Stretches of beautiful possession. Complete inability to put the ball in the net. And one defensive brain fart.
That pretty much sums up the game, yeah?
First, the worst part: We lost. To freaking Portland. Despite dominating the entire match.
The best part: In the second half, when the guys actually got inspired and started trying to score, only to see the balls go high, or wide, or to a Portland defender, I was thinking, "(N)Kufo could have made that." "(N)Kufo would have made that." "(N)Kufo totally would have scored there." Or, in other words, if (N)Kufo had been here, we would have won 10-1. At least.
(The parentheses around the "N" reflect the fact that on his passport, it's just spelled Kufo. I guess we'll cross that bridge in July.)
Best part #2: 18,000 fans can create a pretty damn good atmosphere. Let's hope this is enough to cause the Powers to decide on Qwest for the CCL games.
If we have CCL games.
(Did I mention that the union voted 350-2 to strike if an agreement can't be reached soon? And the sides are still far apart? The operative word for everything this season is, "IF." )
Thoughts on the game:
SO GOOD to see Patrick Ianni back. I hope the injury wasn't as serious as I'd heard it was. And while we're on the topic of centerbacks, I was also very comfortable when Jeff Parke was playing there. I'm thinking Parke will definitely be part of the roster (assuming we have a roster) and Marshall is going to have some competition for that starting spot this year. (Yes, it was Marshall with the brain fart. Love you Tyrone! You'll do better next game.)
I'm undecided on James Riley vs. Brad Evans at rightback. I think I want Riley because I love the guy, and Brad can play at midfield instead. And I'm trying to decide if all the mistakes and hesitations I saw Brad make were ones I just noticed because I wanted Riley to be better in the position. Or if Riley is genuinely better. Thoughts?
I'm also undecided on Estrada. Flashes, but...just...not...quite...there.
The person I'm not undecided on is Leo Gonzalez. When I think about (N)Kufo as a midseason signing, thinking about how much Leo added last year gives me hope.
Kevin Souter. What did you think? They guy is the Energizer Bunny. He just keeps going and going... Does this make up for shortcomings like wayward passes? Since he's always right there fighting to get the ball back?
Fredy Montero had a lot of shots tonight. That's something. Right?
Steve Cronin (Portland keeper) has gotten a lot better and more self-confident since LA dumped him and he moved to Portland. The bastard.
The non-scoring thing is almost becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Everybody, including the players, seems to be thinking, "We're not going to score." So then they don't.
All in all, frustration. Seattle dominated that game. They should have won.
Except they lost.
I am afraid for what this says about our upcoming season.
If we have a season.
Okay, now I'm really depressed