I actually don't have a problem with Clarke. It seems apparent there is bad blood between him and Salazar. The refs retreated to the far side of the field then when they approached the center tunnel, the fans starting booing loudly. The refs took shelter under the plexiglass. When we had several cheers against Salazar, Clarke joined in and egged the crowd on. I honestly think he was showing up Salazar rather than the Crew fans. Eddie Johnson was the last player off the field. The crowd was booing all the Dallas players. Most hurried through the gantlet to the lockerroom. Eddie stopped to sign a couple autographs then got into it with a Crew fan. As others have said, this match wasn't decided by the players but by the center ref. It was a truly bad performance by Salazar and the 2nd time in 3 years we've been jobbed out of the tournament. It still wasn't as bad as the traveshamockery that was Kevin Stott in the 03 match vs the Mutts (the one where West got red carded for showing his studs on a stepover move).
First off let me note that this is not a trolling post....i have no problem with any of the crew or their fans Now then....What exactly did Colin Clark and EJ do??? I think its understandable for the players to mouth off a little bit after winning a game on the road where fans were booing players(carey talley)for cramping up after 120 minutes of soccer in 90 degree temperatures, 2 players had picked up red cards(i obviously didnt see either of them, but I read from one of you that heyduck's tackle was pretty horrible). I imagine FCD isn't the only team in the league that wouldnt be a little hyped up about that win. What would EJ mean when he said you make me rich?
I don't know, from where I was sitting I thought the Crew dominated every aspect of play except for free kick opportunities which were head and shoulders over any free kick the Crew took and about 15 to 20 minutes of playing time total the whole game. Well that and paying into Salazar's retirment fund like Colin Clark must have done before overtime. For the third straight year in a row the Crew are screwed out of the open cup. The Szetela red was a complete joke. It wasn't even a foul. Martino was exceptional all night. He looked as fit in 120' as he did in the first. Exceptional evening for a player I've been hard on. Ditto everything said about Eric Vasquez. He is pure and total class. If he keeps playing this way, he'll be in Germany in 06. Elliott was indeed crap, although I never will understand people's problem with him backpassing WHEN HE HAS NOWHERE ELSE TO GO WITH THE BALL. I mean do you want him to turn with two guys on him and lose the ball in the back of the mid-third? Sometimes backpasses are the right thing to do. Cameron didn't play well at all either, although I will say many of you need to blame Jonny Walker for that. Walker consistantly overcooked just about every punt about 2 feet. Knox is tall, but he ain't superman. I get more on Knox in that he just didn't get involved with the offense much at all. Really he needs to work on finding and getting to the spots as a forward that will make him dangerous. Plus at the end of half one it's just unspeakable he wouldn't rush Cassar. If a keeper holds the ball that long outside the box you have an obligation to break his ********ing legs. As for Clarke's actions, I took it as a sign of respect. This was one of the all-time greatest crowds I can ever remember at a Crew game. We cheered on the Crew even in defeat, gave the Dallas players hell and if it wasn't for those pesky police Salazar would have left in a bodybag. Clarke's actions just show we got to him and Dallas, that's nice to know. I think the Crew are going to have a very bright second half of the season.
Ok, I just saw 10TV nightbeat sports, and after seeing that, WTF was Hejduk doing? That red card probably was warranted. After calming down a bit, I think Clarke was telling us to get louder. If he gave the finger, I didn't see it, but I did see his hands moving in an upwards motion, sort of like he was "raising the roof" or whatever. During the game, especially those two reds, it seemed like the refs were horribly biased, but checking the stats: DAL -- Bobby Rhine (caution; Reckless Foul) 20 DAL -- Drew Moor (caution; Reckless Foul) 36 CLB -- Eric Vasquez (caution; Dissent) 41 DAL -- Aaron Pitchkolan (caution; Reckless Foul) 56 DAL -- Carey Talley (caution; Reckless Foul) 89 CLB -- Danny Szetela (ejection; Serious Foul Play) 100+ CLB -- Frankie Hejduk (ejection; Serious Foul Play) 103+ DAL -- Eddie Johnson (caution; Reckless Foul) 106+ 5 cautions for Dallas. 0 ejections for Dallas. 1 caution for Columbus. 2 ejections (1 certainly not warranted). 3 bookings for us, and 5 for them. Life just sucks when you see red 2 times in 3 minutes.
yeah.. if that's the case with clarke.. it's kind of hard to understand since we just lost to his team. and i thought clarke was laughing at me.. so i got pissed. i dont know for some reason i thought he was looking at me.. and i swear before the refs came over he shook salazar's hand.. which is kind of weird if he was telling us to egg him on.. why would the other side coach do that after the ref gave him the game.. confuses me.. anyways i like warzycha.. and it's not just because i'm polish.. he makes good decisions like martino moving outside.. frankly we were unlucky. warzycha is a fighter and a pesky little guy.. i mean everybody chanted for him after the game.. i mean the team tonight as a whole is something you like to root for.. you dont have bumble bee tuna andrulis.. looking like a dipshit. and that dipshit guy shouldnt worry about it.. im so sick of the kid oreintented mls.. it's so much fun.. hell the little kids like it to.. i said **************** and little kids clapped.. you got to teach them young parents. everybody learns them anyways.. on my long 3 hour ride home i wondered about the stigma of ****************.. it's a word? is it not.. your little 5 year old kid will forget the word in 5 minutes when he focuses on something different.. i will teach my kids when i have them how to give fc dallas the finger by the age of 2.. after the candy coated all star game.. this was a much needed respite.. anyways i saw someone in a polska jersey and scarf.. i was in crew jersey and scarf.. and i'm like hey man i love your jersey last name is kozlowski.. what's yours.. and he's like i'm not polish i just like poland.. i was really confused? nobody pretends to be polish.. lol. making a ej sign.. maybe he will pull out a 9 and bust a cap..
FourFourTwo just had an article on Sam's Army, noting that most US sports fans are just "consumers" instead of "supporters." I think this guy you're describing proves that point.
As for the way Dallas and the Refs acted after the game, they deserved al the heckling they got. Ed could have signed his autographs waved to the camera's and then left. He is a "role-model" to kids and saying things like he did was uncalled for. The coach of F*C* Dallas needs to be taken out to a wood shed and beatin like a red headed step child. He has no class and no respect. Any top level coach who flicks off fans wether his team wins or loses.......... deserves every thing he gets.
McCullers had some nice words for Clarke in the paper this morning... "The game got away from the referee. It deteriorated quickly. The low point was coach Clarke’s embarrassing act at the end. It should guarantee a warm reception when he comes back on Aug. 20." Though even Clarke admitted the officiating and calls were terrible... "(The referee) made some questionable decisions. I didn’t think Szetela’s was a red card. Frankie’s was. Frankie reacted to what happened. Szetela’s was unlucky. The PK, I don’t think it was a PK."
We were pretty sh1t last night. The point is, against that Dallas team we should never have had to take it to extra time in the first place. Especially after they took Ruiz out after 58. Clarke will be laughing all the way to the bank.
What do you mean the second time in three years? I know the match against Chicago last year was a night to forget but not in that sense. He tossed Buddle in that game undeservedly, f***ed us over, then couldn't even finish the game because he was so out of shape he pulled a muscle. The 4th official took over, was a tad better and then gave the F!re a free kick late in OT that they converted for the game winner.
The 4th offical took one of the linesman's position and the linesman moved to the middle. Thing was the linesman wasn't even certified to be a center ref at that level.
I was referring to the 2003 loss to the Mutts. Last year I thought the officiating was poor but not decisive. In 2003 we opened our title defense at home. Bradley's team hacked away freely. Clark and McCarty got their shots in as well. I remember the Crew setting up for a corner kick and someone (Jolley maybe) putting Buddle in a bearhug. I remember Clark doing something similar to Cletus. Anyway it was an ugly physical match in which the Crew got an early lead and blew it with the help of the ref. Stott handed out yellow cards freely to us while the NY backline finished without a card. The lowlight was West going for a ball, stepping on it and getting ejected for showing his cleats. He didn't even know the Metro player was there, he was playing the ball at the top of the Metro box and gets red. It was the worst refereeing I've seen by an MLS official. Stott was named ref of the year in 2003 just to add insult to injury.
I remember the game well. I was there. Last year they got a PK that was undeserved, Buddle was tossed for a crap call, we couldn't buy a call, and then we got another weak fould called against us that resulted in the game winning free kick. We haven't even got a reach around the last three years.
Would anybody mind if I wanted Testo back on the field in place of Hejduk? I mean it's nice that he's on the national team and all, but wasn't he the only different component in the starting line-up displacing Martino from the location he has been having a revival at here of late?
Bravo, Bravo, smartest post I've seen all day. And with Testo in, you have the added benefit of better corners.
Granted, corners are a small part of the dealio but I think Hejduk does not fit into the equation anymore because his negatives are now equalling or surpassing his postivies. The guy is all heart, has a tremendous work rate, has foreign and national experience, can and has scored goals, can cross most of the time, can play defense and is a recognizable player. That said, his recklessness has cost us one too many games, dating back to 2003 when he lunged at Etcheverry in the box giving DC a tie and us a date watching MLS playoffs from a bar stool.
Just realised something. Wasnt it good to a game without music being blared through the PA every 2 minutes? I had forgotten what that was like.
Does anyone know where or if I can get a copy of the game broadcast in mp3 or something? I really want to hear how the crowd sounded at the end of the game. I was the one with the drum at the end of the game trying to get everyone into. I was really surprised by the number of people that stayed around after the game to help us cheer the players off the field. I was really proud of the crowd last night. If we get crowds that into every game I have no doubt about the future of this organization.
You know, when I think about that broadcast, it was like I was a blind person in the stadium. I could hear the crowd all around me, yet see nothing of the play on the field. Also, it was like I was a deaf person, with the crowd all around me, and Dwight standing next to me giving the PBP. Enjoyable all around.
Yep he did. He shook Salazar's hand before starting to "give the crowd support." I still don't buy that argument. You don't go shake a refs hand who stole the game from the opposing team and then come back and support a crowd who is booing the sh!t out of said ref.
{The crowd was in a foul mood by the end of the game and let the officials and Clarke know it. He responded by taunting the crowd by raising his arms and putting his hands to his ears. "I wasn’t egging them on. I was clapping with them," he said.} WHAT THE ****!!!!!!