Just got back to CT from the game. I was sitting on the red bulls testicle, opposite the benches 3 rows off the field. The Nordecke on Tour looked and sounded incredible. Full marks to them. I don't see how anyone could be upset with this game. Like someone else said, Red Bulls outplayed us for the first 20 minutes and then they wilted after the goal. Thing is their fans wilted even more, at least where I was. They turned on Red Bulls immediately. Tonight just made me proad as ******** to be a Crew fan. Nuff said.
My god, the internet has totally robbed people of their ability to detect sarcasm without a stupid smiley face/winky thing after the sentence. At least I think he's joking (see, it's doing it to me, too). Just wanted to give props to everyone who made the trip. And get one final shot in on Harkes. At halftime, ESPN had two schmoes who wrote a soccer book on, giving it a plug. In their little lead in, the authors schmoozed Harksey by saying how the coach in 1998 made an inexplicable decision, dooming the team by pulling the captain for life. Then Harkes had to stand their and try to take it as a compliment. He didn't try to defend Sampson (who had the good graces to never reveal that Harkes was pulled at the request of the team after the boned Wynalda's wife). Safe to say, those boys don't know much about soccer. The state of Harksey stays the same (douchebag, though he didn't have much choice tonight, he could have defended Sampson, however), and the state of journalism continues to plummet. Lastly, I loved the part where Gaven moved into Guille's spot and Garey went wide. I think we were at our best with that formation. While I love Eddie as a player, I think he's so much more effective inside. Though after Ekpo's and Garey's underwhelming performances wide, I'm not sure we have enough wide options next week. Small field next game @KC.
-4. Docked 3 bonus points for trying way too hard. EDIT: Jesus ********ing Christ on a popsicle stick, guys! That was one of the least well-disguised trolls of all time and at least half of you bought it for 5 pages. Damn.
Yeah, that to me was one of the all-time great moments in MLS broadcasting. These two clowns somehow managed to wrangle a free promo to sell their book to hard core soccer fans - who are the only people who'll give a crap - and instead ended up demonstrating to those same fans that they're dumbshits.
Just watched ESPN Sportscenter and the show opened up with Gaven's header and Renteria running to the corner after his goal in the opening credits. And in top plays the Eddie Gaven header and the Andy Iro header was top play #3
So of course I might be biased, but I think Iro did a lot better job than Brunner. Yes, Iro had one to two mess ups in the second half, but he never gave up on the play and helped make it difficult to score. I believe Marshall/Iro should be the match up from now on. Oh yea, he scored
Eddie Gaven is becoming a very important player on this club. I'd hope that with the Griffit signing, and other options out wide (Renteria plays there, too), we might see more of Eddie in the middle. Guille's going to need some time off this season, and it's hard to imagine a better option than Gaven in that role. Not to mention that Guille could hang up his boots at the end of the season. Renteria, I think, just brings something to the offense that Lenhart and Garey don't. All three play physically, but my take on SL and JG is that they're target forwards who are best shooting immediately after receiving the ball. Renteria can actually run with the ball at his feet; no way I can imagine Stevie going around Condoul like that. I'm not making any claims re: who should start - and, for instance, I think Lenhart tracks beck defensively much better (perhaps too much), but I like what Renteria adds to our offensive look.
Minnman, I agree 100% with your Renteria comment. As for Gaven, is he RW's plan for the post-Schelotto era? He played a great game tonight and I say less every season how I want to trade him but I don't know if his current trajectory will have him land anywhere near Scheletto's ability.
I think there's an element of this, but I also think a big part of it is the other players picking up their game on an individual basis to try and make up for Guille missing. Works great for a game here and there, but probably would be a net loss if/when Guille is gone for good.
Gaven needs to play more CM plain and simple...Hell anyone other than Moffatt who is only firing duds at this point. In every "Crew Review" by Smitch Moffatt is listed in the bottom three performers. Carroll has joined him there on quite a few occassions as well. The CM is this teams weak spot, has been this sqauds weak spot and the management refuses to change it. Once Grifit is officialy ready to go along with SUPER SUB not starter Ekpo, Rogers we need to see Guille/Gavin in the CAM role. Get Moffatt outta here.
Did anybody see Lenhart looking up at the TV and laughing on how close he came to an own goal. I am wondering if Lenhart will cut his hair? I think this is the 2nd game I have seen him get pulled down by his hair when he went up for a ball. I agree the goal post should get MOTM.
The post is always the keepers friend. On the three RB shots that hit the post, I think Hessmer had one of them covered (the free kick by Angel was more a product of having two 6'5" guys in the wall)
My theory is that Gino got subbed out of the last game after he appeared to suffer some sort of minor leg injury. I assume he could have played, but why start a left back who maybe can't go 90 minutes, doesn't have much speed when fully fit, and often would have to match up with one of the faster attackers in the league in Richards? Recall that it took all of Padula's wily experience to defend Richards in the MLS Cup Final two years ago, and Gino's not gotten any faster since then. Too, without Chad in the middle, we don't have a center back who'll anticipate and clean up the messes that might result from Padula getting burned by a pacy attacker like Richards. I think Robert played it perfectly, and I love the way the subbing worked out; pull Moffat, slide O'Rourke into the center of midfield, and bring in Zayner to play left back. A somewhat more defensive line-up to ice a game on the road, but not a huge shift in tactics that relegates us to playing bunkerball. For MLS, this team has amazing depth.
I agree, left back we are solid as solid can be. However, over on the right I think we might have to start looking at Zayner being an upgrade over Frankie. Granted Hejdude had a great cross to Gaven last night, but that is the exception, not the rule. Frankie turns the ball over a lot, leaves us vulnerable to counters when he goes up into attack mode and quite frankly (no pund intended) has lost a step or two over the last year and a half.
Speaking of Blake, Mary was watching the game with me and she turns to me the first time he is on TV and says... "Wow, Blake sure looks like a Rapist with that trucker beard and hat." hahahahaha. Great job Nordecke on Tour!
I love this picture. But he looks like a happy rapist. BTW, we have the best beards in MLS fandom, bar none. Big, full, manly beards. Beards that send our foes into fits of terror and despair.
To Mateo: The Crew sitch? It's worse than you think. Does anyone get what I mean now when I've brought up Ekpo's patented "Runs to Nowhere?" My take on Iro is like a sine curve this season. He's trending up. He covered Richards so tightly that Richards will probably pop out a little Iro in nine months. Little Iro will be 5'11. Great passing to space. Great amount of luck. Can you imagine what our ranking would be if we were any good? And what a perfect word for Hejduk "Ageless"