match reaction

Viewing all posts which authors have tagged ‘match reaction’. You can also subscribe to this tag's feed.

November 23, 2008

MLS Cup Reaction - The Voodoo Done Died, Ma!

2
If anybody had any lingering doubts about Schelotto's claim to the exalted position of league MVP, then they should be forced to watch him set the table for the three Crew goals in the MLS Cup final. Sure, Moreno did most of the work on the first goal, but Schelotto dropped a couple of balls on bearded noggins for the final two to bring the cup to Columbus for the first time. Click to continue reading...

November 19, 2008

USA Match Reaction - Lightning Possum Attack!

5
Well, Experiment #2 was certainly more successful than Experiment #1 down in T&T. Then again, it's generally a bit easier to carry out said experiments when the laboratory is sterile and littered with Guatemalan corpses. What a putrid effort by a team supposedly fighting for their World Cup lives! In any case, the US runs out easy 2-0 winners with goals by Kenny Cooper (let the Click to continue reading...

November 16, 2008

Match Reaction - Western Conference Final

1
It's a funny old game isn't it? The first time the Red Bulls had their playoff lives in their hands, they got absolutely slaughtered by Chicago and had to meekly back their way into the playoffs courtesy of DC United's inability to hit anything but woodwork in their season finale. But since giving up five to the Fire, the Bulls have conceded just one goal in their last three matches, depending Click to continue reading...

November 15, 2008

Match Reaction - Eastern Conference Finals

1
Well, I just spent a lovely rainy morning watching the Crew-Fire match, which turned out to be a pretty good advertisement for the league. Momentum shifted, veteran internationals and young Americans were on display, the pace and excitement of the game were high, and there were chances at both ends. Click to continue reading...

October 26, 2008

In Mourning

0
Crew 1 : 0 United Black armbands all around. We expected it weeks ago. Fortune delayed her hand, but finally struck. The posts loved them, not us. Good effort, but not enough. The Soehn Era is over. Bring in the new regime. Ugh. Match reaction tonight or tomorrow? We shall see. Click to continue reading...

October 22, 2008

DC United Reaction - We Are Not Amused

1
Now, obviously, I wasn't expecting much from this match. We had almost zero chance to advance, and we threw out a bunch of reserves. Still, they played well despite adversity, and that gives me a little hope that we'll go out with a bang this weekend (assuming we have anything to play for). In the meantime, my sole talking point boils down to this: CONCACAF is a joke, and the standard of its Click to continue reading...

October 17, 2008

DC United Reaction - Stayin' Alive

1
Cue the white suits and disco balls! It's been a long, long wait for a victory, but with their backs against the wall and only 30 minutes to save the season, United finally provided the finishes that have gone MIA of late. The 2-1 victory over a Revolution side in a death-spiral puts United temporarily in the playoff places. Click to continue reading...

October 13, 2008

USA Reaction - Smoking the Cubans

2
Day late and a dollar short and all that ;-). Anyway, I didn't really take too much from this match. I know, I know, I'm totally jaded, emitting a resounding "meh?" in the wake of a 6-1 victory. The Cubans were shorthanded, outclassed, and we got the goals we needed. The play wasn't magical to watch, but we were completely dominant in a match we should dominate. Click to continue reading...

October 12, 2008

DC United Reaction - Of Moral Victories and Tourniquets

0
So it's come to this. It's come to the point where we can hold up back-to-back road draws as some sort of moral victory. Not that those draws did us much good in either competition, but at least we've got a tourniquet on the wound, right? Speaking of tourniquets . . . I'm a little surprised that we didn't need a few out on the field tonight. Click to continue reading...

October 10, 2008

DC United Reaction - The Monster in the Mirror

1
All right, let me make the standard disclaimer that I'm going by highlights and writeups, so I'm going to avoid doing any real "match analysis." Rather, I'll react to the result. And what a result for a bunch of kids with precious little experience! Of course, the 2-2 draw gives us just one point while the rest of the group sits on seven, so we're officially done unless we win both of our Click to continue reading...

October 5, 2008

DC United Reaction - Abbreviated Talking Points for the Winning-Impaired

2
1. We suck. 2. Results elsewhere mean we're still in it, but . . . 3. We suck with an almighty sucking. 4. Does another rash of injuries even matter when we take a 3-0 humping at home in front of nearly 30k and get outshot in "Our House" when our backs are to the playoff wall? 5. Yeah, but technically . Click to continue reading...

October 1, 2008

DC United Reaction - Undone By A Bank Shot

0
Well, that's over. We're not officially eliminated from the Champions' League, but given away trips to Saprissa and Cruz Azul, I'll call a spade a spade. That said . . . Christ, we should've run out the reserves against Dallas. They might've played a damn sight better than the starters given what I've just witnessed. Click to continue reading...

September 28, 2008

DC United Reaction - Soehn's Sinking Ship

3
Weather knocked me into the land of no broadband and no cable, so I've just had a chance to witness the highlights, or lowlights as the case may be. Ugh. I'm actually glad I didn't have to sit through that sort of torture. No, we weren't thumped statistically, despite pretty much conceding the first half, but . Click to continue reading...

September 25, 2008

DC United Reaction - Not So Much About the Game

2
Alright, rather than focus on the yawning vortex of suck that is our recent run of non-results, concluding with last night's 2-0 capitulation, let's see if there's anything at all to look forward to for the remainder of the season. (1) We're in a hole in the Champions' League, but it's not huge. Marathon are on top with 6, the other two have 3, and we're rock bottom with the big zero. Click to continue reading...

September 21, 2008

DC United Reaction - Flat-Out Embarrassing

0
Losing, and emphatically at that, to a team that hasn't won a game in months, is flat-out embarrassing. Suffice it to say, others in the United blogosphere have trod this path before, but I was willing to hold out just a little longer. Now I'm convinced. We're toast. Barring some sort of major miracle--healing waters bringing everybody back to full health, a draught of some liquid that makes Click to continue reading...

September 17, 2008

DC United Reaction - Acne-Scarred Teenagers

9
Pathetic. Yes, yes, there were injuries, some real, some worryingly drawn out, some perhaps emphasized in order to justify the team selection and thus cover the coaching staff's asses, but . . . this is a team built for international competitions, right? I suppose you could say that Tommy faced the conundrum of roster rotation and which competition to place the highest value on and made his Click to continue reading...

September 14, 2008

DC United Reaction - Triple Damn

0
Let's start by saying that my perspective of this game comes via the warped lens of Limarzi's radio call and the video highlights. With that in mind, my reaction is necessarily going to be more focused on the implications of last night's 2-2 draw against Coop and the Hoops. Now that we've got that bit of business out of the way . Click to continue reading...

September 11, 2008

USA Reaction - When Bob-ball Pays Dividends

6
So, are we satisfied with a 3-0 thumping of T&T and a stranglehold on our qualification group? Let's not muck about--to the talking points! * Tactically, the approach didn't seem to be too much different--not a particularly surprising turn of events. Kljestan is a more creative player than Edu, but he and Bradley were still playing deeper than the wide midfielders, and he failed to make the Click to continue reading...

September 7, 2008

USA Reaction - Embargoes for Everybody!

9
1-0? Really? For all I know, we dominated from start to finish (though the writeups don't seem to validate that point), and could have won by much more. I'm not really going to do much of a reaction to this match. Why? I didn't bother watching. I can't stand Bob-ball. We've got the most attacking midfield talent this country has ever produced swimming around in the player pool, we're Click to continue reading...

DC United Reaction - No Nostradamus Required

2
Predictable. Utterly predictable. Combine an emotional mid-week cup win with a cross-country flight; stir in half the regular starting lineup being out through suspension, injury, or national team duty; blend with a couple of starters shaking off the rust; add an opponent riding a good deal of momentum and looking fresh with an infusion of new blood; and dust liberally with Dyachenko going the Click to continue reading...

September 3, 2008

DC United Reaction - Cue the Queen!

2
Silverware! Probably our best hope for the shiny stuff this year, and probably not the most prestigious of trophies, but silverware nonetheless. And a spot in next year's Champions' League. Now, assuming that we don't get any format changes next year, the Open Cup win puts us in the qualifying round--you know, the one that MLS sides did so well in this year? Click to continue reading...

August 31, 2008

DC United Reaction - Highway to the Danger Zone

2
Owing to time and family constraints, this is going to be short and ugly. I've not seen much beyond highlights, match writeups, and the reaction of my fellow bloggists, so my own reaction is going to be necessarily quite limited. Have I hemmed and hawed enough? Good. Let's throw a curve and toss in a little Tickle v. Click to continue reading...

August 23, 2008

DC United Reaction - Hide the Bum Hammy Hammer!

1
Jaded. Completely and utterly jaded. That's the only explanation. How else can you describe the sort of malaise I face as I stare at this blank post and wonder what to say. Sure, I pumped my fist and came out of my chair after every United goal. I'm satisfied with the shutout, perhaps even mildly enthused that we hung three on the cRapids, but . Click to continue reading...

August 20, 2008

DC United Reaction - Warped Perspectives

2
You know, the window through which I viewed this match was pretty encouraging. I should note, however, that said window only opens about 37 minutes into the game. From this (admittedly warped) perspective, we earned a hard-fought draw on the road and completely dominated the run of play for large patches without really creating enough solid chances to actually win the match. Click to continue reading...

August 17, 2008

DC United Reaction - Yellow Fever in the Bong Mines

1
Could the hex be broken? Did the Fire trade in their DC United voodoo doll for a bald Matt Reis one so that they could mysteriously dominate the Revs with the same choke-hold that they've used to disable United for so long? Or does the Vdub symbol ward off the evil eye? Is Blanco a karma suck that has removed the Fire's power over us? Click to continue reading...

August 12, 2008

DC United Reaction - Rolling the Revs' Reserves

1
Well, I guess we can take some comfort from the fact that our first team could do pretty well in the MLS reserve division, right? United ran out a full strength team (Quaranta in for the still-injured Gallardo) against a Revs side featuring one regular starter (Joseph) and a handful of others with quality first-team minutes. Click to continue reading...

August 10, 2008

US Olympic Reaction - Undone By An Old Owl

4
Roller coaster. That's about the long and short of it. In the early going, the Dutch looked like the favorites that they were, playing at a level that the US just couldn't seem to match. Babel's opener was fitting reward for the better team. But around the midway point in the first half, passes started connecting for the US, Adu started to get on the ball, and the chances started coming. Click to continue reading...

DC United Reaction - So Much For the Renaissance

2
Ouch. As I suspected, KC's inability to finish flattered us last week. I alluded to the defensive wobbles that went unpunished at the feet of Arnaud and others in my reaction to the match against the Wiz. Sadly, Juan Pablo Angel is no Davy Arnaud, and United paid for those slips this time around. Click to continue reading...

August 8, 2008

US Olympic Reaction - The Mysteries of Wynne & Nowak

7
I know that I'm a bit late on this, but I just wanted to weigh in with a few thoughts surrounding the U-23's 1-0 victory over Japan in their first Olympic outing. Please note that my viewing of the match was in Hampered FF Mode (more on that later), so this really isn't a meticulous (nor probably accurate, for that matter) analysis. Click to continue reading...

August 5, 2008

SuperLiga Final Reaction - If a Tree Falls In Gillette Stadium . . .

5
Well, that certainly didn't feel much like a cup final--more like a mid- to late-season MLS game with some playoff implications. There were some really nice passages of play, but also a fair amount of thuggish Neanderthal-ball , as well as some truly awful crossing that made the crosses that connected for the Revs' first and Houston's second look divine by comparison. Click to continue reading...

August 3, 2008

DC United Reaction - Hallelujah!

1
God, that felt good. The losing streak ends at four, and it's back to winning ways in the league as United holds serve at home against KC. Missing a big chunk of the starting lineup to suspension and injury, I suppose any sort of win would have been acceptable tonight. Still, there was something vaguely unsatisfying about the 2-0 victory, but we'll get to that. Click to continue reading...

July 23, 2008

DC United Reaction - Even the Weather Can't Bear to Watch

0
The Direct Kick "delay" metal riff is driving me insane, I've witnessed nothing in the match thus far that indicates we'll be able to rescue it (if we even get the unlikely chance), and I'm quite frankly disgusted by what I was seeing before the Man Upstairs decided that he'd seen enough of that putrid display as well and proceeded to open the heavens. Click to continue reading...

July 19, 2008

DC United Reaction - The Night Was Filled With a Great Sucking

1
Okay, okay, so I'll admit it. Expecting the worst, I pre-medicated with some Cabernet Sauvignon. Good thing too, judging by the 3-1 result. Set piece defending and covering quick rushes through the middle don't seem to amongst the tools at our disposal. Ah well, it was a meaningless match save for the looks we got at some of the kids. Click to continue reading...

July 15, 2008

DC United Reaction - Poof Goes the Dilemma!

1
Well, I guess that answers all the SuperDilemma questions, doesn't it? Unless Houston gets royally hammered by Chivas tonight, SuperLiga 2008 is over for United after they fell 3-2 at home to Atlante. Of course, should Chivas run riot, United may still have something to play for, but at this point, I'd put in whatever scrubs we happen to have healthy on Saturday, maybe give some of the starters Click to continue reading...

July 12, 2008

DC United Reaction - The Posts of DOOM!

3
Wow, what a roller-coaster! Emilio pings one off the post early before the Goats gain control of midfield, inevitably resulting in a charge right up the gullet of United's defense for the opener. After reshuffling the pack, McTavish spanks one off the post, only for Chivas to hammer home a free kick after some putzing about at the back by United. Click to continue reading...
 1  2     »