Very emotional first half. Crew looked very tired at the end, lucky to hold on for the tie. This once again was another match that proved the Crew didn't need a DP forward. If the Crew had a #10 in the center of the midfield, Arrieta and Gaven would be very successful. Too much space and no ability to get the ball to the forwards from the midfield. It's time to admit Miro is a complete bust.
I saw Federico Higuan in the crew press box above where I sit. It looked like his brother was with him. Is Real Madrid playing games right now?
I thought we played pretty well overall, had the most chances, maybe got tired at the end. Great goal by Arrieta, running one way, turning and shooting back the other is class. But in the end a draw at home is not good enough. We need wins at home and points on the road.
No complaints. It was an entertaining match and the subs were good for once. There were a lot of chances and Arrietta looks like a winner.
I went to the Crew game and came home and picked up the USMNT in the 46th minute when the score was still 0-0. It was great seeing both.
Arrieta is a work horse, has awesome vision and I hope that he won't be the only one with that amount of effort in the near and distant future. Sometimes it seems as if the players behind him feed him the ball, sit back with popcorn and watch the Arrieta Show. The more dangerous he appears, the more players should be crashing the goal with him. A better display of the game from Columbus though. Saunders was forced to dives all around back there which is all I could have asked for, besides goals. Just keep shooting, just keep shooting. Besides the fantastic displays in Nordecke, and the amount of emotion showed (When they showed Danny's reddened face, I noticed a few people starting to tear up), reality this morning mentions that points at this stage of the season are going to have to be 3. Ties are okay, but the team should aim to control it's own destiny IF they truly want to be in the playoffs.
Proud of the Nordecke last night. Proud of the the team from 25min to 65min. Showed some heart and skill. I almost want to be mad Danny Orourke was subbed on. I was wanting to go for the win...but i will give RW a pass for this week.
Very good showing on national television. Late arriving crowd was a bit strange but the place filled up nicely. During the national anthem (and whoever sang that was really good) there were very few people in the nordecke or elsewhere. The 15th minute was moving. Now as to the game: it's almost as if the bizarro Crew were playing because we attacked with force (could not finish per usual - what's up Eddie Gaven?) and defended comically.
Josh Krajick (SP) who was runner up on XFactor sang the national anthem (the guy is local and he is righteous. be a fan) 7pm kick off kind of messed things. I am sure the drunk kids (Me) forgot themselves and didnt make it into the stadium until the 10th minute.
We looked dangerous and, even though we hung on for dear life at the end, I thought we were the better team overall. But when this team finishes a win or two out of the playoffs, we'll think of games like KC in July or this one where we just didn't finish chances. There will be no one to blame but ourselves. In and of itself, a draw against the defending champs is not a bad thing, but considering our spot in the table and our playoff aspirations, one point at home is not good enough.
There have been numerous matches this season where I simply forgotten he was playing. At least when other Crew players are out there, tehy'll make a boneheaded or awesome play that causes me to remember them on the field. Gaven?? Just doesn't stand out these days.
Good enough for stat geeks, true, but the little intagibles of the game attract my eyes just as much as stats. Off the ball runs in channels, when losing the ball having the will and fight back to get it back, the proper choice in a pass while not forcing the issue, having a stronger mental fortitude and not depend on the USSF Sewage the make a call in your favor.
THIS. I'm constantly amazed at people who rag on Gaven. Usually makes me question how well they know the game.
I have to say... I was completely unaware of the 15:00 tribute until about 15:45. I was wrapped up in the match. And the bagpipes and the singing were barely audible where I was. I hope it looked good on TV. I thought we played a pretty decent match. And I don't agree that it's a bad result automatically because it's a home game where we only got a point. We're playing the champs, who are used to playing shorthanded, in the middle of an emotional powder keg. And we held our own, and for much of the match, took it to them. I think this was one of those matches where both teams could be happy with a point and both teams could feel like it's points lost. Arrieta's goal was a great piece of individual skill and effort, but MAN is that a bad goal from a GK-ing standpoint. Robbie Keane was the best player on the pitch. He made Marshall and Miranda BOTH look like donkeys in a short stretch in the first half. Birchall is really settling in now. He played a terrific match. Gruenebaum came up large a few times as well. Didn't see Duka much last night. Or Gaven. I'm as big a Gaven fan as anyone, but he's really struggling. I'm wondering if transitioning him to a more forward role in a 4-4-2 would jump start him a little.
Statistically, Gaven is far and away our best attacking player. He has the most 'key passes' (whatever that means) on our team by a wide margin, consistently has an above average (75%+) passing percentage, has one of the best crossing percentages on the team, and has the most goals from distance. Still, the fact that he's been our best attacking player is a rather damning statement about the rest of our attacking players. Gaven's a very good player, but he's rarely going to be a game changer.
Sorry, but on TV you couldn't even tell it was happening. Would have been nice if the announcers had respected the silence. They showed tifo and mentioned the moment of silence, then went right on babbling.
In the first half, I seriously thought he juked Miranda into an injury as Miranda had his hands on his knees as if he maybe tweaked something. Sick stuff from Keano