This match was a close one until the 82nd minute when the CyberRays scored two goals 37 seconds apart. Bell and Nanez started this match, making the most of it: SJC -- Lisa Nanez 1 (unassisted) 6 SJC -- Katia 13 (Christina Bell 1) 35 NY -- Emily Janss 7 (unassisted) 66 SJC -- Katia 14 (Theresa Wagner 2) 82 SJC -- Pretinha 4 (Katia 2) 82 Eagleson was elevated to the active roster(and played the last 4 minutes), somebody was bumped down. Anybody want to speculate on this? It could have just been a one-game move, with somebody(most likely a defender)who the Rays knew would not be able to go today, so they were moved down and Gina was moved up. No French, Alagich or Dorn for this match. Fear was able to see the game live on TV and when the announcers talked about the injured CyberRays, French was not mentioned. We picked up 3 much needed points and helped our goal differential as well. We now have 25 points with 7 wins, 6 losses and 4 ties with a GD of 6. For those of you that went: No cards were issued, but was it still a really physical match? Did any players really stand out or disappear? How much of an impact did Milbrett make when she was subbed in?
Strange...Gina was activated when Borgman got injured, but now that Borgman's back..?? What are we missing? I guess we're getting used to Frenchie not playing as much as we want her to, but what about Alagich? San D couldn't help our cause any today, but maybe Carolina will. Whatever the outcome of Atl-Car, we'll still sit in 5th, though, having lost all tie-breakers.
funny thoughts about today's game. chaotic live time game cheer: there's spartan stadium speaker playing alice dj's better off alone. and there's the brazilian drums in section 125 and taiko drums at south end of stadium. and sometimes go rays chant going at the same time also. yeah, i don't think i'll need to mention this too, but weird that diane and michelle were not playing at all. and kim only played like 15 min. and 6 (diane, michelle, carey, theresa, gina and kim) bench players were all warming up. but only 3 were on the field. interesting to see the major changes in starting lineups now. bench is now starting, and starters are now benching. no offense but christina bell needs to work on her passes. and she could've just shoot when she was one on one with the defense, instead she passed way off to katia and made a turnover. ><
Bell needs to improve on her finishing. She had three outstanding opportunities to score, and she flubbed all of them. she must be one helluva practice player to get a start. NY's defense sucked big-time. The idiots who drool over Pearce's defense on the "Portland Power" thread need to be institutionalized. Move the Power to Portland so that the CyberSquid will have another rivalry.
A rather interesting game, both in and out of the field. Milbrett was a second half sub, figuring that the team is playing the string anyway. Webber was simply on fire the second half--easily it should have been a blowout from the Rays, but still the Power didn't have the usual firepower from Milbrett. Katia is the POTM, and with her 14 goals could make an argument for MVP. However, the team looked galvanized with Brandi back in the lineup. This team competes with her in it, and looks somewhat lost without her. (Statswise, the April 27 game against Carolina and July 21 game against Washington were without Brandi, and both resulted in a San Jose loss.) Beene had a solid game--the one goal was not her fault--she made a lot of smart and one looked risky, but she was able to keep the Power down to one goal, and not one from the aforementioned Milbrett. It looks like that the Power were a different team when Milbrett came on as a sub. They looked a bit flat in the first half, and fired up somewhat in the second. The one player who responded I felt was Webber with her pinpoint saves. A few off-field observances: The Taiko drums couldn't be heard on the other side. Obviously the Brazilian/African drumming clashed with the Asian drumming. (I decided to take a shot at the percussion--the main man wasn't there, but at least they managed to get a few of the band late in the game). I am a fan of all types of drum playing, but today was merely a clash of styles. Despite that, they rock. Trying to get a Tiffeny Milbrett bobblehead signed. A bit of a challenge, but she was nice enough to do just that, plus the game ticket. Sorry, not for sale and it will NOT be on ebay. While I like to see the Portland or Los Angeles Power, I don't think the league will want to give up the largest media market--the New York Metro area. There really aren't any "weak" markets so to speak. The league's viabilty is for another thread, but if they choose to expand, Portland is a city the league will look into, and hosting a few games in 1999 helps its cause. Overall, much needed points and the four goals helped, as TV15 mentioned. The next one against Philly is very inportant, and could be a playoff preview. Three points are going to be very crucial, and the opponents are going to be very very tough--Philly twice in a week, and Carolina at home will be the test to see if the Fish deserves a chance to defend their title. Philly and Carolina could very well win both the regular season title and the Founders Cup, but it's not over until the final game is played. "June Rocks! " One more game--let's go out with a bang... Cheers!
Philly has now lost 2 in a row, this could be a good thing and this could be a bad thing. Glad this match is at home. Katia's two goals lift 'Rays CyberRays keep playoffs in sight
i would have to simply agree with that. sask was also super nice and came out to sign autos after she was showered/changed, and stuck around longer and talked to fans longer. (ny did a lot more signing than dc did last week...dc just left real quick). i went up to sask and told her who i was, (cause we email a bit, and she knows who i am) and she was like 'it's awesome to finally meet you elaine!', and we talked for a bit...got a picture with her, and she was overall super nice. she's a really great person, so thumbs up to her!! she had some big time saves in the 2nd half!! elaine
I don't think she'll get much consideration if we don't make the playoffs. Unfortunately we no longer control our own destiny. All we can do is continue to play and finish like we did against NY. And hope for a lot of luck in other games. Pichon's injury, though, could allow Katia to increase her lead in goals scored and make a case for Offensive POTY.
That might be the case. MVP candidates will get more consideration if their teams make the playoffs, as in the case of Tiffeny Milbrett last year. It's been awarded before to a player on a losing team, but it's rare in many instances. Goal Scoring Leaders: 1 Katia SJ 14 2 Marinette Pichon PHI 13 3 Tiffeny Milbrett NY 10 4 Dagny Mellgren BOS 10 5 Abby Wambach WAS 9 6 Charmaine Hooper ATL 9 Points (Goals 2 pts-Assists 1 pt-Total Points) 1 Katia SJ 14 2 30 2 Marinette Pichon PHI 13 1 27 3 Tiffeny Milbrett NY 10 7 27 4 Maren Meinert BOS 7 12 26 5 Kristine Lilly BOS 7 11 25 6 Abby Wambach WAS 9 5 23 Assists: 1 Maren Meinert BOS 12 2 Hege Riise CAR 11 3 Kristine Lilly BOS 11 4 Sissi SJ 9 5 Tiffeny Milbrett NY 7 Assists don't get that much consideration unless goals or points are factored. Pinchon would be a viable pick right now for the award. However, with Milbrett and Melgren on losing teams they as well would be overlooked. Hooper would seem to be another candidate given that 6 of those goals have been game winners. If we were to add the keepers, only Moore of Philly and Luckenbill of Carolina would be candidates. With their teams also laden with goal scoring talent, the keepers don't get that much attention. However, whether or not the Rays defend their cup, Katia is going to get a few votes for MVP. Pinchon is legit, but in a team where it was a full effort that got them to the top, she too is going to get a few votes. And Milbrett with her numbers despite the Power having an off-year is not going to be overlooked. Cheers!
I am in complete shock that you said that about MVP.. SHOCKED.. that it's not the "Brandi should be MVP" that i've been hearing from you and almost everyone else.. but seriously.. where would we be w/o our brazilians?
I was alluding to league MVP where that criteria is judged on a more broader scale. The reporters who follow the league are going to consider the statistics a lot more than the little things that are brought to the game. As for team MVP, despite Katia's stats, I have been advocating Brandi in that category for all the intangibles she has brought to the club. Without her leadership on the pitch the team would seem lost. Katia could play for any other team and who knows? (Interesting this is mentioned because there is a similar argument on the Quakes board as to who should be MVP--Ariel Graziani for his stats, Joe Cannon for his GAA and shutouts, or Richard Mulrooney for what he brings into the game--by the way that kid is out of the running.) It's like judging a figure skating or gymnastics contest--there is going to be a lot of that subjectivity as to who should get the award. Lucky in our game the players are judged fairly instead of a group of writers who could be judgemental on a given player for personal reasons. If you were to ask me, I'm still thinking Brandi as team MVP. However, the ones who pick the award are going to pick Katia for league MVP, and maybe throw in a few votes for team MVP. Of course, I'm starting to sound like one of the rabblerousers whom I will not name, but that's not my style. Just mentioning a few items of note and it can be seen any which way. Katia is still my game POTM for her two goals. bobbleheads, anyone? Cheers!
hehe.. Richie would have my vote.. Don't like Graz much.. didn't like him on the Burn.. prolly will never like him Sorry I'm so Anti-Brandi for MVP.. honestly.. but i'm sick and tired of everyone talking about how the founding players should win it.. and Brandi just hasn't had that spark that I love in her lately.. that's why i've been in the "Bench Brandi put in FRENCHIE" club hehe...
Although her shooting was a bit off, I think she did well otherwise. I think she brought the spark we needed, and we looked like ourselves out there again. I think this game is just what we needed after the Washington match to pick ourselves up again and get us ready for Philly and Carolina(which by the way it seems to me like maybe Ian was resting Frenchie and Di for).
From CyberSoccerNews: CyberRays crush Power, 4-1 Katia continues piling up the points as San Jose tries to gain ground in WUSA playoff race by Joan Bense
More Brandi This is an excellent example of one of my favorite things about stats--often you can use them to support ANY viewpoint. OK, so...we lost to Carolina (4/27) and Washington without Brandi (7/21). But, we STILL lost to Washington (4/21) and Carolina (7/4) WITH Brandi. So how did she make a difference? Actually, the other game we played without Brandi, vs. San Diego (6/9) we WON, whereas with Brandi vs. San Diego we've only managed to tie. Certainly, looking at the SD results, we could argue we're a better team WITHOUT Brandi on the pitch. Do I honestly believe we're a better team overall without Brandi? No, I don't, not when she's playing to her potential and as a team player (I've seen her do this so well with the NT, why not with her club team?). But this does illustrate my major point about Brandi this season. I think we give her too much credit for the impact of her leadership specifically and not enough blame for her team disruption. We have other great leaders on our team, but Brandi won't let them do their job, so it's hard for them to establish their roles on the team that enable them to step up with authority when Brandi is out. If we didn't have Brandi on our team as the overwhelming dominant personality, someone like Boof or Frenchie could easily be as much of a positive driving force as Brandi is at her best (I know--I've seen them as captains on other teams and if you want specific examples of what I mean I've got 'em). Brandi needs to remember to be a team player and a leader (being a leader does NOT mean doing your own thing whenever you feel like it) first and foremost, and a superstar individual second. I'm not completely down on her play, because I know she can be excellent, and that's what's frustrating to me about her right now. I seriously think her not trusting her teammates is a significant part of what's ailing the 'Rays this season. She can't do it all, but in trying to so she messes everyone else up. We need a quick attitude adjustment from her if we're going to be successful. She did it before (anyone remember her "I'm really special" attitude that got her booted off the National Team to begin with? She busted her butt and fixed her head and got back on the team) and she needs to do it again. Just my $0.02. Soccerhead for team MVP.