I don't know. I can't help but like San Jose when I think of that old proverb - "The enemy of my enemy is my friend". Because I hate the LA Gals more than any other team in this league, including the Metrostars.
Does this settle the whole "Jaime doesn't get along with/respect Freddy" arguement? I can't think of a stronger gesture.
I'm not sure how he got up that far either, but the nutmeg and run was sweet. I was thinking, "Is that really Carroll?!?"...and I'm a big BC fan.
If Freddy turned down the armband, it's obvious proof that he hates Jaime. Also, the fact that Nowak pulled Gomez when he did is obvious proof that Piotr hates him. Why else would he replace Gomito before his chance to score a hat trick?
Agreed. Any team playing DCU I --for that game. But ultimately I like and admire class teams. SJ for a period of a couple of years with Yallop was clearly a classy team. SJ this year has played some good, attractive ball and hasn't let injuries be an excuse. YOu've got to admire that. And any team that beats the Gals gets some rep points from me.
Point taken. You probably had a better view than I did, especially because it was at the other end of the field from me (I was in La Norte). Still, I don't think we made any mistakes on defense -- DeRosario is good enough that I'll give him credit for the breakaway -- which I commend in that weather.
You're absolutely right. In 2002, I went to the ESPN Zone to watch the US/Poland match. Rimando and others came by. I'm 5'6" and Rimando, maybe, had an inch in height on me.
I have to give props to Boswell on Moreno's goal. When Gros made the cross, I thought it was directed to Boswell (which Gros admitted). However, Bobby saw the ball carry and jumped "short" to let the ball carry over to Moreno. Moreno's trap and volley was the sweetest thing I've seen in a very long time. I'm so amazed that he had the presence of mind to track the flight of the ball, trap it and shoot it without the ball ever touching the ground. Those of us who have had the opportunity to watch Moreno since '96 are truly blessed.
jumped short? i dunno dude. I thought that bos was trying like the dickens to reach it, it was just too tall. but yeah, beautiful shot.
Greg Andrulis was there last night? And was he wearing a United cat in the hat jersey or was I just so in shock from seeing him on MLS Wrap just now?
Dissenting Views Here are a couple curmudgeonly/contrary observations mixed in with some other thoughts I have about the game. We played great as a team and lots of our "complementary" parts did a great job tonight. But there are still some areas for improvement, so take the criticism with the praise so that we don't walk out of here with our heads held too high : 1) Jaime had some great moments, but he had some real bone-headed plays as well. On two occasions he really wasted opportunities (the first one by John Wilson when he ignored - I am not a Freddy-Jaime conspiracist - a good run by Freddy and went for a lower percentage shot at the near post and the second in the same position when he did not cut it back to a superiorly positioned Gomito when he made the right run). Sometimes he does need to get rid of the ball quicker. He was also completely responsible for the DeRosario giveaway when he carried the ball back towards midfield and made the lamest pass. This was not characteristic of Jaime, but it was miserable. He had a tremendous second half all the way around, though. Just amazing work with the ball and very good concentration with Freddy and Gomito. Those flicked/one-touch balls that Freddy and Jaime provided for each other were great. If they work together this way some more (and against teams without defenders with great recovery speed like Eddie Robinson), we are going to see some astounding goal totals and some amazing counterattacking goals. Because one of these days Jaime is going to pop Freddy in on goal without a defender within 30 yards of him. I can't wait until we play the Rapids (pedestrian central defenders), Chivas (risky defense playing way up the field) and RSL (sucky defenders, Pope or not) in the second half of the season. We could put 5 or 6 on the board against those teams playing like we did last night. 2) John Wilson's positioning. At times Wilson gives up a bit of space to other players - but he rarely gets beat to the box, such is his recovery speed. And he is such a good tackler chasing back towards his box. Also, for those of you complaining about him leaving Boswell exposed - I can't remember how many times (in this and in other games) he has shown up making a play in the center and even well over on the right side of the field saving Prideaux's and Boswell's bacon when someone slips through. If you ask me, he is playing along the left side about as well as Namoff played along the right side last season, only with a tad better attacking/linking skills and without as many fouls. Those who say he is "as good as Petke but a bunch cheaper" are giving Wanker too much credit. JW may not give us as much on set piece defending/attacking. But he is better than Petke and a bunch cheaper. 3) I have been critical of Brian Carroll's passing this season. If he passes like he did in this game, he can play every minute of every game as far as I am concerned. Even though I still think Clyde Simms is better, Carroll had a great game. Much more confidence and many more positive passes played to players feet or to the right spot in space. As a result we were much more fluid in possession. I hardly saw any "clanked" passes or touches from BC. 4) Those who are saying we succeeded by attacking Kelly Gray/avoiding Wade Barrett are giving Barrett too much credit. He screwed up leaving men open in his "zone" on several occasions (the Moreno goal when Jaime was way too open - granted Gray maybe should have done more with Gros's cross, but that was one of those plays that was pretty tough to defend. Josh looked almost like a lanky, left-footed Earnie Stewart by getting off a great first touch cross while in a dead run. One of Gomito's goals came from (his) right side as well. There were other times where Barrett got a bit lucky. Considering Gomez, Freddy and Jaime love to work in (their) left channel in every game, I give credit to Kelly Gray for doing as well as he did. We basically outplayed a great backline (on form if not on total quality) though it was really San Jose's midfield that let them down tonight. I am so glad that hacker Ian Russell was not in the team. He ruins almost every match when we play SJ with his negative/cynical style of play. 5) Freddy played tough throughout the midfield. He really frustrated Danny Cailiff, who really could have been sent off in this game. He got his first yellow very late - plenty of refs would have cautioned him earlier in the match for some of his fouls on Freddy and his last two-footed from behind tackle was pretty dangerous. Freddy did a great job mixing it up, keeping the ball on his foot just long enough (though without wasting possessions) to make the defenders think he was showing them up and get them psychologically out of their gameplan/turn it into a mano-a-mano thing. His work-rate was high and he and Gomito got a lot of tiny touches that extended DC possessions/disrupted San Jose possessions. The best thing - even when Freddy was playing forward, I loved how involved he was in possession/defensive situations without being pulled out of attacking situations. He was always ready to make his runs even though he was involved all over the field. On the minus side, I was surprised by the number of times (usually when his back was to the goal) his first touch let him down a bit. 6) Steve Guppy is glacially slow. He simply is not suited for the DC system. He also likes to dwell on the ball a bit too long and looks for the long pass too much when that is really not what suits our personnel. Even when he completed longer passes, the amount of hang-time under the ball allowed San Jose players to get back into position and cost us the advantage we had gained from quick, incisive linking play. 7) Jamil Walker looked pretty good in his limited time. He played well on and off the ball, though he should have done a bit better with his great chance in the left hand channel. Truly a great/lucky play by the San Jose defender (Eddie Robinson?) who was able to counter his move in the box. He "extended" his tackle really well to deny Jamil. Still - Jamil seemed like he was comfortable with the pace of play and showed a change of pace that he does not always seem to have (usually he relies on ball skills he doesn't have or raw speed). He stayed away from the corners where he usually wastes possessions. 8) Pat Onsted reeks at shots from the top of the box (and anything further back). Even though he cannot really be faulted for the goals - he is so slow to react to those types of shots. I am amazed he gets away with this weakness as well as he does considering where he plays his home games. I guess it is a testimony to the quality of his defenders and/or the general weakness of attacking players in MLS at uncorking from deeper range. As much time and space as MLS defenses give guys in this area of the field, there are too few players who really make them pay for it. 9) We cleared our lines well all game long. No whiffs, no second chances and great patience carrying the ball out and not panicking and booting it long. Brandon Prideaux had some great plays on the ball in which he suckered Alejandro Moreno in close and then spun by him to leave himself with plenty of time and space to make the next pass and set up a good possession sequence. Brandon has really improved his linking play over last season. Wilson is always pretty good on the ball. Nick's lure-them-to me-and-then-show-off-my-superior-footskills-to-get-the-ball-away-in-the-"nick"-of-time routine actually didn't cause me as many heart attacks. By carrying the ball out or passing it out under control - we really prevented a lot of dangerous counterattacks while making the San Jose attackers run very hard pursuing the ball and burning a lot of energy. 10) Gomito is a great player. He is so efficient with every touch. He does not make bad decisions. He is positive. He does not overestimate his own ability and "indulge himself" by holding the ball endlessly. He passes the ball unselfishly and works hard off the ball so that all of his teammates look good making easy passes to him (when he is so open). He made so many great runs tonight - often just tickling the ball jjjuuusssttt past a stabbing defender and while he was on-the-edge-of-control. But his great balance meant he rarely got shown up. His timing, anticipation, etc were just razor-edge perfect. He was a joy to watch. 8 goals from his position is an amazing return (and no more than 1 penalty, right?) And if we had more "shoot-first" mentality players, he would have more assists, because his passing is not bad at all.
We were laughing our a$$es off at how wonderfully that came through. All of the chants and songs were coming through nicely. You all lit that place up Friday night.
Excellent observations Dave. The offense was fluid because of the "Three Headed Monster" of Moreno, Gomez, & Adu. San Jose didn't know who to defend, so it opened up spaces for everyone. And, for the first time all year, all three players looked comfortable together. They really played off each other well. Soccer is not like a lot of other sports. There is a real need for synergy among teammates in order to be successful. It's not just having the most talented players. It's really a process of osmosis, and can't be rushed. I am excited by this game more than any all year, since it was against a quality opponent, and the synergy was there. Remember, San Jose was undefeated in their last seven games, and we kicked their butts, really spanked them. The makings of another championship team is underway.
Mostly, I just loved watching this game. We really turned in a great effort, and it was nice to see it rewarded. It's marvelous to see Jaime-Fred-Christian link up well and click. Here's hoping for more!
Solid performance by everyone Friday. Watching the replay yesterday, you could see we played some really attractive soccer. Compare that with some other teams. I watched a bit of the Scum/Rapids game last night and guys were just standing there with the ball at their feet - no defensive pressure at all - and this was fairly early in the first half! Fortunately the weather knocked out my satellite reception and I couldn't watch more... Let's hope the lads keep the ball rolling next week.
Yes, please. As a San Jose fan, I'd love to see your team play like that out in LA next weekend. Based on how LA played last night against Chivas, DCU would be them pretty handily if the team brings that energy and focus to the Home Depot Center.
Unfortunately, the real team doesn't actually travel. They send the pod people team to road games so the Gals have a decent chance next week.
So glad I made the trip down for this one. We kick ass. John Wilson kicks ass. Jaime and C.G. kick ass. Big green smoke bombs kick ass. Guess my old school Etch shirt is good luck...I'll have to wear it again.
I believe I called it 'caterwauling' at the time. She was 10 pounds of singing crapitude jammed into a satin sequined costume designed to hold no more than 5 pounds of crap. Here's a hint: If you can't hit the basic notes of the melody, go home and practice. At the very least, stop adding extra notes on which to flat. I blame this trend of jamming in extra notes on the Mariah Carey school of GREATLY EMBELLISHED singing. (At least she has a voice!) Sorry, but this is a pet peeve of mine.
No, that wasn't him. Not everyone with a salt-and pepper beard is Greg Andrulis, no matter what the announcer says.
From the Examiner: Earthquakes coach cries foul on Adu: Kinnear implies United star gets favorable calls