For the first time since May 7, three matches will start simultaneously, because why not? As it was last time, this website may be helpful: www.swigview.com I just set up a playlist including the 10:30 match (in case of one or more weather delays). I'll link it up when it appears publicly. I guess overall the league has done a fairly good job staggering the start times.
I will be AFK at our little astro org's annual star party in the boondocks. Central Idaho has some dark skies. They claim free wifi in the lodge, so I'll fit 3 streams onto a dinky laptop. But hey, we'll be set up to project star charts and Juno stuff, so a stream or two just might end up on the projector
Since they are available on-demand via YouTube, the simultaneous start times aren't a huge deal...as long as the stream commentators all agree to not SPOIL RESULTS!!! In the summertime, late starts are better so the weather is cooler = better quality of play.
Even if you can avoid the spoilers, it's more fun watching live. Just gotta figure out the best way to watch three games with only two eyes. http://www.SwigView.com/xqSUHHr
Scattered thunderstorms along just about entire northeast tomorrow. Pelted with rain now. May see game delays in Rochester and NJ. We're on our way to NJ now. Visiting a cousin anyway but will suck if seeing my Dash gets cancelled.
Flash at Frontier Field. Based on a clip from Good Day Rochester, it seems they plan on setting up the field pretty much totally in the outfield, with the middle of the field close to the middle of the outfield. The team benches will be on the touchline farthest from home plate . This puts the field pretty far away from a lot of seats (and the press box). I assume some temporary bleachers will be installed strategically. The playing surface should be good - what you'd expect from outfield grass. When the Rhinos played there, one touchline was roughly parallel to the third base line, which put all the seats on the third base side in pretty good position. They did put in temporary bleachers all along the opposite touchline for soccer games. The soccer field extended across the baseball infield., with the one goal line roughly parallel to the first base line. I recall they rolled grass turf out over the infield dirt and had to take the pitcher's mound down for soccer. The field was on the small end of the allowable dimensions and the playing surface over the infield was sketchy.
Sprained ankle: Dissppointed for Speck; based on her play at LB last game, I figured she was going to start there tonight. Good thing Erceg will be there., either at DM where she has been doing well, or at CB for Kennedy.
I just heard that the field at Frontier will be 10 yards narrower than at Rhinos Stadium, FWIW. Thunderstorms are possible.
That is probably the smallest professional "soccer" pitch I've seen in a long time and the less said about the stream, the better. Serious question, according to Jeff Kassouf the field is 100 x 58. Is that even legal?
45 meters ( 50 yds) X 90 meters ( 100 yds) is the minimum size. But for international play the minimum is 64 meters (70 yds) X 100 meters. The FIFA finals pitches have been 68 X 105 meters since 2008.
A league spokesman just told Kassouf that they had to make a special exception for this field because apparently PRO's minimum width is 70 @Cliveworshipper. Either way, this is a joke.
NT Players have chimed in: http://espn.go.com/espnw/sports/art...flash-seattle-reign-played-58-yard-wide-field
Portland concedes first [again], forcing it to play from behind for a third game in a row. Possession seemed somewhat lacking for most of the first half, forcing that continual "backs against the wall" situation that kept the ball in the Thorns's half, put too much weight on Betos's shoulders, and made that goal a virtual eventuality. Thorns are making an effort to shift the game's momentum. That shot by Pratt would have been an impressive goal, but instead became perhaps an even more impressive save by Barnhart. And Nadim's near miss gave me a second wind just as I was starting to nod off here on the east coast. Parsons looks a little short on sleep, judging from the double set of bags under his eyes. FCKC is having a fine match. Groom netting the team's third road goal of 2016. Tymrak is looking very dangerous.
Groom sends a header in off a lovely cross from McCarty. Dos a Cero. Thorns concede twice in a game for the first time all season [to the first player, no less], and FCKC shows no signs of slowing down. Doesn't bode well for the Thorns' hopes of continuing their undefeated season tonight.
Nadim sends in a free kick; Brynjarsdottir slides in, sending the ball trickling past Barnhart. Kat Williamson puts it away, halving Kansas City's lead. Commentators talk of potentially repeating Betos's cameo on the attack in a last-minute effort to get the equalizer? Intriguing.
Portland ends the match on the short end of a 2-1 scoreline. The Thorns may very well have equalized given a little more time and/or a less composed opposition goalkeeper than Barnhart. Impressive effort by both teams. On a side note, Tiffany Weimer lives.
Article by Jeff DiVeronica about the Flash game, with audio of Laura Harvey's post-game comments. http://www.democratandchronicle.com...field-frontier-angers-seattle-coach/86860150/ Next Saturday in Seattle should be a doozie.
You know Seattle is going to be out for blood in that game. I just hope no one gets hurt because of it.
http://nwslsoccer.com/statement-from-nwsl-commissioner-jeff-plush STATEMENT FROM NWSL COMMISSIONER JEFF PLUSH “Earlier this evening, the Western New York Flash hosted a home match at a different venue due to Rhinos Stadium not being available. The field dimensions were not up to our standards, but due to various factors, the league office made the decision to grant an exception for this evening’s match. In retrospect, we made the wrong decision. As a professional league, we need to ensure that the integrity of the game is always respected both on and off the field. We did not do that tonight and we apologize to the NWSL players, coaches and fans. In the future, we will ensure that every NWSL match meets our standards.” What were the "various factors", I wonder? Well, at least they admitted their mistake. That never happens with FIFA. Unfortunately the last line strikes me as a politician's promise; since the league can adjust its own standards as its sees fit, nothing is truly guaranteed.
For me the most unacceptable thing about the night was the incredibly slow delivery of medical attention to Haley Kopmeyer. It seems that ever since Alex Sahlen stopped playing, the professional side of the Flash organization has fallen short in some way. I tried to write some other thoughts, but everything I wrote sounded like "woulda, coulda, shoulda." Now, the Flash and NWSL each should do a root cause analysis and then fix whatever broke down.
Yes, they should; but they won't because this is the sports entertainment business and because there will be no measurable impacts to the bottom line and everyone will still have their job tomorrow.