Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread This tournament is important to me. Shame that we didn't go anywhere. This would have been a decent year to have done well in it, with only Jozy being committed to US duty.
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread It happens in the EPL with the FA Cup, Carling Cup, UEFA Cup, Champions league . . those cups are serious, aren't they?
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread From one pair of eyes at the game last night: J P Angel is the real deal. You guys have got a gem, and I hope he brings out the fans in droves. This was a brilliant signing.
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread You were at the game? Care to give us your honest opinion of the match and NY from a the stands?
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread 'lbueno99' has it posted on YouTube as well as the goals from the Galaxy.
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread To save others from having to hunt it down at youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-aDoEkqpgc
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread I was at the game last night as well, and I'll give you my two cents. Bruce went for the kill in this when he named a first XI missing only your starter in goal. That said, Conway played a hell of a match, stopping two breakaways (Findley and Martino) and forcing everything else wide. Conway was in complete control right up to the PK. Yallop on the other hand started a lot of young players and left Donovan on the bench as well. For the first hour it showed. You guys kicked our a$$. Clint looked good, Reyna and Dema bossed the middle of the park and the Galaxy didn't have a legitimate scoring chance. The score should have 3-0 when Cobi was sent off, but then a funny thing happened. The Galaxy nearly stole a goal down to ten men, Landon came on, and then when Dema went off it was anybody's game. 10 v. 10 on that huge playing sufrace was going to be end to end. Angel and Woly should have finished in regulation and Landon rung one off the crossbar, but that just set up extra time and now I'm sure Bruce is wishing he rested some guys. Yallop gambled with veterans on the bench for the first hour and got away with it, all because his young backup GK stood on his head. The Galaxy was clearly the better team for only the first 15-minute overtime period but that was enough. Your team looks terrific! Richards and van den Bergh on the outside with Dema and Claudio in the middle is the best midfield in the league. Altidore and Angel up front is scary, and it looks like Bruce is getting Mathis to play again. I always loved Dunivant when he played for us but the rest of your defense looked average (so did ours). If Waterreus can keep you guys in most games the way Conway did last night I could see you winning the East. I expect JPA to score 15-18 goals. He's that good. If people think he is only there to pander to the local Colombian population I think they are selling him way short. As an LA native (going back several generations) I think that having a NY/LA rivalry is great for the league, TV and soccer in general. As a season ticket holder I was disappointed that I would have to miss your only visit to the HDC in October (my family will be in vacation). Last night's game was a treat, and I'm glad Angel played. Good luck to you guys, and beat the hell out of DC, would you? Thanks!
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread The turning point in the game was when Dema got sent off. Landon had just come on, and Dema looked ready to shut him down. In fact Dema did do that for about 7 minutes before getting his deserved second yellow. Once that happened, NY's onslaught dropped a few notches because Landon could control the game and the Galaxy finally maintained a steady attack. From the start, until Dema's ejection, it was all NY. From that point on it was evenly matched.
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread Yes exactly, MLS tells you that everyone that Superliga is important and throws their weight and money behind it. Everyone falls in line. Kool Aid. MLS Cup is the official champion of the league. Yes it should be important, but that doesn't mean that clubs should go out of their way to use the Open Cup as an exibition match. If MLS made a big deal out of the Open Cup, it would rise to the status of an "important" cup. Why don't they promote it? Because MLS clubs don't get a huge financial boost from winning it. But talk to the fans who know about it, and I'm sure many will say that it is an important cup to win. Sure the MLS Cup is bigger, but the Open Cup is a legitimate trophy in the eyes of most fans who know about it. Both Galaxy and the Red Bulls put out strong line-ups for last nights game. Last year Arena put out a strong line up for the DC Open Cup game. It seems that the Red Bulls see this as an important cup too. It's an important cup to the fans the same way the Concacaf Champions Cup is. Here we've got a similar situation where the league does little to promote the cup, and few fans know it exists. Is it an important cup to try and win? I think most fans would say yes. The problem is that most fans don't know about. In one post you say that you like the USOC, and then in another post you say that you hope we never play in the thing again. Which one is it?
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread I want to second what was said above. I thought NY looked very good and was the better team for much of the game. Players who stood out for me: Richards: Not only is he fast, but he was working hard all game. He was wearing down both of our outside backs. Angel: Just quality. It's really a measure of how far we have to go in this league. On the other hand, it's great to have him here. Mathis: I was impressed. He worked hard and was actually winning some headers (Martino and Mathis have turned in hard workers? wtf?) I'm not so sure about the rest of your midfield. We fielded about the most toothless midfield imaginable so the NY strategy seemed to be to put soft pressure on our side of the field and wait for us to make a mistake. We gave up the ball a number of times which lead to several dangerous chances. I think this really reflected the poise of your players. When the ball suddenly appeared at their feet, they knew what to do with it. I'm not sure how you would far against a faster, more dangerous, midfield. On the other hand, you beat Houston, so maybe it won't be a problem. I'm looking forward to seeing you guys in the MLS cup
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread The only thing we are lacking now is an amazing D (ours is just average, but they are capable of near perfect matches) and netting PK's (MUST work on this ASAP). Josy puts away that PK and we win that game, but he missed. Hopefully Waterboy/Hunter will be back and OK for sunday.
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread Listen, you are obviously mis informed. This is a USSF event, its THEIR show not MLS's. They are in charge and they are the beneficiaries of any and all efforts MLS would put into it. If MLS pays a bunch of money to market it guess where most of the reveneus from the match goes....USSF. They would basicly be doing them all this stuff for chariry out of their own pockets. People need to wake up and realize that the USOC has NOTHING to do with MLS!! Crying that they should save this tournement and go out of their way to make it a big time event is stupid, unless the USSF changes their policy regarding who funding and revenues are worked it is THEIR show to run and promote not MLS!! No one is saying its not a trophy fans want to win, but in the greater scheme of things it doesnt get the club anything but a name on the cup. MEanwhile the other trophies DO offer tangible reawrds to winning that can help the club in the international compitition and other things. The reason i say we never play in it again is because the top 4 every year starting this year go to SuperLiga and they are restricted from playing int he Open Cup.
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread Thanks for the kind words. And the match analysis. As always when we play DC we look to beat the crap out of them. Hopefully we'll have our revenge for this match in August, eh Good luck with the Cup.
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread Sadly Pooh Bear the majority of US Soccer/MLS Supporters do take the US Open Cup Seriously. I don't believe US Soccer does.
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread Heads up high and move along if you take that defeat atitude in guys you'll go nowhere.
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread I second that. That's a matchup that would be off the charts -- Landon&Beckham vs. Reyna/JPA and the two most successful coaches in MLS history on the sidelines. Bring it on! Plus no matter which team wins, they'd do it in DC's home field. And I think we can all agree that would be a good thing... Anyway, I'll third (or fourth) the comments that your team looked really good. Even Mathis looks to be rounding into shape... The only chink in the armor that I can see is that your defenders look suspect at times. When you're playing Arena-ball - possession oriented with 8 guys behind the balls at all times and quick counter-attacks, they don't get exposed. But when things don't go according to plans and you have to push the game after falling behind, they might cause you trouble.
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread The defensive wall on this play really broke down from the look of it.
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread Thanks for the analysis and classy comportment jscott. We greatly appreciate it and like usfootie said we will beat the scum out of DC!
Not that we hafta be like they play the game everywhere else in the world....but having a go at a coupla cups helps to spread the game around. It also gives the impression that you've got a side that can put up a game when it has to. And in this day and age of mega corporations and sponsoships, something like the FA cup really is for the sporting community. The Open Cup, if you research it, goes way back and has a decided East Coast NY/NJ history. Anything with the word soccer and historty in America should be respected.
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread Tuesday night, at least 3 times, for sure.
Re: NYRB vs LA Galaxy - US Open Cup Tu-5/8/07 10:30PM EST [R] Pre, During + Post Game Thread Yes, but teams that do well in several competitions at the same time over there have 35 man rosters from whom to select.