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!