CONCACAF Champion League: Sounders Drop First Leg To San Francisco 1-0
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jul 26, 2011 7:43 PM PDT
in Sounders: CONCACAF Champions League
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PrintCan I cuss here? I mean, I guess I kinda make the rules, so I should probably just answer that myself. So let's think ... OK, I'm holding off. I'm going to hold the cussing for a much more meaningful loss than this one. But I honestly don't think they'll be any more frustrating than this one.
Losing 1-0 to San Francisco FC in the away leg of their CONCACAF Champions League preliminary round game is not the end of the world for the Sounders. The way it happened, though, is going to make this a tough one to just slough off.
Let's start with the goal they surrendered. I guess you can make a reasonable argument that the penalty was acceptable. Jeff Parke definitely got his hand on the ball. Rather it was that the score came so extremely against the run of play. The Sounders had absolutely dominated possession up to that point, although they had failed to really make much of it.
From there, Los Monjes were pretty much satisfied to bunker and counter. There was nothing remotely like a sustained attack coming from their end, although they did manage to create a few good chances on counters.
The Sounders, meanwhile, continued to hold possession and fail to do much with it. It really wasn't until Alvaro Fernandez and Mike Fucito came on around the 60th minute that the attack showed much urgency. Even after they came in, there wasn't enough real danger created by the Sounders. Really, it was a frustrating performance from the attack. Fredy Montero was effectively neutralized, the Sounders got nothing positive out of their fullbacks and Erik Friberg, in particular, seemed to really struggle with the boggy conditions. Pat Noonan, yes that Pat Noonan, was probably their most dangerous player.
It did look like the Sounders might catch a break when a San Francisco defender appeared to handle a ball in the penalty area on a corner kick, but no whistle came. The Sounders created a couple more chances as the game lurched toward the 90th minute, but that was just more frustration too.
Noonan nearly played hero when he was able to get a solid header off a cross, but his shot hit the post and Fernandez was unable to settle the rebound. A few minutes later, Noonan found Fucito streaking toward the goal on a throw-in, but nothing came of that chance either.
The hole the Sounders now find themselves in is an unenviable one. Getting shut out on the road essentially removes the margin for error and means the Sounders will need to win by two goals to secure advancement. A 1-0 win would mean overtime, where anything is suddenly possible. Judged on the play of this game, you'd think the Sounders stand a very good chance of moving on, but this certainly makes it more interesting than many of us wanted.
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This so salts the Man Utd wound
We needed to save our starters why? Let’s hope they get their poop together for Houston or else,we will be in triage mode
by Brougham Hooligan on Jul 26, 2011 7:47 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
What wound are they salting?
This is the first wound I’ve seen opened in a few weeks.
-Ben R.
They needed to rest starters
and “reward” all the players on team for the second half. That was our “reward” for our most expensive tickets in our season ticket package. FYI, now we have Keller complaining that the long flights had a lot to do with the loss. http://youtu.be/i96QFjZZ5Hs Good grief…
by Brougham Hooligan on Jul 26, 2011 8:23 PM PDT up reply actions
It is truly frustrating but those flights do take their toll.
I’ve been delayed in both Houston and DFW heading to Atlanta and NOLA. Usually you’re taking off at 5AM from SEA… 5 hour flight, delays, and another 3 hours to get to where you were supposed to be after 12-16 hours in airports and planes. I’m not a professional athlete, but as a professional engineer I can attest that the next day I am at 50% (maybe) and feel lucky I don’t need to work my rear off in soggy hot weather. My last flight to NOLA was hell on earth and took starting the day at 4AM and ending it at 2AM at my destination. Never. Ever again.
It happens. If anything to FO needs to make every effort to be able to have more time to travel and recover. That may not be possible but it’s all we have.
by mdkathon on Jul 26, 2011 8:51 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
There's probably not much more to be done to ease the travel
If you look at, say, the USMNT, I’m sure they have more or less no expense spared and home/away splits in CONCACAF WC Qualifying are just as big as they are in CCL play. CONCACAF covers a huge region and travel is going to be a challenge until we develop teleportation.
There is one thing
Being able to charter a plane for the team would make a big difference. That’s one area MLS could ease their rules to accommodate teams in CCL.
Chartering a plane can make a big difference
But chartered planes don’t magically get to fly through bad weather and aren’t immune to delays. So it can help, but it’s not a cure-all.
Not trying to dog anyone.
I believe anyone on a national team has a much stronger drive to perform. Just a guess.
If the long flights take their toll, why is Keller going to the MLS ASG?
He’s only going as a bench player anyway. #TrophiesNotFriendlies
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 27, 2011 9:03 AM PDT up reply actions
We may not agree with the decision.
But it may be possible he want’s to be able to participate in the ho-hum celebration of being an All Star. Maybe it means something to him. If so, he deserves to go even if we have to play Boss vs. Houston.
I can understand that
But complaining about the extra flying in light of the fuss last week about getting him to go to the MLS ASG game seems to be….. well…. the timing is just poor I guess.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 27, 2011 9:37 AM PDT up reply actions
My sense is that Keller feels obligated to make the effort because the fans voted him in
Had he been selected by the players, he might not have made the effort.
If he'd been selected by the players it would have only been as an inactive player
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Simple
He wants to go there.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Blind refs, slip n slide pitch, lockdown after the PK
I’ll take 0-1 with confience coming back to Royal Brougham.
Our passing in the final third was terrible tonight.
Completion must have been under 40%.
U-G-L-Y
by DaveValleDrinkNight on Jul 26, 2011 8:01 PM PDT reply actions
It was pretty good in the midfield though
They had pretty good movement off the ball as well. That’s somewhat encouraging. But we do need to get better in front of goal.
This goes back to the point I was making last night
This team has no one who can break a defense down and no one who can consistently finish in the air. One of those two things needs to be addressed.
Highlights the need for a DP striker
I hope we don’t get falsely complacent with the current team due to the goal-scoring run we had the last several MLS matches – I don’t think that is an accurate snapshot of how this team normally functions.
When the stakes are raised, this team falls on its face. This reflects in our playoff and CCL record – I think something like 1 win in 8 matches. We need a player who can score goals and isn’t so hot-cold in their game.
Last night highlighted how much we lack that game-changer. The biggest weapon we have is Montero. Did he step up? I would not say he did. He didn’t play poorly, but he didn’t make something happen either. As your star player, you hope guys like him step up when the pressure is on. Montero’s distribution and passing were excellent, but as a scoring threat he turns nearly invisible when he drops back to CM (which was much of the second half).
I wonder why he keep dropping back? Is it instruction from Sigi or does Montero have a natural tendency to drift toward the middle? If he’s going to play CM, at the very least someone else needs to slide up top. Toward the end of the match it was frustrating seeing so few Sounder targets around the box in the final third.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 27, 2011 9:14 AM PDT up reply actions
My guess is
that guys who play up top get frustrated when they don’t get the ball as much as they think they should so their natural inclination is to move back to maximize their chances of getting the ball.
And that, my friends, is a run on sentence.
their coordination looked horrifying
not a surprise they didn’t score. even some basic passes in the mid third looked a little funky (a little pitch issue there probably)
It was frustrating for a lot of reasons
That field was horrid. Parke’s handball was created by that.
The ref was horrid. Surely if a handball like Parke’s should be called so should the one going the other way.
The lack of urgency in the second half was horrid. The team looked like they wrote the game off as being only the first half way too quickly.
Finally, the lack of finishing was saddening. We had some wide open shots that I felt really should have gone in.
Finishing has always been a problem for the Sounders
It would be great to pick a clinically finishing DP, but we’ll see what happens.
I would love to have someone, even if it was an 80 year old man who made me think...
“Oh, hell yeah we’ll score when he has the ball!”. Unfortunately, there isn’t anyone on the roster that I can say will score every time, given an open look. Not to diss any of our forwards, but it’s a guessing game sometimes.
Vos mos audite nos vos. Vos mos vereor nos.
You will hear us. You will fear us.
by Matt Janzer on Jul 26, 2011 8:38 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Parke can partially blame himself for that handball
Remember the reason that the handball happened in the first place was because Parke kicked the ball right to two San Fran players just outside the box immediately prior.
That pitch was definitely terrible, but we can’t use that as a valid excuse since their players had to play on it too. I think there should be pitch standards in CCL play though; some of those divots were bigger than the players’ feet.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 27, 2011 9:18 AM PDT up reply actions
Parke fully blamed himself for the penalty
In an interview he said he apologized to the team and he didn’t even indicate that he thought it was the wrong call.
I wonder if
he really did mean to touch the ball and tried to make it look incidental.
Not sure if it was that so much as Parke not wanting to make excuses for himself
He probably feels he shouldn’t have slipped or that he somehow should have had better awareness to avoid handling the ball on his way down. Whether or not that’s realistic, I don’t know, but I like his attitude in general.
I love his attitude
He always owns up to mistakes. That has never been an issue about Parke in my mind.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 27, 2011 10:09 AM PDT up reply actions
Quoting the Yogi
It’s deja vu all over again. In the SF match, we just watched the away games at Saprissa and Marathon. I won’t count Monterrey as they were not playing all out that whole game. I would not feel so bad except we have been here before.
by Brougham Hooligan on Jul 26, 2011 8:26 PM PDT reply actions
This team clearly isn't ready for international competition yet
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 27, 2011 9:20 AM PDT up reply actions
Let's see how the other guys fare in Concacaf
It may be that RSL was quite an anomaly getting to the final. From what is said, all entrants are taking this seriously and putting the best teams out. If most fall completely flat, it will be a comment on the MLS parity system.
by Brougham Hooligan on Jul 27, 2011 9:42 AM PDT up reply actions
It could be that.
It could also be a comment on the fact that the league has only been around for 15 years, too.
by Aaron Campeau on Jul 27, 2011 9:54 AM PDT up reply actions
We seem to do fine against Toronto
:) But seriously, we’ve had a super small sample of games to go off of, away games are brutal in this competition, and two teams from our group last year made the semis.
laughing @ TFC comment :)
I don’t think it’s a talent issue either – but who do you point the finger to? The players? The coach? You can’t blame all losses on the ref :-D
It seems the team just falls flat when the stakes are raised.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 27, 2011 9:49 AM PDT up reply actions
I think it has more to do with our ability to break down teams that are playing conservatively
For instance, I think we struggle against LA largely because they are so, so good at choking the life out of a game. I think that’s (a large) part of the reason that relatively speaking we’re better on the road than at home. (Some point to grass v. turf, which makes a difference, but I think teams play for the counter against us more in Seattle than on the road and that gives us problems.) At this point, I don’t think it’s really the tactics that are lacking, just that little bit of magic in the final third, whether it’s clever passing from teammates clearly comfortable with one another or clinical finishing. Those sorts of things don’t come easy, though, so looking at the big picture, I’m generally happy that we have relatively few complaints compared to most teams around the league. And I’m optimistic that we’ll sort things out.
Despite what it might sound like in my responses, I'm optimistic for the future as well
Right now I’m trying to digest all this disappointment through my system and move on. After last year’s weak showing in the CCL, I had hoped we’d be coming into this one with a bang. I know it’s just one game, but the spirit and motivation on the pitch was very similar to last year…
Another poster explained it well: “this salts the Man U wound.”
This match was suppposed to be my mouthwash! :) Oh well, on to Houston now…
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 27, 2011 10:04 AM PDT up reply actions
clearly?
Come on. They lost 1-0 in Central America. Let’s not blwo this out of proportion.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jul 27, 2011 12:30 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm talking track record
How is our winning percentage in international competition not a fair barometer of our readiness on the international stage?
It’s not the scoreline I’m referring to anyway, it’s how the team shows up.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 27, 2011 12:34 PM PDT up reply actions
There are fairly significant differences between this team and the one that played in most CCL games last season
by Aaron Campeau on Jul 27, 2011 12:43 PM PDT up reply actions
Definitely agreed
That is why my expectations for them are a bit higher this year.
It’s just a play-in game and the series isn’t over – I know, I know. I guess I was expecting a better outing from our guys versus this level of competition.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 28, 2011 10:11 AM PDT up reply actions
Two things
1. If you’re saying this team is clearly not ready for int’l play, I think you need a better barometer than the one you’re using. Team has never been blown out.
2. I don’t see how you come away from this game thinking “this team didn’t show up.” That just seems a tad overreactive.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jul 27, 2011 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Maybe a bit harsh
But it’s where my emotions were/are after the match. I didn’t see the same inspired beautiful footy we’ve seen from the Sounders in recent matches. It was like I was watching a different team. The players were a bit tentative, they were disjointed at times, communication issues between some players, etc.
If our team ‘showed up’ like they have been in recent MLS matches, I’m confident we’d have better results – and probably some wins. The fact that we either don’t seem to be prepared, adapt well to their pitch, or whatever it is – it just seems we have yet to play up to our standard versus international competition. And I know that pitch was crap, but they had to play on it too.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 28, 2011 10:09 AM PDT up reply actions
why
…Is it we can only play Houston this year after two scoreless games?
by jayw913 on Jul 26, 2011 8:27 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
Hand ball
Watching the replay, it looked like Parke was putting his hand down to brace his fall.
by fcjake on Jul 26, 2011 8:28 PM PDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
Completely agree
It looked like he slipped and tried to brace himself. I swear that there was a handball late in the game against Panama in their box (I’d have to see a replay though). And I was surprised the ref didn’t call it after how quickly he called the one against Parke.
by Derek R on Jul 26, 2011 8:30 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yep
And if the ref were following the rule, it should not have been called a violation. There was clearly no intent by Parke to play the ball with his arm, and that’s crucial to the call.
Yea i was
reading the same thread over at bigsoccer and boy they don’t know the rules related to handball.
No intention, but
that is going to be called 9 times out of 10. The SF player woild have been in on goal of Parke hadn’t handled it. The problem is their handball was also cear cut.
by bauckus on Jul 26, 2011 10:44 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
It's a handball in my book
Although it was unintentional when your hand is out from your side and you essentially stop someone’s dribble past you with it I want it called. It was a good call not only for seeing it, but not giving a card for it as well.
-Ben R.
It was definitely a handball
just because the handball was unintentional doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be called. He was correct in issuing no card, however.
Actually the FIFA rule says it must be intentional
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
by Dave Clark on Jul 27, 2011 8:34 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I get that
but anyone who has reffed will tell you the LOG are open to interpretation. If a player is denied an obvious goal scoring opportunity they are going to get the call.
That may be so
But it’s still the wrong call and just because it’s the way that many or most refs would call it doesn’t magically make it right.
If a city’s cops decided to start giving tickets for driving 54 mph in a 55, that doesn’t suddenly make the speed limit 53 mph.
The Sounders had a penalty awarded against them for something that was not an infraction. How could that possibly be the correct call?
by CarlosT on Jul 27, 2011 3:29 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Agree with your take
Just wish there would have been consistency given SF had the same infraction later in their box that wasn’t called.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 28, 2011 10:12 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I guess Ngassa is gone now too
I understand the FO not getting any new blood in thinking we are good to go, but by the same token, then-transfer Flaco saved our bacon in Metapan. If we don’t advance, Dave’s little blog site is going to burn down with Hanauer hate.
by Brougham Hooligan on Jul 26, 2011 8:40 PM PDT reply actions
Did he get to play against United?
I was at the match, but was taking pictures.
Bad fan, I know.
Vos mos audite nos vos. Vos mos vereor nos.
You will hear us. You will fear us.
he did play
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jul 26, 2011 8:43 PM PDT up reply actions
Yep, he was quite fast too
Not very impressive, but looked like a good prospect at least to me.
by Brougham Hooligan on Jul 26, 2011 8:44 PM PDT up reply actions
Happy to hear that.
I was all about the “feel-good” story of having him play against MUFC. That was actually the one thing I wanted to see at the match, and I missed it.
Vos mos audite nos vos. Vos mos vereor nos.
You will hear us. You will fear us.
Ngassa was on a two week trial
Why do you think that changed?
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
I didn't believe it changed
But since they are traveling and I had not heard of any extension of the trial, I assume that’s that.
FYI, Heridiano is kicking the crap out of Alpha United 6-0 currently.
by Brougham Hooligan on Jul 26, 2011 8:47 PM PDT up reply actions
Trialists don't travel to away games
they aren’t on the roster and can’t compete until signed.
Several trialists have come through during roadtrips training with the Reserves.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Let me not get my main point lost here
I don’t think we can sign anyone right now and have them play the other side of tie here next Weds, correct?
I will allow any team an off-game. But we have seen this type of off-game many times before (FC Dallas come to mind?) Oh we hit the bar, oh the ref sucked, oh we just didn’t finish and lost 1-0. The Einsteinian definition of insanity: Doing the exact same thing the exact same way yet expecting different results. This is troubling.
That said, if we do progress, at least we won’t have to travel to Guyana.
by Brougham Hooligan on Jul 26, 2011 8:57 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
1-0 is literally the slimmest margin you can lose by
The two games you bring up are tonight’s match (a CCL away game, where home-field advantage is huge) and a game against one of the three best non-Sounders teams in the league, maybe even the best team in the league. If that’s what passes as our off games, I think we’ll be okay.
After some deliberative overnight rest (i.e. sobering up)
It’s not the worst result in the world, except that this game strikes a nerve as the Faithful have had to deal with long periods of offense-anemia from the Sounders in the past. Now we have a real test in front of us. We are going to see the full out hunker-and-bunker here next weds for 90 min unless we can break it. Expect to see a 6-3-1 from SF. I think most would agree we have had lots of problems dealing with the bunker in the past at home. If we cannot crack it having this much forewarning, then our coaching and/or staffing is highly suspect.
by Brougham Hooligan on Jul 27, 2011 7:39 AM PDT up reply actions
I would never predetermine that the coaches would be culpable for a scoreless game
Yes, they have a responsibility to give us the best possible tactics, but at the same time, they’re not the ones out there kicking the ball and finishing well is easier said than done.
I would also quibble that SFFC won’t necessarily totally sit back given the away goals rule. Any goals they score will be huge and it ought to be awfully tempting to play at least a neutral formation to get a goal to put the series at 2-0.
Last year, Metapan did the exact same thing here
But for a goalie error on a Montero shot, it would have worked. One can change tactics to adjust to the bunker. That is why I said coach and/or players. For ex, if healthy, we could go to a 4-3-3 and put both OBW and Jaqua high for crosses in the box. Given our past experience with the bunker, esp. at home, I definitely am not comfortable needing to score at least 1 to tie. Of course, if we score, I think SF will change tactics accordingly.
by Brougham Hooligan on Jul 27, 2011 8:29 AM PDT up reply actions
The Metapan situation was a little different because it was the first leg
At that point, you don’t know how many away goals the other team is going to score. Knowing that the Sounders have zero away goals, the incentive to push for one away goal ought to be larger than the incentive Metapan had. But some of that just comes down to whatever SFFC’s philosophy is on conservative vs. aggressive and how they feel they stack up against the Sounders.
I think it's possible
but not really feasible. They’d be playig without any practice with the team. Per prior posts, you can update your CCL 30 member roster up to 48 hours before the game. so we’d need to sign someone quick. However, the team is traveling until Saturday and I’m sure Sunday/Monday practices will be light…so no real training with his new team. More likely a substitue.
by InternetCharlie on Jul 27, 2011 12:11 AM PDT up reply actions
You ever watched soccer before?
Hitting the bar, refs sucking and not finishing are part of the game. If you think that its only isolated to the Sounders you’re crazy.
Tired of the excuses as well
shot went off the bar, their keeper made a save of the week, the ref wanted the other team to win, etc.
For how many matches can you make the excuses? When do we accept that our team earned the result? If we finished a sixth of our chances we’d probably be the best team in CONCACAF
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 27, 2011 9:27 AM PDT up reply actions
Considering that the Sounders are LITERALLY the best team
since they joined the league, by total points won. I’m wondering why everyone is so down on them.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Same
I don’t understand all the garment rending over a match like this. Yeah, the Sounders lose frustrating games like this sometimes, and yes the stakes are high, but we currently have more league points than Vancouver and Portland combined. By and large, we’ve been totally spoiled for the team to be as good as it is. MLS sides are traditionally not dominant in the tournament and it’s not uncommon for them to get bounced out in the qualifying round. (E.g. LAG’s 0-4 spanking at home by PRI last year.)
Frustrating games beget posts by frustrated fans ;)
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 27, 2011 10:05 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Not down on the Sounders - just frustrated
I’d rather the Sounders lose putting up a fight. I’d rather just be out-classed rather than us beating ourselves by not capitalizing on chances or playing below our usual standards.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 27, 2011 9:56 AM PDT up reply actions
It's just that the 1-0 loss hits a nerve
The greatest worst-hits of the Sounders (e.g. NY at home last year, FC Dallas this year, ad nauseam) have been the 1-0 losses where the Sounders dominate possession, but otherwise hit the post, ref sucked, etc. I thought they had broken out of that funk, esp. after last few performances, but here it is again. I am certainly not saying the sky is falling. Agree with ABTSportsline that it is incredibly frustrating. Let’s see what happens at RBP.
by Brougham Hooligan on Jul 27, 2011 9:58 AM PDT up reply actions
Any loss hits a nerve, and we're the crazy fans that can't stop talking about our team.
Checking the interwebs multiple times per day. We’re all crazy, we love SSFC, and anything other then total domination sucks. It’s emotional even if we say we look at the “long view” we live in the NOW when it comes to winning vs. losing with any match…
by mdkathon on Jul 27, 2011 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Agreed
I wish some didn’t feel the need to defend the Sounders all the time as well. It’s ok to complain and point out concerns after losses – it doesn’t always mean a poster thinks the sky is falling or has lost all faith in the team if a post is negative.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 27, 2011 12:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Defending the Sounders is going to be the reaction...
…when you are so emotionally invested.
It’s sports, right? We will always have to defend, because we feel it. For me, it’s Sabermetrics… AND REALLY I SHOULD DO MYSELF THE FAVOR TO IGNORE IT. Soccer helps as there is no such thing (well, kind of… opta, that damn chalkboard…and I am still a noob)…. We always want to measure everything:
- My favorite knife has 50 layers of steel on each side, and a rockwell hardness of 63. (Stats say it will keep an edge longer, and though it’s brittle … and it is … it should last long)
- My video card has a ROP rate of 21.4 Gpixels/s (…meh, it makes triangles look better then the last one)
- My espresso machine has a 6oz solid brass boiler with a 57mm group head. (the boiler is supposed to be similar to a 220v commercial unit just stepped down, it’s heavy for sure).
So what does that mean. My knife is sharper, my video card does mad crazy math, and my espresso machine makes damn nice coffee. It’s all measured, and I can defend it even if it does not matter. We talk about what we see every match/day/practice and need to measure it. We must see progression or regression.
I cut veggies. I play video games. I make coffee.
We will always try to upgrade, to find the next best. Gah, one will always complain when they feel like they should have had result A and was handed result B. Then we talk about it.
And. Repeat.
Sports. Right?
by mdkathon on Jul 27, 2011 10:39 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
COMPLETELY agree with you
It’s the same reason some of us are critical of the team and have a harder time digesting losses – we want to win.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 28, 2011 10:15 AM PDT up reply actions
I think what he was going for was that he didn't stick
As in, he wasn’t our savior.
Regarding THEIR handball
Has anyone gone back and looked at that play? We never got a replay on FSC. Should it have been a PK?
Hard to tell
Since the broadcast was not in HD, all I could tell was that the ball was at chest-height amongst a couple Sounders and a player from San Francisco. Still, when like 6 players from one team simultaneously shout for handball, it’s probably a “when there’s smoke…” situation.
Writer on SB Nation's DC United blog Black and Red United
by ChestRockwell on Jul 26, 2011 9:52 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I thought it was a penalty
But then I thought Parke’s was too.
by bauckus on Jul 26, 2011 10:47 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
That's an okay result.
Not a good one, but I’m still confident we’ll go through. Plus, this is now going to be one helluva game at RBP.
I’ve got DVR, so rewound and watched their handball a couple times. Honestly, there’s no way we could tell from the angle we had over the tv.
The biggest problem with this result is in regard to the upcoming schedule
fly to Houston for a game in 4 days (Keller is also going to the All-Star game)
fly to Seattle for the return leg of CCL 4 days after that
the fly to KC for a game 3 days later.
Its a lot of traveling and it would have been nice to rest some of the starters for the 2nd leg CCL match.
Neutral thoughts
Seattle looked OK, but San Francisco did little special; the frustration you guys feel is understandable. That said, I don’t think this was a completely dominant performance for the Sounders. If it were, there would have been more chances than just Noonan’s header off the post and Fucito in stoppage time, which really should have been converted. No matter how superior it would appear that Seattle was, the fact is that San Francisco had the same number of legit chances.
San Francisco didn’t have anyone with real skill (I wonder if the Bonaga that played tonight is the Bonaga from the Gold Cup’s crappy twin brother) and had very few ideas, but they did stay very organized defensively. It looked like they straight up conceded that Seattle is the better team, and focused much more on keeping a clean sheet. It made for a boring game, but that conservative approach has given them a much better chance of advancing than playing an open game would have.
On the handballs, I have to say I think the ref got the first call right . The FSC feed doesn’t show it, but Parke was also booked, which was incorrect. Sure, Parke had absolutely no intent to handle the ball, but the fact is that his arm was reaching into an odd spot, and his handball did prevent Brown from having a clear look at goal. Terrible luck, but I think it’s the right call.
If I were you guys, I’d be much more focused on the horrible pass out of the back that caused the whole situation in the first place. I’m not even sure who that pass was supposed to go to; if it hadn’t been intercepted, it just would have died 5+ yards away from any Sounders player.
All in all, Seattle has a tricky but doable job in front of them. San Francisco’s midfield looked really poor in possession, and their defending essentially consisted of playing very narrow and hoping that Seattle couldn’t cross on the night. Given the loose dirt and thick grass, it was a clever decision; it’s hard to hit driven crosses when you can’t trust that your plant foot won’t come out from under you. At home on a surface you’re familiar with, I’d expect a barrage of better crosses. Considering that San Francisco didn’t have too many other defensive ideas – there was little in the way of 1v1 defending or stepping up to intercept passes – the Sounders need to make them pay for being a one-trick pony.
Writer on SB Nation's DC United blog Black and Red United
Fucito would have finished
if he had gone first time with his right foot.
by bauckus on Jul 26, 2011 10:49 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Thanks for the thoughts
And now we know what their one trick is. I think we’ll come out next week more prepared for them. Their advantage of home field advantage and being able to scout out us more is gone.
Impartial Thoughts ...
…and I agree with much of your assessment. However, I don’t think many people are suggesting Sounders should have won – but rather we are disappointed that the offense struggled. We know we could have played better and we just didn’t.
I’m new to the game, so can’t argue the finer details of the handball PK. However, I think the goal will be inconsequential. The biggest fail of the night is not finding a way to get at least one goal. In nearly all cases now, we need to win by two in Seattle. That’s a reasonable hill to climb and I feel confident that we can do it….and if we can’t win by two, then hats off to San Francisco.
Random thoughts:
•Passing was strangely off – lots of backward passes that killed momentum and allowed San Francisco to regroup.
•Field definitely impact our play, but go find that quote from Gary Smith from last week (short version – stop whining, both teams played on it)
•Glad we took the game seriously. Bummer that we didn’t walk away with more.
•It’d be interesting to see if we prioritize the San Francisco game and rest starters in Houston. San Francisco has a Saturday game too. Wonder what they will do as well. This is a real litmus test for our ‘every competition is important’ motto. Can a mixed Sounders team beat their starters by 2 goals?
•I love playing in the CCL. The random teams, the tough travel, the unexpected happenings. I will have serious withdrawals if we don’t’ move onto the group stage.
•Glad Sigi pulled the trigger on substitutes early – they were the right switches too.
•If I’m able to second guess Sigi, it be: Starting Neagle – wouldn’t you want someone more seasoned? He played OK, but Fernandez looked great….I can understand that he wanted to save him…but what about having Noonan start? He actually looked kinda good too – sharp passes, good header, Fucito awareness. I would have loved to see 500+ Gamethread messages bagging on starting Noonan. Of course, this is entirely with 20/20 hindsight.
•Defense was not real solid –remember we gave up 3 goals to Colorado before the Man U game.
•Sounders Man of the Match: Keller – couple key saves in second half. Losing 2-0 would be serious hill to climb.
by InternetCharlie on Jul 27, 2011 12:06 AM PDT up reply actions
We also have to make sure we keep a clean sheet up in Seattle
If they score a goal don’t we have to score three to advance? Away goals still count as two, correct?
Their attack was pretty weak, so I’m not as concerned about that. I’m more looking at our breaking down their back line to score some goals ourselves. That seems to be difficult for our attackers, and I’m sure it won’t get easier as they start to bunker…
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 27, 2011 9:32 AM PDT up reply actions
Away goals are a tie-breaker
they do not count as two.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
If we win 2-1 in the second leg
What happens at the end of 90 minutes?
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 28, 2011 10:16 AM PDT up reply actions
Then it's over and we lose.
2-2 agg, with them having 1-0 on away goals as tiebreaker.
You do all the work for us, Honey Badger, and we'll just eat whatever you find.
One time
I would like to see somoene play a ball to the TF and have him let it go and run on to it. I felt like Fucito could have done it multiple times but the ball played to him was just too soft.
Also our guys up top were too quick to pass the ball back at times
I saw a couple of attacks killed by Fucito, Levesque, or Montero sending the ball back toward midfield, killing some chances for the breakaway or counter.
It was like the Sounders were conceeding that we don’t have the speed or fitness to run at SF, so we’ll just allow the rest of the team to catch up and we’ll try to beat SF by passing them to death.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 27, 2011 9:34 AM PDT up reply actions
Didn't deserve to lose, didn't deserve to win
I get the possession argument that everyone is making.. but when most of the possession is in the middle third and Seattle continuously lacked that one vital pass into the final 3rd.. I can’t much say that we deserved a win. Fucito’s chance at the end probably should’ve been buried, but teams miss chances. Noonan’s header was close, but at the end of the day it was just a ball thrown into the box that we finally got on the end of, after a lot of unsuccessful attempts throughout the entire game.
The thing that frustrates me most is how different our style of play was last night as compared to how we’ve been playing lately. I’ve never seen Seattle play so much of a kick and chase game. It seemed like most of the time we’d know the ball around the back, give one in to Alonso who’d play it right back to Riley who would then launch the ball downfield and hope one of our forwards got on it.
Speaking of forwards, think Montero regressed a bit in this game and didn’t fight hard enough to get himself on the ball, like Rosales did..
Overall, a frustrating game.. but I don’t know if I completely agree with the fact that we held the ball at midfield means that we deserved to win convincingly, the offensive quality just was not there last night.
by BaltimoreIslander on Jul 27, 2011 9:49 AM PDT reply actions
Schmid and the boys played too conservatively
Based on some of the pregame quotes they seemed to indicate they were trying to “manage” the road leg and keep their defensive shape. What that indicates to me is they were trying to play to a 0-0 draw or a 1-0 win. Those are both great results, if they could have gotten them, but that strategy also leaves you vulnerable to what happened last night — the fluke goal, 1-0 loss against the run of play.
What’s frustrating is that with a clear talent advantage, there wasn’t the sense of urgency in the attack required to put more consistent pressure in the box. The Sounders seem to play their best when they are attacking all out. Managing a 1-0 game is not their forte. They seem to operate better in the eye of the hurricane, rather than a safe distance away from it.
Sure, it can lead to some defensive lapses in the back, but I think that’s the risk that has to be taken for them to perform more consistently at their peak. Of course getting Hurtado healthy and upgrading Left Back would certainly give them more confidence in pushing forward more emphatically, but for now I think they need to play more aggresively anyway and live with the risk on the counter attack.
Certainly they’ll have to be more aggressive next Wednesday, and now the danger is that despite their aggression, they could still be defeated by a well-executed bunker strategy by S.F. If they would have played this first leg more aggressively, instead of trying to “manage” the game, the second leg would probably have been a lot more comfortable.
Oh well, I guess the Sounders can’t do anything easily.
I'd feel a lot easier about playing aggressively if we didn't seem so susceptible to the counter
I don’t know if it’s been as big a problem as it seems, but at least at times this year, it seems that teams get a lot of their goals on us on counterattacks or free kicks resulting from counterattacks.
This is a very good point
Is it just me, or do we lack overall team speed?
I feel like part of the reason for the conservative play was the lack of adjustment to the field.
The ball just died with any pass on the ground. I noticed a lot of passes that were slow to get to the recipient or didn’t get there at all, causing trackbacks or turnovers. They started trying to do some long ball stuff later on, but I think their normal game plan of short quick passes and timing runs was a complete mismatch with the field conditions, and there didn’t seem like they had an alternative. Their timing seemed really messed up.
by Greg Pirkl Lives on Jul 27, 2011 10:47 AM PDT up reply actions
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