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

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

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

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

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

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

...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?

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

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

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?!

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

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

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

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?

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...

"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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

Thank you, Soccer Gods. Thank you.

Wonderful Deep Sea Discovery

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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 loss 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

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

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...

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

Battle By Other Means...

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

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!

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...

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

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.

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!

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.
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• 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.
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• 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.
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• 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.
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• 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.
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• 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.
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• 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?

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.