Arsenal Finally Get a Center Back

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!

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.

1. 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.
   


2. 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.
   


3. 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.
   


4. 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.
   


5. 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.
   


6. 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.
   


7. 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.
   


8. 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."
   


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


10. 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

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...

...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...

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

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!