remember criticism toward the US women for running the score up against Thailand in the World Cup. And that was only 13-0? https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/59452221
A goal every 4.5 minutes (I'm guessing the ref didn't add any stoppage time). Isn't there a way to prevent that many goals even if you don't know how to play soccer? Just park the bus and waste as much time as possible.
They were adhering to the Chris Leitch theory that no matter the score you never stop trying to attack to get into the game. I mean you never know when you might go on a 20-goal run!
And.....another top team bites the dust in the playoffs, again on PK's. This year is an especially fervent reminder that the playoffs are a crap shoot. Doesn't make them bad necessarily - they're exciting and all that, but they are in fact a crap shoot. NE finished 22 points ahead of NYFC.
I only saw extra time + KFTM for that game, and neither team was very impressive by that point, but the temps were freezing and everyone looked exhausted. Plus NYFC's top player was sent off so can't play the next game.
86% to 14% possession 64 shots (31 on target) to 0 15 corners to 0. Looks like there was no bus to bark, maybe a sub-compact.