Max Bretos FSW seriously need to only let Max Bretos call games that don't involve LA. He has got to be the biggest homer on a national network ever.
Man.... I don't know about you guys but I'm dissapointed. We needed to get at least 2 GOALS on these punks today and we only got one. Defensively we were great (except when Pablo almost **********ed sh!t up for us....retard), but I don't know if we can have that kind of game in L.A. Damn....nice game, but I hope we can keep this up in L.A. being only 1 goal up.
Cap Matt Crawford. Ruiz is hurt. Can't see reason to fault Hanki, team play was exceptional. One touches and angled passing I don't see often in MLS. LA looked gassed, altitude? Who doesn't think Sigi would have the team playing better. Cannon is MVP. Jones vs Lewis is the matchup I'm most worried about. Jones/Broome probably should have started. Cila undrafted. Can't keep reiterating what a steal. Played for the tie, missed some great chances in 2nd half. Hope it doesn't come back to haunt the team in HDC. Attendance will be different there! It's aggregate score to advance, right? Away goals not used, any tie to overtime? Will double check now. Hope Commerce City wasn't counting heads. Did I say cap Matt Crawford? Set pieces, overlaps - had no idea. Right back may be the biggest question for the US. Not sure if he has the pace/fitness/strength to play the international game but he was dominant tonight, deserves a shot soon.
2 goals would have been nice. LA can play great at home at times. Couldn't believe the Mastroeni tackle. Not many other mistakes but that one wasn't even necessary and Kirovski is dangerous.
Did Sampson just pull out the old 3-6-1 against you guys? Borchers - tremendous job. Lots of confidence. Great job by Cannon to get Ruiz to take a dive all by his lonesome in the penalty area?
No kidding, what was Pablo thinking. Loved Cannon getting Ruiz to break his ankles, it almost looked like Ruiz hurt himself on that play. Bretos needs to remember when he's calling Galaxy games for KCAL and being paid by the Galaxy, and when he's broadcasting a national game and being paid by FSW.
I think the lack of national team callups shows when looking at the Rapids passing. Want to stress again how well the players combined. Only other examples I remember this season is Metrostars when Guevera is focused and maybe Columbus with decent team play but not at all flashy. My question remaining is are the Galaxy right now just that bad? Saragosa played decent but none of the other starters really showed up except for Kirovski and maybe Marshall at moments. Albright was decent but disappointed. What LA team will show up next week?
Cila top newcomer over Pedro? I don't think so. The Rapids offense is non-existent without Pedro. Just a few comments. Was anyone else surprised by the Galaxy's lineup? Jovan, Ruiz, Moreno and Ngwenya all on the field to start? Then for offense they played all long balls? Except for about 15 minutes in the 2nd half, I wasn't very impressed with the Rapids performance tonight. I thought the goal was against the run of play. As usual, Cannon was left out to dry by poor marking. As usual Cannon was the hero. I didn't see anyone stepping up tonight taking Cannon's challenge. Pretty forgettable game for most of the players. L.A. was inept at best and when they did put things together Cannon stoned them. It will be very interesting to see the side and formation Hanks puts on the field next week and even more interesting to see how they play.
I was more surprised that McDLT got the nod for Humanitarian of the year. If I understood the announcer correctly... I thought we controlled the ball a little better than your assesment might indicate, but certainly could have done better in most areas. Although my wife, who doesn't often have a strong opinion about the way a game is going, said (at the half), "What a boring game." Who was the player who, after 30 games of NOT taking the ball to the corner flag (to run out the clock), finally decided it was a good idea? In an aggregate goals series? With a 1 goal lead? Preparing to go away to a team that we haven't beaten this year? What was he thinking? 1 goal is not enough to go into LA with and be comfortable. I predict a lot of bunker-ball next weekend.
Any questions about Cannon being league MVP? He cleared it all up last night for those undecided. Where would CR be w/o him, out of the playoffs and probably the worst record in the MLS.
Agreed. Cannon was a rock last night. With him in goal, playing as he has been playing, you have to think the Rapids have a chance to win any game.
Good win for the Rapids, obviously, Cannon was very good. I also realy like Mastroeni. (I know, the late tackle was ill advised, but generally he is fantastic). Peguero is really a forward. Crawford looked good. The Raps linked a few passes together. How 'bout the LAG though? Ya think anyone is happy about firing Sigi and hiring Samson? I think the best roster in MLS doing absolutely nothing. Where the H_E_Hockey sticks is Andreas Herzog? Fat Moreno instead of Cobi on the right flank? One forward? Long ball, long ball, long ball... kick it again Albright!!! maybe some one will get under it!!! I honestly think LA has a huge talent margin over us, but Steve Samson is narrowing the gap. Can you imagine he was the National Team coach? Remind me, how'd we do in that WC? We may get through this round.
They started their entire offense and still couldn't get it done against Joe, you've just got to laugh at them. Well done Rapids, a great win against the SoCal filth
Moreno wasn't on the right flank. Was on the left and LA was probably better when Broome came on and Victorine went up to the midfield. Ngwenya was on the right flank (late sub for Arturo Torres who got hurt). I'm pretty sure Jones wasn't 100% and LA was trying to not use him. Your right that Sampson seemed to have the wrong lineup/strategy, but that detail is way off.
Interesting, but would you have posted the same message if Cannon weren't in goal and the Galaxy would have scored the 2 goals he stole from them? Without Cannon the score was 2-1 LA no question about it. This Rapids team is pathetic without him. Thoroughly boring from start to finish. Cannon made the game. Pergero's goal was scrappy but a goal none the less.
I attended the match but when I got home, it was showing on HDNet with Marcelo, and I sat down and watched it again. Marcelo kept saying over and over that Sampson's strategy of putting Fishie up front by himself was a disservice to the fish. He said that when El Pescadito has been performing well, he has been the one who received the ball from a different forward who tended to take all the punishment and then dish it to Ruiz. They were looking a lot like we often did with Spenny. To ask either of them to receive the ball far away from the goal with their backs to it, turn, and then beat two or three defenders is unrealistic. I sure hope SS continues to do it. I would be feeling a lot better if the score was 2-0, but all things considered, it is nice to go on the road NOT having to make up a deficit. Go Raps!!!!!
Can someone tell me what page in the Rocky Mountain News I can find the article on the Rapids game last night?
I still would have said the Moreno was on the left cause I know left from right! But if your talking about the wrong lineup part of my comment, I think Moreno and Ngwenya had poor games. Even if Jones was hurt, probably should have started (hindsight being 20/20). Some use of Herzog should be made. Califf is the only solid defender LA has so there might not be any getting around that. Albright goes forward OK. Victorine looked out of place. Marshall is good but better on the outside. LA's roster has plenty of good players but they mostly don't fit into any system Sampson has tried. Even if Cannon hadn't made a couple of huge saves I'd still say Colorado dominated the ball when they wanted to. LA couldn't even get possession at the end of the game, it was sad to watch. The Rapids impressed me. Their back line looked fairly solid. Benching DLT seems to have worked cause there's no point in having a guy go forward if the back 4 can't stay tight. I watched LA play last season and early this season, whatever it is that's different, they look really bad in comparison. Plus I still haven't forgiven Sampson for starting Burns and Waldo against Germany.
Your right, Fat Moreno was on the left, where Cobi would have been an improvement, but Cobi should have started on the right flank. Someone else should have started on the left for Moreno who was entirely useless. I didn't think Colorado dominated, and I am a Colorado fan. I thought the goal was against the run of play, and I thought Cannon saved our bacon. I think the difference between LA earlier this season and now is obviously SS (who is a worse coach than our own hated Hanki) and the benching of Herzog. Andreas may be a bit long in the tooth, but that team flowed around him. He directed LA into first place with the same crew that couldn't score last night against the Rapids. I dunno, may Herzog is hurt or something, but my sniff is S Samsom has managed to f up another team, like he has so many times before.