Caig Mans Up

I like to think of myself as an independent thinker. A guy that doesn't jump at the latest trends. A guy that isn't stuck in the childish phase of needing to have the latest toys. In other words: I don't have HDNet and couldn't watch the Dynamo last night. Some might say that makes me more of a Luddite than a man of principle, and really the truth does lie somewhere in between.

I also was unable to make the trek across town to the known viewings of the game. That's due to me being a boring family man.

But I DID get to listen to the game on the radio. Steve Mark, the "Voice of the Dynamo" (VOTD), isn't the best play by play guy. He doesn't use natural soccer terminology. He doesn't keep up with play. He leaves painful gaps in the monologue while he figures out what's going on. So listening to the game through his eyes isn't the best way to enjoy the game, but I still managed to enjoy the experience. It seems nostalgic to listen to a game on the radio, particularly with a local crew and local perspective, and I rarely do it anymore. It's how baseball used to be followed by fans before cable, and how the English followed their football teams before the EPL made televised broadcasts ubiquitous. The game took on a sentimental flair for me.

You know what else was nostalgic? The clean sheet. You remember those? You just have to look back to last season to see our calling card of clean sheets and defensive dominance. The clean sheet was particularly welcome after we've been conceding three goals per game.

Hats off to the the defense and particularly to Caig who made some solid saves, intercepted some crosses/passes, and didn't make any howlers. I wish this was the Caig who played vs FCD, but beggars can't be choosers and I'm just glad that the Caig that Dom knows made himself known to the Orange faithful.

I hope this means that the defense is beginning to get in sync. We'll need them next week at the Toolshed when we face the LA Beckhams. The LA defense, which is fundamentally pathetic, should also give our forwards plenty of opportunities. I hope our attack makes the most of the chance. They scored in spades versus FCD, but not in any other MLS match yet. Let's reverse that trend next.

Media mining:
Dynamo recap. The overall summary: "Both teams played smothering defense in what was a well-played match. Each side tried to make opportunities on goal, but it was a struggle for both throughout."

The MLS recap from the KC side.

Another Dynamo summary. "'I think overall we dominated the game,' Caig said."

Quotes from both sides. Curt Onalfo says the Dynamo are "hard to play against. They're very direct. They compete, they make you stay in every single play. I thought our guys did a good job of that. We had some good chances to score and we didn't, and they did as well. Overall I thought it was an evenly played game."

Barrett made his 200th consecutive start last night. He is the ironman.

Kansas City Star's recap. "But there are also times when you settle for hard-earned draws. You can probably count playing against the two-time defending MLS Cup champions on a windy, freezing night as one of them." Here's a factoid: "It was the first scoreless draw for the Wizards since Aug. 9, 2006, when they played New England scoreless at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass."