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Timbers @ Sounders Open Thread - Your thoughts, your analysis
by Sounder At Heart on Mar 11, 2010 5:40 PM PST
in Friendlies
41 comments
There is a starting role up for grabs, at least in the early going, in the Right Midfield. Also, the Sounders have plenty of issues with their depth and cover, particularly at LM and RB, while it is likely that a Center back goes to the IL, or just gets cut, but this match is about more than mere roster space.
It is the continuation of a legacy of soccer in America that actually stetches back more than a single generation. It is a rivalry game, regardless of status as a pre-season tuneup, or as a friendly. The Portland Timbers faithful hate Seattle Sounders and the Seattle Sounders supporters laugh at a club that has struggled for trophies.
Tonight though, the MATCH is a bit secondary. First off all tickets sold are for charity. Secondly is the news that the Union is willing to strike.
But tonight, the Sounders look to pass average MLS attendance for a preseason match, when stars aren't likely to see more than a half. If you aren't there, you can catch glimpses on KONG 6/16, or on live blogs on Sounders FC.com, or Seattle Times, or at Prost Amerika.
Here today, we provide your place for instant analysis and dreams of when soccer in American isn't fliriting with Russian Roulette.
41 comments | 0 recs |
CBA Update: Talks continue
by BayAreaRefugee on Mar 11, 2010 2:39 PM PST
in Major League Soccer
4 comments
You may have heard that the players have overwhelmingly voted to strike, according to Steven Goff.
Well, he's updated the story to reflect comments from MLS officials.
In response to comments made by players after the labor negotiations in Washington this week, MLS President Mark Abbott told the Insider on Thursday that "the meetings were productive and we have scheduled a number of additional meetings. While I can't discuss what takes place across the bargaining table, I can say that the players' comments do not accurately reflect the proposals that we have made to address the players' concerns or the productive nature of the discussions between MLS and the union."
Apparently, as part of the mediation agreement, neither side was supposed to be talking to the media. The players are obviously trying to apply as much pressure as possible. And as long as the mediation is ongoing, both sides are barred from calling a work stoppage.
The two sides are scheduled to meet next week, so there probably won't be any big news over the weekend.
4 comments | 0 recs |
Preview: Community Shield, Sounders vs. Timbers
by BayAreaRefugee on Mar 10, 2010 11:22 PM PST
in Friendlies
29 comments
Today's Inaugural Community Shield match ensures that the Seattle-Portland rivalry will continue its 35-year run in which the two teams played every season they both fielded teams. The rivalry has stretched across three leagues.
Although it's being billed as a friendly, the 13,000-plus fans who will be in attendance may not feel the same way. The two teams have met 60 times, with the Sounders holding a 34-21-5 advantage, including wins in each of the past two meetings.
There are reportedly four busloads of Timbers fans making the trip to Seattle. The game will kick off at 6 p.m. with plenty of tickets still available. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Boys and Girls Club of Washington State, Seattle SCORES, Soccer Saves and Washington Youth Soccer.
29 comments | 0 recs |
Champions League Resumes Tonight - Crew Host Toluca
by Sounder At Heart on Mar 9, 2010 9:50 AM PST
in CONCACAF Champions League
25 comments
The Champions League for our region (CONCACAF) resumes this evening and the impossible may be as possible as ever. Mexican Primera side Toluca travels to Columbus in a quarterfinal two-leg aggregate knockout round. Major League Soccer sides tend to hold their own against non-Mexican competition, but against our southerly neighbors it hasn't been a contest.
Columbus only has one significant loss. They can no longer count on Alejandro Moreno to draw free kicks and penalties for GBS. When you watch this game you will see a team more experienced than Seattle, but running a similar style. GBS roams behind the striker and flirts with being both a CAM and Withdrawn Forward at the same time.
Toluca is not a historically strong club and only has a few titles in the past half decade. They are currently struggling in League play more than half way through the Mexican Spring season. Eleventh with 11 pts in an 18 team league they do have a +3 Goal Differential. But they are traveling to cold Columbus, a stadium where Mexico players perform poorly.
They say that "Impossible is Nothing" but in this game, and at this stage of MLS, the impossible is a necessity for an MLS side to advance in the knockout rounds of the CCL. Tonight, on FSC, at 5PM Pacific you have the best opportunity for an MLS club to set up the impossible.
For those of you that want a stronger MLS, with more revenue, you need to watch matches that don't involve your own side. That's why TV ratings are strong for MLB, NFL, NBA, EPL, etc. Higher ratings for all matches involving MLS sides means more revenue, more revenue means more salary cap monies, which means better overall talent.
And let's be honest, this is one of those times that you have a clear rooting interest in an MLS side and their best chance to pick up goals against a club from Mexico. Oh, and it gives you a preview of the Crew's strength in this upcoming season.
25 comments | 0 recs |
Nkufo has serious pedigree
by BayAreaRefugee on Mar 8, 2010 11:24 AM PST
in Major League Soccer
16 comments
Blaise Nkufo might be the best pure scorer to ever join Major League Soccer.
I realize that's a bold statement, but you should know that it's not just homerism taken to hyperbolic extremes.
Since Nkufo's signing, I've been trying to figure out a reasonable way to set expectations for a soon-to-be 35-year-old player most casual fans have never heard of and won't be joining the team until after the World Cup.
What I found was somewhat startling, even in light of everything I've read about him in the past few days. Not only is Nkufo one of the most prolific goal scorers (on a per-game basis) to come to MLS from a foreign first-division league, but he does so in the midst of a four-season stretch in which he's averaged more than a goal every other game in league matches. Based on what other similar -- and perhaps lesser -- players accomplished in their first seasons in MLS, it's perfectly reasonable to expect six to nine goals and a few assists despite the fact that he'll miss half the Sounders' regular season games.
In other words, it wouldn't be crazy to expect him to be the team's top scoring threat, or even one of the best goal scorers in the league.
16 comments | 2 recs |
Quick Recap of Sounders @ Whitecaps Nil-Nil Draw
by Sounder At Heart on Mar 7, 2010 12:13 PM PST
in Friendlies
8 comments
Seattle fans got their first live look at a preseason match, but only if they traveled. Emerald City Supporters had 2 busses, Gorilla FC got a van, and of course there were dozens that traveled on their own. Thursday Night ten thousand more will be able to see the action live as well. This will be your last shot to see some of the depth on the team until injuries or the US Open Cup, so if you are intrigued by guys like Fucito, Estrada, Scott, Nyassi, Levesque, Wahl, Parke, Ianni or Graham you may want to get those cheaper tickets. (Yeah, I just tried to sell tickets).
This match seemed to be like one of missed chances, too many offsides, and a wasted opportunity when Fucito passed instead of pulled the trigger;
"I thought in the first half, we put together a couple of good combinations. We got caught offside today, and more so in 20 minutes than we have been called offside in the last five games together. Either some of the runs were really off, some of them were really close, you couldn’t really tell. I thought we had a chance to win at the end of the game, Mike Fucito really should’ve pulled the trigger."
"I thought in the first half we had four or five really good chances. Overall, we’ve put a lot of emphasis on trying to play balls behind the defence. And I think we probably tried to overflow that hand a little bit by trying to do that too much. I think the combination play wasn’t as good as it has been in the past. We got to make sure that we still find the right balance in possession of the ball and get it behind the opposing defence. We just have to become better at our decision making process."
Off and on-ball movement continues to be the message, as the talent on this team is completely capable of having a top 5 offense in this league. Minor injuries continue to clutter the reading of tea leaves, but the image of player rotations continues to gain some clarity.
8 comments | 0 recs |
Gamethread: Sounders @ Vancouver, preseason
by BayAreaRefugee on Mar 6, 2010 3:55 PM PST
11 comments
UPDATE: Sounders tie Whitecaps, 0-0 in front of about 4,000 fans.
I'm still looking for a live radio stream, but if I can't find any I'll at least post the score and highlights.
That said, here's the starting lineups:
Sounders: Kasey Keller, James Riley, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Tyrone Marshall, Leo Gonzalez, Sanna Nyassi, Nathan Sturgis, Osvaldo Alonso, Steve Zakuani, Fredy Montero and Freddie Ljungberg.
Whitecaps: Jay Nolly, Chris Williams, Taka Hirano, Greg Janicki, Martin Nash, Ricardo Sanchez, Nelson Akwari, Ansu Toure, Dever Orgill, Cornelius Stewart and Nizar Khalfan.
Feel free to discuss...
11 comments | 0 recs
Previewing Sounders @ Whitecaps Preseason Match from the Other Side
by Sounder At Heart on Mar 6, 2010 4:07 AM PST
in Friendlies
1 comment
There was a ton of transition in the lower levels of North American soccer this off-season, and keeping up was just a bit more difficult for me. So today, as a preview of the match against our Northern Cascadia rivals I decided to ask one of the experts on said team. The following post is written by Andrew Bucholtz of Sporting Madness. If its happening in sports in Western Canada Andrew knows. Here are his thoughts on the team in transition, and who to watch for on the other side of the ball.
It's a season of transition for the Vancouver Whitecaps. For one thing, they're in a new league (the awkwardly-named USSF Division II, which is made even weirder by their team not technically falling under the jurisdiction of the USSF). The league isn't actually going to look that different in practice, though, as it still will contain most of the teams they competed against in the old USL Division I last season.
However, the organizational changes the Whitecaps have made are more likely to have a significant long-term impact. At the top, there's a new chief executive officer, former Tottenham Hotspur executive director Paul Barber. Barber (not the actorwho played Denzel in Only Fools and Horses) is a huge acquisition not just for the Whitecaps, but for the profile of North American soccer as a whole. He was Tottenham's executive director for four years and in charge of most of the key areas of the club; you don't see too many guys of that variety make the jump across the pond, particularly to a second-tier league.
Of course, the Whitecaps aren't going to be second-tier for long, as they're set to join MLS in 2011. Still, the organization isn't content to sit around until then. Last year saw a heavy focus on developing young talent, and coach Teitur Thordarsontold me early on that the team's goal was to try and prepare their young stars for MLS rather than focus on winning now. They were able to accomplish both goals, though, coming just short in CONCACAF Champions League qualification thanks to the Montreal Impact laying down in their final game against Toronto FC and then making it to the USL final against the Impact. They weren't able to come home with their second straight league championship, but they exceeded pretty much all expectations.
This year's Whitecaps will be very different, though.
1 comment | 0 recs |
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Most Commented
Timbers @ Sounders Open Thread - Your thoughts, your analysis
by Sounder At Heart about 12 hours ago
41 comments | 0 recs
Preview: Community Shield, Sounders vs. Timbers
by BayAreaRefugee 1 day ago
29 comments | 0 recs
Champions League Resumes Tonight - Crew Host Toluca
by Sounder At Heart 2 days ago
25 comments | 0 recs
Nkufo has serious pedigree
by BayAreaRefugee 3 days ago
16 comments | 2 recs
Gamethread: Sounders @ Vancouver, preseason
by BayAreaRefugee 5 days ago
11 comments | 0 recs