NYRB game makes me sad, but then I cheer myself up by screaming my lungs out at the xbox pitch

I planned to write about the Red Bulls game. I even took great minute-by minute notes.

Here’s the problem: with a few exceptions I could cut and paste the Galaxy post. An anemic offense, an apathetic Alvaro Fernandez, an ineffective O’Brian White, and a big market team totally dominating the Sounders.

That’s a little unfair of course, because the New York game featured some great ball movement and was a far cry from the sloppy affair that played out on the wet Xbox pitch on opening night. Still, the problems of the first match remained. Hurtado gave up bad fouls and looked out of sorts on the back line, and the wings, once the Sounders strength, looked impossibly weak. In spite of a few inspired runs later in the game, the Sounders were wise to remove a largely ineffective Fernandez, and the introduction of Rosales was welcome if only to see a new face and a player who looked hungry albeit a bit of match fitness.

When it was all said and done, the New York game (at least for an objective viewer) was a thing of beauty, clear evidence of an improving MLS. The trouble is that Seattle was dominated, and deserved to lose, looking the worse team for the duration of the game (save for some strong individual performances by Jeff Parke, Leo Gonzalez, and Kasey Keller).

The real question is whether or not Seattle could learn.

I went to the match last Friday to find out. It was a draw against a middling team, but I left the stadium encouraged. Sigi benched Hurtado (hurting for fitness) and Fernandez (distracted? just ineffecitve?) and over the course of the game put together a line-up that looked like it could win.

Of course even the new set up was far from perfect. Zach Scott, pressed into service following an injury to Riley showed why James is such an integral part of the team. Brad Evans, returning from a long spell away, seemed rusty and a level below the rest of the midfield. The good news is that as the game progressed and substitutions were made, the Sounders looked increasingly dangerous. The removal of Evans, pulling Friberg into the center of the pitch and inserting a composed and evermore dangerous Rosales gave Seattle a new look, and with the rehabilitated Jaqua entering for the disappointing White, Sigi seemed to find a lineup that will work.

So Seattle isn’t New York or LA. In fact, right now they’re the type of team that ties Houston (although to be fair PNW native Tally Hall played absolutely out of his mind and deserves a ton of credit for the draw). But Sigi, even in the face of an increasingly restless fanbase, demonstrated again that he’s a guy who has earned his fair share of titles. A little unease at the beginning of the season is fine, and it looks like the team and the coaching staff is learning. Let’s hope the trend continues...who knows, one day they may even pick up a win.

Sounders Year 3 - Still Can't Score

I don’t know what I expected. At the close of the 2010 Sounders season, a toothless first round exit against the Galaxy, the problem was clear even to the casual observer: the goals weren’t there. And so in the months that followed, the Sounders lost speed on the right flank (Nyassi), and one of their leading goal scorers (Nkufo, who had his moments in spite of being old and wildly inconsistent), and failed to make any real effort to replace them.

O’Brien White, the former MAC trophy winner and Toronto castoff, is a reclamation project, which is fine, but not an acceptable solution if ownership is committed to winning an MLS cup or Supporters Shield. Aside from the oft-injured Mike Fucito (who I have unrealistically high expectations for just because he wants it so bad and plays so hard), the other options up top are guys like Estrada and Neagle, players who no longer young enough to be considered true development prospects who are likely to spend most of their time in the reserve league.

So what should Seattle do? I guess I don’t know the answer, but it shouldn’t be nothing. I want to feel cautiously optimistic about Hanauer’s cap-space comments following Nkufo’s release, but what free agent could the Sounders pick up now, and can they afford to wait until the summer transfer window for a good option up front?

Fredy Montero, given the right surrounding cast, can be a great MLS striker, and with Zakuani looking good even when playing marginally injured and a step slower, maybe the Sounders can tough it out. It’s hard to tell, and by opening against a great LA team, then flying to New York to play a Red Bull’s team that is better on paper than any other in the league, it may be difficult to get a good read. Still, those are the teams Seattle should be on par with, and for much of the game Tuesday night, the Sounders looked a notch below.

I’m probably not even a real Sounders fan, and I certainly wasn’t going to games back when they were a USL club with a small but loyal following. I’m one of those normal Sounders fans, the kind that goes to games periodically, helps pack the stadiums, and adds to that atmosphere that people across the country call the best in the MLS. As one of those casual fans, I don’t claim to deserve better striking options, but the failure to fix a glaring problem two years running isn’t a great sign for a club that claims to want championships.

So I’ll wait, and pass my time doing the things good soccer fans do. I’ll complain about ESPN’s confused cameramen and bad soccer coverage. I’ll bitch about the boisterous Max Bretos trying to destroy the pretty decent pregame patter between Alexi Lalas and Taylor Twellman (whose scarf looked better than Alexi’s weird gloves). And I’ll hope that someone, anyone, can show up and help Fredy and Steve score the goals they need to win some games.

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Other Game Notes


Chad Barrett=Woody Harrleson. Think about it. 


John Harkes still isn't the answer for ESPN. Around minute 7 he explains that the Sounders are unable to retain possession. He would have a decent point if either team could string even a few passes together, but the reality is that it’s a mess out there and the ball is bouncing around like crazy.


We should hope O'Brian White  is rusty, otherwise he's just bad. Got two great balls from Steve, who despite being injured was the best Sounder by far, and couldn't finish either, looking like a fool on the sitter served up in the 24th minute.


Beckham is older now, has lost a step, is no longer universally adored by fans, and looks borderline creepy with his long hair. At the same time, he can still string together some good passes and threaten on set plays. At this point, he's really a pretty good MLS villain, so I have no problem with him staying in the league. 


El flaco needs to settle in, because that first game all I noticed was how much the Sounders missed Nyassi's pace on the wing. Alvaro just didn't ever look comfortable, and he needs to find his rhythm quickly or I think he starts losing minutes to Miguel (a move I actually hope the try, together with moving Steve to the right flank where he is consistently more dangerous).

The Sounders defense looked a step slow. Not sure what they could have done with the LA goal, although Juninho had too much time. Like a basketball team just giving up the perimeter shot, they should have at least had a hand in his face to contest the 3. Just didn't seem totally with it, and given the Sounders anemic scoring rate, that might be an issue. Midfield is solid and they come back to help, so probably won't be a huge deal, but not how you want to start the season. 

Final thought: The game got better as it went along, but it started out as a textbook example of why people hated the MLS. Max Bretos is terrible, there were a ton of long balls, no control (I blame the rain a little bit) a non-grass surface...and hey, even played in a football stadium. But it's the first game, so let's just chalk it up to that, and try to stay optimistic. 

Next up: New York Redbulls...