While I've been following the Dynamo all season, I have kept my comments to the various blogs (particularly Benardo Fallas and Glenn Davis) and haven't spent time on mine. Worse: I've attended only one game this season. That's primarily because my weekends are spent coaching my son's Divison 2 team, and that's proven very time-consuming.
The past two months have been painful because the Dynamo drifted into a malaise, and their game looked tired and uninspired. Even so, if they had won only one more game they would have earned the Supporters' Shield. This is actually the prize I wanted the most this year. When that went to The Crew, I shifted my hopes to the MLS Cup.
I was pretty pessimistic about our chances to get past the Sounders, but the excellent result at Seattle made me hopeful, and the Dynamo ended up closing out the series in style with an awesome extra time goal by Ching.
We match up fairly well against LA, so I was more optimistic than I was about our Sounders series. Several Dynamo and non-Dynamo fans suggested that the Dynamo would have to beat LA and the refs (and Don Garber and ESPN...) in order to get through to the final. I thought these fans were either paranoid Dynamo fans, or spiteful Galaxy-haters. Turns out they were right.
The Dynamo controlled the game in the first 18 minutes, other than a couple of dangerous forays early on by LA. After the blackout in the 18', the Galaxy asserted control. The MIO worked their way into the game again, but halftime took off their edge and the Galaxy again controlled the game after the break. Thankfully with the 2nd blackout in the 55th minute, the game became the Dynamo's again. They controlled the final 30 minutes or so, and looked like the only team on the field for long stretches. Then they get the only goal of the game off a Hainault header after a LA player takes out Ching and another LA player. Houston wins 1-0.
Except that the ref decided the Dynamo shouldn't have let the LA player take out his teammate and Ching. So no goal. A few crossbars later, and we're into Extra Time. Credit to the Galaxy for playing a solid 30 minute overtime, but it shouldn't have gotten to that. It was an illegitimate act that put an unequal hurdle before both teams. Turns out, you had to have the LA crest on your chest for your goal to count. We weren't aware of that stipulation prior to the game.
The Dynamo have nothing to be ashamed of. They acquitted themselves well for the 90 minute match and proved they were the better team. Fatigue and weak bench support proved to be their undoing when they were forced to play an illegitimate extra 30 minutes.
Question doesn't the Skunk-headed one make enough money to buy some maturity? He whines like a spoiled schoolboy. Does he always whine at every official? Does he always exchange whiny words with the opposition once the competition is over? He did versus Chivas USA, and now with the Dynamo.
It seems to me that the MLS is hurting its credibility with potential American sports fans by immersing itself more and more into the atmosphere of suspicious officiating, like seen with the NBA. I long ago gave up on basketball and I get physically ill whenever I see it on TV. It's an off-season YMCA conditioning exercise that they turned professional with all of the competitive legitimacy of professional wrestling. The MLS seems to be heading in that direction too, with their bush league referees and their rule-bending for the gender-bending Becks and his LA Gals.
I still support the Dynamo. They are the best organization in the MLS and, while physical, play a style of ball that other MLS teams only sometimes toy with. Coach Kinnear is the best in the league, and the players are class acts.
But I have slowly become a reluctant follower of the MLS in general, and have become a more and more infrequent watcher of the league. Furthermore, I worry that personnel changes and aging veterans will make the one bright spot in the league -- the Houston Dynamo -- a second rate team scrapping its way through the league next season as it waits on the next generation of talent to emerge.
Showing posts with label Beckham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beckham. Show all posts
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Thursday, July 24, 2008
All-Stars was entertaining ... Who'd've guessed?
I wasn't really looking forward to the MLS All-Star game ... like most people, I'm sure. I wasn't sure if I would watch. Turns out I did, and I'm glad I did. The match was fun from beginning to end; and I even found it relaxing since I didn't care who won or lost.
West Ham played well, but the players weren't going to hurt themselves in the process. That, and the fact that the Hammers probably aren't match fit yet, was really the factor that led to the MLSers controlling possession and territory so well.
But what was cool was watching Blanco and Beckham play together. Blanco actually was off with his passing and had several give-aways, but started getting into the groove and ended the half with a clever, skillful goal curving so nicely into the net. His earlier assist was even sweeter: picking up a pass from Beckham, Blanco popped the ball up then heel-flicked it to Christian Gomez, who slotted the ball clinically into the far netting. Becks-Blanco-Gomez-goal: That play right there made the All-Stars worth it.
B-Fall's blog has a good summary of the game. Here is a good article talking about DeRo and Onstad playing two MLS games the same day and in different countries. DeRo is capping off his day with a party benefiting Nothing But Nets.
Beckham played all 90 and looked very strong, particularly since no one cared if he helped with the defending.
DeRo, had some good flashes as a late sub, including a dangerous run that won a PK. I was surprised that he took the PK, and it was tense seeing his blast ping-ponging off the crossbar and into the net. With the goal, DeRo has another game winner for the All-Stars. The Creative Canuck made some nice runs and passing combos, which was all the more surprising since he had just wrapped up his MLS match in DC that morning. He was certainly pumped to be in front of his hometown fans. He had a solid free kick late in the game (Becks kindly let DeRo take the kick, I wager).
Onstad wasn't tested much, but did well with what he faced. I was very surprised to see him inserted in (just after DeRo's PK), but it was good to see him playing in this honorary game, as he is still one of the best in the league.
Landon Donovan was off his game and didn't seem to do anything.
And what was the formation there at the end, when Hejduk and Bornstein came off for Buddle and Ralston? Was it a 2 5 3? Ralston must've been playing as a back. It would be nice if the announcers would, you know, cover the game and instead of laughing over inside jokes or commenting on the obvious ("So-and-so would like to have that one back"). THEY can see the entire field. THEY should tell us how the formation is morphing as the game plays out and especially as subs come in.
Speaking of announcers, I have got my whole family to detest the "as wells" that Harkes includes in every other sentence regardless of whether the phrase is relevant. In the off-season, maybe Harksie can go to a speaking coach. I complain because I care.
I thought it was laughable towards the beginning of the game when JP Dellacamera thought the Toronto fans would even consider chanting "We want Landon." No, Harkes was right: they were chanting "We want Brennan." And while it was cool that JPD mentioned DeRo played a 4 hour game last night, it'd be even cooler if he pointed out that DeRo actually finished playing that match THIS MORNING.
Finally, I don't know if it started to drizzle during the game, but the turf looked matted and slick by the end of the match. I didn't see a lot of sliding and falling, but the field sure looked worn. Was that an optical illusion or does that brand of turf have issues with heavy use?
All in all, great energy in the game. Good performance by the Dynamo reps. The MLS "super stars" (Becks, Blanco, and Angel, who looked onside when scored what would've been the 4th goal for the MLSers and would've been an assist for DeRo) all played up to the moment for the spectators. West Ham acquitted themselves well too.
I'd have to say that, other than my gripe about the announcers, the only negative of the whole night is that sad trophy presentation. Why is the MLS giving a trophy to itself in what is basically a friendly exhibition match? Who keeps it? Does the trophy go into the MLS headquarters' trophy case? This is a festival of soccer, not a meaningful competition. Invite both teams onto a stage. Let them swap jerseys. Pick an MVP, maybe even one from both teams. Thank everyone for coming. Then let the music blare and the confetti canons fire away. Having a "hooray for us" ceremony is just sad.
Speaking of shirt-swapping: did you see DeRo wearing (Anton) Ferdinand's shirt? With those cornrows, DeRo looked a bit like Anton's brother, Rio Ferdinand. Cool.
In Other news:
Check out Garber's "State of the MLS" speech. We'll have two more teams come 2011 it seems. Where will we get the quality players? Cannibalization? In the halftime interview, Garber said that the McBride situation has been resolved. It looks like he's going to Chicago. ("I hope he ends up in Chicago, yuk, yuk, yuk," Garber guffawed in the interview.)
In Toronto, Dynamo-Houston make the moves necessary to pick up the speedy forward they've been wanting: Kei Kamara. He has scored only 2 goals this year (so far!) and one of them was against us back in May. Here is B-Fall's take.
Do you ever feel that the Dynamo's 2nd striker position (Ching's partner) is kind of like the percussionist situation with Spinal Tap? The band could never keep a drummer due to all sorts of bizarre events, including spontaneous combustion. We've had Alejandro Moreno, Ronald Cerritos (kind of), Paul Dalglish, Nate Jaqua, Joseph Ngwenya, Franco Caraccio, Nate Jaqua again, and now Kei Kamara. That's not even considering the Reserves and midfielders that have played up there as band-aid approaches. Here's hoping that Kamara is the piece needed by the Dynamo to finish the season strong.
West Ham played well, but the players weren't going to hurt themselves in the process. That, and the fact that the Hammers probably aren't match fit yet, was really the factor that led to the MLSers controlling possession and territory so well.
But what was cool was watching Blanco and Beckham play together. Blanco actually was off with his passing and had several give-aways, but started getting into the groove and ended the half with a clever, skillful goal curving so nicely into the net. His earlier assist was even sweeter: picking up a pass from Beckham, Blanco popped the ball up then heel-flicked it to Christian Gomez, who slotted the ball clinically into the far netting. Becks-Blanco-Gomez-goal: That play right there made the All-Stars worth it.
B-Fall's blog has a good summary of the game. Here is a good article talking about DeRo and Onstad playing two MLS games the same day and in different countries. DeRo is capping off his day with a party benefiting Nothing But Nets.
Beckham played all 90 and looked very strong, particularly since no one cared if he helped with the defending.
DeRo, had some good flashes as a late sub, including a dangerous run that won a PK. I was surprised that he took the PK, and it was tense seeing his blast ping-ponging off the crossbar and into the net. With the goal, DeRo has another game winner for the All-Stars. The Creative Canuck made some nice runs and passing combos, which was all the more surprising since he had just wrapped up his MLS match in DC that morning. He was certainly pumped to be in front of his hometown fans. He had a solid free kick late in the game (Becks kindly let DeRo take the kick, I wager).
Onstad wasn't tested much, but did well with what he faced. I was very surprised to see him inserted in (just after DeRo's PK), but it was good to see him playing in this honorary game, as he is still one of the best in the league.
Landon Donovan was off his game and didn't seem to do anything.
And what was the formation there at the end, when Hejduk and Bornstein came off for Buddle and Ralston? Was it a 2 5 3? Ralston must've been playing as a back. It would be nice if the announcers would, you know, cover the game and instead of laughing over inside jokes or commenting on the obvious ("So-and-so would like to have that one back"). THEY can see the entire field. THEY should tell us how the formation is morphing as the game plays out and especially as subs come in.
Speaking of announcers, I have got my whole family to detest the "as wells" that Harkes includes in every other sentence regardless of whether the phrase is relevant. In the off-season, maybe Harksie can go to a speaking coach. I complain because I care.
I thought it was laughable towards the beginning of the game when JP Dellacamera thought the Toronto fans would even consider chanting "We want Landon." No, Harkes was right: they were chanting "We want Brennan." And while it was cool that JPD mentioned DeRo played a 4 hour game last night, it'd be even cooler if he pointed out that DeRo actually finished playing that match THIS MORNING.
Finally, I don't know if it started to drizzle during the game, but the turf looked matted and slick by the end of the match. I didn't see a lot of sliding and falling, but the field sure looked worn. Was that an optical illusion or does that brand of turf have issues with heavy use?
All in all, great energy in the game. Good performance by the Dynamo reps. The MLS "super stars" (Becks, Blanco, and Angel, who looked onside when scored what would've been the 4th goal for the MLSers and would've been an assist for DeRo) all played up to the moment for the spectators. West Ham acquitted themselves well too.
I'd have to say that, other than my gripe about the announcers, the only negative of the whole night is that sad trophy presentation. Why is the MLS giving a trophy to itself in what is basically a friendly exhibition match? Who keeps it? Does the trophy go into the MLS headquarters' trophy case? This is a festival of soccer, not a meaningful competition. Invite both teams onto a stage. Let them swap jerseys. Pick an MVP, maybe even one from both teams. Thank everyone for coming. Then let the music blare and the confetti canons fire away. Having a "hooray for us" ceremony is just sad.
Speaking of shirt-swapping: did you see DeRo wearing (Anton) Ferdinand's shirt? With those cornrows, DeRo looked a bit like Anton's brother, Rio Ferdinand. Cool.
In Other news:
Check out Garber's "State of the MLS" speech. We'll have two more teams come 2011 it seems. Where will we get the quality players? Cannibalization? In the halftime interview, Garber said that the McBride situation has been resolved. It looks like he's going to Chicago. ("I hope he ends up in Chicago, yuk, yuk, yuk," Garber guffawed in the interview.)
In Toronto, Dynamo-Houston make the moves necessary to pick up the speedy forward they've been wanting: Kei Kamara. He has scored only 2 goals this year (so far!) and one of them was against us back in May. Here is B-Fall's take.
Do you ever feel that the Dynamo's 2nd striker position (Ching's partner) is kind of like the percussionist situation with Spinal Tap? The band could never keep a drummer due to all sorts of bizarre events, including spontaneous combustion. We've had Alejandro Moreno, Ronald Cerritos (kind of), Paul Dalglish, Nate Jaqua, Joseph Ngwenya, Franco Caraccio, Nate Jaqua again, and now Kei Kamara. That's not even considering the Reserves and midfielders that have played up there as band-aid approaches. Here's hoping that Kamara is the piece needed by the Dynamo to finish the season strong.
Monday, May 05, 2008
De La Hoya and the politics of the MLS
Did you see this article about the most famous of our owners, Oscar De La Hoya? "I can't wait, once I hang up those gloves, to be at every single soccer game, cheering on the Houston Dynamo." The article talks about how OdlH may or may not mesh with the political arena of stadium negotiations.
And here's an article about the fight itself. How about that slick shield on them shorts?
Source: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times
The Commish and more inept and amateurish comments about the stadium
From San Jose, the Commish speaks again about the Houston stadium situation. The article says "There's no way that [the Dynamo relocate] with De La Hoya involved, and a record of two titles in two seasons, and raucous crowds most nights at Robertson Stadium, and [De La Hoya's business partner Gabriel] Brener having a sister and brother living in Houston."
Regarding the letter Garber sent to the Dynamo's owners in an attempt to sound like a cultured thug, Garber said, "I didn't think that [the mayor releasing the letter] was playing fair. But this is a tough business we're in and the mayor is not somebody we've had a close relationship with. That wasn't a public document." Sounds to me that he should blame his friends at AEG for giving the letter to the mayor. Originally Garber said that it was an internal letter to AEG and the mayor wasn't the intended recipient, but these words sound as if the mayor was the assumed recipient after all.
In the past I have considered Garber a good commissioner. He has done a lot of good things for the sport in general and the MLS specifically. He's taken measures to try to improve the quality of play on the field, including by trying to improve the officiating and the general atmosphere (for example, by instituting the pre-game MLS Anthem [recorded in Prague for an American league, but I digress....]). He's been open to new ideas and has been a champion for the league. But recently he has seemed arrogant, abrasive, and without any tact whatsoever. I will be happy (1) when the stadium issue is resolved, and (2) when the final ownership structure stabilizes. Then we can go back to focusing on the GM, coach, and players who have proven themselves to be the class of the league, and Garber can go back to hawking the LA Galaxy as the jewel for the casual soccer fan.
Speaking of The Jeeze, you know their DP, Becks, will have to be selected as player of the week even though he led his team to only a draw with RSL. Generally, the player of the week is a simple addition formula: add up the goals everyone has made that week, and the one with the highest number must be the player of the week. You don't have to be able to appreciate the subtleties of the sport if you can boil the process down to simple math. And if you add His Royal Beckness to the equation, you've got a lock for player of the week. (And he's so dreamy, to boot!)
Still, sarcasm aside, that first goal of his versus RSL was a beauty. (But even so, I think he is the first player to have two GOTW nominations in one week. The hint of special treatment continues.)
And here's an article about the fight itself. How about that slick shield on them shorts?
Source: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles TimesThe Commish and more inept and amateurish comments about the stadium
From San Jose, the Commish speaks again about the Houston stadium situation. The article says "There's no way that [the Dynamo relocate] with De La Hoya involved, and a record of two titles in two seasons, and raucous crowds most nights at Robertson Stadium, and [De La Hoya's business partner Gabriel] Brener having a sister and brother living in Houston."
Regarding the letter Garber sent to the Dynamo's owners in an attempt to sound like a cultured thug, Garber said, "I didn't think that [the mayor releasing the letter] was playing fair. But this is a tough business we're in and the mayor is not somebody we've had a close relationship with. That wasn't a public document." Sounds to me that he should blame his friends at AEG for giving the letter to the mayor. Originally Garber said that it was an internal letter to AEG and the mayor wasn't the intended recipient, but these words sound as if the mayor was the assumed recipient after all.
In the past I have considered Garber a good commissioner. He has done a lot of good things for the sport in general and the MLS specifically. He's taken measures to try to improve the quality of play on the field, including by trying to improve the officiating and the general atmosphere (for example, by instituting the pre-game MLS Anthem [recorded in Prague for an American league, but I digress....]). He's been open to new ideas and has been a champion for the league. But recently he has seemed arrogant, abrasive, and without any tact whatsoever. I will be happy (1) when the stadium issue is resolved, and (2) when the final ownership structure stabilizes. Then we can go back to focusing on the GM, coach, and players who have proven themselves to be the class of the league, and Garber can go back to hawking the LA Galaxy as the jewel for the casual soccer fan.
Speaking of The Jeeze, you know their DP, Becks, will have to be selected as player of the week even though he led his team to only a draw with RSL. Generally, the player of the week is a simple addition formula: add up the goals everyone has made that week, and the one with the highest number must be the player of the week. You don't have to be able to appreciate the subtleties of the sport if you can boil the process down to simple math. And if you add His Royal Beckness to the equation, you've got a lock for player of the week. (And he's so dreamy, to boot!)
Still, sarcasm aside, that first goal of his versus RSL was a beauty. (But even so, I think he is the first player to have two GOTW nominations in one week. The hint of special treatment continues.)
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Mid-week Media Roundup
Steve Davis, the north Texas MLS correspondent, says The Dom may have to start considering changes if we don't start seeing results soon. "Dominic Kinnear has probably forgotten more about soccer than most of us could ever learn. As a player, he studied under Serbian-born tactician Bora Milutinovic. As an assistant, he apprenticed under Frank Yallop during the San Jose Earthquakes' first championship season." The gist: "It's clear that the Dynamo must do two things. One: Don't panic. Two: Prepare to panic ... if things don't turn around in the next two weeks."
The Dynamo website has some insight into a typical training day.
B-Fall suggests that the above article left out a creative adjective in the Waibel quote that concludes the article.
De La Hoya will be fighting in The Toolshed in Carson, CA, while the Dynamo are (hopefully) pummeling Chivas USA. De La Hoya will wear "forever orange" trim on his fighting gear.
Here's a fascinating interview with Ruud Gullit from The (London) Times. It provides some great insight into the soccer culture of the MLS and the US as compared to elsewhere. Some quotes:
The Dynamo website has some insight into a typical training day.
B-Fall suggests that the above article left out a creative adjective in the Waibel quote that concludes the article.
De La Hoya will be fighting in The Toolshed in Carson, CA, while the Dynamo are (hopefully) pummeling Chivas USA. De La Hoya will wear "forever orange" trim on his fighting gear.
Here's a fascinating interview with Ruud Gullit from The (London) Times. It provides some great insight into the soccer culture of the MLS and the US as compared to elsewhere. Some quotes:
- Best sound bite: "I can't play sexy football with this team at the moment because we are not ready for this."
- Standard English insight into US player development: "There is a huge difference between the very good players and some of the average players. The reason for this... is that young players are not being schooled in the way we do it in Europe...Here in the United States they play soccer in the schools and then college and they are 20 or 21 years old and they are coming to me, having been coached straight out of a book. None of these coaches has played at any kind of high level. In fact, if you were a World Cup-winner, if you had all of the medals but you didn't have the universal qualifications to teach, you could not get a coaching job at college level. This is a major limitation when these players come into the professional game and it means that I have to go back to basics with them..."
- Houston gets a mention, but only as a vehicle for Becks: "In the game against Houston, David was excellent, he worked hard, he set an example and he did everything I could ask of my captain...I couldn’t believe that people doubted him about his physical condition before England's game against France in Paris. You wouldn't doubt him if you saw him play against Houston."
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Winless through 4
The Dynamo let 2 points slip through their fingers last night. Twice. As the only winless team in the MLS, our draws have kept us tied with DC United and San Jose for last place. We're behind Toronto, RSL, Colorado, and Columbus, among others. That's pretty embarrassing, but the season is young and I still don't see us being out of the top 8 teams that make it to the MLS Cup post-season tourney. That Supporters' Shield thing might be a long shot though.
The play of the game last night: Caraccio's excellent hustle in the 17th minute to win the ball from an onrushing Cronin and send a perfect slow-rolling cross across the face of an empty goal. Only, there were no other forwards or midfielders pushed up in the center where they might be, you know, dangerous. Where was Ching? Where was DeRo? As slow as that ball was rolling, the indefatigable Barrett could have sprinted the length of the field in time to tap it in. 2-0 at halftime, but it wasn't to be.
Thank you Caraccio for being the most dangerous Orangeman on the pitch last night, at least in the attacking third. Besides that beautiful play, you touched a perfect pass to Ching in the 2nd half that Ching fired straight at the keeper. You also had the game-winning and then game-tying goal with 11 minute remaining.
If we could have stuck one person, say Barrett, on Donovan and taken him completely out of the game, then played 10v10 with the rest of the two teams, we win the game. Becks is good, but if no one is at the end of his crosses no one scores, and Lan-Don is the only one who can feed Becks balls that he could score with.
Unfortunately, Donovan-Becks can beat any MLS team if given the chance, and we gave them the chance by not finishing our opportunities and not closing down one of the two dynamic duo on two occasions.
A side piece on Donovan: he's is a talent, no doubt; perhaps the best American on the pitch at the moment. But the older he gets, the whinier and more classless he gets. The foul he tried to draw by running into Ianni was comical; something he picked up from his teammate Ruiz I'm sure. The claim that he (and Becks in postgame comments) makes that the ball went over the line when Ianni headed it off the line, well that is poor gamesmanship which is understandable when it's said at the instance of occurance, but to keep the lie up after the match is pure scumbaggery. (Not a word, but it should be.)
As for the game, the first half showed how we are still the class of the league. The second half showed that we need to be quicker to adjust to our opponents' adjustments and keep the foot to their throat. When we have a makeshift defense/goal tender, we need to score often to give the defense a comfort zone as they gain their chemistry.
I don't blame the defense or Caig for this loss; all credit goes to the skill of Donovan, particularly on the first goal.
I do blame Ching for not being where he should be in the 17th minute.
Media roundup:
The Chronicle Recap
Another MLS article.
More later...
The play of the game last night: Caraccio's excellent hustle in the 17th minute to win the ball from an onrushing Cronin and send a perfect slow-rolling cross across the face of an empty goal. Only, there were no other forwards or midfielders pushed up in the center where they might be, you know, dangerous. Where was Ching? Where was DeRo? As slow as that ball was rolling, the indefatigable Barrett could have sprinted the length of the field in time to tap it in. 2-0 at halftime, but it wasn't to be.
Thank you Caraccio for being the most dangerous Orangeman on the pitch last night, at least in the attacking third. Besides that beautiful play, you touched a perfect pass to Ching in the 2nd half that Ching fired straight at the keeper. You also had the game-winning and then game-tying goal with 11 minute remaining.
If we could have stuck one person, say Barrett, on Donovan and taken him completely out of the game, then played 10v10 with the rest of the two teams, we win the game. Becks is good, but if no one is at the end of his crosses no one scores, and Lan-Don is the only one who can feed Becks balls that he could score with.
Unfortunately, Donovan-Becks can beat any MLS team if given the chance, and we gave them the chance by not finishing our opportunities and not closing down one of the two dynamic duo on two occasions.
A side piece on Donovan: he's is a talent, no doubt; perhaps the best American on the pitch at the moment. But the older he gets, the whinier and more classless he gets. The foul he tried to draw by running into Ianni was comical; something he picked up from his teammate Ruiz I'm sure. The claim that he (and Becks in postgame comments) makes that the ball went over the line when Ianni headed it off the line, well that is poor gamesmanship which is understandable when it's said at the instance of occurance, but to keep the lie up after the match is pure scumbaggery. (Not a word, but it should be.)
As for the game, the first half showed how we are still the class of the league. The second half showed that we need to be quicker to adjust to our opponents' adjustments and keep the foot to their throat. When we have a makeshift defense/goal tender, we need to score often to give the defense a comfort zone as they gain their chemistry.
I don't blame the defense or Caig for this loss; all credit goes to the skill of Donovan, particularly on the first goal.
I do blame Ching for not being where he should be in the 17th minute.
Media roundup:
The Chronicle Recap
Another MLS article.
More later...
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Trip to LaLa Land
Tonight it's Houston vs Hollywood. The LA Beckhams will pit their offensive prowess against a Dynamo defense that will be playing without ERob and has yet to prove it's up to the standards it set in 2007. On the other end of the field, the Dynamo should have plenty of opportunities on goal due to a porous Galaxy defense.
The official game preview. Not-so fun factoid: "In seven games in all competitions in 2008, the Dynamo have been shutout in five. In the other two, they scored three goals in each."
An article about our goalie for the game. Caig says, "It will be nice to get more touches because unfortunately my first touch with this team was picking up the ball out of the back of the net." Onstad says, "He's helping me along. It's a good relationship, and I think it's going to help the club." I say the term "admirably" should have been left out of the headline until Caig has had more than one good showing. No better time to have a good game than tonight in LA.
The Galaxy should provide plenty of opportunity for Caraccio to have a good outing. He says "It is obviously a different game here [in the US] because we run more. It's more dynamic, but soccer is soccer and little by little I am getting more rhythm." He also admits, "I am here to score goals and win games. It hasn't happened yet, but we are working toward that." The Galaxy backs will provide the chances, will young Caraccio be able to take advantage? Will Ching or DeRo?
Goal.com says "In a two-on-two matchup of the Galaxy’s Landon Donovan and David Beckham against Houston’s Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario, the home side probably wins. However, nine other players will be on the field for each side and that’s where Houston has a resounding edge... L.A. will score, but not as much as Houston will. The Dynamo’s midfield was given a boost last week by the return of Ricardo Clark, one of the best two-way midfielders in the game. With De Rosario in front of Clark and those two flanked by Brian Mullan and Brad Davis, the midfield of Los Angeles will be overrun."
Here's one supporter's view of the Dynamo's struggles early in the season.
Fox Sports has a game preview. "Even struggling teams are finding a way to break out of an offensive slump against the Los Angeles Galaxy. Not many clubs have had as much trouble scoring goals than the Houston Dynamo." Ouch. I'm sensing a consensus among the journalistas.
The journalista at the LA Times notes that Lan-Don has "irked" some Dynamo fans. Of course, the irked fans were responding to an informal blog, just as the LA Times is trying to rile up the Galaxy fans by reporting this in a blog. Hey, who is the cool guy who wrote that witty-but-too-lengthy thing about "The coddled team that apparently needs more special breaks"? Whoever that was, he sure sounds intelligent. Good looking too.
The official game preview. Not-so fun factoid: "In seven games in all competitions in 2008, the Dynamo have been shutout in five. In the other two, they scored three goals in each."
An article about our goalie for the game. Caig says, "It will be nice to get more touches because unfortunately my first touch with this team was picking up the ball out of the back of the net." Onstad says, "He's helping me along. It's a good relationship, and I think it's going to help the club." I say the term "admirably" should have been left out of the headline until Caig has had more than one good showing. No better time to have a good game than tonight in LA.
The Galaxy should provide plenty of opportunity for Caraccio to have a good outing. He says "It is obviously a different game here [in the US] because we run more. It's more dynamic, but soccer is soccer and little by little I am getting more rhythm." He also admits, "I am here to score goals and win games. It hasn't happened yet, but we are working toward that." The Galaxy backs will provide the chances, will young Caraccio be able to take advantage? Will Ching or DeRo?
Goal.com says "In a two-on-two matchup of the Galaxy’s Landon Donovan and David Beckham against Houston’s Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario, the home side probably wins. However, nine other players will be on the field for each side and that’s where Houston has a resounding edge... L.A. will score, but not as much as Houston will. The Dynamo’s midfield was given a boost last week by the return of Ricardo Clark, one of the best two-way midfielders in the game. With De Rosario in front of Clark and those two flanked by Brian Mullan and Brad Davis, the midfield of Los Angeles will be overrun."
Here's one supporter's view of the Dynamo's struggles early in the season.
Fox Sports has a game preview. "Even struggling teams are finding a way to break out of an offensive slump against the Los Angeles Galaxy. Not many clubs have had as much trouble scoring goals than the Houston Dynamo." Ouch. I'm sensing a consensus among the journalistas.
The journalista at the LA Times notes that Lan-Don has "irked" some Dynamo fans. Of course, the irked fans were responding to an informal blog, just as the LA Times is trying to rile up the Galaxy fans by reporting this in a blog. Hey, who is the cool guy who wrote that witty-but-too-lengthy thing about "The coddled team that apparently needs more special breaks"? Whoever that was, he sure sounds intelligent. Good looking too.
Friday, April 11, 2008
The Rookie makes good
Young Geoff Cameron, the rookie Orangeman from the University of Rhode Island,* won the adoration of the Dynamo faithful with his stoppage time equalizer versus FC Dallas last Sunday. Turns out, he also won goal of the week honors with this same strike, his first ever MLS netting.
There were some good goals up for the award, but Cameron's was the justifiable winner for a variety of reasons.
1. It was a high quality, well-struck laser that would have beaten the world's best goalkeepers.
2. It was a difference-maker, giving his team a point and denying their rivals 2 points.
3. It was dramatic, being literally a last minute catharsis for the home crowd.
4. It was a result of solid combination play rather than fluky happenstance or the result of winning a simple footrace with poky defenders.
You know which candidate's strike didn't deserve the award? That's right: Beckham. His was a decent goal, but a pedestrian one without flair or the other surrounding qualities that make a goal meaningful. The only reason his was at the top of the voting was because it was made by Beckham. That's kind of embarrassing, because it suggests that MLS fans can't recognize quality, we just vote for the popular face as if we've never learned from our puerile selections of prom queen and cutest couple in high school.
And, no, just as I'm not one to applaud a deed simply because it was performed by Becks, so also am I not one to decry a feat simply because it was performed by Becks. I merely believe a respectable sports league should provide recognition based on merit, not on popularity. I know that differentiates me from Don Garber, but that's not always a bad thing. Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be if Beckham was talking with his mates over in England and he is forced to sheepishly say "Yeah, basically I paffed the ball into the net, and the boll went frew Cannon's legs. I'm not too proud of it, weally; but, since I won, apparently it waf better than anyfing any Americans in the League could do."
* I'm told that Rhode Island is a county in New England that has been pumped up to statehood status.
There were some good goals up for the award, but Cameron's was the justifiable winner for a variety of reasons.
1. It was a high quality, well-struck laser that would have beaten the world's best goalkeepers.
2. It was a difference-maker, giving his team a point and denying their rivals 2 points.
3. It was dramatic, being literally a last minute catharsis for the home crowd.
4. It was a result of solid combination play rather than fluky happenstance or the result of winning a simple footrace with poky defenders.
You know which candidate's strike didn't deserve the award? That's right: Beckham. His was a decent goal, but a pedestrian one without flair or the other surrounding qualities that make a goal meaningful. The only reason his was at the top of the voting was because it was made by Beckham. That's kind of embarrassing, because it suggests that MLS fans can't recognize quality, we just vote for the popular face as if we've never learned from our puerile selections of prom queen and cutest couple in high school.
And, no, just as I'm not one to applaud a deed simply because it was performed by Becks, so also am I not one to decry a feat simply because it was performed by Becks. I merely believe a respectable sports league should provide recognition based on merit, not on popularity. I know that differentiates me from Don Garber, but that's not always a bad thing. Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be if Beckham was talking with his mates over in England and he is forced to sheepishly say "Yeah, basically I paffed the ball into the net, and the boll went frew Cannon's legs. I'm not too proud of it, weally; but, since I won, apparently it waf better than anyfing any Americans in the League could do."
* I'm told that Rhode Island is a county in New England that has been pumped up to statehood status.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Let's REstart this season, yo.
It's a new season and the Dynamo begin yet another "title defense" with its ceremonial Disappointing Performance. Time to shred the season tickets my friends. The season is over. No MLS Cup Championship. No tournament trophies. Our defense can't keep a Twellman-less Revs to fewer than 3 goals, or a J-League Osaka to fewer than 6. That's it man, game over man, game over! Maybe we could build a fire, sing a couple of songs, huh?
Or not.
It's hard to take any underlying truth from yesterday's game. Despite having the better, more challenging pre-season schedule, the Dynamo looked to have no chemistry for most of yesterday's match. The first half saw little rhythm, plenty of disorganized defending, and absolutely no offensive production. Great free kick by DeRo in the closing moments though.
The second half saw better play, but little in the way of solid opportunities. Much of our success might be due to switching to a 3-5-2 late in the first half. Though the half saw improved play, our defending was still shaky and we turned the ball over too often. And we had only 3 shots on goal to the Revs' 13. Sheesh.
The only thing we can definitely take away from this game is that none of this means anything except that the parity of the MLS means any team -- even so-called top-tier teams -- can and will lose. (Did you see DC United's loss today? They're still one of the most talented teams despite losing to KC 2-0. Did you see the sexy LA Beckhams lose? Broke your heart, I'm sure.) Sure, we've got to do better. And you know what? We will. Yes we need to get better rhythm in the midfield. Yes we need to get more creative up front. And, yes, we desperately need to get better organized in the back -- for the love of all that is holey (holey like your back line was yesterday), help out your GK, guys!
Besides the blithe "one loss isn't that bad," is there anything good that came out of the game?
Why, yes...
Dom is disappointed and will likely work on solutions. "We deserved to get beat tonight," he admits. E-Rob, the heart of our defense, is also not a happy soul; and he will work on the locker room solutions, no doubt.
Stuart Holden looked sharp for the most part, I thought. DeRo didn't command the game, but was dangerous. Ching didn't get hurt.
The ref was incompetent enough that we can complain about someone other than our defenders. How was Stuart's tackle, the one that resulted in Steve Ralston's departure, a foul by Stuart? I believe that call lost us the game right there. Or something.
Pat Onstad made some outstanding saves, including the two shots that rebounded to our defense. But wait! Where's our defense? It doesn't look like they're interested in getting to the rebounds? What are those blue shirts doing getting to the rebounds first? That is OUR penalty box, right? Aaaand, there's two goals right there. Game, set, match. Thanks, defenders. Oh, sorry, this is supposed to be the list of good things, which is that Pat did well and...uh...LA lost 4-0. Word.
Another good thing: Dick's Sporting Goods had an amusing commercial. Nonetheless, it'll be overplayed by next weekend, I'm sure.
There's no reason the pain should linger. The best way to move on from this loss is to win versus Saprissa at Robertson on Wednesday. We must win that one before we head to Costa Rica for the second leg. Also, and this is important: we host the vile FC Dallas in between the two CONCACAF matches, and we simply canNOT allow them to get their first ever win -- or even a draw -- in Houston. And that is the gospel truth, y'all.
Or not.
It's hard to take any underlying truth from yesterday's game. Despite having the better, more challenging pre-season schedule, the Dynamo looked to have no chemistry for most of yesterday's match. The first half saw little rhythm, plenty of disorganized defending, and absolutely no offensive production. Great free kick by DeRo in the closing moments though.
The second half saw better play, but little in the way of solid opportunities. Much of our success might be due to switching to a 3-5-2 late in the first half. Though the half saw improved play, our defending was still shaky and we turned the ball over too often. And we had only 3 shots on goal to the Revs' 13. Sheesh.
The only thing we can definitely take away from this game is that none of this means anything except that the parity of the MLS means any team -- even so-called top-tier teams -- can and will lose. (Did you see DC United's loss today? They're still one of the most talented teams despite losing to KC 2-0. Did you see the sexy LA Beckhams lose? Broke your heart, I'm sure.) Sure, we've got to do better. And you know what? We will. Yes we need to get better rhythm in the midfield. Yes we need to get more creative up front. And, yes, we desperately need to get better organized in the back -- for the love of all that is holey (holey like your back line was yesterday), help out your GK, guys!
Besides the blithe "one loss isn't that bad," is there anything good that came out of the game?
Why, yes...
Dom is disappointed and will likely work on solutions. "We deserved to get beat tonight," he admits. E-Rob, the heart of our defense, is also not a happy soul; and he will work on the locker room solutions, no doubt.
Stuart Holden looked sharp for the most part, I thought. DeRo didn't command the game, but was dangerous. Ching didn't get hurt.
The ref was incompetent enough that we can complain about someone other than our defenders. How was Stuart's tackle, the one that resulted in Steve Ralston's departure, a foul by Stuart? I believe that call lost us the game right there. Or something.
Pat Onstad made some outstanding saves, including the two shots that rebounded to our defense. But wait! Where's our defense? It doesn't look like they're interested in getting to the rebounds? What are those blue shirts doing getting to the rebounds first? That is OUR penalty box, right? Aaaand, there's two goals right there. Game, set, match. Thanks, defenders. Oh, sorry, this is supposed to be the list of good things, which is that Pat did well and...uh...LA lost 4-0. Word.
Another good thing: Dick's Sporting Goods had an amusing commercial. Nonetheless, it'll be overplayed by next weekend, I'm sure.
There's no reason the pain should linger. The best way to move on from this loss is to win versus Saprissa at Robertson on Wednesday. We must win that one before we head to Costa Rica for the second leg. Also, and this is important: we host the vile FC Dallas in between the two CONCACAF matches, and we simply canNOT allow them to get their first ever win -- or even a draw -- in Houston. And that is the gospel truth, y'all.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Dynamo 2008 schedule
The MLS schedule came out yesterday. The Dynamo's 30 game include every team once at home and once away, and an extra match versus four of the six other Western Conference teams. We play Chivas and Dallas in an extra home game, and we play Colorado and San Jose in an extra away game. I think this works out perfectly: Chivas and Dallas have trouble getting results at Robertson, so it's good to have them come here to Houston (particularly given Chivas' strong home record). Colorado can be difficult due to the altitude, but the Dynamo often uses these trips to Colorado to recuperate at Philip Anschutz's nearby ranch -- assuming AEW still owns the Dynamo in June and October (brrr!) when the Dynamo venture to Commerce City. I'm sure the Dynamo also won't mind the extra trip to their old stomping grounds in San Jose either.
The week before that October date in Colorado (brrr!), Dynamo play in Toronto on September 27. That's my birthday weekend; maybe I'll use that as an excuse to travel to Canada.
Dynamo's first match is March 29 at Foxboro, MA. The first home game is the following Sunday, April 6, versus FC Dallas. There is only one Dynamo game scheduled in July due to SuperLiga, the US Open Cup, and the MLS All-Stars all occurring that month. The final game of the season is October 25 versus Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center.
The league schedule will be strained because of the usual extracurricular tournaments (such as the aforementioned SuperLiga), and international play will also be an issue. We host Chivas USA on August 20, the day the US is likely to play Guatemala in a semifinal round World Cup qualifier. (Probably means we'll face a Guzan-less Chivas.) We host the Wizards on September 7, when the US will likely be at Cuba. We host DC United on October 12 when the US will likely host Cuba.
B-Fall has some observations on the schedule in his blog at chron.com.
TV coverage is still being fleshed out, but hopefully Channel 55 The Tube will pick up some games to fill in those dates that are currently left to Direct Kick or HDNet.
Oh yeah, and the Galaxy come to Houston once: October 19. If you're a Beckham groupie and seeing him once is not enough, you can take a road trip to Frisco to see Becks play Dallas twice: May 18 and July 27. The other celebrity, Blanco, comes to Houston with the Fire on August 31.
In other Western Conference News:
Du Nord reports that former DC United center mid, Christian Gomez, is heading to Colorado. With him as the attacking mid and Beckerman (or Mastroeni) as the defensive mid, Colorado is now a much bigger threat in the West. It seems the quality of the opposition improves each season. Hopefully the Dynamo continue their trend of adapting and improving this season.
The week before that October date in Colorado (brrr!), Dynamo play in Toronto on September 27. That's my birthday weekend; maybe I'll use that as an excuse to travel to Canada.
Dynamo's first match is March 29 at Foxboro, MA. The first home game is the following Sunday, April 6, versus FC Dallas. There is only one Dynamo game scheduled in July due to SuperLiga, the US Open Cup, and the MLS All-Stars all occurring that month. The final game of the season is October 25 versus Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center.
The league schedule will be strained because of the usual extracurricular tournaments (such as the aforementioned SuperLiga), and international play will also be an issue. We host Chivas USA on August 20, the day the US is likely to play Guatemala in a semifinal round World Cup qualifier. (Probably means we'll face a Guzan-less Chivas.) We host the Wizards on September 7, when the US will likely be at Cuba. We host DC United on October 12 when the US will likely host Cuba.
B-Fall has some observations on the schedule in his blog at chron.com.
TV coverage is still being fleshed out, but hopefully Channel 55 The Tube will pick up some games to fill in those dates that are currently left to Direct Kick or HDNet.
Oh yeah, and the Galaxy come to Houston once: October 19. If you're a Beckham groupie and seeing him once is not enough, you can take a road trip to Frisco to see Becks play Dallas twice: May 18 and July 27. The other celebrity, Blanco, comes to Houston with the Fire on August 31.
In other Western Conference News:
Du Nord reports that former DC United center mid, Christian Gomez, is heading to Colorado. With him as the attacking mid and Beckerman (or Mastroeni) as the defensive mid, Colorado is now a much bigger threat in the West. It seems the quality of the opposition improves each season. Hopefully the Dynamo continue their trend of adapting and improving this season.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Dynamo vs the Galaxy
We're about 2 hours away from facing the LA Galaxy. (Game guide.) Like all of our remaining games, it's a must win. We are a better team than LA, but we've seen this year that this doesn't mean we necessarily get a result.
We are two points behind Chivas (with their tie today vs Colorado) in the standings and only 3 ahead of Dallas. It looks like the Supporters' Shield is out of the question (DCU gets the nod for that...second year in a row), so we need to finish in the top four if we want to compete in the SuperLiga next year. And we do want that.
Kelly Gray (ex-Dynamo and current Galaxian) had a prominent appearance in the most recent David Beckham's Soccer USA. Here's an interview with him, along with a link to the Soccer USA website.
Go Dynamo!
We are two points behind Chivas (with their tie today vs Colorado) in the standings and only 3 ahead of Dallas. It looks like the Supporters' Shield is out of the question (DCU gets the nod for that...second year in a row), so we need to finish in the top four if we want to compete in the SuperLiga next year. And we do want that.
Kelly Gray (ex-Dynamo and current Galaxian) had a prominent appearance in the most recent David Beckham's Soccer USA. Here's an interview with him, along with a link to the Soccer USA website.
Go Dynamo!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
SuperLiga finale
Pachuca faced LA in a half-packed Home Depot Center last night in a contest to determine the SuperLiga Champion. I watched much of the first half. At that point Pachuca controlled the possession, tempo, and real estate. But, much like the Dynamo too often, Pachuca couldn't leverage this control into goals.
For most of the second half, my face was pointed at the TV but my eyelids interfered with my view. I missed Klein's bicycle kick (quite impressive due to the timing and his age) until watching the highlight reel this morning. Likewise, I didn't see Donovan's missed PK that would have given LA the game. His kick wasn't particularly poorly taken (unlike many of his successful kicks down the middle during the Gold Cup), but the keeper guessed correctly and Donovan wasn't able to put the ball far enough into the corner. Unlucky.
I suppose the biggest news out of the game was that Beckham sprained his knee. It looks like he will be out for a while – longer than he was for his ankle. The injury occurred when Becks and Pachuca midfielder Fernando Salazar simultaneously tackled a loose ball just outside the Pachuca penalty box. Becks went in with his right foot, and the whole leg twisted with the counterforce applied by Salazar's foot. Beck's left ankle was the injured ankle, otherwise I'd think that it was his weak ankle that contributed to the painful torque on the knee. As it was, perhaps it was just misfortune. Salazar had to leave the match with a knee sprain as well.
This just in: in depth news analysis reports that when Beckham returned in overtime to watch the match, he was "dressed in a gray suit, white shirt and black tie."
In all seriousness, accolades go to the Galaxy for keeping themselves in the game, making a brilliant equalizer, and then having an opportunity to win the game with a single PK. Shame on Pachuca for controlling the game, but being unable to get the ball into the net versus a poor Galaxy side.(LA scored all of the goals in this one: one into the Galaxy net and one into the Tuzos' net.) Thing is, Dynamo fan that I am, I can completely sympathize with Pachuca's dominance coexisting with scoring anemia.
And shame on the so-called "Cathedral" of the MLS, the Home Depot Center. Only 12,500 tickets could be sold for the SuperLiga final in this supposed soccer-specific stadium because of parking concerns at Cal State Dominguez Hills. Apparently a lot of people want to park on campus at 8 PM on a Wednesday evening. This is a constraint we're going to have to make sure is NOT an issue with the Dynamo's eventual stadium. So many things to consider...
More Galaxy news...
Yahoo had this article about Alexi Lalas, the Galaxy GM, whining about how his master plan for the "Superclub" of the MLS has been undermined by a sudden appearance of games on the team's schedule. Surprisingly, his infectious whining has stricken a usually sane Andrea Canales, as well.
To this I say: balderdash. Is Lalas suddenly an unwilling victim of the scheduling? He sure spoke like he was integral to the scheduling process at the beginning of the season. And if the schedule is to blame, then why wasn’t the team racking up points in the early season when it had a mostly open schedule and plenty of chance to rest and recuperate players? And how is it that a lowly team like the Dynamo from a podunk village like Houston was able to zoom to the top of the standings when it was fighting through a schedule that included 3 games a week, some against high-caliber Mexican clubs? It seems that Lalas (and Canales) is trying to deflect blame when the finger should be pointed at poor management and poor players.
Now that the Galaxy have lost their only chance for a trophy and, with Salt Lake's victory over KC last night, have dropped to last place in the standings, AEG will probably begin taking measures to set up a better 2008 season. How do they right this ship?
Well, one of the biggest problems with the Galaxy is its random mish-mash of players who don’t comprise a coherent team. A couple of talented individuals can’t carry a team very far. Injuries have been a problem, sure; but even without the injuries there is an unhealthy randomness to the team roster. Perhaps less time should have been spent on developing a pretty new uniform, and more time spent on conscientious team building. This being the core problem of the team means that whoever is responsible for this mess should bear the consequences. Is Lalas or Yallop to blame? Based on past experience, I have to believe that Alexi is the culprit.
The track records of both Yallop and Lalas suggest who is to blame for the train wreck that is the Galaxy. Yallop has two MLS Cups after building the San Jose franchise from its bottom-of-the-barrel standing prior to his arrival, and he set the seeds for the club's success in 2005 and later as the Dynamo. Lalas has served as GM for 2 previous clubs, leaving each one in a state of, if not disarray, then definitely with no coherent strategy or defined identity. His handling of the Donovan loss was reviled by the SJ fans, and his inconsistency with the Metrostars left that club struggling for stability and required the new Red Bull ownership to throw a lot of cash at reversing the problem.
That suggests the Galaxy should fire Lalas to bring in a GM that has more intelligence and perception, even if it means fewer newsworthy sound bites. However, Yallop will probably get a pink slip too. If so, Yallop would benefit more than the Galaxy; the coach would easily be able to find employment in a less dysfunctional organization. Truth be told, if the Galaxy could bring in Jurgen Klinsmann, perhaps the Galaxy would benefit too. It would be interesting to see how Klins would do in the MLS, and his name has a certain cachet that the Galaxy — image conscious as they are — would love.
Yallop didn't help his own cause after he played an injured Becks all 90 minutes of a losing match versus Chivas after Becks had played all 90 of a match in England the day before. Perhaps Yallop was forced into that decision, but he's still accountable for it. And if it gets him out of the Galaxy organization, then he's the better for it.
And speaking of RSL...
Their new Argentineans proved their worth already in leading the team to a 3-1 victory over visiting KC. Wow, have the Lakers turned their ship around? We'll see. It'd be good to have a decent Salt Lake to contend in the Western Conference, but I'm not too pleased with how my fantasy team took a hit from last night's resurgence.
Here's hoping that the game took a lot out of KC's tank since we face them this weekend. On the other hand, that may NOT be a good thing; if they're tired and bunker in, our past experience with such tactics suggests we may not be able to crack the defensive shell. We've got to get a goal early, otherwise bad things could happen. We've got to defend our home turf too: on KC's last visit to Robertson (at the beginning of last year), they managed to win 2-1 off a late Burciaga laser.
One win gets us into the 40-point range, helps our cause for the Supporters' Shield, and surpasses our 11-win total from last season. Let's do it.
For most of the second half, my face was pointed at the TV but my eyelids interfered with my view. I missed Klein's bicycle kick (quite impressive due to the timing and his age) until watching the highlight reel this morning. Likewise, I didn't see Donovan's missed PK that would have given LA the game. His kick wasn't particularly poorly taken (unlike many of his successful kicks down the middle during the Gold Cup), but the keeper guessed correctly and Donovan wasn't able to put the ball far enough into the corner. Unlucky.
I suppose the biggest news out of the game was that Beckham sprained his knee. It looks like he will be out for a while – longer than he was for his ankle. The injury occurred when Becks and Pachuca midfielder Fernando Salazar simultaneously tackled a loose ball just outside the Pachuca penalty box. Becks went in with his right foot, and the whole leg twisted with the counterforce applied by Salazar's foot. Beck's left ankle was the injured ankle, otherwise I'd think that it was his weak ankle that contributed to the painful torque on the knee. As it was, perhaps it was just misfortune. Salazar had to leave the match with a knee sprain as well.
This just in: in depth news analysis reports that when Beckham returned in overtime to watch the match, he was "dressed in a gray suit, white shirt and black tie."
In all seriousness, accolades go to the Galaxy for keeping themselves in the game, making a brilliant equalizer, and then having an opportunity to win the game with a single PK. Shame on Pachuca for controlling the game, but being unable to get the ball into the net versus a poor Galaxy side.(LA scored all of the goals in this one: one into the Galaxy net and one into the Tuzos' net.) Thing is, Dynamo fan that I am, I can completely sympathize with Pachuca's dominance coexisting with scoring anemia.
And shame on the so-called "Cathedral" of the MLS, the Home Depot Center. Only 12,500 tickets could be sold for the SuperLiga final in this supposed soccer-specific stadium because of parking concerns at Cal State Dominguez Hills. Apparently a lot of people want to park on campus at 8 PM on a Wednesday evening. This is a constraint we're going to have to make sure is NOT an issue with the Dynamo's eventual stadium. So many things to consider...
More Galaxy news...
Yahoo had this article about Alexi Lalas, the Galaxy GM, whining about how his master plan for the "Superclub" of the MLS has been undermined by a sudden appearance of games on the team's schedule. Surprisingly, his infectious whining has stricken a usually sane Andrea Canales, as well.
To this I say: balderdash. Is Lalas suddenly an unwilling victim of the scheduling? He sure spoke like he was integral to the scheduling process at the beginning of the season. And if the schedule is to blame, then why wasn’t the team racking up points in the early season when it had a mostly open schedule and plenty of chance to rest and recuperate players? And how is it that a lowly team like the Dynamo from a podunk village like Houston was able to zoom to the top of the standings when it was fighting through a schedule that included 3 games a week, some against high-caliber Mexican clubs? It seems that Lalas (and Canales) is trying to deflect blame when the finger should be pointed at poor management and poor players.
Now that the Galaxy have lost their only chance for a trophy and, with Salt Lake's victory over KC last night, have dropped to last place in the standings, AEG will probably begin taking measures to set up a better 2008 season. How do they right this ship?
Well, one of the biggest problems with the Galaxy is its random mish-mash of players who don’t comprise a coherent team. A couple of talented individuals can’t carry a team very far. Injuries have been a problem, sure; but even without the injuries there is an unhealthy randomness to the team roster. Perhaps less time should have been spent on developing a pretty new uniform, and more time spent on conscientious team building. This being the core problem of the team means that whoever is responsible for this mess should bear the consequences. Is Lalas or Yallop to blame? Based on past experience, I have to believe that Alexi is the culprit.
The track records of both Yallop and Lalas suggest who is to blame for the train wreck that is the Galaxy. Yallop has two MLS Cups after building the San Jose franchise from its bottom-of-the-barrel standing prior to his arrival, and he set the seeds for the club's success in 2005 and later as the Dynamo. Lalas has served as GM for 2 previous clubs, leaving each one in a state of, if not disarray, then definitely with no coherent strategy or defined identity. His handling of the Donovan loss was reviled by the SJ fans, and his inconsistency with the Metrostars left that club struggling for stability and required the new Red Bull ownership to throw a lot of cash at reversing the problem.
That suggests the Galaxy should fire Lalas to bring in a GM that has more intelligence and perception, even if it means fewer newsworthy sound bites. However, Yallop will probably get a pink slip too. If so, Yallop would benefit more than the Galaxy; the coach would easily be able to find employment in a less dysfunctional organization. Truth be told, if the Galaxy could bring in Jurgen Klinsmann, perhaps the Galaxy would benefit too. It would be interesting to see how Klins would do in the MLS, and his name has a certain cachet that the Galaxy — image conscious as they are — would love.
Yallop didn't help his own cause after he played an injured Becks all 90 minutes of a losing match versus Chivas after Becks had played all 90 of a match in England the day before. Perhaps Yallop was forced into that decision, but he's still accountable for it. And if it gets him out of the Galaxy organization, then he's the better for it.
And speaking of RSL...
Their new Argentineans proved their worth already in leading the team to a 3-1 victory over visiting KC. Wow, have the Lakers turned their ship around? We'll see. It'd be good to have a decent Salt Lake to contend in the Western Conference, but I'm not too pleased with how my fantasy team took a hit from last night's resurgence.
Here's hoping that the game took a lot out of KC's tank since we face them this weekend. On the other hand, that may NOT be a good thing; if they're tired and bunker in, our past experience with such tactics suggests we may not be able to crack the defensive shell. We've got to get a goal early, otherwise bad things could happen. We've got to defend our home turf too: on KC's last visit to Robertson (at the beginning of last year), they managed to win 2-1 off a late Burciaga laser.
One win gets us into the 40-point range, helps our cause for the Supporters' Shield, and surpasses our 11-win total from last season. Let's do it.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Dear Carl
I submitted this email to Carl of 790 AM's Davies & Duke morning show. I only heard a bit of the show this morning as I drove in (traffic was lighter than usual today, so I didn't have as much radio time), but Carl was talking about -- what else? -- Beckham. Soccer is rarely discussed on this show (but they do have Waibel on occasionally), but I thought I'd weigh in when he asked for calls and emails about whether Beckham would grow the game of soccer in the US.
Carl,
Beckham will indeed grow the sport of soccer in the US. He will draw interest from fringe soccer fans, including the soccer moms and the media-molded curiosity-seekers. He'll also draw interest from ex-pat Euro/Latino soccer fans who have traditionally snubbed the MLS for the leagues of their homelands. (Beckham is not Latino, but he has the interest of Latino soccer fans -- and Latina soccer fans...)
In addition to these built-in audiences and manufactured audiences, soccer is unlike other American sports in that it is tied to national team competitions. The World Cup is a catalyst for passion that is fueled by more than just enjoyment of a sport, because it draws on the nationalistic pride of a people. The improved quality of the US Men's National Team has helped spark this interest in the USA, and that can turn into a passion for the local MLS clubs.
Nationalism is a powerful aphrodisiac. Basketball realizes this and is trying to tap into it with the newly organized approach to developing a national team for international play and the Olympics. Baseball is also hoping to eventually create something like the World Cup for similar reasons.
If Beckham's team, the LA Galaxy, actually becomes a good team, it will be better for the league having such a national (and maybe international) powerhouse in such a high profile media market. That will draw interest from not only new audiences, but from other global (and local) athletes, who will be willing to come to the MLS. This will improve the quality of the league, which will further the development of our American players and expand the audience even more.
This is not to say that soccer will surpass the big 3 in American sports. I think it can and will pass up hockey overall –- soccer is already becoming big in Toronto due to the new MLS team up there and the success of the Canadian National team, and we all know the Canucks are the biggest source of hockey fanaticism on the continent.
Of course, some of us may soon be sick of seeing all Beckham all the time, forcing us to turn away from soccer out of pure nausea...but I think the circus side of things will quiet down eventually.
***
As for the nausea and the circus side of things, there are plenty of articles and (yikes) pictures of His Hairness. The pix are not for those with a modest bent. I also don't imagine they're framed in the Beckham home for little Brooklyn, Romeo, and Cruz to see. "Mommy, why is Daddy wrestling with you in that picture? Did the wind blow your clothes off?"
A good sports illustrated article about Becks is here.
And a Time article here.
And a photo shoot that begs the question, "Why would a guy have a tramp stamp?" Apologies to all for me having succumbed to the madness and posting links. I feel dirty, and I can't get my wife off the computer now...
Carl,
Beckham will indeed grow the sport of soccer in the US. He will draw interest from fringe soccer fans, including the soccer moms and the media-molded curiosity-seekers. He'll also draw interest from ex-pat Euro/Latino soccer fans who have traditionally snubbed the MLS for the leagues of their homelands. (Beckham is not Latino, but he has the interest of Latino soccer fans -- and Latina soccer fans...)
In addition to these built-in audiences and manufactured audiences, soccer is unlike other American sports in that it is tied to national team competitions. The World Cup is a catalyst for passion that is fueled by more than just enjoyment of a sport, because it draws on the nationalistic pride of a people. The improved quality of the US Men's National Team has helped spark this interest in the USA, and that can turn into a passion for the local MLS clubs.
Nationalism is a powerful aphrodisiac. Basketball realizes this and is trying to tap into it with the newly organized approach to developing a national team for international play and the Olympics. Baseball is also hoping to eventually create something like the World Cup for similar reasons.
If Beckham's team, the LA Galaxy, actually becomes a good team, it will be better for the league having such a national (and maybe international) powerhouse in such a high profile media market. That will draw interest from not only new audiences, but from other global (and local) athletes, who will be willing to come to the MLS. This will improve the quality of the league, which will further the development of our American players and expand the audience even more.
This is not to say that soccer will surpass the big 3 in American sports. I think it can and will pass up hockey overall –- soccer is already becoming big in Toronto due to the new MLS team up there and the success of the Canadian National team, and we all know the Canucks are the biggest source of hockey fanaticism on the continent.
Of course, some of us may soon be sick of seeing all Beckham all the time, forcing us to turn away from soccer out of pure nausea...but I think the circus side of things will quiet down eventually.
***
As for the nausea and the circus side of things, there are plenty of articles and (yikes) pictures of His Hairness. The pix are not for those with a modest bent. I also don't imagine they're framed in the Beckham home for little Brooklyn, Romeo, and Cruz to see. "Mommy, why is Daddy wrestling with you in that picture? Did the wind blow your clothes off?"
A good sports illustrated article about Becks is here.
And a Time article here.
And a photo shoot that begs the question, "Why would a guy have a tramp stamp?" Apologies to all for me having succumbed to the madness and posting links. I feel dirty, and I can't get my wife off the computer now...
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