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.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
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.
On the positive side, with the team's new refund policy, at this rate, I'll get all of next season's ticket free!
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?
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.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.
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."
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.
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.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
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.
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.
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