I saw the highlights on the FSW Report, from the angle they showed it looked like he placed it well and Thorton read it well.
Yes, EJ actually did place it well if the keeper would have guessed the wrong way. But if my memory serves me, Thornton is a keeper that reacts rather than guesses. In that case Eddie needs to have done his homework and know that about the keeper he is facing. In which case he would have tried to knock the living hell out of the ball and Thornton would have never gotten close to the ball if he had put it in the outside 1/4 of either side.
He hit it with no power, terrible location, simply one of the worst PK's I've seen recently. Of course one PK doesn't mean a whole lot and he could bury his next 10. I think EJ's actually going to make a much better living drawing and not taking PK's in the long run.
According to the quote sheet, Thornton's GK coach told him to go left so he went left. http://kc.wizards.mlsnet.com/MLS/ne...ntent_id=58440&vkey=pr_kcw&fext=.jsp&team=kcw Well then, sounds like Nick is a little eager for a goal. He's had some good opportunities this year. I think we'll see his first sometime this summer.
Eddie said after the game that he usually takes PKs to his left, but heard Justin Mapp say that to Thornton, so he switched it up and went right.
See right there is the problem, even if a guy tells the goalie which way you are going, you go the way you always go, you start thinking about it and trying to work against the keeper you are going to miss.
Yeah... agreed. I just thought it was funny that Thornton said his GK coach told him to go left, and that Eddie said he normally goes to his left (Thornton's right).
My experience is that most strikers are horrible penalty takers. They tend to overthink things. When they're playing in the game, it's reactions and instincts.