Votes cast by participants in the (Un)Official 2007 Crew Wagering Thread will be collected and used in that thread. Votes by non-participants will be ignored. A Saturday away match at 7:30 p.m. against the New York Red Bulls. Previous meeting was a zero to zero sister kissing but each team has added significant roster spots. TV: Direct Kick, ONN, MLSLIVE.tv Radio: 105.7 FM (Eng), 1550 AM (Esp)
Wow. Lots of optimism for a team struggling to score goals going into the house of perhaps the best team in the league this year. Personally, I think a tie would be a tremendous result, but we could certainly manage to steal a win, with our defense.
Really? I was thinking there was a distinct lack of Kool-aid consumption on this one. I say we win by one. 2-1 Crew, first goal by Nedlos for his 3rd of the season, followed up by a late second half goal by Moreno on a feed from Schelotto.
I hate going back and pointing at "almosts", but I think Saturday's game had the most close calls of any game this season... on both ends of the field, however. But for the good-guys, there was a number of great chances that only a spectacular save prevented from going in. I count those more than the headers that go over, or the bad touches by Gaven. So that is encouraging. There was some good linking, which will only get better. Defensively, we did just enough to save our hides on several occassions, but can you chalk that up to luck or good play? I think we really need just 1 break-out game to fill the players with some confidence and then the avalanche will have begun its trip down the mountain. I think next weekend in NYC is the perfect time. RB has been touted highly thus far, they've just suffered a close 1-0 defeat to manic-depressive Colorado, and they're trying to integrate JPA, Mathis, Josey, and Reyna into a cohesive unit, but it looks like Josey is going to the bench, and he's really been a vital part to their early season success (and the sparkle of Mathis in a pair of games). So if we can get Mathis off his game, and put a little muscle into Reyna, we can put a big damper on their offense and then we just need AM, GBS, and Co. to finish off a couple chances. I'm going to be total-kool-aid on this, but voted differently, I say we suprise the hell out of Arena, making him our beotch, and winning by 2+ goals. It has to happen sometime, and I think our kettle is close to boiling.
The Crew hasn't won in NJ for several years & I'd say that it would be only be a choice in between a 1 or a multiple goal loss. Now that we have the offensive punch from Moreno & Guille I say that a multiple goal loss isn't as safe a bet as it was two weeks ago.
Mixed feelings about this game. Don't know what to think about playing them. We looked good against Chivas, but RBNY is a different beast. I'm going crazy, but either team will need more than 2 goals to score. It ends either 2-2 or 3-2 either way. Not sure who I feel is going to win right now, but leaning towards the Crew based on the fact that we are due to break out and what better time to do so than against an opponent that would give us some credibility as a legit team.
A tie here would seem like a win. I voted for the tie, but I'm already second guessing, reading all the optimism on this board. Could we get 2 goals and win? I say yes. Whether we get the two goals is a different matter. I'm saying Guillermo with an assist and a goal, and another goal for Ned. Sigi outcoaches Bruce on the road, and the Crew put the league on notice. 2-1 good guys. A win here can get Kool-aid factories all around the state back online.
Reyna was hurt and didn't even play on Sunday, has he even played together with JPA and Mathis in the midfield?
Tempering my own pessimism, it turns out that RBNY got hammered 3-1 last week in their USOC tie at LA (all 4 goals coming in OT). I'm tempted to abuse my powers as moderator to go back and change my vote...
This makes Saturday look hopeful: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=430099&root=us&cc=5901
I'm drinking just enough Kool-Aid to vote for a draw. On the other hand, I'm really pulling for a Crew win, not only because it's the Redballs, but also because another loss for them and at the next home game we will get the answer to the question, "If the ref calls a foul on New Jersey and nobody is there to hear it, did Bruce Arena really whine about it?"
Maybe watching Reyna play every week in MLS will make the "haters" realize exactly how valuable a player he is (and was to the national team).
On a whim, I bought 1/4 season Red Bull tickets for the smell of it. Really, specifically for the Crew and Gals matches... Really makes me miss CCS. I'll be there this weekend probably in my gold kit getting heckled like usual. I'm voting 2-0 Crew win. The Hammer stands tall and the strike force gets into form after a good week of training together...
1.20125 to be exact, sir. Would you like me to run a multi-modal statistical reflection sort in an attempt to determine why Gaven, as you so kindly put it, "is stinking up the place?"
Has he *ever* been healthy enough to play week-in/week-out? In the Bundesliga, the most he ever played was 28 games in a season for Wolfsburg and the most in the Premiership was 23. At Rangers, the most he had was 29. He's no iron man, that's for sure. He's always been injury-prone.
Guille isn't going to be able to weight those through-balls on that awful fake turf in Jersey. The understanding will be very difficult when the ball always runs long and out of bounds. I do think the Crew can scrap and battle out a draw. Wait till you get back on grass the next week at home vs. Toronto. By that time, he and Moreno will have had 3 weeks together, you'll be playing an opponent that hasn't shown much on the road yet, and I think you'll see a clinic.
Can't see our goal scoring woes ending on the road against a decent defensive team. Heart says 2-0 Crew Head says 1-1 Head always places wager, heart watched games.
Usually the Crew practices at Capital to get used to the artificial turf. So hopefully they can adapt.