Was that a great game? I can't tell you, because it's not gonna happen for 12 more hours. I'll be there in section 134, watching the 138ers get drunk in goofy green hats. When I get back, hopefully this thread will be full of cheerful posters.... GO GALAXY!!!! Topper
Just wanted to wish LA and all the Galaxy supporters good luck this season. Ruiz really want off last season. I really want to get back out to LA to see a match @ the Home Depot Center..used to live in Long Beach for a few months...so have a small spot for LA in my heart. All the best from a thrilled Fire fan.
Wow. You guys were so friggin solid today. The HDC looked great as usual, and that was the best looking soccer i've seen in a long time. You earned those points today. Thanks for keeping the Revs below us in the standings
That was a very entertaining game. Very impressed with Herzog, Kirovski & Ruiz. Those 3 are going to be dangerous this season. Herzog moved real well considering he's 35. Good on Klinsmann for bringing him here. Kirovski really worked his tail off and it paid off with that goal. NE should feel lucky that the ref from the DC-SJ wasn't working tonight cuz Kante would have been gone. Vagenas did well I thought. Contained Cancela for the most part. Looks like we will have some depth this year. Suarez & Torres both held their own even though they aren't 1st choice at their spots. Great start.
Thanks for the most entertaining game of the day. While I doubted how Kirovski and Herzog would turn out today, they surprised me with very solid performances. The Kirovski goal was an absolute beauty. BTW, do Victorine and Herzog look alike or what? (Is Ruiz going for the Bo haircut?)
Good win for the Gals, crappy defense tho, and Peter Vagenas should have been shipped to Columbus with Simon Elliott because HE SUCKS!!
hmmm i wasn't overly impressed with the galaxy today. i'll take the win, that's great, but defensively i thought we were weak. offensively we seemed to be stuck in our own end a whole lot, and didn't really deserve to be up 1-0 at the break. new england's equalizer was well deserved. after that though the galaxy looked like they moved out of second gear and there was some really pretty football going on. herzog looks like the real deal and as someone pointed out kiro busted his ass (can you imagine kiro and jones on the field at the same time?). was it just me or did ruiz not take a single dive the whole match? too bad about those late #$% ups thankfully they didn't cost us the points. sasha looked weak in the first half, but came on strong in the second (looks like he was injured at the end though). vagenas, he was pretty bad last year and seems to be picking up where he left off. i hope he turns things around though, seems like a good guy. still our best start in a few years.
I was gonna say something but I didn't want to get anyone riled up. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised. There were even a few times where a fall would have been justified, but Ruiz just kept on going. If he keeps this attitude he'll be more dangerous then ever.
Ruiz needs to stop showing off and learn how to just finish his easy goals. You don't see Thierry Henry doing stupid ********** like that, he just puts the ball in the back of the net.
I noticed the following from Section 131, Row A: Lots of good: Herzog has stepped into Cien's #10 and doesn't look out of place. And he obviously still knows how to hit the back of the net. Victorine looks like he has shaken off his injury from last season; aside from his hustle on the pitch, I thought he showed well for the ball. His set-up of Kiro's match winner was golden: he sprinted down the left sideline, nutmegged his defender on the run, and crossed perfectly to Jovan, who controlled the cross and hammered it high into the goal from distance. Torres was great in the first half, used his speed to set up Ruiz' goal, and kept the Revs from doing anything on the left side. All of the scoring by NE was initiated down Victorine's side of the field. Couldn't see Cobi doing much better. Near the end of the match, Saragosa and Ruiz torched the right side with a red hot 1-2. The passing between the two totally caught the Revs off guard, and only the poor finishing by Ruiz kept the play from being highlight reel material. Most impressed with the play of Ryan Suarez. Kept his cool, showed some nice ballhandling at the back, and combined fairly well with Califf. Some bad: Had Kiro not scored the match winner, I would have graded his performance as one step away from poor. He didn't partner as well with Ruiz as hoped, had lots of trouble holding the ball at critical times, and was knocked off the ball often. Maybe he'll get better with time. Pete Vagenas had one the worst games I've seen him play in a long time. He misplayed and gave away the ball numerous times, and was dispossessed often. Not the kind of thing you want to see in your D-mid. The ugly: Marshall looked like he picked up a knock in the first half and was replaced by Ricky Lewis. Near the end of the match, Suarez picked up a knock after the G's made their third sub. At the final whistle, the trainers saw him on his back near the center circle, and his right leg was causing him a great deal of pain; unable to place weight on it, the trainers carried him off the pitch. If Marshall and Suarez are hurt along with Bo, the G's suddenly find themselves short on defenders. At least we have a midfield again.
I watched the DC-SJ and LA vs. NE games yesterday and to be honest they level of play between the two gaems was might and day. DC and SJ played very sloppy constrained soccer not very creative either. However the LA/NE game actually felt like I was watching quality top level soccer. The movement, the runs, the play off the ball, the service.I thought LA would be good this year but last night they looked absoultly dominate. It could have easily been 5-2 or 6-2. Ruiz/Kirovski strike force looks incredible!
Hope Suarez not hurt too bad. I would start him ahead of Bo if he's healthy. Last night was the best soccer he's played since his good run two years ago.
One other thought after checking MLSNET: LA is in first. Slum Jose is in last. God is in his heaven and all is right with the world. (but I hate to see LAG yeild two goals in a home match).
which is all that matters right now!...woot woot! Ruiz is at the top with moreno as well...toot toot!
Defense looked shaky. Bo's absence shows. Marshall looked hurt, Suarez could barely walk by the end of the game. Too many turnovers in mid-field in the 1st half. Vagenas responsible for many, though I still like him as a ball-winner and general gadfly. He was probably the only guy who could contain and frustrate Etcheverry. Kirovski worked his ass off, end to end, but was still kind of out of sync and not a factor, except for the goal, which was beautiful He nailed it. Herzog is a quality player. Very different from the ball-wizard Cienfuegos, though very effective with one-touch, laser-precise passes. Great vision, always in the right place. He was kind of pissed off a couple of times that people weren't moving into space, and also when he should have been given the ball and wasn't. Good. Great goal. Nice to have and effective "lag" man who can back up the attack, pick up rebounds, or offer a back pass outlet. What's up with Cobi? Someone said he was injured, but no details. Torres was a VERY good replacement. I like that guy a lot. Sarragosa looks promising, though he didn't get a chance to do much (a couple of nice give'n'goes). Sasha also worked his ass off. ----Mark
I have to concurr with some of you on the level of play with our new boys. But I got some flashbacks to last year. You know the hi and lo heart attacks. I was at Victoria and the place was low on enthusiasm. My section at 135 was like a mortuary. I was the only one around making some noise. Section 138 (Riot Squad) was muted. Usually no matter where I sit I can hear them. Not this game. Drunk maybe??
I'm pretty sure that Marshall WAS hurt, as was Suarez. He pulled a groin muscle, but they didn't want to pull him off, for some reason.
Maybe. But even if they weren't, you still wouldn't be able to hear them because of the horns. I thought the horns were supposed to be restricted to the General Admission section only, but horns were clearly present in the upper deck.
Unfortunately for Suarez, he was hurt after Sigi used the G's third sub. Suarez had to play hurt for six minutes, with four of them being added (injury) time.
After the first goal by Ruiz, I thought we were stagnat until the second goal & then we just came on fire. I would love to see that for every match. The defense did okay despite missing Bo. There seems to be good chemistry within the team. Looking forward to the 10th.
Does nobody remember that sweeeeet pass from Kiro that set up Ruiz for his second goal? Remember...the lofted pass that isolated Ruiz on Franchino, who he promptly megged, then went 1 v. 1 with Aiden Brown and lost that battle. Kirovski should have come away with a goal and an assist. Not a bad day's work. Ease up on the selective memory, folks. Kiro contributed more than a lot are giving him credit for. This Galaxy performance far exceeded any of my expectations. I hope it is merely a prelude of what is to come.
If you're saying that people are being to hard on Jovan, I agree. I thought he had a great game, and the attack looks great. This was the best-played game of the day, New England is a tough squad, and this was a great win. The Instant Analysis would project LA as the conference winner at this point - San Jose doesn't look like they'll be as good, and everyone else will have to prove they're not a rung lower in terms of quality.