Out of my Head

Arsenal Hold On Late for 2-1 Win Away at Everton

2010-11-14T22:18:00.000-08:00

Three points is always a good thing, particularly away at Goodison Park. It's even better when the Gunners start looking like the Arsenal we expect: crisp passing and movement, commitment and purpose, and yes, some spot on goalkeeping. (Zonal Marking already has a post up about the game.) They're not nearly where they need to be, but after a dismal three-game skid, this was game welcome relief.

The Gunners 2-1 away victory nudges them upward into 2nd place in the table. With Chelsea getting absolutely shredded at home by Sunderland 3-0 (a really inspired game by the Black Cats, while most of the Chelsea 11 looked like they were mourning Ray Wilkins), Arsenal are only 2 points back of the league leaders.

Arsenal were much improved today with goals coming from Sagna in the first period and Fabregas early after the restart. While they failed to put the game on ice, they gutted out the full 90 and did enough to win. Lukas Fabianski, as noted, made a number of saves to preserve the win, especially late on as Everton piled pressure on the Gunners goal. And again, the keeper was strong in his management of the goal area.

Arsenal did allow Everton to concede a goal late from a corner kick. Dodgy defending, with Song not winning the ball at the far post (and a possible foul as Saha climbed/leapt over Alex) and several defenders guilty of ball-watching.

That complain aside, this is a very, very good 3 points to take and a win to build from as we move toward the London Derby at White Hart Lane next weekend.

Other Notes
From the Please, Please, Please Department, Juventus are said to be dumb enough, er astute enough to know a great striker when they see one, and are willing to take Nick Bendtner off our hands.

Please, Please, Please Department, Part II. Speculation mounts on whether Almunia has a future with the club and whether it might be as goalkeeper glove washer.

It was nice to see FC Dallas beat down LA 3-0 (at home, even!) to advance to the MLS Cup. I've been impressed with Dallas' fast, attacking style. They'll meet a similar team in Colorado, who beat San Jose yesterday.

Maher Nails It. Crazy Right Wing Special Brand of Crazy

2010-11-09T18:43:00.000-08:00

Bill Maher uses the Rally for Sanity to make an important point about lazy comparisons between the bat-shit crazies at the far right end of the political spectrum and the Goofball Left. They ain't the same.

If we lose our ability to call a bat shit crazy numbskull like Christine O'Donnell for what she is, then we will lose our ability to govern ourselves in a complex world (and defend ourselves from the mouse-people...)

The Incomparable Eli Wallach

2010-11-07T16:11:00.000-08:00

I think I first saw Eli Wallach (and realized who I was watching) in a Tales from the Crypt movie in the 80s. No way, a movie that befit his talent, but as this A.O. Scott (Wallach's nephew) profile shows, Wallach loves acting such that even a turn as the icily evil villain Mr. Freeze from TV's Batman series became an opportunity for Wallach to gleefully chew scenery and share his joy with the audience. Ninety-five years old and still acting - OOMH salutes great American Eli Wallach.

Arsenal Lose Plot, Lose Match Against Shaktar

2010-11-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

Displaying a lack of killer instinct as well as an element of let's say, insouciance, Arsenal gave up a 2-goal lead to lose 2-1 away at Shaktar Donetsk. Adding insult to injury the winning goalscorer was noone else but little Eduardo, who Wenger had judged too crocked to continue at Emirates. Arsenal were missing key starters, but that is little excuse for this outcome.

Shaktar started the game with high intensity and put the Arsenal goal under some pressure early on. However, Arsenal fought their way into the game and scored a brilliant goal on a lightning counter-attack combo from Wilshere and Walcott. Young Wilshere commandeered the ball in our defensive third, took a touch wide when he looked up to see Theo Walcott racing up the touchline against a solo defender. Wilshere hit a beautifully weighted and located pass over the defender, allowing Walcott to catch the ball in stride, dribble into the box and shoot past the Shaktar goalkeeper.

Walcott of course, has been showing vast improvements in his game and this strike was excellent. He had enough time and space to bring the ball closer, but he looked up and saw the angle for the far post and had the cockiness and calmness to shoot from distance. It was a strike reminiscent of Thierry Henry, for those who care to make the comparison.

And that was about the end of the highlights, unless you were cheering for ex-Gunner Eduardo. After taking the lead, the Gunners went into the tank. They stopped challenging, they stopped winning balls out of the air. Gael Clichy - who continues the baffling inconsistency in his game from last season - epitomized the Gunners effort when he eschewed an easy clearance upfield, allowing Srna to disposess the ball and waltz into the box before gift-wrapping a pass to Eduardo for the easiest of goals.

Coach Wenger accused his team of complacency and I say that's a fair, if restrained, assessment. Look, champions don't lose these types of games, against weaker opponents. That is a major difference between us and Chelsea.

There were two bright spots on the field for the Gunners, Jack Wilshere and Fabianski. In this match, Jack looked like a first-teamer slumming with the reserves team. He ran hard, challenged, tackled and was the lone bright spot going forward. This kid is the future of Arsenal. Fabianski had another solid effort in goal for Arsenal. He stopped a number of good Shaktar efforts and most importantly, he patrolled and protected the box like a man.

The loss leaves us tied with Shaktar on points at the top of Group H with a match coming up Nov. 23rd in Portugal against Braga. Hopefully, they'll have shed the complacency, as well as got a few of the boys back.

Oh, and Bert Van Marwijk is a wanker.

Arsenal Take The Points At Eastlands, Go to Second in the Table

2010-10-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a phrase I never thought I'd write: Lukasz Fabianski-Man of the Match. The much-maligned young keeper had a strong, consistent and at times outstanding game for the Gunners as they won 3-0 at Eastlands against the megabucks Blues.

While the Mancs had the money, they were short a man early on, as referee Mark Clattenburg rightly ejected defender Dedryck Boyata in the 5th minute for a last-man scything of Marouane Chamakh. If you just checked the scoreline you'd think the Gunners ran away with it from there, but the 3-goal shutout is a bit misleading. Once Samir Nasri scored on a really sharp goal after playing give-and-go with Arshavin, the team receded significantly.

In fact, for long stretches of the first half I watched this from the edge of my futon, certain that Tevez was just about to bust through for a dam-burster. Arsenal grew sloppy in posession and passing through the rest of the half (with the Little Russian the most culpable of the lot) and did not look anything like you'd expect of the Gunners with a man-advantage. It wasn't as if Man City were doing a tremendous amount to complicate things; Arsenal just kept shooting themselves in the foot (or feet, if you will). And when Joe Hart made a smart save of Fabregas' PK, it looked like momentum had turned a pale shade of blue.

This match convinced me that Roberto Mancini will not survive the season. He didn't make any decisive substitutions to change the attacking potential of his side. Our defenders showed themselves to be vulnerable all match long (Djourou and Clichy being the worst of the lot). And yet, he was satisfied to run at us with Micah Richards and Gareth Barry?! I could coach that badly for a quarter of the cost (call me, Sheikh Mansour). The substitution at half was Wayne Bridge (injury to Ya Ya Toure). All that money, and Wayne Bridge is what you have on the bench?

Fortunate for us, as Bridgie's feeble toe-poke clearance provided a perfect set-up for Song's insurance goal blast. By the time, Bendtner came on to score the inevitable third goal in the late stages, Man City were done and toasted.

There was much to concern the Arsenal fan from this match. We were quite sloppy and made poor decisions for large stretches of the game. Djourou never looked like a capable defender until ol' Lazy Legs Emmanuel Adebayor came on. Wenger insists on starting Andrey Arshavin, who continues to fade in and out of games, while coughing up the ball regularly. (Rosicky has earned the chance to start a few matches, IMHO) The entire team was guilty of the over-cooking for which Arsenal has become famous for. Does Arsene not let them practice shooting in training?

We also need some practice tackling. As in some recent league games, several Arsenal players have been guilty of some let's say, Bolton-like tackles, the kind which the Boss has been critical of in the press. Fortunately, the team settled down at halftime and re-focused on Arsenal football.

But, the bottom line is that the Gunners worked hard throughout the game, stayed with their style of football and got an important 3 points on the road in a tough environment. We're getting players back (Bendtner and Walcott got some field time) and we didn't suffer any injuries. And our goalkeeper looked sharp and confident throughout the game. Fabianski started with a low diving save of a goalbound Silva strike in the first minute, and made a number of goal-denying saves throughout. And for me, Fabs is starting to look more confident and definitive on crosses and set pieces. I hope the trend continues. As things stand, I would prefer he stay in goal over Almunia.

Glazers to Buy Wayne the World

2010-10-24T15:38:00.000-07:00

...perhaps The Scot wasn't behind all this is some Machiavellian master-stroke to force the ownership into revitalizing the franchise, but it does look as if Uncle Malc has promised young Wayne an awful lot: 300K per week, 11 new players, including Wesley Sneijder, Martin Stekelenburg, Lassana Diarra, Luis Suarez, a new pony, and the Kingdom of Narnia.

Geez, talk about spoiling your kids. Anyways, I'm very interested to see how this all plays out for the 8-15 ManUre players Wayne is implicitly and/or explicitly deeming surplus to his requirements. Plus, the ever loyal Roo, who only wants what's best for the club has ensured there is a buyout clause that could allow him to leave as early as next summer.

Scot 1 Yanks 0?

2010-10-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

I must be getting cynical with age, but am I the only one suspicious of Fergie-Rooney collusion in forcing (both squad and salary) concessions from the Glazers? This whole episode smelled rotten from the start.

Fergie even pulled Patrice Evra in on it. Has to be. If the Frenchman doesn't refuse to train with Rooney then you know something's up. BTW, no wonder all of France was 'peesed' off at the French National Team for refusing to train in South Africa. That's so un-French. They should've rioted instead.

Now, I am getting cynical.

MUFC Fans Sour on Rooney

2010-10-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

What side will Manchester United fans choose? A couple of signs seen at Old Trafford during the Champions League match against Bursaspor:

Who's the whore now, Wayne?

and

Coleen forgave you. We won't

Ouch.

Fox Soccer Ruins Arsenal V. Shaktar Donetsk Telecast

2010-10-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

Fox Soccer Network gets a red card for an idiotic decision to switch from Arsenal's Champions League match at 50 minutes for...(wait for it)...a press conference from the Seattle Mariners to introduce their new manager. First, noone cares about baseball's worst team. No one. And trading live coverage of a real match, with real goals happening, for a frickin' press conference is just dumb. So, big raspberry to to Fox Soccer.

That out of the way, this match was in cruise position for Arsenal early on, as the Gunners won 5-1, with only a consolation score for ex-Gunner Eduardo. Defensive mistakes killed Shaktar. First, Keeper Pyatov dropped an easy catch in front of the goal. Djourou stabbed at it, pushed the ball past the keeper, and Song tried a fancy behind the leg kick that bounced off a diving defender, and Song and into the goal. In the 42nd, defenders failed to win a defelcted Song cross and Nasri smartly played the ball into space and thumped a left-footed blast under the cross bar.

Shaktar showed very little in the game, leaving the announcers to question the strength of the Russian league where they lead the table. Luis Fabiano came out in the 2nd half, either energized or ticked off, as he got a good look at goal early in the 2nd half, that Flappy made a good stop on. A few minutes later the corn-rowed Brazilian ignored the referee's warning on an Arsenal free kick and blatanly wrestled Djourou down in the box, earning a penalty kick for Arsenal. Fabs slotted the 3rd goal.

Not that I saw the 3rd goal, thanks to the networking geniuses at Fox Soccer Network. So, the following comments are from reviewing highlights. Jack Wilshere scored a nice, nice goal after working a 1-2 with Rosicky. Chamakh got goal no. 5 on a funny play. The ball was lobbed over the Shaktar defenders who bet it all on the offsides trap. Chamakh was in clean and actually took time to look at the linesmen to see if he'd raised his flag, before hitting the shot past the keeper.

Bottom line is this is an important victory for the Gunners, near ensuring them of winning the group and going through to the knockout stage of the Champions League. And, the win came without putting too much on the line, allowing the team to prepare for Man City on Sunday without adding anymore injuries.

The standouts for me were Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky (please, Arsene, play him more often!) and Chamakh. The latter player does so much off the ball. Even when he isn't scoring, he is working on both sides of the ball to help the team. A very likable player. Fabregas was not in full game shape, obviously, but was still influential to the team. Nasri also had very positive moments, including of course, his goal, but I'd like to see him working harder on defense and off the ball.

But the player who has to work hardest coming off this game is Fox Soccer. They had an absolute howler and need to work hard to get back in the good graces of the fans.

Bring on the Mancs!

Wazza Wants Out?!

2010-10-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

This is shocking news (if true) that Wayne Rooney wants out of Manchester United. Though not a fan of SAF, he is a hell of a manager and is doing everything he can to protect young Wazza from the results of his attempts at self-destruction. If Rooney can't see that, he's dumber than he looks.

Speaking of dumb, or possibly on drugs, some speculate that Rooney could head to the MLS. Really?! I suppose that'll pave the way for Messi, Drogba and all the other international footballers just waiting to come to the US to play in front of 10,000 people in San Jose.

A Win Like Beating Yourself in the Head, Repeatedly

2010-10-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

Although Arsenal emerged at the other end of 90 minutes of Birmingham at Emirates today, the 2-1 win felt surprisingly painful and repetitive. The Gunners appeared slow and unconvincing with only rare glimpses of the brilliant football espoused by the club's manager, Arsene Wenger.

Although they dominated possession, the Arsenal looked as dangerous as a rubber chicken. Time after time, ventures into the Birmingham box were over-elaborated with square passes, moving the ball side-to-side, while generously allowing the defense to get organized.

While the opposition did not look very dangerous in possession, they always looked capable of scoring off a set piece. Free kicks and corners had me nervous and mumbling under my breath.

The Birmingham goal, in the 33rd minute, came off a throw-in that was only grudgingly defended. Liam Ridgewell had all day to receive a pass, look up to find the 8-foot-tall (that may be a slight exaggeration) Zigic in the box, smoke a cigarette and then send in a cross that the monster Serbian striker expertly headed around a fully-stretched Flappy-Hanski and into the goal. I don't know if Zigic can really play striker in the EPL, but that was a classic header.

While there was little Flaps could do to stop the shot, both he and the defense deserve criticism on the positioning. Ziggie was sitting deep in the box waiting, ever waiting. Neither Djourou, Squillacci or the Polish keeper thought to push the defense up and deprive Birmingham of the opportunity to loiter so deep in our area. Other than that, Flaps had a decent game, though optimism should be tempered by the fact that he has figured in goal in 7 losses in the last 11 games he's played in.

Arsenal got back in the game before the half on a somewhat light penalty, but there was some contact on Chamakh and it was a bad tackle at best. Nasri did the job to equalize. After that, you could sense it was all coming to naught for Birmingham.

While the 3 points is much appreciated, I found the anemic Arsenal performance more significant. The team never looked convincing, and many of the players looked unhurried, uninterested and perhaps less talented than the sort of players we'd hope to have starting, even again Birmingham. There are more underperformers than not on this side. Players like Djourou, Diaby, Eboue, Arshavin, Song, Flaps, and Clichy just do not look good enough to wear the Arsenal jersey. I know, I know. We have a lot of starters injured, but the results suggest we do not have much strength on the bench.

I hate to be the cynic, and I am proud that Arsenal are a rare beacon of fiscal sanity in the Premiership, but are we pennysise and pound foolish? Are those record profits reflected in every pass Diaby sends astray, every shot not taken, every breath held while fans hope that Flaps doesn't bang the corner kick into our own goal?

Of the above listed players, Diaby and Arshavin are the worst offenders. Diaby is notable because of the long, long rope the manager has given him, and the general consensus by everyone except Wenger that Diaby is never going to be Patrick Vieira. Arshavin, on the other hand, is a high-priced acquisition who is currently giving a Rooney-like performace. That would be the contemporary can't-score-to-save-his-life Rooney. He is careless in possession, passes when he should shoot, and shoots like a blind defender when he does shoot. His high goal total is misleading, as he has largely been a liability for Arsenal this season.

So, while 3 points are welcome indeed, it doesn't mask the deep, structural inadequacies in the Arsenal roster.

More From the Ashes of the Toronto Game

2010-10-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

Catching up on my reading of the Toronto Globe and Mail this morning, and this item caught my eye in Paul James' post-game piece critical of TFC's management and team:

Meanwhile Osvaldo Alonso in the middle of the park displayed one reason why Julian de Guzman has been so poor this season. Athletically he just cannot compete with the Alonso brand of player. And there are plenty in Major League Soccer. But even on the technical side of things JDG and Nick Labrocca were found wanting when compared to the Cuban exile. At an approximate salary of $70,000 Alonso appears to be another bargain within Major League Soccer.

True enough. Ozzie was a terror in the Toronto midfield, harrying players, dispossessing, moving the ball effectively for Seattle. I wouldn't be too hard on the TFC players, though. Ozzie does this to most teams. For my money, the man is definitely the engine room of the Sounders.

McMahon on Arsenal

2010-10-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

Bobby McMahon on Fox Soccer Report tonight regarding Arsenal on Sunday:

"As dangerous as a rubber knife..."

Ouch.

Men V. Boys, Part, Oh, I Don't Know, 20?

2010-10-03T23:42:00.000-07:00

I'll just start out by saying that well before this morning's 2-0 loss at Chelsea, (more here) I'd made my peace with the fact that Arsenal will not win any trophies this season. In fact, I'd recognized this painful fact at the close of the transfer window when Monsieur Le Professeur had not signed a top notch keeper, instead electing to throw our fate into the shaky, uncertain hands of Manuel "Spanglish" Almunia and Lukasz Flappyhandsky.

Despite some early signs of the usual Arsenal flair and brilliance for making the beautiful game beautiful, my conclusion had been reinforced by an early and burgeoning injury list, which of course, included Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas. And so I traveled through the stages of grief and had reached acceptance by kick-off time of today's game.

(and yes, I know it's early, and you can never count out teams this early in the season. I'll even admit that Wolves have a chance for the title at this point...mathematically)

Instead of whining on about our failure to beat Chelsea and all that, I want to attend to several growing concerns I have about the 2010 vintage of Arsenal FC.

For the 4th or 5th season going, Arsenal look like boys to Chelsea's men. I'm not talking about age here. In fact, the best Arsenal player on the pitch (again) was 18-year-old Jack Wilshere. No, Chelsea looked confident, assured, composed and efficient. We looked unsure and were wasteful in our possession and finishing. We ran around to no great effect. Chelsea always looked dangerous to score. As the game went on, we grew increasingly impotent (talk about a contradiction in terms!).

Didier Drogba. Thirteen goals in 13 games against Arsenal?! At some point, if we don't stop him from scoring against us, our players will develop Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. God knows, most of the fans have. I can't watch a Chelsea match against any team without breaking into a cold sweat.

Andrey Arshavin. This cat's killing me. He has had a horrible start to the season. He looks uninvolved, uninspired and unconscious at times. He'll rip off a mortar blast of a shot and get you thinking, 'alright now, the little Russian has woke up. Goals are coming.' And that's all he does. At one point, he made a great play to get the ball off Ivanovic, then lazily passed it to Essien. Instead of chasing Essien, he just threw up his arms and stopped playing. Hello, Arsene? We have a problem here.

Arsene's Misplaced Faith. The team has far too many players that have been potential this or that for far too many seasons. Abou Diaby-Doo is a prime example. It's evident he's never going to be Patrick Vieira. At this point, he'll never even be Jermaine Jenas. Yet, there he is on the field for the biggest match of the young season. Add to this list, Almunia, Flappyhandski, Denilson, Bendtner, Rosicky. Yes, it's a great testament to Arsene's abilities to see the team produce a Fabregas, a Wilshere. But surround them with Diaby's and really, what's the point?

Song Sung Blue. Alex Song had a breakout year in 2009 and was a major reason the team did so well for much of the year. His tenacious defense in the holding midfield role provided great cover for what was a fragile defense. He's started the year poorly, though. He's getting beat and giving away possession, leading today to Chelsea's 2nd goal. Add to that his Harpo Marx hairstyle and he's given Arsenal fans a lot to regret during the first month.

The Finishing. Yes, we've knocked in a ton of goals in the majority of our games, but the points we've dropped have come in games in which we had opportunity after opportunity, only to see it thwarted by inaccuracy (Kos' missed header from almost inside the goal still has my head spinning)

Arsene Getting Outcoached in the Big Ones. I haven't done my homework on this one, so I'm going to gut feeling and shoddy memory, but it seems to me that in the big match-ups in the EPL, Arsene is getting beaten tactically by SAF, back in the day Jose Mourinho, and now Carlos Ancelotti. Certainly, Jose Mourinho had the Frenchman's number (and he had Didier Drogba, to boot). The change from previous games was to put Diaby-Doo behind the lead striker, a position he is materially unsuited for by the fact that he either holds the ball too long, or gives it up cheaply. If Le Professeur needed a reminder, well the West Brom game tapes are proably still available.He may have wanted Wilshere back, as he is a better defender than the lacksadaisical French midfielder, but the attack was starved of creativity and sharp passing. When it happened it was usually because jack had come forward.

The defense played its dangerous high line, which usually is all the red meat Drogba needs. It came close to disaster several times in the game, most notably when Anelka scuffed a 1-v-1 with the keeper wide of goal. But seriously, didn't Arsene watch any of the previous Chelsea games? There's plenty of evidence that Chelsea can and will exploit this.

On the 2nd goal, Arsenal either suffered from inattention or simply weren't prepared for Malouda to drop out of the Arsenal line, creating a gap through which Alex blasted a shot that found upper near corner and looked powerful enough to land in the Atlantic. A defender behind Malouda and that goal wouldn't have scored and the game would still be within reach.

These are things to watch, and hope they improve, over the season. It's not all bad, of course. There have been some good things early in this season, and I'll write abut this next.

With A Slogan Like This...

2010-10-03T17:54:00.001-07:00

"When you gotta go, but wanna stay."

I'm sure that speaks to so many of us who don't mind the feeling (and likely aroma) of a plastic bag of urine taped to one's calf. The Stadium Pal is marketed mostly towards sports fans. I will definitely be eyeing my fellow Sounders fans differently at the Open Cup tomorrow night. They have a Stadium Gal for the lady sports fan, as well (thus making shopping for a Christmas gift for the wife so much easier this year).

And Biorelief is not just aiming to make a quick buck off the unrelieved masses. They are fighting the scourge of illegal public urination:

As harmless as it may sound, public urination is a crime. Different jurisdictions have different punishments, but some places like New Orleans can slap a thousand dollar fine on you and even make you spend the night in the slammer- somewhere you really don’t want to have to take a leak. Seems pretty extreme for just answering nature’s call, but nonetheless, the law is the law. Do you really want to get torn from the party before it is over?

Not ones to miss out on true business synergy, the folks at BioRelief feature links to a site selling the Beerbelly portable beer pouch, and for ladies, the Wine Rack (oh, just guess).

Sounders Step Closer To Playoffs By Beating Toronto

2010-10-03T17:11:00.000-07:00

Pure joy. That was the feeling I experienced for much of the Sounders' 90-minute, 3-goal deconstruction of Toronto FC at Qwest Field Saturday. The team looked as sharp as they every have, moving the ball crisply, getting in for nearly every challenge and defending well, with two notable exceptions. The win moved the team to 42 points in the league table and brought a playoff spot within sight. A win or draw Saturday against KC will clinch the postseason.

Some games come down to key moments, turning points and you might think the 3-2 scoreline saw the game turn at crucial moments. But this was 90 minutes of Sounders soccer. The boys ended the game playing the same way they started, spreading the ball around patiently, dominating possession, testing and teasing Toronto's defensive shape. They moved forward as cracks developed in the Toronto defense, finished strongly, and defended the occasional counterattacks.

Toronto's initial score came entirely against the run of play after 14 minutes. Where this team would've imploded with frustration earlier in the season, they didn't panic and kept playing their game. The first reward for their patience was a thing of beauty. Osvaldo Alonso laid a perfectly weighted pass between the defender and the keeper, and Steve Zakuani's speed brought his feet to the ball just before Toronto's keeper got there. He took a touch around Frei and tapped home the equalizer.

From where I sit in Section 119, the play unfolded directly in front of our seats. Pure joy. To see the pass elude the defender and arrive in no man's land, to not believe the Zakuani could reach it in time. Then to see him look up at the open net and 32,000 people saw the same thing as the winger: the Sounders were going to win this game. And then the ball was in the back of the net and I was jumping up and down, swinging my Sounders scarf around in celebration.

Nobody believed this game would remain tied. Not the Sounders. Not the Toronto players. No one in the stands. This was our day.

Blaise Nkufo extended his recent run of brilliance, powerfully heading in his 5th goal in 3 games for the winner. The half ended with Seattle up 2-1 and all we needed was an insurance goal.

The Sounders continued to maintain possession in the game's latter half, showing a patience that eluded them with the peripatetic Swede in command. In his place, Nate Sturgis quietly commanded the midfield, moving the ball from one side to another, hitting the seams when they opened up, moving the ball to the backfield when Toronto's defense needed to be unpacked. All the while they built pressure, created opportunities. When Toronto defender Adrian Carr turned a vital clearance into a hospital pass through the middle of the area, Gambian Sanna Nyassi stepped into a thunderous left-footed shot to the upper near corner. There was nothing for the hapless Toronto keeper to do to stop the shot; he could only wave wildly, as if he'd just seen his family in the stands.

Nyassi fell to the Qwest Field turf, overcome with emotion at his first MLS goal. As teammates piled on to him, that joy circulated around the stadium.

Catching Up With The Weather

2010-08-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

A chunk of glacier broke off of Greenland. Not definitevly a sign of climate change, but taken together with other phenomena, well you get the picture.

What other When Climate Attacks episodes are we seeing? Well, Russia is on fire. Yeah, all of it. Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but Russia is enduring its worst heat wave in over a millennia. Massive, nasty wildflires are scorching thousands of acres, choking Moscow and other cities with thick smoke. And estimates are that 15,000 may have died already from pollution and heat exhaustion, along with fire-related casusalties.

Hold that for a second. repeat after me, "Fifteen thousand people." Global climate change seems a tad more tangible when you think of the body count of just this one heat wave.

At this rate, the Russian heat blast may eclipse the 2003 European heat wave as the most deadly heat wave in human history.

Aside from the human, natural and financial disaster, the heat wave is a political disaster for the Russian government and may be wilting the Russians' opposition to climate change action. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who may be the most manly head of state ever, has been very visible, in attempts to show that the government is taking action. Today, former KGB officer was shown by state television in the cockpit of a firefighting plane dropping water on a wildfire.

Can you imagine President Obama getting out on one of the firefighting boats fighting the fire on the Deepwater Horizon? BTW, I'm not saying he couldn't, but the contrast shows how serious Putin is taking the political crisis, and showing a very macho approach to the photo op.

Quite a different climate phenomenon over on my side of the world, the Seattle area has been socked in by marine clouds, leading to unprecedented levels of whining. The Pacific Ocean phenomenon is causing unusually cool, cloudy weather up and down the West Coast. Here in the Puget Sound Region, our summer has been nonexistent. While the typical August day here sees about 1.6 hours of cloud cover, of late we've been getting 9 fricking hours!

Still, a whole lot more forgiving weather situation than Russia is experiencing.

Summer Reading

2010-08-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

I have never heard of this author or this series, but good God, it sounds so corn-doggedly bad, that it must be good.

All you may need to know about Jonathan’s latest adventure, “Rules of Betrayal,” is that it puts him on the receiving end of this: “I will ask you one more time, and then I will feed your eye to the horse.”

Now come on, do horses really eat eyeballs?! I think of all the times I've ridden horses, never knowing those sick bastards were drooling over my languidly beautiful brown eyes.

Not a Record To Be Proud Of

2010-08-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

Largest oil spill ever into the ocean. Official word came today that the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster released more oil into the marine environment than any other oil gusher ever.

Nearly five million barrels of oil have gushed from BP’s well — and about 800,000 have been captured by containment efforts —since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, according to the latest data. That amount outstrips the estimated 3.3 million barrels spilled into the Bay of Campeche by the Mexican rig Ixtoc I in 1979, previously believed to be the world’s largest accidental release.

I don't want to minimize the ecological damage that has occurred and will continue to occur for untold decades, nor the tragic loss of human life, nor the economic havoc wreaked on individuals, businesses and a region's economy, so I hope this doesn't sound like I'm glossing over the real world impact. But one of the most disturbing aspects of this disaster to me, is the apparent lack of substantive political impact.

In the dawn of the modern environmental movement - the late 1960s and early 1970s - much smaller, single disasters catalyzed political reactions that resulted in watershed environmental laws like the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Act, and others. The Cuyahoga River bursting into flames shocked the nation (even though it and other rivers in industrial areas routinely "lit up" due to pollution), the Santa Barbara oil spill jolted the nation awake to the possibility of oil fouling the beaches and marine areas we loved.

But now...now, it seems that we are immune to environmental shock, inured by decades of pollution events here and around the world. While there is outrage about BP's actions and malfeasance in the Gulf and the damage done, I don't detect a groundswell of real world action to address the "problem," or prevent something similar from happening. We'll be lucky if the government can keep a moratorium on the few deepwater rigs in the Gulf to ensure they've oiled their BOPs properly.

Of course, the problem is not just public consciousness, but a political system that, bad as it was in the 1970s, has been commandeered by Big Oil and other special interests.

As bad as this has been, and will continue to be for many, many years, the agenda is still Drill Baby, Drill.

I'm scared to think what magnitude environmental disaster would be needed to shock the system into action...

Puget Sound's Acid Test

2010-08-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

You've heard of ocean acidification - the pH drop in our oceans caused by the uptake of all that carbon we're pumping into the atmosphere.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater, producing dilute acids that raise the water's corrosiveness. As seawater becomes more corrosive, it can essentially dissolve the shells of small crustaceans, shellfish larvae and other tiny creatures at the base of the food chain

Marine scientists have now begun looking at the effect of acidification in an urbanized estuary, i.e. Puget Sound. After all, the Sound is subject to the same atmospheric carbon that's turning the Pacific Ocean's acidity up. The Sound, however, gets a double whammy. Not only is there the effect of uptake, but the Sound receives water flow from the Pacific Ocean. Whatever acidity problems the Pacific has, the Sound gets as well. The study found that ocean input was a significant contributor to Puget Sound acidification. A quarter to half of the decline in pH in the deep waters of the Hood Canal basin are attributed to the water flushed in to the Sound.

Sounders Win in San Jose

2010-08-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

Sounders played about as good an opening 25 minutes as I can remember and leave San Jose with another 3 points and a promotion to 4th place in the Western Conference. Fredy Montero's headed goal was enough for the win, but there was a lot to like in this 1-0 win (and good for the mythical 2010 Heritage Cup).

Sanna Nyassi continues on a tear. His runs behind the defense, and excellent crosses into the box were a constant nightmare for SJ defenders. It's a surprise he only ended the game with the one assist. Sanna and Stevie Z on the flanks give us great speed and balance outside.

Ozzie was key as well. His return to fitness is a huge boost for the defense; it's no coincidence that his form and the defensive record move in tandem.

And Blaise Nkufo. Again, he didn't score (though came very close, twice) but he does so much off the ball - his move in the box opened up the soft center for Montero to exploit for the score - and is so good at holding the ball and allowing the attack to evolve, he has changed the landscape of Soundersville.

New DP Alvaro Fernandez got in the game for 15 minutes and certainly looked like an assured and skilled player. I can't wait to see him get more field time.

Also, Nate Sturgis has grown leaps and bounds since early in the season - when he was horrible, and I was all over him. He is moving the ball quickly, he's making intelligent passes, and he does a passable imitation of Ozzie's tiny terrier act.

Good luck in San Salvador boys!

Sounders Back on the 3-Point Schedule

2010-08-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

Oh, it was so sweet to walk out of Qwest Field Sunday Night with 3 points for the Sounders dancing around in my head! The team looks so much better without Ljungberg in their line-up. I really think they were suffering from a bad chemistry problem. Hopefully, they can keep the ball rolling and keep winning.

Seattle Council Bans Bodies

2010-07-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

While I think the Seattle City Council often sticks their legislative noses into some silly areas, I am pleased to see that they've banned "Bodies"-type exhibits. I was disgusted when this so-called exhibit came through the area twice and was received by enthusiastic audiences. These are dead people, not wax figures.

"I'm proud of this City Council," said Patrick Burns, a Seattle resident and retired union carpenter who became concerned with the issue after "Bodies" came twice to Seattle.
He said crowds of people would line up as if they were at a movie theater, smiling and chatting as they waited. But they weren't going to see a film — they were going to see cadavers staged in poses, as if playing football or volleyball, for example.
"They had no sense that these bodies were precious human beings to some family," Burns said.

Exactly. And the council's legislation hit the necro-peep show in its ethically soft center: no permission, no show. The bodies in these exhibits are often acquired from Chinese prisons. Anyone out there have faith in the Chinese penal system having obtained these bodies with valid, uncoerced permission from rightly-convicted felons?

Me neither....

Saluting the Eastern Gray Squirrel

2010-07-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, that Eastern Gray Squirrel. The ones I love to hate. The non-native, invasive pest that displaces our native Pacific Northwest squirrels in urban Puget Sound.

Much as they annoy me, they are successful because they are exceptionally flexible, adaptive and intelligent.

Squirrels can leap a span 10 times the length of their body, roughly double what the best human long jumper can manage. They can rotate their ankles 180 degrees, and so keep a grip while climbing no matter which way they’re facing.

The little blighters are also smart in ways that recall primate intelligence.

Squirrels can learn by watching others — cross-phyletically, if need be. In their book “Squirrels: The Animal Answer Guide,” Richard W. Thorington Jr. and Katie Ferrell of the Smithsonian Institution described the safe-pedestrian approach of a gray squirrel eager to traverse a busy avenue near the White House. The squirrel waited on the grass near a crosswalk until people began to cross the street, said the authors, “and then it crossed the street behind them.”

Eastern grays are prolific precisely because they are very, very good at inhabiting the urban and suburban ecologies we humans create. They haven't so much as displaced our native Douglas squirrels as replaced them; moved in after the Dougs could no longer afford the neighborhood. It's our clumsy tinkering with nature that's created the habitat niche the Eastern grays are so well-qualified to fill.

The Eastern gray is one of about 278 squirrelly species alive today, a lineage that split off from other rodents about 40 million years ago and that includes chipmunks, marmots, woodchucks — a k a groundhogs — and prairie dogs. Squirrels are found on all continents save Antarctica and Australia, and in some of the harshest settings: the Himalayan marmot, found at up to 18,000 feet above sea level, is among the highest-living mammals of the world.

The diversity of squirrel species aside, expect the Eastern gray squirrels to only grow their range as human cities grow.

Sounders Drop Another 3-goal loss in Los Angeles

2010-07-04T22:41:00.000-07:00

Are we playing to secure the top draft pick or something? Halfway through the season and the Sounders have nearly eliminated themselves from any postseason activity other than the MLS draft, which of course, very important.

In one tepid performance, a 3-1 loss at LA, the Sounders nearly blot out all the excitement and joy of the last two weeks World Cup games. These guys aren't having fun playing soccer; they sure aren't creating any joy for the fans.

It only takes 20 minutes for the Galaxy to get on the scoreboard. The Sounders don't look like they're into this game at all. The body language is weak

Edson Buddle gets the opener as Jeff Parke's now-you-see-it-now-you-don't defense allows the big striker to get a free header from the middle of the box, which he buries under the upper far corner.. The second LA goal comes on a massive strike from little Juninho, his first MLS goal. The midfielder collects the ball on the left side of the pitch, about 35 yards out and blasts the ball on a burning rope to the upper far corner.

At this point, the game is done and dusted. Some dodgy LA defending allows Zakuani to get in for a goal, but that is all they're able to muster. A rash gamble by Marshall allows the LA attacker to get in to the area one-on-one with Keller. His pass forces Riley (who had a strong game and, to his credit, kept trying long after teammates had quit) to slide tackle the ball, pushing it into the Sounder net for LA's third goal.

The team is just a mess. Some players, like Riley, continue to work hard, while many of them have quit. On the field, they have no spark, off-the-ball movement is horrible, passing is often off-target, posession is squandered repeatedly. Whether they're trying to or not, the Sounders do appear to be playing for the draft, rather than the post-season. It's clear that a major rebuilding project is the next step in regaining quality form.

Sounders Start Second Half LIke the Ended First Half

2010-06-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

With a disappointing loss, this time to the expansion Union 1-3, a team that had won just 2 games prior. Sigi, are the alarm bells sounding yet?

Sounders Quote of the Week

2010-06-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

Sounders Keeper Keller with a gem of observational brilliance:

"We're still leaking goals and it's frustrating and we're all frustrated. I mean, it's the same guys, except for Sebastien and Stephen King, who did it last year, so from that standpoint you say, 'Yes we have the talent.' But it's been the consistency of our inconsistency that's really hurt us."

Ciaio, Italy!

2010-06-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Soccer Gods. Thank you.

Wonderful Deep Sea Discovery

2010-06-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

NOAA researchers have discovered a large deep-sea boulder field off Washington's coast that is home to a rich variety of fishes, sponges and sea plants. The article fails to mention location, and maybe there's circumspection because of vulnerability to harvest? Hopefully, we'll get this protected before it can be fished?

Please, Please Send the Italians Home

2010-06-21T07:42:00.001-07:00

Bully for New Zealand for drawing (and coming oh so close to beating) the cup holders of Italy. The Italian game is so centrally-driven by cheating through diving and over-acting that would shame a young Will Shatner, that it can hardly be called football at all. When the whole world is watching, the refs and FIFA need to do the right thing and send Azzurri-Ball to the trashbin of history. Don't forget to save room for CRon...

Rant aside, the All Whites deserve all credit. They nicked a goal early and played lights out, death or glory football to record a historic upset (yes, a draw can be an upset). Ryan Nelsen was one of the defensive standouts for me. I've always enjoyed his character and attitude when watching Blackburn in the EPL, and he was every bit as important to New Zealand as he is to his home club.

Could New Zealand go through? Could the Italians fail to advance? Only just and caring football gods would create such an outcome.

2010-06-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

Is the Gulf Oil Spill the nation's worst environmental disaster as the President and many pundits have declared? Justin Gillis, writing in the NYT, points out that this highly subjective (and, ultimately, political) declaration really depends on how one defines a disaster. Unfortunately, there are many candidates for the US to choose from for the winner in this division, and in reading the article I wonder if the Gulf Spill will rank in the top five. However, it's early days yet.

“My take,” said William W. Savage Jr., a professor of history at the University of Oklahoma, “is that we’re not going to be able to tell until it’s over.”

USA Jobbed and Robbed by Incompetent Ref

2010-06-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

Really. This guy stunk up the place, as articulated by Peter King. This is my major beef with referees. They often seem to be as unaccountable as the local TV weatherman. And yet, unlike the weatherman, their blunders have huge implications for players, for teams, and for nations.

Although the USA had plenty of reasons to kick themselves for a subpar first half and surrendering 2 goals to Slovenia, they had fought back to win the game 3-2 with a Maurice Edu strike off a Landon Donovan free kick. But the Mauritian referee blew the whistle and disallowed the goal and the world is still wondering what the call was! This World Cup has lost some of the luster of a magnificent first week due to an inexplicable decision and a system that enables such injustice.

Sins Against The Game, Part II

2010-06-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

Cristiano Ronaldo. Dive.
He had at least five obvious dives in the game. He is a disgrace and a blight upon the game.

Sins Against The Game

2010-06-15T23:22:00.000-07:00

Could FIFA outlaw the short corner kick? If you win a corner kick, you have to put the ball in the area or you surrender possession and a goal kick is awarded.

Goalkeeper Disasters, Part III

2010-06-15T23:09:00.000-07:00

This World Cup may go down as the Tournament of Goalkeeping disasters. Add to the list of diabolical keeper errors (Robert Green for England, the Slovenian keeper), the Paraguayan keeper completely missed a cross and allowed De Rossi the easy tap-in to rescue a point in a 1-1 draw.

I can't recall seeing this number of really diabolical keeping errors in such a short span of time..

Goliath Beats Crud Out of David

2010-06-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

On paper this match should be a bit of a cakewalk. On grass, the game starts just that way as Podolski and Klose start with very nicely taken goals in the 8th and 27th minutes, respectively.

Nice to see the referee issue a yellow card to Germany's Oezil for the first real awful dive of the Cup.

(One note on the German squad, Schweinsteiger has to be the best name in football. Whenever the announcer says his name, I can't help but repeat it myself.)

The German forwards are making brilliant runs into final third.This game looks as if it has more than 2 goals to give to the German team.

And it does, with the Germans smashing four past Aussie keeper Mark Schwarzer who doesn't embarrass himself, like some previous keepers, but instead whose team is just thoroughly outmatched.

Germany is the first of the tournament's giants, and they look ready to roll deep into the tournament.

Ghana Wins Its Opener

2010-06-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

Serbia-Ghana. Ghana starts the game well. I had figured the absence of Michael Essien would hamper the Black Stars, but the midfield looks sharp, organized and tough. The Ghanaian defensive line looks up to the task as they're handling everything that comes their way and distribute the ball weel from the backfield. Still, the first half saw little in the way of real chances. to

In the 53rd minute, Tagoe puts a beautiful ball in, right on his teammate's head and he pushes the ball wide Should've been 1-0.

Three minutes later, Serbia has their own should'a could'a moment, as Zigic gets a pass placed right onto his feet, but the Serbian Peter Crouch misplaces the easy shot in the opposite direction from glory.

Kingson saves a powerful shot on-keeper from Klasic a few minutes after Lukovic is sent off for a 2nd yellow. Then Kuzmanovic suffers a moment of madness and needlessy commjts a handling violation in the box. Asamoah Gyan coolly places the game in the back of the net and that's a 1-0 winner for the Black Stars.

This was a very good game to watch. And I have to say, the referees so far have been nearly flawless. Having had to watch the pitiful MLS refs so much, the past few days have been enjoyable from the standpoint of soccer that isn't ruined by incompetent reffing.

Where's the Diving?

2010-06-13T15:47:00.000-07:00

Mind you, I'm not complaining, but seven games in and I've seen very little diving or attempts to cheat the referee (and, I might add, the fans). Is this a new trend, or simply a result of the fact that Portugal and CRon haven't played yet?

Whatever, hopefully it continues. The game is so much better without the acting.

Slovenia Keeps Streak of Dodgy Keeping Alive

2010-06-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

Algeria/Slovenia. Yawn.

Algeria lucky to get a goal and the 3 points in a game that looked most likely to produce clean sheets for both keepers. The Sloveniian keeper, however, had another thought in mind as he missed badly - really badly on a routine strike. Algeria goes top of Group C, as the goalkeeping position is the most influential position so far in the group.

South Korea puts Greece down

2010-06-12T14:17:00.001-07:00

South Korea again looks like a tough, scrappy team again. They show themselves to be speedy, organized and resilient. Greece, OTOH, one-dimensional and slow, and losers in a 2-0 match.

Opening Game Bright Start to Tournament

2010-06-11T14:26:00.000-07:00

Shabalala hits a great left-footed shot early in the 2nd half to give South Africa the lead. The finish was the result of a really nice counter-attack from the Bafana Bafana.
After the goal, Mexico looks shaky. The ref ignores an abvious foul in the box when Modise breaks through and Rodriguez prevents a decent shot by hauling the striker down.

Wiith the game almost in hand...and South Africa offers a hinky bit of team defensive play, offering Mexico three options to score. Rafa Marquez does not miss the chance to tie and game over.

Wow. South Africa outplayed Mexico in the 2nd half and should'a had this thing won. A good start to the tournament.

So That's What They're Called

2010-06-08T21:53:00.000-07:00

Now, if we could ban them from soccer, I'd be happy. These bleating noisemakers are a painful soundtrack to Sounders'' games. When someone near my seats starts blowing on their little horn, violence is tempting...

Sounders Return to Form!

2010-06-06T17:14:00.000-07:00

Last night's comprehensive 3-0 win over Revolution of New England was as fun a footy match as I've attended since last season. The Sounders simply looked like the team they can be. They were passionate, smart, and they were attacking the goal with intensity and aplomb.

Where the Rave Green lost an insipid 1-0 match against San Jose, despite 18 unconvincing shots, the Sounders blasted 19 shots at hapless Rev keeper Bobby Shuttleworth, most of which looked dangerous, if not on frame. They could've won this thing with 6 goals or more. As it was, all three goals were quality, the first and second, absolutely brilliant.

Just to see a shot like Leo Gonzales' left-footed blast curve around a keeper and into the upper far corner (as well as the tidy build-up to create the opportunity) live and in the moment, is worth every penny of my cheap seats!

While I was hard on Gonzalez in my last post, I felt he had an outstanding game against New England's Nyassi, just the pacey sort of player I said he couldn't cover. Leo frustrated and outsmarted Sainey all night long, and on the one occasion the little speedster got past him, Gonzalez made a professional foul to mute the danger to a free kick.

Freddie Ljungberg may still be a pompous windbag, but his all-out play against the Revs had me applauding the Swede in the second half. He was the engine room on the good ship Sounders and he needs to turn out performances like this consistently for the rest of the season.

Sounders Lose 1-0 in Uninspired Outing at Colorado

2010-05-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

Let's face it, the Sounders aren't just bad at this point of the season, they are a crisis club. The worst part of the 1-0 los s to Colorado wasn't the lack of points for the division table (though, all those zeros are starting to add up), it was the uninspired effort, the disjointed and (at times) panicked play, and the insipid, unprofessional finishing.

Thing is, I don't believe the team is this bad. The team chemistry is terrible, and their self-confidence is shot, and there is at least one cancer on the team...

...which brings me to Freddie "Yappy Lips" Ljungberg. His behavior is so obviously hurting the club, and his play and production are so poor (no goals since june '09, no assists this year), that he has to be the focal point of the club's efforts to right the good ship Sounders. Do they have the cajones? I doubt it.

As long as I'm talking about Yappy Lips, his miss at the end of the first half has to count as one of the worst attempts to strike on goal since...Brad Evans against Boca. Although Evans had a wide open net, Ljungberg had the space, the position and time to juke the defender, and pull the ball back onto his right foot for a shot on the keeper. Instead, he just lamely panic-kicked with his left foot from a difficult angle.

Given that the Sounders don't look likely to score more than 10 goals this season, their end of year DVD will have to be "Sounders Best Clankers and Whiffs of 2010" and Ljungberg's attempt will be top five, for sure.

One final thought, Leo Gonzalez really struggled in this game. He is one of those offensive fullbacks, who does more for the team going forward than he does with defensive abilities. He is a decent defender, and can stop attackers with average pace. He struggles mightily, however, with pacy players like Colorado's Norm Cummings. The speedy striker blew past him all night long. Leo looked to be struggling with the Colorado altitude, as well, but we will likely see more teams expose this weakness in our back line.

I Detect A Pattern

2010-05-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

And the pattern is losing. Another home game, another loss...and another sloppy, indifferent game, as the Sounder drop a 1-0 game to San Jose on a sunny, Seattle afternoon. The team is clearly a crisis club at this time. There's something wrong in the lack of belief, the lack of spirit players show on the field, particularly in front of 35,000 people who shelled out real money to cheer the Sounders on.

The Rave Green are becoming the Paved Green (Patrick Ianni, to the right, demonstrating the Seattle game), getting rolled over by bigger, hungrier teams who come in ready to soak up any pressure Seattle can create, then strike on the counter-attack, or set piece and wait for Seattle's Houdini Defense (Now you see it, now you don't) to fold.

It took Seattle 11 minutes to shoot themselves in the foot. For the first 10 minutes of the game, they looked like they were playing in front of San Jose's 35,000 fans, not their own. They were nervous, panicked in their passes, surrendered possession like they'd never played with a round ball before, and ultimately couldn't figure out how to mark in the box on what became an easy San Jose goal.

I've reviewed the goal several times and I'm still unsure of what the defense was up to. The center backs were both sitting back waiting for an Equake to come to them. Riley had the far post attacker Wondolowski marked, but when Nyassi (who looked like a lost, little boy all game long) lost his man, Riley shifted in to cover. No one shifted out to mark Wondolowski who recieved the headed pass and smashed home an easy open shot on goal.

That was it. Thank you very much, ladies and gentleman. Game over. They'll be 80 more minutes of cheering and singing, but we all know the Sounders can't score at home. It's been 236 minutes since the last Qwest Field goal by the Sounders. 236 Minutes? At Home?! That's enough to watch eight episodes of The Simpsons. Doesn't it seem like any MLS team ought to be able to score a goal at home in less time than it takes Home Simpson to say "Doh!" 20 times in season 5?

As much as scoring and defense are problem areas for the team, I have to focus much of my ire on Seattle's inept midfield. I think we have a photo of the four midfielders...

Actually, Bea Arthur would've provided better cover for the defense and would've undoubtedly played with more testicular fortitude than our guys who were routinely just brushed aside by the San Jose'ers. Plus, no one delivers a cutting remark like Maude!

I digress. The Sounders are learning a new word: Kraftan. That's Swedish for cancer and I think it's time we admit that the team has a little malignant mole in the heart of the team, Designated Player Freddie Ljungberg. He spends more time bitching at the refs than he does playing. Several times, while the game was still being played, he stopped playing to jaw at the refs. And this is our veteran leader?!

You can see that this chirpiness and lack of focus has spread to other players. Aside from that, look at his onfield production. What has he done for the Sounders? No goals since August of last year. He doesn't seem to be creating great attacks consistently. And it looks like he's starting to spat with Sigi Schmid.

"We have to look at ourselves as to why we spend game time to argue insistently with referees. We've got ask ourselves, if a guy hits a bad pass, why we throw up our hands and stop playing for a second?" Sigi asked after the game.

The last couple rhetorical questions appeared to be pointed at star midfielder Freddie Ljungberg, who is known for his open displays on emotion on the field.

Ljungberg, however, disagreed with Schmid's feelings and fired back.
"I've played in the biggest teams in the world," he said, "and you need to get upset if the ref isn't doing the right thing as you think. And if you lose your passion, you won't play."

Improving Ljungberg's attitude and performance, or shipping him, is a long-term project and won't save this season. It's starting to look like the Sounders faithful will experience their expansion season in this, the team's second official season. there will definitely be more losses home and away with the performances Seattle has so far been able to muster.

On the positive side, with the team's new refund policy, at this rate, I'll get all of next season's ticket free!

San Jose Match Player Performances

2010-05-23T09:09:00.001-07:00

I found myself thinking of rationalizations for being at the game. Qwest Field isn't a bad place to be standing on a sunny afternoon...Then I realized this was what many of the players were thinking.

Nathan Sturgis...where do i start?! I'm going to nickname him Ackroyd. He is the original Not Ready for Prime Time player.Painfully slow with the ball at his feet.

Sanna Nyassi had a torrid game. He literally surrendered the first 3 possessions he had. When Montano subbed on for the Gambian in the 70th minute I know I couldn't be the only one thinking Thank God and what took so long, Sigi?

Ljungberg. JSAP. Just Shut up And Play.

Montero. This guy just drives me crazy. He has no concept of work rate. He makes Ammanuel Adebayor look like the hardest working man in football. Get rid of him. It doesn't matter how much ability he has. If he won't work, he's a drag on the team.

Both Keller and Marshall are looking old and rusty.

Coming This Summer...

2010-05-22T08:26:00.001-07:00

...A plague of locusts! Glad I'm on the Westside...

Battle By Other Means...

2010-05-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

The contest over health insurance reforms continue, though, now largely out of the public eye. Insurers and public interest groups are skirmishing over the definition of up to 40 provisions of the health care reform bill that require federal agency rulemaking.
While we spent an agonizing year with health care reform, and watched as issues became hyper-inflated and distorted regarding the legislation's potential impact, the rulemaking happens largely behind the scenes and often determines whether legislation actually hits its intended target or how wide it misses by.

Sounders Commit Self-Destruction at Toronto

2010-04-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

Poor, poor showing from Seattle Sounders as they lose on the road 2-0 to the Toronto Argonauts. Defensive mistakes were the order of the day as De Rosario capitalized on an uncharacteristic mistake from Alonso, who decided it was better to try to juke the 2-time league MVP in the box than to just clear the damn ball. Turned out to be the wrong choice. Former Argonaut player Tyrone Marshall committed the other Sounder assist laying the ball off to the opponents in the middle of the field. With Marshall and most of the other Sounders committed forward, the second goal was an easy order for DeRosario and the goal scorer O'Brian White.

While the Sounders had plenty of posession, they had very little to show for it. They got shots off, but I don't believe the Argonaut keeper really had to make a save. And when they went down a goal, they never looked to me as if they were confident in finding the equalizer. The team's poor offensive production from the end of 2009 has carried over to the new season and seemingly deepened. I think Sigi has got a definite crisis on his hands.

I liked the formation the Sounders started with, primarily because it kept Montero off the field, and because it kept Evans out of the midfield where he is most dangerous...to the Sounders. Nyassi, I thought showed energy and pace and should get more minutes. Evans is so clearly not a striker, however, he was also better in the position than Noonan, Levesque and Montero have shown themselves to be. Put him out there again, I say.

Tyson Wahl was a major disappointment for me. Is there a worse fullback in the league for distributing the ball? Twice in a row, late in the game he struck the ball directly into a Toronto player, squelching whatever attack might have been building. He had plenty of other giveaways during the game. Combine that with his almost complete lack of attacking instinct and you have a wasted piece of real estate when he's in.

Nathan Sturgis looked a lot like Freddie Ljungberg...at least he must've to the TFC players; they fouled him like he was Ljungberg. They hamered the poor kid so hard that when he was subbed off in the 72nd minute I was happy to see him get to the safety of the bench. Other than that, he didn't do much to either impress or otherwise.

Overall, I am pretty concerned about the state of things. The Sounders look like an expansion team this year. If they don't start turning things around, they're going to find themselves buried deep down the table with a long ways back to the top.

Title Race Over, Part Trois!

2010-04-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

Third time looks to be an unlucky charm for Arsenal, as a 2-0 loss at White Hart Lane, looks to have knocked the Gunners out of a chance at the EPL title this year, in every sense but mathermatical. While earlier losses to Manchester United and Chelsea had critics prematurely closing the book on a Gunner title challenge, this third big loss looks to be the real deal.

First off, hats off to Tottenham. They won this one fair and square. The looked to be much hungrier than Arsenal through most of the game, defended very strongly and played the counterattack well. Gunners are left to ponder a fifth successive trophy-less season. That the final nail was placed and pounded in by archrivals Tottenham makes the misery all the more painful.

Now, the analysis/whining. The first goal was a wonder volley from 19-year-old Danny Rose playing his first football game ever. I'm just kidding about that, but it was an impressive debut. On the downside for young Mr. Rose, it's all downhill from here as that is certain to be the best goal he'll ever score, even if he plays in the EPL until he's fifty. As Kevin Palmer puts it:

There was a gasp of surprise around the crowded White Hart Lane press room as the team-sheet was pinned onto the wall and the name of Danny Rose was listed as a starter for Tottenham, but boss Harry Redknapp could argue his selection was justified as his 19-year-old, starting his first league match, scored a goal that he will not better for the rest of his career.

The goal, however, got its start with another weak keeping effort by Manuel "Punchy" Almunia. The Spanish keeper decided to punch out a lofted cross, instead of the safer option of catching it. The ball came down free to Rose. It was a wondershot and not likely to occur too often, but Rose wouldn't have even had the chance if Almunia had done his job.

I haven't tracked the number of points dropped by Almunia's poor habits, but I would guess it's at least nine points. If true, the price of buying cheap at this position is the league trophy. Aside from David James, I can't think of another team's first choice keeper I wouldn't rather have than El Punchero.

The second goal, early in the second half, was down to Mikael Silvestre failing to look for runners in behind him. When Thomas Vermaelen went down with a calf injury in the first period and Silvestre came running on to the pitch, you just knew a goal was coming for Tottenham. The lack of depth on the squad killed us this year. While the sheer number of injuries to big talents was beyond what most teams have to go through, championship teams have to play through injury crises. Arsenal has got to a layer of the squad that just doesn't have what it takes to get to the top.

Two things that I noticed about the squad were lack of attacking instinct and timidity. Arsenal had nearly 70% posession over the course of the game. Ninety-five percent of that posession was between the boxes. I'm glad that Arsene has taught the kids how to dribble and pass but it's time to get on to the chapter on the Final Third. Without Cesc, nary a Gunner had an idea how to pierce the Tottenham defensive shell. It was an embarrassing thing to watch.

I thought Nasri was ineffective as was Rosicky. Eboue was lively for stretches, but he badly needs someone who can play the ball to his speed, as he doesn't have the ability to break down defenders. Diaby did not have a strong game, either. Distrubingly, he did not lot to me as if he had the heart for the game. Tottenham relished the match. Diaby looked like he'd rather be somewhere else.

That timidity permeated the Arsenal team. They looked nervy and all too aware that they had everything to lose in the match. Once the Verminator left the pitch, I'd say the only player with any heart was Sol Campbell, who was yelling at his teammates, trying to get some response from them, urging them to fight back. Campbell had a very good game in my mind. He marked well, was rarely beaten and made a number of great blocks and tackles. He could be a very good back-up back next season.

Bendtner was a non-factor. A lone striker he is not. The Dane needs a dangerous strike partner; without one, defenses have shown that it's easy to stop him. And, the game changed when RVN made his return to the Arsenal side after nearly 6 months with torn ankle ligaments. He made an immediate impact, injecting a final third into the side, and forcing a handful of smart saves from Gomes. While he didn't score the goal, it resulted from the pressure RVN enabled the team to create. We can only ponder what might have been if we'd had a healthy Van Persie all season.

Finally, and this is important not to forget, while the weakened Arsenal side did not have what it takes to be EPL champions, they do have enough to get us to third place and to the Champions League quarterfinals. Those are not inconsiderable achievements. If the first-team squad stays together (and let's hope for a key addition or two) and stays healthy, that should be something to build upon.

Like Watcing Your Arm Getting Sawed Off...

2010-04-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, maybe it wasn't quite that bad, but this was the most agonizing 90 minutes I've yet experienced at Qwest, as Seattle gave up a soft goal and failed to score on what seemed an inexhaustible supply of chances. The final result, a 1-0 loss to a New York Red Bulls team that hasn't won a road game since the Bush Administration (W, that is)

The goal came early in the first half after one of New York's rare forays into Sounder territory. The Sounders defense made a hash of clearing the cross and the ball bounced to Macoumba Hatata (I know it's Kandji, but I love that song) who did a great job of bending his lanky legs to get a shot off, sending the ball into and under the crossbar.

The stats show Seattle's apparent control of the game. I couldn't find any stats for possession, but I have to think it was over 60% in Seatttle's favor. (This was despite very sloppy play, particularly from Porkchop, who seemed to give the ball away at every opportunity). We were quite literally in control of this game, with the simple exception of being down a goal, and not being able to roll the onion into the bag.

The worst of the culprits was normally reliable Freddie Ljungberg who headed the ball just wide of the post on a free header. The Swede grabbed his head in frustration as he knew he should've brought the Sounders back on level terms at that point. Freddie was also culpable for losing his cool with the refs and the RBulls Boltonesque tactics. At one point, Ljungberb tried to kick the ball into the back of an RBull opponent and missed sending the ball past the touchline for a Bulls' goal kick. It was a stupid, juvenile act that squandered what should've been, at least another attempt on goal. Thus was the Sounders' night.

Montero was back to his lazy ways. The most energy and commitment he showed all night long was in pestering the keeper on his kicks. I rate this as highly as Freddie L's throw-away free kick.

I've always liked Roger Levesque's work ethic and spirit, but he was wasted space on the field Saturday. He was making me think wistfully of the days of Nate Jaqua. When Sigi subbed new striker Pat Noonan on, the front line immediately gained a sharper edge to it. I'm thinking Noonan will begin to get more and more time and Roger will take his place on the bench.

Other than that, not too much to say about the game. I could complain about the RBulls fouls, and the inconsistent, weak-kneed refereeing, but there's no use pinning the blame on anyone else other than the Sounders. They shot themselves in the foot. It was about the only target they could hit last night!

Let's get it back against the Rapids!

The Late (Late, Late, Late) Show at the Emirates

2010-04-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

Arsenal have determined not to give up on the title chase, not to make it pretty and to leave everything until late in the day. The Wolves cames to Emirates did everything they could to cede a goal, even played a man down for the last half hour and still the Arsenal did not create the 1-0 winner until less than 30 seconds remained in stoppage time.

A couple of things were clear from the start. As line-ups were announced it was clearly a weakened side as Clichy, Diaby, Nasri, Bendtner did not feature, aside from the other more serious absences. And Arsenal set a record for the slowest left-back in the history of top flight play, Mikael Silvestre. Wenger could afford the luxury of putting the old Frenchman outside as Wolves rarely looked able to trouble him.

In the early going, it didn't seem to matter as everything from Arsenal came down the right-side with Theo Walcott, fresh off his game-changing goal against Barca, looking like he's re-discovered football. But, it was to be short-lived as Walcott soon showed that while he had all pace in the world to get to the end-line he really had no idea what to do when he got there. Still, Arsenal created chance after chance in the early going but they just couldn't find the key to unlock the goal (one place to start would've been to quit shooting at the keeper).

(BTW, Arsenal had no corner kicks during Thursday's Champions League match. When was the last time Arsenal finished a game with no corners?)

The half finished 0-0, with Arsenal creating plenty of pressure, but showing a real lack of composure shooting at goal. Towards the latter stages, the Gunners clearly showed that (without Cesc...and Arshavin...and Nasri) they were running out of ideas. Let's see if Arsene gives them a few in his halftime talk.

Second half starts and a couple of things are abundantly clear. First, Eduardo is very ineffectual; just a shadow of hi pre-injury self. no conviction attacking the goal, a couple of bad whiffs and no speed. Arsenal are getting multiple crosses in (they're raining right in now) and don't have any goal scorers to poke it in. Several times I saw the ball come whipping in and Arsenal players standing watching Hanneman catch the ball. Just throw yourself at the ball a little; that's all I aks!

Never thought I'd find myself saying it, but by the 6oth minute I was screaming for Big Nick to get subbed on.

I'm sorry to say but Theo Walcott is just rubbish. His speed definitely changed the Barca game and he did score the first goal in the comeback (although take a look at the replay, it wasn't a good finish; more Valdes' mistake than Theo's prowess.) but the kid has got no finish. Consistently, he's picking the wrong pass or just wildly whipping the ball in, hoping that someone will be there. You can afford to play him against a team the caliber of Wolves, but against the likes of Chelsea or ManUre, he'll be deadly to the Arsenal.

At the 65th minute, the ref gives an apparent assist to Arsenal, reaching for his yellow card and mistakenly pulls out a red card on Carl Henry (there's no way that tackle was anything but a yellow). I had to wonder if the effect of going down a player might galvanize Wolves. Arsenal did bring down a lot more pressure after the card, but give Wolverhampton credit, the lads never gave up and created a few nervy moments for the Arsenal supporters.

The Gunners could not do the job in a full 90 and when the ref gave 5 minutes of stoppage time, I had to wonder if that would be enough. In the 93rd minute, Walcott gets the best chance of the game, when Rosicki find him alone against Hanneman in the area and the winger badly scuffs the chance to win the game. Dropped points, thy name is Walcott (and Almunia). I know he's young, but it's clear the experiment is over. We can't afford to keep putting him on the pitch. Let him go try to develop as a player somewhere lower down the table. Arsene could probably get a decent amount for him and use that to help buy a real keeper.

Finally, my hero, Bendtner Scores in the 94th plus-minute. Rosicki finds Sagna out wide of the box and the French defender lifts a nice ball in the area, leaving it to the Big Dane to outmuscle his defender and direct the ball past the keeper and just past the good side of the near post. Beautiful goal!

I could grouse about the game all day long, but the bottom line is that championship-calibre teams win the tough games. They pull out the 3 points on the off days. The hope stays alive for another week.

2010-04-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

Well, the injury count on last night's 2-2 draw with Barcelona was pretty horrific. Cesc is done for the season with a broken fibula, Arshavin yoinked the calf muscle, and Gallass re-crocked his calf. How often do you see a Champions League match where a team loses that many players?

It was inspirational to see the Arsenal Captain refusing to come off the pitch, despite having a broken leg. I have to think that a lot of credit for Arsenal's newly found resilience that they've displayed this season is down to the competitiveness of their captain. Now, we've got to hope that the team rallies around Fabregas to make a run at the Champions League and Premier League titles.

Around the 20th minute of the game I commented to my wife that Wenger's game strategy was clearly to let Barca have all the possession they wanted so that they would wear themselves out. Strangely enough, it almost loooked that way in the end. By the time, Arsene subbed Walcott on, the Barca players could only look on as the kid blew by them like...well, like Messi, perhaps.

I also was struck by how badly Arsenal needed to play very un-Arsenal like and get stuck in on Barca, a point that Robbo Robson makes in his always excellent blog:

Why do we Brits get quite so awe-struck by Barca? It seems ironic to me that Wenger has spent the season complaining about how teams are being too aggressive against his side and yet here the Gunners were up against a team that played the Arsenal way, only about five times better and Arsenal desperately needed to get amongst them.

I reckon if Tony Pulis had given the tactical team-talk they might have had more of a chance. Instead Guardiola's team left Arsenal's players looking like a particularly tormented bunch of toddlers learning the rudiments of piggy-in-the-middle.

Perhaps they'll figure that out by next Tuesday.

Holy Crap!

2010-04-01T20:32:00.001-07:00

So, that's what it feels like to be West Ham.

I wrote that at about the 63rd minute of complete domination of Arsenal by Barcelona (one Theo Walcott lightning strike aside). For the first time, I'd realized how it must feel to be a West Ham or Hull City fan coming up against a side that plays keep-away against you for 90 minutes. Even up until Cesc Fabregas' equalizer penalty kick, Barca had 65% posession.

Has any side ever so thoroughly dominated another in the late stages of the Champions League and only come away with a 2-2 draw? What a weird and somewhat wonderful game (take away the injuries to our two most dangerous players)

Random thoughts on the game:

Manuel Almunia's defects as a goalkeeper were shown in bold display. As a shotstopper, he's not too shabby. He kept the Gunners in the game in a starting 15 minutes in which Barca had so many shots it felt like a Final Four Match, not a Champions League Quarterfinal. It's all the other things you expect out of a keeper - positioning, covering crosses & corners, not rolling the ball into pressure, positioning, not palming the ball into your own goal in the last second of a game, and...positioning. That first goal was embarrassing. I'm sure even his mom wanted to turn off the TV right then.
Nick Bendtner didn't have a very distinguished game and yet he figured heavily in both Arsenal goals. The pass to Walcott, brilliant. The knock down to Fabregas, likewise.
Abou Diaby reverted to his Diaby Diaby Doo persona. He gave the ball away so many times I was beginning to believe he must've thought it was booby-trapped. Must do better.
Gallass down. It looked bad. That's a blow for the run in, and my guess is he's done for the year. I hope Sol is ready to go the distance and please, please, please, let's not see any more Mikael Silvestre.
The Fabregas injury looked serious. He says it's a broken leg. Regardless, it looks like he's done for the season. Damn bad news. But the sight of him telling the the coaches he can go on, must go on and then hobbling around Emirates for the last 7 minutes was an incredible testament to the lad's spirit.
Samir Nasri had a near-brilliant game. During the first 20 minute siege he was constantly a step or three behind, trying to catch the speedy Danny Alves, but after that he was the most consistent midfielder on the field. Tackled better than he has all season and provided the most danger to Barca with the crosses in. We will need something amazing from him at the Nou Camp.
As for that, any sane person will write Arsenal off, 3 starters down, 2 away goals hanging around their neck, Manuel Almunia in goal, and I have to agree. Logically, they have no chance whatsoever...but, football is a strange, strange game. The very fact that they achieved the improbable, scoring 2 goals to grab a draw from a game that by all rights should've been oh, about 8-0, should be enough to at least keep the flame of hope burning for Gunners. Time for Arsene to deliver a "win one for Cesc" speech.

Title Finally Out of Reach?

2010-03-27T03:58:00.000-07:00

Gunners express blows a flat and drops 2 critical points at Birmingham City, surrendering a 1-1 equalizer in the last seconds of a game they'd secured after 83 minutes of futility. This loss goes down to two people: Manuel Almunia and the coach who hired him.

First, Manuel "Hilario" Almunia. The lazily floating, unintentional shot from Kevin Phillips should've been parried over the bar to safety. No EPL-quality keeper with the season on the line should softly push the ball beneath his own crossbar. Those two points have almost certainly ended what has been an inspiring, highly unlikely run for the title. To have it end on a bozo play like that should finally end the Almunia experiment.

Now, the coach. For all his great qualities, Arsene Wenger shows too many judgement lapses at critical times. Almunia is top of the list today. It's been clear to seemingly everyone else aside from Le Profeseur that Manuel Almunia is not a top four starting keeper. He could keep for Everton. He certainly looks like he could fill David "Calamity" James' boots at Portsmouth. But for a title winner? Methinks not, and today's result is the strongest argument. Anyone else see the absolute brain fart of a toss out late in the game, straight to a Birmingham midfielder? Chelsea would've punished us on that. Or the ball he decided to punch to an opponent from the 12-yard line? What is any intelligent keeper doing trying to claim a hot ball 12 yards out in the middle of a crowd of defenders and opponents??! Let your defenders take care of that.

Now, Wenger has got to see defects like that and make the call to get himself a championship level keeper. If not, then he's got to share with us the drugs he's taking.

Final quibble. Why is he starting Theo Walcott? My guess, is that he's showing admirable, but misplaced loyalty, and trying to help the lad get a spot in an England team that doesn't need him. Walcott cannot be rated anything else than a once-intriguing experiment that has become a defect in the team's quality. Sure, he's got all the speed in the world, but he has nothing - nothing - in the final third. His crossing is poor. His finishing is not even MLS--quality.

Aside from two runs early in the game, Walcott was Casper the Ineffective Ghost. When he was subbed off, the team began to click and Nasri scored what should've been the game winner.

Sadly, it was not, and a great effort by the Arsenal has gone for naught. I doubt we can continue to rely on the leaders to so generously drop points for us.

Word of the Day is...

2010-03-13T11:42:00.000-08:00

Whew!

As in, glad to see that ball in the back of the net after 73 minutes of wasteful, profligate footballing! Arsenal nicked 3 crucial, crucial points from a determined Hull side, courtesy of the Big Dane Nicklas Bendtner. The gangly young lad has discovered the joys of scoring goals and executed a Smash and Grab score off of Boaz Myhill's poorly parried block of a Denilson long-range attempt. The final result: Arsenal 2-Hull city 1.

This game was excruciating for much of the 2nd half, as Arsenal let 10-men Hull knock them off their rhythm. They failed to find their passing touch and Samir Nasri could not provide the creative flair missing from their injured captain Cesc Fabregas. Arsenal did not so much as get a shot on the Hull City goal until stoppage time. But the important fact is that they kept working until they created shots. Denilson was perhaps too hopeful in launching his shot from 35 yards out, but the resulting rebound proved the importance of taking shots.

The game started brightly enough as Arsenal got out of the gates in fine fashion, moving the ball around with ease and the resulting Arshavin goal seemed inevitable. The little Russian showed his skill in dribbling around and through two defenders before slotting past the onrushing Myhill. It seemed that Arsenal might better the 3-0 result they produced against Hull at Emirates earlier this year.

Diabolical refereeing changed the direction of the game. Both referee Andre "the Lost" Marriner and the AR missed a painfully offsides Jan Vennegor of Hesselink and then rewarded the Hull striker for clearly initiating contact with Sol Campbell in a non-scoring position, by gifting the home side the penalty. Jimmy Bullard equalized for the Tigers and the game went downhill from there.

Arsenal spent the next 73 minutes lost in the wilderness. Andrei Arshavin was particularly wasteful with posession and seemed to want nothing more than to equal Nick Bendtner's effort last week against Burnley. He missed at least 3 sitters by my count. But everyone has an off day and you can't discount the wonderful first goal he scored.

And while I'm at it, bravo to Sol Campbell! Sure he's lost a bit of the game since his heyday anchoring the Invincibles back line, but he is still an able, experienced defender. There is something inspiring for this Gunner when seeing the big bald guy wearing the red shirt and showing his all in defending the Gunners goal. While I was sorry to Zayitte injured in the clash between him and Campbell, the tackle (a clean one in which Sol got to the ball first) was robust, resolute and hard-nosed. Campbell brings a steely attitude that stiffens the Gunners' back line significantly.

The important thing for Arsenal supporters is that the side showed resilience against a very determined Hull team fighting for its Premiership survival. Champions win even on the days where they struggle. Arsenal secured the 3 points they needed to keep pace with their rivals, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Amazingly, despite losing RVN for the season, the horrible loss of young Aaron Ramsey, and Cesc, Nick Bendtner, Rosicky, Walcott, Diaby, Arshavin & Gallass for crucial periods, this Gunners squad is right in the race for the title. We're not getting excited about battling for the 4th spot, as we have been the past few seasons. We've still got our eyes on the trophy. And we're on to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. And with the exception of Arshavin, the Gunners have done it largely with talent they've developed internally.

As frustrating as Arsenal has been at times this year, their results have shown the value and promise of Arsene Wenger's footballing strategy and management philosophy.

Strap in, it's going be an exciting ride to the finish line!

46-Year-Old Blogger Committs to UW

2010-02-06T01:03:00.000-08:00

The storied list of University of Washington quarterbacks may grow in leaps and bounds as this 46-year-old has verbally committed to play signal caller for the Huskies, "if I return to college someday."

Ridiculous, right? Yeah, almost as silly as 13-year old children making verbals to USC. Good God, have we not learned anything from the Todd Marinovich?!

Sure, the kid has some good indicators and skills for his age, but he's 13! He's project to grow to 6-5?!

Yeah, I'm projected to grow to 6'2" and a six-pack-laden 185 pounds of mean, football-slinging muscle...if I get into shape...and get on some steroids...and don't have a midlife crisis before then.

The Wonderbread Express Rides

2009-10-25T03:13:00.000-07:00

Fabulous night in Seattle last night for the last regular season game for Sounders FC in their inaugural season, with a come-from-behind 2-goal resurgence to nab the 2-1 victory over red hot FC Where's Waldo?

The comeback was fueled by the scoring prowess of slow white guys Nate "SloJack" Jacqua and Brad "Porkchop" Evans.True to form, SloJack worked his ass off, but looked fairly impotent all game, drawing the inevitable derogatory comments from Section 119...and then he scored, of course. Evans also got a fair bit of stick from our group, mainly for impersonating The Invisible Man in the midfield...and then he scored the winner.

So, this post is for you men of The Wonderbread Express. Slow white guys (Including myself here, too), we salute you!

In its entirety, the game was quite fantastic. Sounders started off with energy and purpose; they looked like a team that realized it hadn't won for its home fans since early July. A couple of offsides violations nullified good runs and a nice goal from Evans. But completely counter to run of play, FC WW? midfilelder Atiba Harris was allowed to run the ball to the edge of the 18 and take a low, driving shot that neatly beat Keller to the far post. The air went completely out of the balloon at this point. The fans were shell-shocked. The players stunned.

The sounders players carried that torpor into the second half. It wasn't until the 60th minute that the team began to show signs of life. After Porkchop threw a Dallas defender to the ground and drew a yellow card, the team looked like it had regained some sense of determination. Freddie Ljungberg played prominent in both goals, driving the ball deep to the endline before sending through a cross that Montero just missed and Jacqua, as the lucky, wide open recipient, couldn't fail on, and the score wad equalized in the 64th minute.

Ljungberg's work effort got another cross through, in the 84th minute, that Evans, making a nifty nearpost diagonal run, flicked over the keeper's hands for the winner.

Bring on the playoffs!

Sounders Play For Silverware Tonight

2009-09-02T01:04:00.000-07:00

It's on in DC, baby. Keeping my fingers crossed that the Sounders of early season form show up.

The Eduardo Saga winds on with UEFA deciding that of all the countless divers in CL games over the past decade, the diminutive Croatian is the Johnny Dillinger of "simulation." Bullpucky. Someone in UEFA is sleeping with Celtic management. Joe Guarr points out the sheer hypocrisy of it spot on. You can't single Eddie out. If UEFA wanted to do something against diving they have to be consistent. Anybody want to bet that Eddie's 2-match ban will be the sum and total of their "campaign" against diving? Yeah.

Arsenal's response sums it up:

Arsenal says it is "deeply frustrated by the perfunctory and apparently
arbitrary process that UEFA has followed in this instance."

Speaking of frustrating, Abu Diaby Doo is keen to get past his "silly mistake." Silly Mistake?! If that helps you move forward and actually play consistent, winning football, then it's a silly mistake, my friend...

...but in my book it's one of the dumbest moves I've seen in football. Ever. Well, other than a similar play in a U16 girls game last year, but those are girls, not professional footballers. Anyhow, my point is that Abu needs to set a high bar for himself in getting past the silly mistake. Dude needs to not only remind people of Patrick Vieira, he needs to become Patrick Vieira (ca. 2004), terrorize opposing players with his defense, nail pinpoint passes upfield to ignite the attack and, oh yes, SCORE!

When he does these things consistently, I will remove the Abu Diaby Doo label from him.

Start The Fire, We Found Ourselves A Diver!

2009-08-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

There you have it, from no less a football authority than Le Profeseur, Eduardo is a witch and the football purists (and whinging Celtic supporters) are engaging in a witch hunt! Run, Eduardo, Run!

Anyways, bring on the big pile of ManUre! Go Gunners!

Sore Losers?

2009-08-27T03:45:00.000-07:00

Celtic want to see Eduard punished for his PK-winning dive, which transformed the Hoops' eventual Champions League aggregate loss a 5-1 affair rather than a much tighter 4-1 loss. It's nice to see the Scottish team so righteous on this point. I'm sure they'll be the first to turn in any divers past and present on their own squad, right? Or, maybe this is just sour grapes?

I'm not for the dive. I think it's an ugly part of the game that takes away from the quality of football. However, it would be wrong to approach this on a case--by-base basis, depending on when teams complain loudly about a particular player.

Instead, the EPL (and the SFL, for that matter: watch out Bhoys!) should implement a consistent system for detecting and punishing players committing egregioius diving. I would like to see video review of all matches, and offending players (and there'd have to be some criteria established for what constitutes a serious diving infraction) given a 1 or 2-game suspension. Something like that would be liable to reduce diving to a minimal level.

But pick on our boy Eduardo just 'cuz the Celtic are hurting over being thoroughly outclassed by Arsenal over 180 minutes of football? That'd be wrong.

Huskies Start Their Season With the Win

My daughter and I went to Husky Soccer Stadium to watch the ladies begin their 2009-2010 season with a 2-1 win over Seattle U. We were a few minutes late to the game and Seattle had already scored. The Dawgs were sleepwalking through the first half so I can only imagine how they were scored on. They picked up the tempo towards the halftime and outshot SU 11-4 with a few very close calls.

The 2nd half was not really a contest. The Dawgs superior athleticism and skill easily brought the equalizer and they never took their foot off the pedal as they scored the game winner with about 30 minutes left, I think. Could've scored more, as well. Good start to the season!

Arsenal Win At Parkhead

2009-08-19T02:01:00.000-07:00

It may have looked lucky, the way Arsenal scored two goals in a 2-0 Champions League match against Celtic, but the outcome was deserved by an Arsenal side that played smart and patient football and created dangerous attacks.

The Bhoys worked hard throughout the game, and created a few chances of their own, but were largely outclassed by Profeseur Wenger's Acedemie de footbal. The first goal, a free kick that bounced off defender William Gallass' back as he tried to duck out of the way, was certainly lucky. The second, although an own goal off Captain Gary Caldwell, was the result of another dangerous Arsenal attack and a dangerous cross from Abu Diaby.

Vermaelen continues to impress. Having a smart, tough central back in the game makes me happier about Arsenal than at any time in recent memory. Both Song and big Nick look like different players (and I mean that in a good way). I've started calling Nick the anti-Jacqua (you Sounders fans know what I mean).

Two away goals put the Gunners in the drivers seat in this pair of matches. All they have to do is hold on at Emirates and they're back into the Group Stage. The Gaffer warns against complacency. Go Gunners!

Two Wins in One Day! Me Like.

2009-08-19T00:33:00.000-07:00

Arsenal Rings in the New Season With a Bang (and 6 goals!)
Well, Arsenal's first effort of the new season has me stunned. The Gunners poofed around for 20 minutes or so, then unleashed an onslaught of offense that was helped in no small measure by absolutely incompetent and unconscious defending from Everton.

Denilson got the Gunners going with a killer curving shot that left Tim Howard with nothing to do but leap after it, for appearances sake. Even better the shot came from some tidy, patient short passing from RVN to Cesc and then the young Brazilian.

American Timmy Howard was given lots of practice to look hapless, thanks to defenders who just decided that defedning on set pieces was sooo beneath them. Newcomer Thomas Vermaelen notched the 2nd goal of the game and the first in his Arsenal career, with a deadly accurate inswinging free kick. To be charitable, Tim Howard would've had trouble on his hands, even if Vermaelen had been marked. But he wasn't.

...of course, it was difficult for Joleon Lescott to defend well, what
with City boss Mark Hughes chasing him all over the pitch like a
lovelorn stalker.

The new defender was impressive on both sides. I have to say that I was delighted at his performance and am actually thinking positively about our central pairing of V and Gallass. Granted, Jo ain't DeeDee Dogbreath but Vermaelen had him chained and shackled and read the game extremely well.

Gallass bagged the third goal, on another unmarked set piece. And then young Fabregas snared a brace before Eduardo, a late substitute got his first EPL goal (the easiest of goals, at that) in over a season. Nice to see the lad score and am hoping for lots from the rehabbed striker. He looked sharp and hungry in the spare minutes he had on the pitch.

Not much you can say in a runaway game like this. Everything was going our way. This wasn't a scrap and battle with Chelsea, or Liverpool, so I'll take it for what it is: a very nice way to open what will be a long and challenging season. However, I can't for the life of me remember who that tall, shaggy fellow was that used to ply the front line for us...

My surprise of the game? Young Nick "Look, my shorts are staying on" Bendtner. With the injuires to the squad, Le Profeseur, put the lanky Dane on the right outside mid. He hustled on both sides of the ball. He was a monster for the Everton defenders to handle. He held posession when needed. He passed and linked up with his teammates and for all I could tell, looked like a man who might begin looking like more than 6 foot 5 inches of potential. Good game, Nick!

Sounders Actually Score!
335 minutes of scoreless Sounders soccer?! Has it really been that long? Wow. Well, a David Beckham WTF moment, and a red card, put the Rave Green in the drivers seat and set up a Steve Zakuani score, on as pretty a set-up play as you'll see. Fredy Montero played a smash and grab ball to the roof of the net in the 2nd and that was all that was needed for the Sounders to leave LA with a 2-0 victory and leapfrog the Galaxy into 2nd place.

Now, I'm going to rain on the parade. The Sounders didn't look all that good throughout the game, even with the man advantage. In my mind, they didn't work very aggressively, showed too much content with a 1-goal lead, were sloppy with their passing, and a host of other sins.

They're going to have to get a lot better, if they want to survive the last months of the season and all the road games that they've got. Still, coming out of LA with a win and 2nd place is a good day!

Two final thoughts:

1) LA was the hottest team in the MLS? Wow, they looked bad. If this is one of the MLS' best, we've got deep problems.

2) The MLS refs are nuts. Yes, Beckham's red card was deserved. That could've been a leg breaker. But the 2nd yellow on Marshall was a silly ref biting on what wasn't even a good dive by Landon Donovan. Look at the replay. That dive makes some of Montero's play-acting look positively Shakespearean. And while Eddie Lewis did strike at James Riley's head, it was the weakest of punches ever thrown. Give him a yellow card and a week's free lessons at the nearest self-defense course.

Sports Drinks Or Not Sports Drinks

2009-08-04T23:44:00.000-07:00

Are Sports drinks appropriate for kids? If they're serious athletes, the answer is yes...but only during competition.

“When kids do intense exercise in the heat for numerous hours, I
would encourage the use of sports drinks,” says Douglas Casa, an
associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut and
the lead researcher for most of the sports camp studies. “They will
likely drink more of a flavor they like as compared to water, and will
benefit from the carbs and electrolytes.”

But that ‘yes’ has clear and definable limits. “Sports drinks are
only appropriate in the context of sports, and I mean serious sports,”
emphasizes Nancy Clark, a registered dietician and sports nutritionist
in Boston

No one suggests that, outside of fields or courts, sports drinks are
wise. “These are not health foods,” Clark says. “They’re fancy sugar
water. You see kids having them with their pizza at lunch. That’s not a
good idea.” Sports drinks have been linked with obesity and tooth
decay. They’re also expensive

Henry's Here! Henry's Here!

2009-08-03T23:26:00.000-07:00

Only, like, my favorite player in the entire world!

And, Arsene Wenger continues to play hardball with Bordeaux over Manouh Chamakh. Bordeaux senses that Arsensal is desperate for an Adebayor replacement and are jacking their asking price up. Wenger ain't playing. Does this guy have testicules, or what?!

"I like Chamakh, he is a forward that attracts me, but I already
have (Theo) Walcott, (Nicklas) Bendtner, (Robin) Van Persie, (Andriy)
Arshavin and Eduardo. I am in no rush.

"My offer seems fair to
me, taking the market into account. Chamakh would be good, but there
are other options should we wish to pursue them."

That Was Ugly

2009-08-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

Talk about a game with no redeeming quality in it for a Sounders fan! The 4-0 drubbing at the hands of the lowly SJ Quakers was ugly all around. The Sounders to a man seemed to have nothing in this game.

How bad was it? It was so bad that by the 2nd goal, I could no longer complain about the refereeing and the horrible decision for a straight red card on Sounders James Riley. In fact, at the end of the game you'd be hard pressed to complain about the ref. The Sounders were so off-stride today that they wouldn't have stayed in it even under the best of refereeing.

How bad was it? You couldn't tell the Sounders were playing down a man for most of the match. I don't mean that in a good way.

Fortunately, Time Magazine didn't watch this game. Bring on Barca. And Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi better play!

Rumbling Into The Season At Emirates...

2009-08-01T02:43:00.000-07:00

Adebayor gone to City. Now, Toure follows him. Arsene has some extra $40 million pounds to flash around in search of reinforcements, but the question is, whether he will open the club's wallet.

David Young argues that, while Toure was a good player for the Gunners, the move is a shrewd one, banking a nice profit for a player who is on the downhill swing of a good career.

As sad as it is to see the Ivorian go, it has to be said that in cold,
hard business terms £16m looks to be a very decent price for a defender
who has arguably lost a bit of his edge over the past couple of seasons
and is now heading towards the wrong side of his peak years - and
considering that he was bought for a mere £250,000.

The question of course, is now what, or rather whom? Rumours abound that Arsene is pursuing Brede Hangeland, maybe even Patrick Vieira. Wouldn't the last one be interesting? Even if all it did was save #4's career from an ignominous end in White Hart Lane, it'd be worth it.

Back on the US West Coast, my Sounders FC are down in San Jose to play the Quakers. New signing Leo is with the team but won't likely play at this time. It sounds as if Sigi will use Leo to finally solidify the left back spot. Though Tyson Wahl has played decently of late, the position needs strengthening. The sight of a left back with the ability to bring the ball up, the way right back James Riley does, should give MLS opponents jitters.

Toure Next to Take The Man City Money Bus?

2009-07-27T23:23:00.000-07:00

It looks like Kolo Toure, Arsenal's exceptionally gifted but oft-inconsistent centre back is ready to cash in on the Light Blue Largesse and sign with Mark Hughes' side. If one of the two had left, I was hoping it would be Will.I.Am Gallass, but it appears these dreams, too, shall be dashed this summer.

At Least Henry Knows What Loyalty Is (Even After One Has Signed With Barca). The former Gunner skipper says he would never tell Patrick Vieira, or anyone (presumably this includes Stretch the Wonder Striker) to sign for Tottenham.

And in news that warms the heart of any Gunners fan, whilst simultaneously boosting tenfold our hopes for next season, Nicklas Bendtner has decided to stick with Arsenal. Good on ya, Nick. Now, if you can just (in order) learn to shut your big trap, score those sitters, run and work hard, and keep your trousers on, you'll be the big time player you think you are in no time.

Another One Got Away

2009-07-26T03:31:00.000-07:00

Anyway you look at the game Saturday afternoon in Seattle against the Chicago Dive, this should've been a win and 3 points at home. The Rave Green created many good opportunities, including 2 crossbar-clangers, 2 goal-line clearances and a point-blank shot on goal, following a Nate Jacqua header that should've scored (and probably would've on any other day). And yet, the result was the club's first scoreless draw in its history.

I can't say the Sounders dominated this game, but they controlled it. We worked the ball down both sides of the field, throughout, and maintained a pretty consistent level of posession. Like Tuesday's cup game, it seemed that we just couldn't buy a goal. Chance after chance came up just wide, just over, or saved one way or another. And yet, after Tuesday, I had confidence that we were going to score.

Nate Jacqua continued his hard work up front. Though, he ended up shooting blanks, I felt he had a good game. He was denied by some good goalkeeping. He did a lot of little things off the ball (he was first to the ball to clear a dangerous corner in the dying minutes) and he did a good job posessing the ball and linking with Montero and the midfield.

Steve Zakuani's speed caused the Chicago defense trouble all game long. Unfortunately, when he did get into shooting position, his shots were pretty tame. Maybe he's tired after three games in a week, but we need better shots from #11.

Alonso. It's great to have him back. Watching him rip posession from guys twice his size is just a treat.

Freddy Ljungberg had a solid game, but loses 2 points in my book: one for shooting straight at the keeper when the goal was there for the taking (Arsenal men have to do better than that), and secondly for getting ejected from the game. Yes, the ref was an asshole, but Freddy put us in a hole just minutes after we'd gotten a man advantage. Just walk away, Freddy. Yes, there is injustice in getting carded for a dive, while Cuahtemoc Blanco is treating the pitch like an Olympic-sized dive pool, but Freddy did dive, and not very convincingly.

There were some strange substitutions. LeToux for Zakuani. I felt Zak still had energy. Taking him off, just subbed speed for speed. Better to take off Montero, who largely wasn't involved (at least productively) after the 80th minute. Taking Jacqua off with a few minutes left also seemed odd. He was the only striker working hard at that point and he's proved he has the grittiness to grind away for 90 minutes until he scores. That, and with a man down, his height in the box was important in defending set pieces.

Tyrone Marshall did not play and I think that hurt us. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado has been inconsistent in recent games, particularly in marking runners up the middle of the box. Marshall seems to have better anticipation, and I think he pairs more effectively with Patrick Ianni.

And now, the ref. Disappointingly, I have seen some of the worst refereeing in my life in this first MLS season of the Sounders. Inconsistency, inability to control a game, unwillingness to prevent the diving and stalling tactics that suck the entertainment and enjoyment out of a match, and complete lack of concept of how to manage a game. Referee Baldomero Toro was all these things and more. Not once did he caution Chicago for their consistent, repeated diving, stalling the play on Sounders free kicks, or their own re-starts. Every kick Blanco is standing right in front of the ball. In 70 percent (I guesstimate) of the plays in which Blanco is challenged by a Sounders defender, he falls. Coincidence? Old age? Come on!

And then he awards Chicago a golden free kick outside the 18 in the final minutes of the first half off a horrible dive by Blanco (knocked off both feet by an inconsequential touch by a Sounders defender). When Freddy tries to get the same (and yes, it was a dive, but its consistency I'm on about here), he's carded and ultimately ejected.

Toro made some correct calls, but never in any consistency to amount to game management. And what's with the halftime conference with Blanco? That didn't look good at all.

And here's another problem with the MLS. While the game was exciting, the last 5 minutes were frustating and boring because of the time-wasting antics of Chicago. Seattle wanted to get on with it and try to score, but we had another plethora of on-field "injuries." As a fan, I find this really disappointing and un-entertaining. There are few teams in the MLS that play with the attacking style of the Sounders. Too many of them play the plodding, grind-it-out style. Throw the time-wasting antics in and you've got a problem for a league trying to build a fan base.

In England it's ok to be a Bolton or a Tottenham. You don't have to be exciting or particularly good because you've got decades of tradition and football's supremacy as a professional sport. In the MLS, you have a nation to conquer. They're not going to do it by asking people to pay $50 a seat to watch a bunch of men rolling around on the ground as the stretcher parade runs off the sidelines and back.

Stay Classy, ASHcOLE

2009-07-23T01:18:00.000-07:00

Good old, Cashley Hole. He may have been a decent defender in his day (prime, well nigh past), but keeping his ugly maw shut has not been one of his skills.

Sounders Get Title Shot in US Open Cup

2009-07-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

Words are elusive at this late hour, after a dramatic, scintillating 2-1 Sounders FC win over Houston Dynamo at Starfire this evening. I am just going to soak up the blissful feelings and put words to the game later. Seven thoughts, though, in free-form...

This was a classic, match for the ages. And this team isn't even 1 year old!

I will not ever slag Nate Jacqua again. He played 120 minutes of gutsy, workhorse football and scored the equalizer that noone else seemed willing to score.

Freddy Montero. Getting better.

Subbing in Alonso made the difference in my opinion. He still gets my vote for Club MVP.

Houston sucks.

Tonight's referee may have been the worst yet.

Ahhh....victory!

Shot at silverware in our first season. Nice. Very nice.

Will John Terry Be In Seattle Saturday?

2009-07-15T00:58:00.000-07:00

'Cuz it's looking like he won't be in London come August 15 when Chelsea open the 2009-2010 season against Hull City (Opinion on Hull's Phil Brown being his own worst enemy). Man City, that great, new vacuum cleaner of high wage players, is desperately trying to suck up the England and Chelsea Captain, the man dubbed "Mr. Chelsea." Analysis here.

I worry about how the Swede will take this development, should it develop?

Robbo Robson offers his usual snarked up, slightly brilliant commentary on the sky blue cash floating through the EPL.

Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to seeing JT Saturday. Maybe I should get him a parting gift?

On The Rise...

2009-07-14T00:31:00.000-07:00

Rave Green is on the rise in the table and in the ESPN Power Rankings (which I've never paid attention to before, but since I found it and it has us #2 in the MLS...well, what the hey...).

Green'ers know that we've got a very good squad. The MLS is finding out, as well, not only as we beat top teams like Houston, but also with our all-stars. Kasey Keller and Freddie Ljungberg. With the rest of the squad yet to be named, expect at least one more Sounder to be named, likely Fredy Montero. I'd also vote for Alonso (for reasons previously stated) but his games missed due to injury will likely nix that. I also think that Tyrone Marshall and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado would both be great adds. Their defense has been oustanding all season long.

Does this guy play for the KC Lizards, BTW?

The Sounders are putting in a bid for the US Open Cup final. This is a great move. If the Sounders do win the July 21st game against the Dinamo then there will be thousands of Green'ers looking for tickets to watch their team compete for the first silverwware in club history! Hopefully, that means Qwest Field...

Over in the EPL, Treasure Chest City has swooped Carlito away from SAF. Not to worry, SAF, you still have the Immovable Object (aka Berbatov). But what's this? TCC is also sniffing around Adebayor? Le Profeseur must keep the tall Togoese striker!

Craziest transfer rumour of the season: Tottenham in talks with former Arsenal Captain Patrick Vieira??!! Insane. Doesn't he know that making such a move would alienate tens of thousands of Gooners? Perhaps, more importantly, it would squeeze the life and credibility out of what was a terrific career. Stay tuned to see if there is anything to this.

Sounders Win (Without Me)

2009-07-12T15:13:00.000-07:00

I'm on vacation in San Diego, so I missed the Saturday afternoon game with Houston, which Seattle put away 2-1. More here & here. Sounders are looking good in the table, just 3 points behind the Dynamo. After a great start, a muddling middle of the season, the Rave Green are on fire again.

It's also nice to see Steve Kelley trying hard to cover the Sounders from time to time, here waxing poetic about the front line tandem of Jacqua and Montero.

The huge speed bump to the MSL that is PGE Park looks to have finally been cleared, with a deal reached between Portland and the Timbers' owner (the City Council still has to apply its rubber stamp). Much as I dislike things Portland, it'll be good to have the Timbers in the league. The Sounders need a mortal enemy, a derby rival, and we'll get two, with the Timbers and Vancouver.

I'm looking forward to seeing Chelsea, Saturday, when we return!

Sounders Win US Open Cup Quarter...

2009-07-08T01:48:00.000-07:00

A quickie before I go away...on vacation. Between that and daughter's soccer tournament, I squeezed in a trip to Starfire to watch the Rave Green battle KC Buzzards for the US Open Cup Quarters. Sounders controlled much of the match, missed many a gilt-edged opportunity, while allowing for a few scary KC chances, but ultimately prevailed 1-0 when Seba slotted in a deserved penalty kick in the 89th minute.

Buzzard Franken-keeper Kevin Hartmann claims the PK play was another of Fredy Montero's deap sea dives, but from where I was standing (I had a a good line of sight on the play), it sure as hell looked like a foul. I thought the ugly bugger should've been handed a red card for his troubles.

Fredy certainly took a few dives. Who can blame him? After watching the BUzzards dive all game long, he probably felt he should test the water.

Anyhow, great game. Eletric intensity at Starfire. Sounders were after this one all game long and did well to secure victory before OT. More here from Jose Miguel Romero. The right team moves on to the semi-final match against Houston.

I'll miss the next game (not even sure I can get it on TV!), but will be back in the stands for Chelsea and the US Open Cup semis.

Go Sounders FC!

Random Posts

2009-07-05T02:49:00.000-07:00

Stephen Colbert announces soccer's arrival in the states.

Daniel Harris notes that Real Madrid's spending spree is loony and quite possibly threatening to world soccer...but MLS as a sane alternative model?

Sounders Sign a Left Back, Arsenal Signs Noone

2009-07-03T00:57:00.000-07:00

Sounders gaffer Sigi Schmid may have agreed with me that we need to shore up the left back position. Tyson Wahl is not quite the answer. So, the Sounders have signed Costa Rican defender Leonardo Gonzalez, apparently for that position, though he has versatility to play at different positions. My guess is left back.

There's nothing happening this weekend with the Rave Green. Next game is the US Open Cup quarterfinal against the Kansas City Lizards at Starfire Tuesday night. Brad Evans got the call up to join the US team this weekend at CONCACAF qualifying at Qwest. Let's hope he gets some quality field time.

I'll be watching youth soccer this weekend (God help me!).

Also in the MLS, Landon Donovan puts out a big, flaming welcome-home-bastard message for LA Galactico teammate David Bowie...er, David Beckham. I can't keep all these superstars apart. Say what you want about Becks, but at least we have an answer to the trivia question: "What was the MLS's most expensive mistake?"

Oh, and over at Emirates Way, the team's signing activity has hit a fever pitch, with absolutely noone being signed in the last week. It is rumoured though, that an aggressive steroids program has doubled the strength of midfielders Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott. This rumour has been quasi-confirmed with Walcott besting Portsmouth striker and professional circus tent pole Peter Crouch in a best-of-seven arm wrestling contest (though Walcott later lost to Crouch in the Robot Dance competition).

Arsenal Finally Get a Center Back

2009-06-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

Gunners sign Belgium defender Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax.

Hopefully, he's the steel we need in the spine of the defense (and hopefully, this means the woeful Will.I.Am Gallass is on his way out.).

Vermaelen looks like an assassin. I like that...

The Drought is over. Let the Streak Begin!

2009-06-14T03:39:00.000-07:00

It's been seven long games and five weeks since we've seen a W in the color Rave Green. And like the last one, it came against a really inept San Jose side, this time a 2-1 win at Qwest. Ten thoughts about last night's match.

Freddy Montero is a marginal factor on the team. Aside from the goal he scored (which was a nifty piece of quick feet to control and slot it home with nanoseconds of opportunity), he was a negligible factor. contemplate the goal he created for San Jose with his give away in the middle of the area, and he was a wash. Sigi has to get this guy on track or start someone else.

Le Toux deserves to start. Nate Jacqua's suspension gave what a lot of SEattle fans have been asking for, Le Toux starting in place of the Big Slow. The Frenchman did not disappoint. His speed was a huge factor. He got the ball behind the SJ defense numerous times and showed he can actually posess the ball on the front line. He deserves another chance against a better defense.

Alonso for Vice-MVP? Ozzie came on in the 75th minute and immediately made our midfield look like, well, a midfield again. He harried EQ'ers out of posession and gave us lateral posession and distribution to the side channels, something we haven't seen since he left. If Keller is our MVP, Ozzie is Vice-MVP.

Ljungberg still has the killer form. Hey, he was rusty on the missed PK. When he got 1-v-1 with SJ's keeper, it was like watching an orca close in on a cuddly, baby seal pup. You knew what was coming.

Ljungberg deserved man of the match honors and I thought he had another strong game. But, he needs Alonso, who frees him up to move upfield.

If you're a season ticket holder and everyone in the seats around you look unfamiliar, you are probably in the wrong section. A corollary to this is don't blindly follow The Swede.

Levesque should get more minutes. I thought he showed great energy, determiniation and work rate. He hid, however, commit the MLS defensive dive-in of the year. I don't think I've ever seen anyone dive in that badly outside of U-8 soccer.

Anti-French comments are hard to resist (and I don't think poorly of France). When Le Toux gave up on a ball I'm sure he could've gotten to, I turned and said, "He really played that like a Frenchman, declaring surrender too early."

Tyrone Marshall and James Riley are money, baby! I'll be happy when Hurtado is back, too.

When Zak, Ljungberg and Te Toux are running at a defense, good things are going to happen. Let's keep working these guys into the offense.

Gunner of the Month: Samir Nasri

2009-06-12T01:06:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the month again, Gunner Time. Looking at the page on my Arsenal FC calendar on the wall, it looks like newcomer Samir Nasri is the man. Though short in stature, the Frenchman is willing to mix it up with the big boys, and is not afraid to take the shot when he sees the goal. With his lightning quick skills on the ball, think of #8 as a Hleb with balls and heart.

Sigi Won't Say it But I Will...

2009-06-12T01:02:00.000-07:00

...MLS officiating sucks! It's uneven at best. The fact that one team has 5 red cards after 12 games, and it's not LA, well, somethings wrong...

Sigi's Gotta Right This Ship...

2009-06-07T02:28:00.000-07:00

During the first half, The Rave Green enjoyed near complete control of possession...and near complete lack of shots on goal. Chivas gets one chance and a goal, thanks to some sloppy defending (Hey Patrick Ianni, that man running down the middle towards goal, that's your man!). When we did get good chances we were inventing all sorts of crazy angles over and around the goal.

Right now, we're the gang that can't shoot straight.

We were the better team, and we let the goats snatch it away from us. The goes 0-1 to the Goats. Tough Loss.

Here's an idea. Let's try a game with Seba starting at striker and F-Tero watching from the bench. I know it won't be the next one, as Seba will probably fill in for the red-carded SlowJack.

Draws Do Not Suck

2009-06-06T03:11:00.000-07:00

Let's make this real clear. First off, ties are actually draws (games are matches, the field is the pitch, and refs are still assholes). But, draws do not suck. five blood draws in a row, however, that sucks! Let's win one Sounders!

Mmmmm, Vanilla!

2009-05-31T13:22:00.000-07:00

On the way home after the game, I had a huge hankering for ice cream so I stopped at the store. In honor of goal scorer and (official) Man of the Match Nate (SlowJack) Jacqua, I bought and consumed an entire pint of vanilla ice cream. The Rave Green'ers came away with their 5th straight draw in a 1-1 game that really could've gone either way.

Five games. Five draws. One win in eight matches. Has the rest of the MLS caught up with us? Wadda ya think? Not only that, but the problems are mounting:

Our forwards aren't linking up and aren't giving defenders much to worry about. The midfield is a muddle, a lot of running around with little to show for it and we are sorely in need of a left fullback that can also play defens, while modeling a rave green jersey.

Shortly before half I turned to Jon and said "what happened to the team that started the season? This team looks bad." The Sounders were unfocused and uninspired in the first half and deserved the 1-goal deficit that Columbus hung on them with Moreno's header. They came out in the 2nd half slightly less uninspired, but with not much else going for the green. When SlowJack scored - a beautiful volley out of the air, off Freddie Ljungberg's hopeful over-the-head kick - it still seemed against the run of play.

Nonetheless, I will say this, the goal was brilliant. In an instant, all of the unease the game had caused me, exploded into ecstasy. I even made Jon applaud the Big Slow. The game got pretty exciting for a stretch and even looked like the Sounders might have a chance to score a winner. Things got bizarre then when a pass back led to an extended debate in front of the goalline, 2 yellows against Columbus and a fruitless goal attempt by the Sounders. The obligatory red card and Sounders ejection was issued against Tyrone Marshall, who apparently had retaliated against his mark for something.

When the whistle sounded the end of the game, I wasn't sure how to feel about the game. We certainly did enough to lose, had every right to win had we finished, and didn't do too badly to draw, all things considered. But after five in a row, the shiny luster is coming off the event of a draw.

More on the game. Jose Romero's blog. Quotes from Sigi. Team news and more about the strange goings on at the Xbox Pitch last night. David Falk calls it like he sees it, and he sees it ugly.

A $50 reward has been issued for any clues to the whereabouts of midfielder Steve Zakuani.

Also, ensuring that Jon has a quality midfield to root for at Chelsea, the Blues inexplicably sign reputed footballer and midfield stationary object Michael Ballhack to a long-term deal...maybe Roman just has so much money they overlooked the fact that the guy can't play in the EPL.

Barca Wins and the Off-Season Begins

2009-05-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

Glad to see Barca win the Champions League over the New York Yank...er, I mean the US Treasury Departme...darn it, I mean Manchester United. I'm still watching the game on DVR, so I won't comment (and hey, thanks to Comcast for screwing up the progam listing so that I missed the first 16 minutes! You guys rock (and yes, I'm being sarcastic)), but Phil McNulty has some interesting analysis (as always) on the match.

And how cool is it that I'm going to see the European Champs play my Sounders FC in Seattle?!

And now it's the off-season, and Chelsea and ManUre (and nouveau riche ManCity) will begin spending like drunken sailors on shore leave. Chelsea already rumoured to be all over Bayern's Franck Ribery, a player I value highly. Hopefully, the Big Blues Machine won't ruin him.

And I've been saying for two seasons that Arsene Wenger needs to buy a new stud center half...I was hoping for someone older than my youngest daughter. Keep trying, Arsene.

Flu Pandemics and Cybercrime Pandemics

2009-05-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

Perhaps I'm taking a little license to characterize cybercrime as a pandemic, but it is clearly global, easily transmitted and acquired, and it doesn't look like anyone knows how to stop it right now. This article from New Scientist made me clutch my wallet a little tighter.

Shifting to illness of the viral kind, the NYT reports that the World Health Organization is bowing to pressure from certain countries (I can't tell you their names, but their initials are U.S.A. and E.U.) and will rewrite its pandemic rules to de-certify our crazy Swine Flu as a pandemic.

The always-excellent Debora McKenzie summarizes the mismatch between the current pandemic rules and the existing situation with the Swine Flu, and sheds light on why W.H.O. is feeling the heat. As MacKenzie points out, the 1918 Pandemic, as most do most flu pandemics, began with a milder initial wave - much like the current Swine Flu - before going all aggro and killing tens of millions of people.

Colorado Recap and Arsenal Run Smash & Grab Operation

2009-05-24T06:04:00.000-07:00

Let's start with the Arsenal game. They're up 4-1 on the Kotters from Stoke City at half time, who appear to have thrown in the towel early on this one. The Gunners have a clutch of Arsene's young Gunners in the line-up, including a goalkeeper I've never heard of before. Vito Mannone? My sources are telling me that he's a kid wearing an Arsenal Jersey that Arsene saw outside the stadium prior to the game. I'm not able to verify that yet, but lets pretend that's the case.

Anyhow, Arsenal is enjoying 75% posession and has 16 shots on the Sotters' goal, to 3 for the gang from Choke City. Arsenal has already switched to the 5-pass rule (the team has to make 5 consecutive passes, including to Eboue, who is on the bench, before shootign).

Key question: Will Arsene let RVN play goal in the 2nd half?

Now, on to my boys in the Rave Green jerseys...

Bottom line is that we took a point on the road with the 2-2 draw, against a key conference rival without Ljungberg, Porkchop (Evans) & my season MVP, Alonso, who went down in the first minute.

There are three keys to this game.

Kasey Keller. His goal was under assault. He must've thought he was starring in a remake of 300. The Persians just kept coming in waves. Keller made 2 of the nicest saves you'll see anywhere. In honesty, at times I've wondered whether Kasey is worth the Sounders FC hype. Yup. He is.

James Riley. One of the most outstanding players for Sounders this season, he was our only offensive spark, providing the runs down the side channel and the crosses that turned into our scores. That pass to Montero that set up the equalizer was a gem. And he wasn't bad at defense, either. Rapids ran riot down the right side, but had very few successful attacks on Riley's side.

Peter with the really awkward last name. It's going to take a few games for me to get the pronunciation right, or at least, not obscene. I thought Vagenas solidified a midfield that was in shambles from losing Frederik, Porkchop and Ozzie. He did what was needed to keep a lid on things through the middle, and worked very hard to complicate the Rapids' attacking plans. He was really unfortunate to cause the deflection for the OG, but was hustling back to defend on a play where the Rapids had once again sliced open our defense.

Also, worth note.

Fredy Montero had his best game in some time. Not a great game, but more energy and he figured in both goals. The first goal was just a nice run and persistence to take the easy deflection.

Gary Smith made a huge mistake taking Cummins out of the game. He shredded us all game long. Once he was out, a lot of air left the Rapids' river raft. Maybe he was hurt or tired, but that felt like a real momentum shift there, and we had great chances to steal the win after the speedy striker left.

Cummins and Casey are a great strike pair. They are an example of what an MLS front line should look like. Montero and SloJack are no comparison. In fact, while SloJack scored the equalizer, it was a sitter. Other than that, I thought he looked pretty pedestrian. Is it me, or is he reacting rather than anticipating his runs?

Nonetheless, our front line scored the goals, so all's to the good.

Oh, and Arsenal have beaten Croak City, 4-1. And it doesn't appear to be even that close. They finish 4th. Whoopee.

I took a look at some stats. Arsenal finished with 68 goals for. The top 4 all had 68 or more goals. The difference, though, came in goals against. Arsenal allowed 37. No top 3 team allowed more than 27. Hmmm. Where do we need to get stronger? How about a stud center back and a man's man holding midfielder?

The Double Whine Post

2009-05-22T04:24:00.000-07:00

The bossman reiterates his reiteration of his commitment to the club, but says:

"Criticism I accept with respect. Disrespect I don't accept.

What sport does he think he's in, tennis? Although, I've disagreed with Le Professeur more and more in recent seasons, I don't like the disrespectful stuff. That being said, it is football. You kind of have to grow a pair and grow some extra dermis and move on.

Somewhere else in London, all you can hear is whine, whine, whine. Oh, and Lucky Guus wishing that UEFA would make do his "big apology." Really? Big apology? Why not ask Didier to make a big "F***ing" apology??

Drama, Gunner Style

2009-05-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

Arsene defuses the drama over his supposed flirtation with Real Mess. Nothing to worry about, says Le Profeseur.

Meanwhile, the Sounders are banged up, bruised and beaten. Evans looks to be out awhile and Frederik is still suffering from his head wound. This has all the makings of a rough patch.

Sounders Give Dallas A Clinic

2009-05-17T01:23:00.000-07:00

Seriously. The hype going into last night's game in Jabba-The-Hut Park in beautiful Dallas, was that FC Dallas with only 1 win in the season, was not very good. For 20 minutes, Dallas showed what bad MLS soccer can look like. Then, the Sounders took over and our boys in the Rave Green showed that they knew a thing or two about playing the kind of awful, uninspired, soul-sucking football that has caused grown men to swear off the game and take up pottery. A 1-1 draw has never looked this unappetizing.

Seriously. They were that bad. The best thing I can say about that game is that its 90 minutes of my life that I'll never get back. Of course, if it involved watching that game again, I don't want those 90 minutes back. Give them to someone whose looking for a reason not to live.

OK. Got that off my back. On the positive side, they did pick up a vital road point in one of the least hostile MLS arenas in the MLS. They withstood the relentless jeering and taunting of the hundreds of rabid Dallasites (?). The fact that they were all wearing Drew Carey glasses could not have helped.

Actually, I have to note that the fans were really getting into the game. After all, it was Drew Carey giveaway night. Sensing the possibility of a shock win, the fans realized that if the team actually beat the Sounders, FC Dallas would give everyone a Drew Carey suit to match the ugly glasses. Hey, its Dallas. There's no accounting for taste.

Let's see. I don't want to get too down on the boys. This was a team effort. But our forwards stink right now. I have to believe that both Nate Jacqua and Fredy Montero are better players than what we've seen the last 2 - 3 weeks. Jacqua, combingin a lack of speed with a lack of effort to make runs is not a good combination. Fredy, combing speed and talent...with a lack of effort to make runs, is producing about the same thing.

Good on Jhon Kennedy Hurtado for scoring his first goal as a Sounder. And on his birthday! Other than El Presidente, the rest of the team needs to go to finishing school.

If the defense hadn't fallen asleep in first half stoppage time, this still could've been 3 points against the league's easiest opponent...Remember Chris, its not 90 minutes of your life wasted...its 1 point and that's good.

Bring on the Hoops (really, the Hoops?!)

2009-05-16T00:18:00.000-07:00

Sounders are in Dallas today to face a sorry FC Dallas team that I find out is called The Hoops. Sorry, boys, there's only one Hoops, its Celtic FC. You guys could be called the Whoops, though. That name is available.

Shoreline native George John, a man so blessed as to be born with not one, but two first names, will be in the starting lineup for the Whoops. James Riley thinks that the game will be like my Nana's Tea Party. I'll be watching on HD from the climate-controlled comfort of my entertainment room.

Go Sounders!

Yay, We're Undefeated (Today)!

2009-05-16T00:10:00.000-07:00

I'm just trying to get in the spirit of the New Arsenal Era, the one where Le Profeseur tells us to not expect major silverware. Instead, we need to delight in the small achievements. Like being undefeated in the EPL for 21 games (before getting our asses restructured with a boot (first by ManUre, then by Chelsea) as we challenged for not being 5th in the league.

So, with the new perspective in mind, I salute the glory of today's result: we have stymied the mighty ManUre from defeating us (while, of course, allowing them the small pleasure of winning the league trophy on their home ground), while creating a mini-unlosing streak that we could conceivably stretch to 2 games, if we go on to not lose to mighty Stroke City next week.

Seriously, there'd be days I'd take a nil-nil draw at Old Spofford, but today ain't it.

Go Gunners! Bring on the next season...

Ozzie Rocks The Sounders Midfield

2009-05-09T00:40:00.000-07:00

The Times has fallen into a nice rut of padding the mid-week lull between Sounders' games with an article or two about a player, or some other interesting look behind the scenes of the Rave Green Machine. (Boy, I know that sounds dumb, but I'm gonna keep using it. Rave Green For Life, G!)

Anyhow, Thursday they had an article looking at Osvaldo Alonso, who has to be considered as both Sounders' MLS Rookie of the Year candidate and MVP. Ozzie puts the steel in Sounders midfield, despite being a liddle guy. He is a fierce competitor, always at work, always battling. I love watching this cat play.

Now, I have to work tomorrow, so I am going to miss both the Sounders-LA Galactic Mistake game and the Arsenal-Chelsea Lately match. So, when I return from work I have got to figure out how to present 4 hours of footie on the telly as a Mother's Day present. Send your suggestions to me ASAP.

Champions League thoughts:

You can gripe all you want about the refereeing, but Chelsea players should've been taught by now that you never leave the game in the ref's hands. They left on the field some audacious opportunities to make it 2-0. Here's another thought: champions win games. Whiners whine.

The Arsenal-ManUre game was painful. For 7:32 I thought we had a chance. After that, it was clear that Arsenal inhabits a select middle cushion between the top 3 of the EPL and the gathering hordes below of completely awful teams pretending they belong in the top flight. Monsieur Wenger, It is time to climb back up to the top...

Sounders Return To Winning Ways

2009-04-26T02:30:00.000-07:00

After a 2-game losing streak, Seattle returned to the Xbox pitch and to its winning ways in putting away a pesky, but ultimately lesser team, San Jose Earthquakes with a 2-0 scoreline.

Goals came from Steve Zakuani, heading home in the 42nd, and Brad Evans, poking the ball through a hole in the Swiss Cheese SJ goalkeeper Nick Cannon, in the 55th.

But man of the match award went to John, who helped bring both goals about by 1) going to the bathroom in the 42nd minute and 2) going to buy beer in the 55th minute.

Also, playing an important role in the game was Seattle net-meister Kasey Keller, who set a record of scoreless minutes (hmmm, sounds like a certain large target wearing rave green...)

The insertion of Zak into the starting lineup pleased many fans who've been calling for the #1 draft pick to get game time ahead of Pink Shoes LeToux. Zakuani was a threat throughout the night. It seemed every time he touched the ball he was burning Equake defenders and tearing off goalward. His goal was the result of some determined heading off a Ljungberg free kick. I believe Marshall knocked it into the mix and Hurtado headed it far post where the lone Zakster had a relatively easy task of heading downward into goal.

Large, lumbering white man, Nate Jacqua, has been receiving quite a bit of (deserved) criticism for his play and he was less than inspiring Saturday: ignoring shot opportunities, ignoring runs...Nonetheless, SlowJack did create the 2nd goal by bamboozling the defender with his stumble-bumble dribbling then laying off to Brad Evans who nutmegged Cannon. The Wonderbread Express dominates again!

Methings the Seattle crowd is getting quieter as the season goes on. There were even several people in our section that actually wanted to sit in the 2nd half! If only those yahoos with the plastic horns would shut up. At one point, the big screen exhorted the crowd to chant the Sounders chant. No takers. People would rather blow on their horns. What would Freud say about that?!

The game was not an entirely positive experience, however, as the match was almost ruined by a drunk Chelsea fan who sat next to me and kept yammering about Freddy Montero being the new Cristiano Ronaldo. Making matters worse, all game long, he kept raving about his favorite Sounder, Nate "SlowJack" Jacqua.

Yeesh, go back to Chelsea, mate.

Major Freakin' News

2009-04-16T23:36:00.000-07:00

So, this comes across my email late last night as a breaking news (emphasis mine) from CNN:

-- Ashton Kutcher is first to reach 1 million followers
in Twitter contest with CNN.

Really? News? Edward R. Murrow was just placed on spin cycle....

Semis! Semis! Semis!

2009-04-15T15:36:00.000-07:00

A surging, confident Arsenal FC put Villareal down 3-0 at Emirates earlier today, sending the Gunners into the Champpions League semifinal for only the 2nd time in the club's history. Arsenal will face their old friends Manchester United in a home & away set beginning March 5th at home.

Winger Theo Walcott, who was a terror down the right side all night long, got the scoring going in the 9th minute with a Thierry Henry-like chip over Villareal keeper Diego Lopez. After the goal, the Gunners poured through the Villareal defense like water through a sieve. It looked like a 2nd goal was imminent, but Emmanuel Adebayor could not find the touch and the game went to the half with Arsenal up 1 in the game and 2-1 Aggregate.

After the half, the Yellow Submarines looked sharper and began to build pressure on the Arsenal goal, though to be fair didn't create any real shots. Fill-in keeper Lukas Fabianski was brilliant throughout, particularly in sweeping up any through balls that penetrated deep.

The Villareal tide, though, was stemmed in the 69th minute when RVN and Adebayor took advantage of a slack defense and the lanky lad from Togo pushed the ball past Lopez and initiated what may be one of the lamest line dances in recent memory.

The game really got out of Villa's hand in the 69th minute when a dodgy foul in the box led to a shot from the dot and Sebastian Eguren got a red card for and an early shower. RVN lasered the penalty home and the 10-man Spanish side could only mope as Arsenal passed the ball around in what looked like a training ground exercise.

It's Chelsea Saturday in the FA Cup Semi and then Liverpool on Tuesday. The last month of the season is shaping up to be a corker!

Sounders Battled Valiantly With 10

2009-04-12T06:16:00.000-07:00

Let me get this out of the way early on: Kansas City sucks butt. Seriously, this is not a good MLS team. This game felt like Arsenal V. Wigan (which by the way Arsenal won 4-1, after spotting the Wigs a goal and a couple of good chances) or Arsenal v. West Ham.

Our players looked better on the ball, sharper of mind and faster. Our defense looked capable, we had an offensive strategy that consisted of something slightly more sophisticated than the ol' NASA moon launch.

But, when we lost Keller on the red card and went to 10 men, well, if we got out of Large Tele Co Stadium with a 0-0 draw, then that'd be a fine evening. But...But...winning streaks are made to be broken and with a first-year team doing the unthinkable, Kansas City was probably just one of many teams that wanted to see a stop to the Sounders' precocious ways.. Anyways, the result was a 1-0 loss, with Sounders battling a man down for 65 minutes.

The first half, before and after Keller's ejection was largely scrapping for posession, with a few build-ups here a few coutners there. But after Sigi had a chance to chat with the guys at halftime, Sounders came out with their ears pinned back. Man, they took it to the Lizards of KC like the man-advantage was reversed.

I counted 4 excellent chances on goal, any one of which would've won the game. Montero rattled the woodwork on a free kick, had a point-blank open goal taken away by a lucky leg stab from a defender (created, BTW, by incredible hard work from Nate Jacqua to keep a lost cause inbounds and then feed Montero), Evans had a shot, and I think Jacqua had a go somewhere in there.

But after all that, the 9 field players got tired. You could see it in their body motions. They were flagging a bit, and the Liz started bringing posession into our half. I thought it was time to bring Zakuani in to freshen up our midfield, but Coach didn't insert him into the formation until after Davey Arnaud scored. I thought the keeper's positioning was a bit weak on the shot, but the opportunity was created by soft defending that was certainly caused by fatigue.

Even after the goal, though, the Sounders kept pressing and came close to equalizing. While the result was their first loss, this didn't feel like a loss; more like a moral victory and the Lizards escaping Seattle with a fortunate result. They won't win a ton of games this year...that is, unless they get the man advantage throughout the season.

The Sounders, on the other hand, will win plenty more games, despite this setback.

Sounders Trump Arsenal!...

2009-04-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

...in this post. On the road at Toronto, the upstart fledglings from Seattle decided to continue with their winning ways, pasting a 2-0 win on Toronto FC, whose supposed "best fans in the league" spent a lot of time standing around with their arms folded (judging by the 20 minutes of the game I've watched so far!!).

Sounders found a goal from Freddie Ljungberg 15 minutes in, when the speedy Swedey played a give and go with forwrd Nate Jacqua and completely bamboozled the Toronto defense. Finding himself 1 v 1 with the keeper, Ljungberg was not about to miss and his clinical finish broke his Sounders' duck and put the visitors up. Newcomer (hey, they're all newcomers!) Steve Zakuani rounded out the scoring with a goal I have yet to see. (gonna watch the rest of the match when the visitors have left).

Toronto Coach Greg Carver was not amused:

"Every single one of (the players) I was disappointed in,"
Carver said. "I'm making no excuses, I'm not going to defend
anybody today."

No kidding coach; neither is your defense.

Wadda ya know. Gang Green is 3-0-0 and leading the league.

Oh, and Seattle's fans are the best in the league!

Arsenal's match was not televised so I'm going on the Internets. Emmanuel Adebayor and Cesc Fabregas returned to the lineup after lengthy injuries. Ade scored 2 off of Cesc's 2 assists. Welcome back, boys. I daresay we missed you! Final: Gunners 2 - Manners 0

Montero? MSL Player of the Month

2009-04-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

That's right. March 22nd nobody knew the kid from Colombia. But after 3 goals and an assist in two games - and generally looking like he owned Qwest Field and any defender that stepped on it - Freddy Montero is the MSL Player of the Month. Well deserved. This kid's a talent.

The Sounders have assembled a team that mixes young talents like Montero with solid veterans. Defender Tyrone Marshall anchors a back line that has yet to surrender a goal. According to the article, Marshall is also a positive force in the locker room. That's sure to be a key to the season as the games progress and the Sounders encounter adversity - let's face it, they ain't going to go 30-0-0.

Next up. Toronto. Wherever that is...

Arsenal: Listen to RVN!

2009-04-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

Will they or won't they? As long as I've been a Gooner (admittedly, recent times - since 2003), there's been nothing as constant in the club as the speculation over the future of certain star players, and even those of lesser quality. Cesc Fabregas a popular target of departure worries. New Arsenal Chief Exec Ivan Gazidis says the Spaniard will stay.

Meanwhile, RVN - in my books, Arsenal's best player this season - says he is not worried about money when it comes to his contract negotiations. He just wants to see the club show a commitment to getting the players that will enable EPL and Champions League success.

"Financially Arsenal's last offer is fine, but that isn't everything for me. It's about my ambitions and how they can be fulfilled," he told Uefa's Champions Magazine.

"In the last four years I've only won one prize, the FA Cup, and that is too little. I want to push through to achieve more," he said.

Let's hope RVN's attitude can lead to just that...and perhaps, keeping the club's best pizza tosser at the Emirates.