Heading to the airport and have not yet seen the Dynamo game against LA which I will catch on tape later today in Houston.
Have read game reports only….what is your reaction to the 2-2 draw?
Meanwhile about 12,000 showed up to Giants Stadium for a 1-1 Red Bulls draw against NE.
Jozy Altidore producing a stunning goal that was basically a one man show as he raced through the New England defense shirking off tackles like the Ronaldo of old in his days at Inter Milan. When he reached the penalty area he smashed his finish into the upper corner past a helpless Matt Reis.
The game changed early in the second half with an ejection to Maurico Castro who kicked out at Kevin Goldthwaite after being fouled. The Revs had few chances but tied the game after Adam Cristman drew a foul at the top of the penalty area.
Jeff Larentowicz scored on the ensuing free kick as his shot went under a jumping Chris Leitch who was at the end of the wall.
Never have been a believer in players in a wall jumping giving an additonal option to free kick takers.
The game ended 1-1 with the Red Bulls creating more of the chances.
On an unrelated note Joe Franchino and Gary Flood of the Revolution were involved in an incident that included public urination at Fenway Park during the Yankees/Red Sox game. Nice way to represent the club and I could only believe that the players on the Revolution can’t be too happy about their teammates behavior….Franchino’s trade to LA and subsequent playing time against the Dynamo had nothing to do with the incident as the club said they were trading him anyway.
Don’t forget Dynamo All Access this Monday night at the Stags Head Pub at 7pm near Sheperd and 59. What Dynamo players would you like to see live?
Danish Inspirations
Fiesta Mart
Houston Web Design
Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute
SportTalk 790
Zukowski, Bresenhan & Sinex, L.L.P.
I was very mad at the letter, I wanted so bad not to watch the Dynamo game, but I couldn´t help it, I´m a soccer fan and the Dynamo is the team of my new home (well, I don´t like them because I have to, you know how soccer is, a team gets you without you even noticing it, Dynamo got me), I felt betrayed by all this letter thing, but you follow the colors, not the owners, not the president of the league, not even the players, they come and go, not saying you shouldn´t like the guys, you like them, they are your boys, but players will come and go, players will retire, but the colors are there.
My thumb couldn´t be stop (and the fact my wife is visiting her mother means there were no witnesses to see I was going to see those Orange Boys even if a few days I was telling her “no more, no more”), I changed TV to channel 55.
Again the Dynamo had way to many chances for the number of goals they got, they are waisting a lot of chances, but we got 2 in in another stadium, that counts for something, our defense looked better for most of the game, but Beckham and Donovan proved that quick plays are our Achilles Heel, when the defense is in man to man coverage mode, quick plays just kill us, and those 2 guys can really make fast plays, perhaps we should try zone coverage more often, but I´m not the coach and I know the Dom knows a whole lot more than me.
Our keeper looked better, but I saw him still having troubles when he has to decide if he is going to stay on his net or go out (with long volleys and when offensive players are going his way), as a keeper you should decide in less than a second, you either stay or you go out, it doesn´t matter, but you decide it quickly, the worst you can do is to hesitate, you end up not doing any, you end up in the middle, but he is looking better, had a couple of great saves and both goals completely out of his reach.
I´m liking Caraccio more and more every game, I have to retract, I was betting he was going to be a flop because of the fact he had almost no play minutes his last year in Argentina and the fact he went from kid prodigy to bench warmer, but he is bringing fun t our game, he may not be the most technical player, but he has a soccer brain, he visualizes plays, when the ball is coming his way he is already thinking what he is going to do, who is the teammate in the best position to give the ball to, and he is not afraid to try things, not only that, a few other players are trying to do the same, making our games very entertaining.
Was this a good result?, if you had tell me before the game that our boys would tie in LA I would have say, great, a tie in an away game against guys like the Galaxy (even if they had 1 win and 2 loses) is great, but the problem is that we we were winning 1-0 and then 2-1, they were the ones fighting for the tie, we were fighting for the win, ties like that feel like losses.
Having said that, the Galaxy of the 2nd halflooked so much better that after they tied the game 1-1 I Thought we were going to lose for sure, but our boys played with heart, never gave up, never, they even score again before the Galaxy, Xavier?, Beckham?, Donovan?, they had to fight for their lifes against DeRosario, Clark, Caraccio, Ching and all those Orange gladiators.
MLS execs?, get lost, AEG? get lost, do whatever you want, I don´t care anymore, my allegiance is with those colors, regardless of what you do.
The game was very entertaining if you liked attacking soccer with up and down play. The Dynamo found their passing rythm in the first half and had some nice spells of possesion and created some nice chances. It was dissapointing that they only converted into one goal. Could have easily been 3. I was pounding the floor in frustration when no one was there to latch on to the ball played by Franco in front of the goal. What a great effort on his part. Beckham is really starting to get on the same wave length with Donovan and Buddle. They created problems all night for Houston. Everytime Hosuton lost possession, the speed of counter attack by LA really created problems for Houston.
The Dynamo still had some turnovers of possesion in bad areas and not knowing how to close out a game. I commented to my kids that the second Galaxy goal was coming based on the Dynamo letting some panic creep into their game at the end.
I have been critical on Tony Caig previously and it is only fair I give him credit for a fine performance last night.
It is really nice having the veteran experience of Mullan, Davis and Clark back in the side. You can see the difference in the passing and possesion by the team.
Lastly, I hope the league at least publicly admonishes Landon Donovan for that classless display shouting at and taunting a prone Patrick Ianni after he scored the goal. Ianni should have been up immediately and gotten back in his face. He should have forced the referee to take some action there. Since Ianni did nothing and did not react, the referee was able to ignore the action by Donovan and not deal with the situation.
Ianni did the right thing in my opinion, Ianni showed class, as gifted as Donovan is, he is classless (not to mention lack of hunger to succeed), Ianni on the other hand showed he is there to play soccer not to act like a child, if Ianni had responded the situation could have escalated and both players could have been red carded, we don´t need another player out of circulation.
In some ways, Ianni deserved to get yelled out. He knocked Donovan on his ass in a not-quite-legit sort of way. And then on the goal if you watch the replay Ianni was practically bear hugging Donovan before Donovan broke away and made his run. But that said, Ianni should have gotten up and got in Donovan’s face.
Also, Ianni and Boswell do not have the pace to keep up with fast players. They got turned around too much. If the defense is set, they do respectably but in transition or defending the counter attack they get beaten too easily.
How about we trade one of our surplus midfielders for a quality CB to pair with Robinson? The league’s attacking quality is getting too good for us to use Ianni or Boswell (and sometimes both) every night. We have conceeded 7 goals in 4 games. Not good! Do we really need Mullan, Davis, Ashe, Cameron, DeRo, Clark AND Holden?? Holden needs to be starting anyway, so let’s trade Mullan, Davis, Ashe or Cameron!
It was classless, I admit it…but you guys are being blinded by orange love…Ianni was the one that started it…that’s why he didn’t say or reply at all…a couple of plays before he took out Donovan for almost no reason…then while that last run…(if you DVRed it, go back and check), Ianni is holding him, scratching him, doing almost anything to slow him down…it should’ve been called a foul but since Donovan never took a fall…well it went uncalled…but he finished the play with a good goal, In my perspective…Im no fan of Donovan, really…Im just telling you what I saw…and I know what I saw…One player getting beat even after cheating, and another one reacting to earning a goal even though he was being fouled all the way…and on the plays before…
I loved the fire those two had going on all game…It added to the rivalry I guess…
Yes we missed to many goals…but I can honestly say that I am at the very least feeling a little more comfortable with the way the guys are playing now…At the start of the season, I couln’t see any good plays being created..now…with the addition of our key players this is changing a bit…
Im with you on the Caraccio note…he’s bringing in some much needed energy..and some players are noticing…I love Ching…but I wish Dom gave Wondo a shot next to Caraccio…just to see what’s going to happen once Ching’s gone…or injured…I hope it doesn’t happen but hey…things like that happen…
Good Game overall…entertaining…looking forward to next week’s game already…
Ohhh…and Man U – Barcelona…don’t forget!!!!!
Moises,
It’s hard to tell from the camera angle on Donovan’s goal, so I can’t comment on whether Ianni’s physical play crossed over into fouling on that play. But I can say that Ianni didn’t take out Donovan on the play prior. Ianni moved into Donovan’s path, true, as Donovan sped toward the GK for a ball that he couldn’t reach, but the check was hardly a foul, and Donovan’s flight through the air and grabbing his cranium came straight from Carlos Ruiz’s playbook. He was using gamesmanship to try to get a free kick when none was deserved, or worse: to get the last defender sent off for an offense he was not guilty of. You calling Ianni a cheater is a bit unfair since gamesmanship is as much cheating in my book since it involves breaking the rules to create an unfair advantage, such as by “framing” (for the lack of a better word) an opponent.
Having said all that, Donovan’s goals were pure skill. And I read on mlsnet.com that he and Ianni actually traded jerseys after the game, a sign of mutual respect once the passion had subsided. I guess LD didn’t think Ianni’s play had been criminal after all…
Crazy to blame Ianni on the Donovan incident. Ianni did what every defender in the world should have done. Ianni was completely legal.
Caig was not well positioned on first goal. You know, except for not being able to cut-out crosses, suspect shot stopping, and poor positioing, Caig is pretty good.
Barrett allowed Beckham in behind him twice. Second time, given the situation, it was absolutely criminal. A defender must be able to stay goal-side and deny space behind him when the ball is switched. If Barrett feels he has to cheat on Beckham to deny him the ball — because Barrett fears having to defend Beckham with the ball — then Barrett needs to consider coaching. I love the guy. He has been a rock. However, that second goal was criminal IMHO. Worse, it is a sympton of fear on Barrett’s part. Fear he cannot handle an opponent if his opponent gets the ball, thus leading to high risk attempts to deny the ball giving up space behind.
let me ask you guys this. why why oh why with only two dangerous players on the pitch that LA has Ianni gave donavan all he could handle (and Ianni did deserve to get yelled at he almost kicked his face in), but why would you allow beckham all that room with the quality he has with his right, why wouldn’t you just take him out of the game and make the rest of their team beat you. With that said we deserved to win dominated the first half and most of second. What is going on with chingy, franco should have yelled at him the way donavan yelled at pat for not running behind and getting on the ball he played across the goal. Even with all this looks like we are coming together and will be alright just have to finish are chances CHING!!!