It’s kicking off.
I realize I haven’t posted in a while but to be honest, I probably would have just ranted about something or other so I decided to keep myself limited to 140 characters.
However, do to some serendipitous events, possibly due to some planetary alignment or the SuperMoon, I found myself flipping through all the games last night and felt the urge to write something.
First, besides the late games (Goats cramming those attending into parts of the stadium to make it look fuller than it was, and Smurph fans scared of a bit of rain) stadiums were full. Everywhere had good, loud crowds. Where did all those people come from? Where they always there but just couldn’t be bothered or have teams started to figure out how to sell tickets?
Second, I’m still debating whether or not to buy the MLS Direct Kick package. A few years ago it was pretty easy to watch just about every MLS match. Now, there is just no way to do that. I found myself flipping between games wanting to catch all the action but missing out on more than I caught. I’ll need to figure out some kinda plan if I do take the plunge and buy the package. Glad DirecTV gave us a preview so I can take it for a spin. I’ve got until next weekend to make up my mind I guess.
Anyway, I did want to share a few thoughts about each game.
Seattle – LA: Yeah, it was Tuesday night but I wanted to mention it anyway. I have always respected Sigi. I’m sure he’s a great guy. However, what is he creating in Seattle? I know he was driven out of LA but fans who wanted more ‘entertaining’ soccer even though he brought titles to the town. However, that cure for insomnia he has going on isn’t gonna keep the ‘scarves up’ brigade happy for long. As for LA, geez, I didn’t think they were much better. It seemed to me that most of the team still needed their nametags from the preseason ‘meet your teammate’ mixer. Sir Spice roamed the wing looking like he didn’t have a clue what was going on. Yeah, that extra month in London really helped. To be fair though, the rest of the team wasn’t much better. Thankfully, Josh Saunders was solid. Our keepers remind me of the days when we had Hartman and Reis on the squad.
Vancouver – Toronto: Can someone explain to me why the ‘Caps need to play in BC Place? Empire Field looks awesome. Yeah, it was built as a temporary structure for the BC Lions and the ‘Caps. But let’s face it, the temporary accommodations looks a lot more permanent than the Erector Set Stadium they have in Columbus. Is Vancouver that good or is Toronto that bad? Do they have great attacks or are their defenses just bad? I guess only time will tell on that one.
DC – Columbus: Is there any American soccer fan who wasn’t cheering for Charlie Davies last night? Okay, maybe some in Ohio didn’t love him much. However, you hafta love his debut. Honestly, don’t tell me this post game interview wasn’t genuine joy from him.
If you don’t know Charlie Davies’ story, google his name and you’ll learn about the roller coaster he’s been on the last couple of years.
NY – Seattle: Thierry Henry takes a poor penalty and has it saved….but young Juan Agudelo saved the day. Again, Sigi has a lot of work to do in Seattle. NY aren’t anywhere near the finished product yet either.
Dallas – Chicago: I tried watching this one however, while checking on other games, I missed both goals. Beyond that, we got the same mediocrity de los Cabos has given Chicago fans for a couple years now.
Houston – Philly: To be honest, I was watching other games mostly until the second half. Then the broadcast had some problems…well, I didn’t see much. It was nice to see Danny Califf on the board though.
Colorado — Portland: Colorado did not make many changes this offseason and it showed. They tore the expansion side apart. I’ve a lot of respect for John Spencer so I have no doubt he’ll turn things around. However, at this point, Colorado is probably the only team in the league who are familiar with all their teammates and for the first few weeks will be tough for anyone they meet. Well, they are the Cup Champs….if that counts for much in this league.
Chivas – KC: KC is solid. They looked good. Chivas made some improvements but the Sporks were just too good for them last night. What’s the bet Vargara is kicking himself he didn’t manage to get Bravo at the Gringo Chivas?
SJ-RSL: Nice bit of rain. I was surprised though that RSL weren’t able to do more than they did.
The biggest ‘take-away’, for me, from the weekend has to be that teams are still coming together. In general, the teams who made the fewest changes in the offseason were able to play a better game. It’ll be interesting to see where things go from him. Some teams have a lot more work to do than others on the field. The opposite can be said for things off the pitch. Just about all the stadiums yesterday couldn’t have been someone in Europe. While I’m not saying that’s the goal necessarily, the fact that the games were well attended with fans into the games and creating a good atmosphere (at least as it looked on TV) sez things are coming together there. Hopefully, the coaches will do the same with the teams on the field sooner, rather than later, this season.
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