have at it yall...I have no comments cause I didn't get to see the game...but I'd love to hear yall's takes on it!
The CyberRays had the ball something like 45 minutes of a 49-minute second half, got what seemed like billions and billions of corner kicks, and still somehow managed not to score. Siri had a heck of a game.
The C-Rays played a beautiful game, possessing the ball and moving it around nicely. But when they got it up around the top of the box , they dinked it around too much. I kept yelling for somebody to please take a shot on goal. They've gotta do something about getting open on corner kicks too. It's a shame to have so many and not get at least one goal.
Oops, already posted my thoughts in the Freedom forum. In short, Washington looked messy and San Jose needs to work on finishing.
Yeah, the CyberRays really, really dominated possession in this game, but they just couldn't manage to score. It's always frustrating to lose, but if they play this well in the future, and learn to finish a little better, they'll win some games. The CyberRays created about 50 chances and managed to score 0 goals. The Freedom created 1 chance and managed to score 2 goals. (The PK came after what should have been a routine play -- there was absolutely no danger.) Actually that's a bit of an exaggeration, since the Freedom did have several excellent counter-attacks in the last ten minutes when the Rays went for broke by pulling a defender (Sanchez), adding an extra striker (Bell), and throwing everyone forward. Before that last ten minutes, though, I don't think any Freedom player other than Abby Wambach crossed the midfield line for the entire second half. It's strange to say, but I think I have to give the (CyberRays) player of the game award to Pretinha. The formation the Rays use seems to be designed to give her maximum freedom to roam and use her creativity, and she really dominated today. She's a different player from the slow, plodding circus-act we saw last season. Oh, and every time I see Thori Bryan have a dominating defensive performance (like she did in the previous game vs Philly), I wonder why she isn't a fixture on the USWNT. Then when I see her try to distribute (like she did today -- after all she didn't have to play any actual defense), I suddenly remember. She makes bad decisions -- too many long balls! -- and she must have shanked three clearances out of bounds. Sissi was better than last week, though still a little quiet. Barr is really energetic and is a great ball-winner, but also had some typical rookie mental lapses. For the Freedom, Mia had such a quiet game that I forgot she was out there until the last ten minutes.
Not really much to say, especially after watching 2 games. Here's a short take: The handball in the box was called--it looked like a blue, but Sanchez (if I got her right) had her hand up enough to look like she was going to "motion" the ball. As much as it is, the ref had to call it. Beene can't be faulted on the PK, but there was enough of a mad scramble to get the insurance goal. All right game for her, could have been 1-0 or a goalless draw... The Rays had a lot of opportunities to score, but couldn't get it past Siri, who simply played well enough to make stops, dropping down to bat the ball away and so forth. Even Abby got bumped, pushed, and hacked but Lindsey and Jacqui Little bit their ex-mates when it counted. Mia did a lot of two-way play, trying to play back and defend when needed. Though she doesn't wear the armband for Washington (Grubb is the "C" of their club) she did a lot more quiet work than her usual offensive prowess. Overall, a very ugly game, but Washington got the goal when it really counted in the points in the end. 3-0-0 for them, be smooth or ugly, no one is going to complain on their side. 1-1-0 isn't that bad, but the real test will be against San Diego next weekend, and then Atlanta before returning home against Carolina. With those three opponents, the ladies need to start thinking about finishing, finishing, finishing, especially Clemens and Katia. And, great seeing everyone at the stadium--far too many people this time around. Cheers!
How many were there? The box score didn't give the attendance. New York had only a little over 5,100 and I didn't see an attendance figure for the Boston/Carolina match either.
Need someone to finish? Should've taken that rookie from Cal who's gathering splinters at With the Freedom. They have all the finishers they need. Made the cut W/ the Freedom, the only field player kept out all comers. Could've had her at #31 in the draft. Finished at a rate of 1 goal for every 3 1/2 strikes career at Cal. Scored the winning 1-0 goal against the Courage pre-season. Great Ace in the hole for under 10 grand. If she is moved to the reserve spot, which is rumored, C- Rays could still pick her up. Naa! I forgot, she's not from Santa Clara. But Brandi was from Cal also!!! Alot of folks would love to see her play here. Including me! EC
That was a frustrating loss because it shouldn't have been one. But that's good news too. Finishing is a problem, but it would have been less of one without a spectacular game from Siri Mullinix. Melissa Moore is a better keeper than many and we got two by her (I'm counting the Pretinha goal that was called back). I agree that the brightest spot was Pretinha. After two games I'm convinced she has remade herself into a huge impact player. Her ball skills are riveting. Also Michelle French and Keri Sanchez, who are moving up their flanks really effectively. I don't know why the defense was sending so many long balls up, often badly. It's not just Thori whose service out of back was going long, or out, or to Freedom players. We have a strong midfield, we should use it. Maybe it's because Sissi and Tisha still aren't 100% healthy or match fit? I'm assuming that's the situation. I hope they're both in better shape next week when we play San Diego without Pretinha and Katia. Overall, I'm still feeling good about our chances this season. Things will only improve when Kelly Lindsey and Di Alagich are available, Tish and Sissi get fit and healthy, and the new players, particularly Barr and Barnes are more played in. While I'm always skeptical about excuses, this time I believe the post game statements that the team was emotionally depleted after the loss of Brandi's father. They seem like a close knit group, and I can't imagine they're not affected.
17,000 estimated as mentioned. The big surprise there was that it was full for the first game and they stayed around for the Quakes, not to mention some of the late traffic... credit to those who were around to see not only the Quakes, but the women as well, especially the night before Easter... Cheers!
I'm not sure if the dumbest play last night was Sanchez' use of the hands, or Onstad's gaffe. Nap, I was meaning to come over, but I was pretty wasted and sh!t-faced. I'll say hi next time. My thoughts pretty much reflect what's already been posted. Poor finishing, what else is new? The 'dumb's mid & defense was porous; it was frustrating to see SJ not make anything out of it. 19 CKs? 19 shots? Says a lot about the 'dumb's tactics. Also says a lot about SJ's level of futility - all those looks & nothing to show for it. At least the 'dumb knew what to do when they were presented the opportunities with the PK & that defensive mistake. Just like last season, the defense falls asleep when time is running out. Stoecker & Jones really couldn't stay with Pretinha. That's why she had all those good looks on goal.
Ditto to a lot that has been said. I though the defense played really well last night but let me emphasis - DEFENSE. The Rays stopped the attacks, but the DEFENSE didn't perform offensively very well. Not that the offense did squat either. The balls from the back were horrid. Personally, Thori can be the fastest in the world, but she is terrible serving them out of the back. I wasn't too impressed with Sanchez, especially on her service. French seemed to be the only one actually making passes through the back instead of long balls. The offense was reacting instead of anticipating the ball. I would have subbed Clemens and Barnes a LOT sooner because they were not producing up top. Katia seemed to be running around with her head cut off. I was also yelling for people to shoot the ball. No more fancy stuff around the top of the box. I thought the referring was terrible. I am going to watch the tape, but from my angle, it sure seemed like the Freedom had the initial handball in the box. On the second goal, I still can't figure out how Little got around French because it looked like she was pinned on the sideline, but more importantly, how about the two open WA players on the back post? The Rays did a good job shutting down Mia and Abby. I am tired of hearing about Mia this and Mia that. I was happy to see a couple Freedom players hit hard and wah wah when they were fouled. Suck it up and play the game. Quit complaining to the referee if you get knocked down. It sure seemed like there were more than 17,000 there since people were sitting up top. It's only the second game - we deserved to win that one, but the bottom line is that we didn't. We need to change something up top. It will be interesting with the Brazilians gone next game(?). later Edit - So, after reviewing the tape, it was an obvious handball by Sanchez. Not that it matters now- It hit Little's shoulder and Sanchez obviously redirected it with her bicep
i personally don't like the refs that officiate our games. there's always that call that should have been called and would have counted. is it just me or should we have gotten a pk in the first game as well as yesterday's game? in fact, anybody remember the last time we had a fair game? i know i know i'm exaggerating a lil bit.
The Cyberrays woulda won if Ann Cook was the coach My dumbass woulda been there ALOT EARLIER if it wasn't for my cousin and her damn VW Golf! -------- From CyberSoccerNews: Two Steps Back The CyberRays Fail to Put Any Points on the Board, Lose 2-0 by Inge Bond
Re: The Cyberrays woulda won if Ann Cook was the coach You were there?! We heard you were in town but tied up with family. Nevertheless: - We looked for you at the tailgate ... - We looked for you during the WUSA game ... - We looked for you during the MLS game ... - We looked for you during the autograph signing ... - We even waited for all the cars to leave the parking lot and walked the area with flashlights -- just to make sure you weren't "runned over" ... Finally, we just concluded you got your priorities screwed up. So, you were really there?! --Socceroo
Re: The Cyberrays woulda won if Ann Cook was the coach I was looking for you also, amongst the sea of PTHers! My .02 cents about the game: It was sloppy, we were letting Mia and Siri controll us in the box, and the refs were in the Freedom's favor.
Here is Beulah's match report: http://www.beulahsports.com/wusaarch_4_19_03.html ------------ Yeah I was there. Just freaking late cuz of my cousin. Didn't leave Oakland till about 3:30 and then had to battle traffic on the 880, 101, ,560, 490, 680, 5, 80, and 280.
My $0.02 First of all, is anyone willing to make me a copy of this game (I’ll pay for tape & shipping) OR loan me a tape so I can make a copy (I promise to copy the game and get the tape back in the mail the very next day)? I’d really appreciate it! I’m a little late with this again, so most of what I had to say has been said. Nothing much left to do but turn this into a game report with PHOTO LINKS! Yes, I had my cheesy SorOcam at the game so I for this game I snuck into some seats that were much better than mine (until the Quakes fans showed up and kicked me out). I have to say that some people might not be impressed by the quality of my photos (Betsy looks a little skeptical). You may be one of them. That’s OK! I’m going to make the excuse that AOL is a rotten host for photos--since it won’t show them at full resolution--and that my actual images are much better than these. So here goes! The CyberRays had every reason to feel disappointed by this one. We had 19 frickin’ corner kicks—NINETEEN—and didn’t covert? UGH! We absolutely cannot waste opportunities like that all season...again. We cannot!! Offensively, we were really awful overall in terms of effectively combining, and in terms of finishing scoring opportunities or even connecting on that last pass forward. I also saw a lot of other missed opportunities on offense, beyond the corner kicks and final shots and passes going awry. What’s wrong with this picture? That’s a CyberRays player (French in this case) making a run. That’s a whole lot of green grass around her...a whoooooole lot. Not a Freedom player in sight. Unfortunately, the ball is nowhere in sight, either. We need to be better about finding open players and switching the field and communicating on offense. If someone has that much room to work, we gotta get her the ball! That having been said: Brandi was clearly emotional in this game, and wore her heart on her sleeve. I’m writing off the whole game as far as she is concerned. I agree that the officiating was horrible. It looks like most of the people who’ve posted so far must sit on the west (shady) side, because no one has flipped out about the Emmy Barr handball in the box that went uncalled. If you west-siders heard the east-siders go crazy booing at one point and wondered what happened, that was it. The referee and the AR missed the play, and the Freedom got away with one. I couldn’t see the Sanchez handball at all from where I was sitting, and didn’t know that was the call until well after the games were over. Probably just as well since I would have blown a fuse. I’m really glad it’s not just me. I’m trying, honest I am, but I’m just not buying it yet. I thought this was a really physical game. (Did I mention it was physical?) I agree that the ‘Rays did an awesome job shutting down Abby in particular. Betsy was working hard and held her down sometimes and knocked her down others... And yes, Abby did a lot of lying around and whining. Get up already! Of course, to be fair, the CyberRays did their fair share of grumping at the officials as well. Brandi got carded for language, and by the end of the game Thori was constantly running her mouth at the official (who, fortunately, didn’t opt to card her also). I couldn’t either, but it was a tough angle from where I was sitting. Is it obvious on the tape what happened? That whole goal was kind of a blur. :| I did see some really good things during this game, however: * I very much agree with everyone that Pretinha looked very sharp most of the time (though her last pass kept being somewhat of a mystery). I had some Quakes fans sitting near me who hadn’t seen the ‘Rays before, and they kept raving about her—I hope they come back for more! * I also think that Betsy showed huge improvement even from the last game—if she stays on a learning curve like this she will be key for us in no time. She is starting to get in the flow of the game a lot better, and is making her mark in the air with greater frequency. I noticed that on many of our corners, the service was clearly intended for Betsy’s head, and I don’t think she’s going to keep missing them. It’s just a matter of her getting her timing down. Her work ethic on the field hasn’t suffered at all with the jump to the pros. * Some bright spots on offense. Frenchie can still serve the ball (if only her defensive linemates would learn something from that), and she and Katie Barnes are really making an effort to work with each other and combine on some plays. I like Barnes’ work ethic a lot. * There were no kids howling “MIIIIIAAAAAAAA!!!!” in my section any time Hamm got near the ball. There were a bunch of guys taunting her (and Skylar Little), however, which I thought was funny. Sorry, Mia. (Mia who?)
Oh my. That almost belongs in the Rivalry forum more than it does the 'Rays forum. lmao One thing that Beulah said that sticks out in my mind (I just skimmed the report) was what she had to say about Sissi. Now I haven't seen Sissi play for awhile rolleyes: damn the dorms' lack of PAX), but I wouldn't be surprised if Sissi were on her way out. With that and with Tisha who's spending her final season recovering from injury...it just keeps hitting me how rebuilding our midfield is going to be hell. -- So...I hear we played well, better than DC. Buuuuuuut, no points so I would never know. Even though I've been sporting an attitude about this season, I am still loyal to the 'Rays and thoroughly disappointed when we're not on the winning end of things. As painful as it is to re-live losses, I appreciate the game reports on the 'Rays. And if it's true that the death of Brandi's dad affected the way this team played... I'm entirely sympathetic: This past season, after a UW b-ball player lost her career and very nearly lost her life, it sent her best friend (one of the best shooters in school history) into a horrid slump. It didn't matter that she was in a slump. There are bigger things than basketball just as there are bigger things than soccer.
I was about to say the same thing. Thanks, Soro! You know, I no longer cringe and cry out in pain at the sight of those jerseys. I think they're sloooooooowly growing on me.
Re: My $0.02 i sat on the northern west side and i definitely saw that handball. i can't believe none of the refs saw that. the fact there was the flag ref right there is pretty pathetic. it's either they haven't been to the eye doctor in a while or somebody's been paying them to not call anything for us. i thought that was funny as well. i wonder if mia was trying so hard not to run off to the stands and beat the crap out of the people who were taunting her. and for anybody who stayed for the quakes game, i'm sure you all noticed the wave that went around the stadium about 5 times. that would be a fun idea for a crays game, but i don't think we'd have enough people to do it. i hope they get their act together for sunday. since we'll be prethina and katia-less, mandy and katie will really have to step up if we wanna get some goals. damn i hate being a crays & spirit fan!