It was good to start off the weekend with a final Dynamo home game. It ended as I thought it would with a Dynamo win, but I was disappointed that the Dynamo didn't handle Firpo better. (Recap. Recap 2.) They should have had a second goal in the first half, and should have done a better job of creating opportunities that could lead to a second goal in the second half. In the end, they made the match a lot harder on themselves and a lot more anxious for their fans by playing down to the competition.
I know that's soccer at times; but it happens a little too frequently for my tastes with this team. Of course a lot of the problem was the gamesmanship used by FIRPO to compensate for their incompetence, and the inconsistent officiating didn't help either. I think a substitute was called for earlier in the second half, but many of our off-the-bench talent was already on the field, and with Holden, Davis, and Cameron out, we didn't have a good option to help out in midfield, where we were struggling. Kei Kamara was a good sub when he came on.
Kei was an example of the best of the Dynamo that night. I loved how Kei twice waved his arms at the crowd to energize the stands. That was his way of saying "We're in a tight one down here, we need your help, guys." After the game, he and his teammates took to the center circle and applauded all four sides of the stadium. That was much needed, and much appreciated by the supporters. Soon after, my sons and I were walking behind the north goal on our way out of the stadium, when we saw Kamara walking down from the El Batallon section. I don't know what he was doing there, but I figure he had been showing his appreciation for the season-long fervent support.
(In addition to Kamara, Frankie Hejduk also knows how to get the supporters energized.)
While intermingling with the supporters groups is above and beyond the call of duty, the applauding of the fans is the sort of fan-feedback that a team should provide on a regular basis. It acknowledges the fans and is recognition that should be demonstrated by any player who expects fans to be cheering for him. I did notice that all three players subbed out (Jaqua, DeRo, and Ching) applauded the fans as they came off the field. The cheers for Jaqua, and his response, were a little more ardent due to the fact that we all knew that was his last appearance in Orange. He'll be wearing Seattle Emerald next year.
The game had a weird vibe to it. Maybe it's been too long since I attended a CONCACAF match. They didn't do the Star Spangled Banner after the line ups. The players didn't stand facing the crowd while the line ups were announced (they had moved to the shaking of hands, flipping of coins, and posing for pictures). And I didn't spot the Dynamo Girls even in the stands. I don't remember a confetti canon when Ching scored either. It was a no-frills game, I guess.
My sons and I were sitting in Section 203 for the game. We took the seats from a co-worker of mine who had season tickets but was heading out of town for the holiday. It turns out, the seats are right next to those of a former co-worker of mine. I worked with him from 1995-2000 and hadn't seen him since. It was good to catch up with him, but he did tell me a story about the Dynamo players that disturbed me. One day he came to a Dynamo Reserves match, and he saw Holden, DeRo, and another player (I can't recall who he said) watching the game from the goal line seats. He decided to go sit not too far from them. He didn't bother them -- he didn't even speak to them -- he just wanted to take in the game and watch some Dynamo first teamers root as fans too. Well, they called security on him and forced him to move. (He said he thought it was Holden, of all people, who called security.) I thought that was a pretty crappy thing for players to do at a game. It wasn't like they were out on the town; they were at a Dynamo game. If they wanted privacy, they should go to one of the boxes. It wasn't like he was bothering them anyway. I hope that my old friend just misunderstood the situation and it was security -- and security alone -- who saw him and decided to relocate him.
At any rate, the Dynamo players did show their fan appreciation on Wednesday, and they were definitely the classier of the two teams on the field. Overall, they gave us a season of quality and came close to bringing home some silverware in the Pan-Pacific Cup and SuperLiga. They had also positioned themselves well for completing the nearly impossible three-peat. However, this year, for the first time, they brought home no awards -- not even El Capitan for the first time ever. Still, they're better positioned than most teams for a solid 2009 campaign, and they're the only MLS team heading to the quarterfinals of the Champions League Cup.
A few moves off-season should ensure a good 2009 -- and hopefully a better start than 2008. We also need to get that stadium situation settled (and find a way to do so WITHOUT allowing football lines on the damn grass). If $10 million really is the difference between a downtown stadium or none, you'd think that Anschutz would pony it up since they'd easily make that back with a stadium located in the Central Business District.
Maybe such gifts are better discussed around Christmas time. Right now we're enjoying Thanksgiving and we should be thankful for what we have.
Thanks for a great season, Dynamo and Dynamofans. Here's hoping for an even better one next year.
Showing posts with label celebrations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label celebrations. Show all posts
Saturday, November 29, 2008
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.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Random pseudo-Dynamo musings
Tomorrow the Dynamo take on Colorado in Commerce City, Colorado. The Dynamo tend to fare well on the large, mile-high pitch. I'll post all the pre-game links later (I like to have them available for future surfing). Right now I'll focus on some random links I've stumbled across that I find to be interesting.
Remember Kelly Gray? Here's an interview with the defender-cum-midfielder. When the Quakes were relocated to Houston in December of that year, the comfort zone Gray had fought to establish was wrecked. While the same was true of every member of that inaugural Dynamo squad, the Leigh High School graduate took it harder than most, and it showed in his play. Halfway through the 2006 campaign, a series of high-profile errors saw him lose his spot in the starting lineup, and by season's end, he was a fringe player at best. Today Kelly plays defensive midfielder for the Quakes: "Playing center-mid is where I've always been most comfortable, and I'm finally getting a chance to play it. In Houston, I was never going to play over Ricardo [Clark] and Dwayne [De Rosario]. You're talking about the best in the country." Word.
The Offside Rules blog has an interesting post ("Houston, we have a party") about a soiree attended by a few of the eligible Dynamo players, and of course the DynamoGirls. It was for a local "guide to current culture" magazine called Envy. Never heard of it. The article has some links to interesting pix of the affair. Thought y'all might be interested in seeing the guys in an environment entirely different than the pitch. That Holden looks like he can get downright silly.
In an article about the potential of Houston's professional teams winning their respective championships, Houstonist concludes that the Dynamo is the most likely to achieve this goal. It also has this interesting fact that I never realized: All of Houston's championship titles have come in back-to-back succession. Houston Oilers 1960-61, Houston Rockets 1994-95, Houston Comets 1997-2000 and the Houston Dynamo 2006-07.
I found a link to a website where one can trade or buy videos of historic soccer games. The guy is from Austin, oddly. I say "oddly" because, as a former resident of Austin, I can attest that the area is a wasteland when it comes to soccer fandom. It has a great youth soccer environment, but it's hard to keep track of the professional game there. Houston doesn't have much over Austin, but connectivity to the world of soccer is one of the things it does have over the Weird City.
One thing I did in my years in Austin was nurture my interest in urban development and design. I'm only tangentially working in that field now -- at least the design part-- but I still have an interest in the whole subject. I recently stumbled across StrangeHarvest, a website (blog?) that discusses how today's soccer field serves as an abstraction of the townscapes of medieval England. The playing field that once included an entire town or two, today still retains abstract elements that serve as metaphorical echoes of the vernacular villages of yesteryear. It serves as a connection to the society of our ancestors, if you will. Somewhere in that minimalist arrangement of rectangles circles and dots is a trace of the landscapes of folk football: centre circle as lake, penalty area as village gateway, and goal as church. This makes football - perhaps more than any other sport - a kind of essentialised urbanism. Good stuff if you're into that sort of thing.
And, finally, the US professional indoor soccer league (MISL) has folded. I'm not a big fan of watching indoor soccer, although I did try my hand at it a couple of years ago when I moved to Houston and couldn't find a convenient 30+ outdoor league to play in. Indoor soccer certainly challenged my skills and definitely my fitness. but there's a better indoor game out there. Maybe the indoor league, as a part of its restructuring, should reject the old indoor game and adopt a globally-accepted indoor game: futsal. Futsal would provide a good alternative to the outdoor game, and would radically improve the soccer skills of its adherents. It also opens the door to those who want to compete in FIFA-sanctioned competitions, and the Brazilians have shown that futsal can breed talented soccer players. This guy certainly thinks futsal could be a solid replacement for the old-MISL style of play.
Remember Kelly Gray? Here's an interview with the defender-cum-midfielder. When the Quakes were relocated to Houston in December of that year, the comfort zone Gray had fought to establish was wrecked. While the same was true of every member of that inaugural Dynamo squad, the Leigh High School graduate took it harder than most, and it showed in his play. Halfway through the 2006 campaign, a series of high-profile errors saw him lose his spot in the starting lineup, and by season's end, he was a fringe player at best. Today Kelly plays defensive midfielder for the Quakes: "Playing center-mid is where I've always been most comfortable, and I'm finally getting a chance to play it. In Houston, I was never going to play over Ricardo [Clark] and Dwayne [De Rosario]. You're talking about the best in the country." Word.
The Offside Rules blog has an interesting post ("Houston, we have a party") about a soiree attended by a few of the eligible Dynamo players, and of course the DynamoGirls. It was for a local "guide to current culture" magazine called Envy. Never heard of it. The article has some links to interesting pix of the affair. Thought y'all might be interested in seeing the guys in an environment entirely different than the pitch. That Holden looks like he can get downright silly.In an article about the potential of Houston's professional teams winning their respective championships, Houstonist concludes that the Dynamo is the most likely to achieve this goal. It also has this interesting fact that I never realized: All of Houston's championship titles have come in back-to-back succession. Houston Oilers 1960-61, Houston Rockets 1994-95, Houston Comets 1997-2000 and the Houston Dynamo 2006-07.
I found a link to a website where one can trade or buy videos of historic soccer games. The guy is from Austin, oddly. I say "oddly" because, as a former resident of Austin, I can attest that the area is a wasteland when it comes to soccer fandom. It has a great youth soccer environment, but it's hard to keep track of the professional game there. Houston doesn't have much over Austin, but connectivity to the world of soccer is one of the things it does have over the Weird City.
One thing I did in my years in Austin was nurture my interest in urban development and design. I'm only tangentially working in that field now -- at least the design part-- but I still have an interest in the whole subject. I recently stumbled across StrangeHarvest, a website (blog?) that discusses how today's soccer field serves as an abstraction of the townscapes of medieval England. The playing field that once included an entire town or two, today still retains abstract elements that serve as metaphorical echoes of the vernacular villages of yesteryear. It serves as a connection to the society of our ancestors, if you will. Somewhere in that minimalist arrangement of rectangles circles and dots is a trace of the landscapes of folk football: centre circle as lake, penalty area as village gateway, and goal as church. This makes football - perhaps more than any other sport - a kind of essentialised urbanism. Good stuff if you're into that sort of thing.And, finally, the US professional indoor soccer league (MISL) has folded. I'm not a big fan of watching indoor soccer, although I did try my hand at it a couple of years ago when I moved to Houston and couldn't find a convenient 30+ outdoor league to play in. Indoor soccer certainly challenged my skills and definitely my fitness. but there's a better indoor game out there. Maybe the indoor league, as a part of its restructuring, should reject the old indoor game and adopt a globally-accepted indoor game: futsal. Futsal would provide a good alternative to the outdoor game, and would radically improve the soccer skills of its adherents. It also opens the door to those who want to compete in FIFA-sanctioned competitions, and the Brazilians have shown that futsal can breed talented soccer players. This guy certainly thinks futsal could be a solid replacement for the old-MISL style of play.
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