Another interesting day of Euro 2012 has passed and now we get a day off to prepare for the quarterfinals that are going to bring some real intrigue.
Here is how it has shaped up:
Thursday: Czech Republic v. Portugal Portugal moves on as Ronaldo moves up!
Friday: Germany v. Greece Ouzo time, Greeks final stand v. efficient Germany.
Saturday: Spain v. France Fabregas, Iniesta, Torres the difference
Sunday: England v. Italy Three Lions winning ugly.
GOAL LINE TECHNOLOGY
Sepp Blatter has now called goal line technology a must, a necessity after the Ukraine was denied what seemed to be a legitimate goal. In this case I stomach it a bit better since the play should have been null and void due to a missed offside call.
Amazingly an official was on the endline looking right at the play.
Michel Platini has said that Blatter will now do it but it is a mistake.
Goal line technology or five official system? You tell me.
JOKES FLYING IN ON TFC PLAYERS WHO WERE ARRESTED
Toronto FC is 1-10 coming in to tonights game against the Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium.
Three players were arrested on Sunday night Miguel Aceval, Nick Soolsma and Luis Silva in downtown Houston. Not a great career move and truly embarrassing for this organization that has struggle despite having a great fan base.
Nonetheless jokes have been flying and hear is my favorite out of the Toronto Star :
“We should give a trial to the policeman that caught one of them,” wrote a fan.
“He could be a useful winger with that pace.”
Jokes aside , no organization needs this type of PR.
DYNAMO / TORONTO FC
The second of three games in ten days will bring change to the Dynamo starting lineup based on past patterns from manager Dominic Kinnear.
One will come out of necessity due to the hamstring injury suffered by Calen Carr and Calen Carr could be a straight swap or the option of bringing in Camargo to central midfield and moving JeVaughan Watson out on the right is possible.
Carr’s pace will be missed.
Brian Ching likely will get a rest tonight like in the past and Mac Kandji could get a start.
Andre Hainault is a likely candidate to get in the starting lineup after missing out on the last game against FC Dallas.
The play of those additions to the lineup will be key tonight against a team that is drawing headlines for all the wrong reasons. Due to the bar incident and fans ridiculing TFC will this lead the players to lean on their pride and produce a good performance?
Nothing can be taken for granted in MLS .
TFC defender Adrian Cann is likely to miss this game and Dicoy Williams a Jamaican could take his spot at center back. He has not played this year.
MATCH UPS: TFC striker Danny Koevermanns against Dynamo back line.
Joao Plata the diminutive Ecuadorian last year wreaked havoc on the Dynamo but did not play against Sporting KC in the 2-0 loss. Will he get a run.
If Colin Clark gets the start the Dynamo will look to get their outside backs forward as always with Cory Ashe and likely Andre Hainault.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR:
Houston: How players who enter lineup perform in starting role?
Luiz Camargo as a starter?
Set pieces, Toronto struggled in this area vs. Sporting KC.
Toronto FC: Can pride be a rallying point?
Role of German international Torsten Frings.
Play of youth like Doneil Henry.
TWITTER: GlennDavisSoc
Podcasts of this weeks radio up at sports790.com, interesting Brian Ching interview last night plus Geoff Cameron on playing with U.S. National team.
Danish Inspirations
Fiesta Mart
Houston Web Design
Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute
SportTalk 790
Zukowski, Bresenhan & Sinex, L.L.P.
I don’t ‘we shouldn’t use goal line technology because it should have been called offsides anyway’ is a valid argument for not embracing the technology. What’s the argument if it hadn’t been an offsides scenario ? That’d it slow down the game unnecessarily ? Isn’t there a way to prevent that from happening ? I see guys rolling and flopping on the ground for 30 secs before getting sprayed with magic juice while play is stopped [then get up miraculously] and no one says a word about that. Stop play for 30 secs and review a tape to determine if the ball crossed the line [which would happen when, about every 500 games played ?], and I’m all for it.
Or you can add two more refs at each goal specifically for in the box plays and goal line confirmation. Two more salaries to not stop the clock… I personally dont mind adding a little additional stopage time for play reviews or challenges.
CI,
I was not using the fact that offside should have been called a valid argument for not embracing technology.
It just was easier to stomach on this day as far as the Ukraine’s are concerned , in this match.
I am for goal line technology but that is where it stops.
Glenn
glenn: The Orange showed a lot of heart in the second half. They dominated play and should have won the game with so many shots on goal. Still, I am satisfied and somewhat vindicated for some of my earlier comments. One: Colin Clark is not long for this team. Such is the harsh and reality of life as a pro player. You stay and play as long as you are productive and frankly, his best days are behind him. Second: Ching comes off the bench and rejuvinates the team. I see that as being his role from now on. Third: Ashe is playing because of his speed. He can run with the best of them but nothing more. He can’t take on his defenders with his dribble because he is stripped constantly. Some of his passes in the box are affective but most are not. He is in there for his defense and speed and nothing more. Finally Camargo: He needs outlets to be effective and the Orange tend to bunch around with not many breaking toward the box. You can see from some of his passes that he is creative and is capable of much more. I feel with Garcia at the wings, now he can make his passes and we will see what his is capable of. The second half was fun to watch and reinforces my belief in this team. Go Orange!
I assumed the booing at halftime was the crowd booing the officiating, which allowed a TFC goal to stand when an interfering player was in an offside position, but the Chronicle (and Bruin) suggested the team felt the crowd was booing them.
If the crowd was booing the Dynamo, then shame on the so-called fans. If they were booing the opponent or the officiating, then they need to replace the boos with a defiant chant instead. A chant would be more obvious in regards to what the source of the displeasure is. It should let the opponent know they are in a hostile environment and any successes they’ve had will only postpone their inevitable demise on the pitch. Or it should let the officials know that their poor performance is killing the game at hand, defiling the sport in general, and is pure blasphemy in the eyes of the Soccer Gods. But one thing the chant should NOT do is make the Dynamo feel that their fans are turning on them. They’ve already got one opponent in the stadium, they don’t need another.
That’s a lot to ask of a chant, but I bet it can be done.
I booed at halftime, and I was booing the players. They played horribly, and I’m not going to placate them by directing my displeasure at the officiating instead. At the end of 45 mins, I couldn’t decide who was worse, HD, Baldomero ‘Valdemort’ Toledo, or his ARs running the sidelines. I spent 45 mins watching Dom in front of me yelling at the refs when he should have been screaming at his own team.
And I won’t say the second half [in toto] was the dominion of the Dynamo. The last 10 mins maybe, but certainly not the 30 or so that preceeded it. IMO, Dom should have subbed players at the half, not wait until the 57th to put in JeVaughn, and later, Ownby [whom I'm increasingly impressed by]. Any why wait so long to have Geoff push up ?
Toronto came to play. They’re at the bottom of the standings and with a new coach, new playing formation, and their German Designated Player they were playing like they desparetly wanted a win. Houston looked slow in the first half, like the weather was bothering them and they were being outplayed and out hustled for the ball.
When your favorite team is playing bad, it’s ok to be concerned, be upset, yell and scream words of encouragement but booing your own team is disrespectful and shows no class. Sure, the officiating was suspect as always as Toronto’s first goal should’ve been an offsides call for a guy in an offsides position interfered with the shot and obstructed the goalie but Houston’s defense should’ve done a better job of clearing the ball and not giving Toronto an opportunity to shoot and create that opportunity.
The good news, not only is Houston still undefeated at BBVA Compass Stadium but they actually produced 3 goals in the “run of play” which they haven’t done in a while. This game could be the turning point for Houston as we’re now in the middle of the season. Bruin plays more confident with Ching out there to encourage him as does the rest of the team. Also good news is Watson is finally playing better. He’s been playing better for at least the last 3 or 4 games which is really good. He should definitely start and later be replaced by Camargo who has a better touch, better passing, and better ball control but lacks speed.
I hate watching the Home Team tie at home but at least they didn’t lose and they produced goals which is something we haven’t seen all year. What a goal by Boswell! Also, good to see our guys respond and dig deep to not lose. Go Dynamo!
“…it’s ok to be concerned, be upset, yell and scream words of encouragement but booing your own team is disrespectful and shows no class.”
We’re going to have to agree to disagree. When you play like sh** for 45 minutes, you get rasberrys from the fans. When you come out after halftime and repeat the same pattern for another 30 mins, you get rasberrys.