Malik
(10/31/11)
Saturday I watched one
of the worst soccer games I've ever seen. Seattle played Real Salt
Lake in the first of a two game aggregate goal playoff match. Not
only did Seattle fail to control the possession, but they played
like a high school team facing off against a playoff team.
The only Sounder who
looked like anything better than complete crap was Kasey Keller.
True, he ended up giving up three goals, but that's ignoring how
many times he saved the Sounders from an even worse fate. Keller
spent most of the game throwing his body in the way of some fierce
and constant shots on goal. Keller, you could see in how he played,
wanted to win. The rest of the team...I don't know what they wanted,
but winning was probably not in the top five of their desires.
I had trouble watching
the game when it started with Real Salt Lake controlling all
possession (in the end, RSL controlled the ball about twice as
frequently, according to the clock, than the Sounders). I had more
trouble when Seattle fell back two to nothing. Right after that was
when I just couldn't take anymore. When Alonso, who has been trying
to prove he is the MVP of the Sounders for 2011, acted out on his
aggression, and was not even penalized appropriately, I couldn't
watch anymore. Alonso, right after the second RSL goal, shoved a RSL
player without any visible provocation. The refs must have missed
most of it, because Alonso walked away with a yellow when (and this
is me speaking as a Sounders fan) he should have been ejected with a
flat red.
In fact, the refs were
far too nice on their calls all around. They missed an offsides on
the first RSL goal (although the ball was going to go in before the
offside RSL player tapped it in), skipped a few easy yellows, and
then gave Alonso a free pass on being an idiot. It wasn't until the
end of the second half that they stepped up...which was when they
let it rain yellows after some borderline nothing/yellow calls on
Frieberg and Montero (although Montero was asking for it by being
where he shouldn't have been...on the RSL goal keeper's ass).
Now Seattle has to,
somehow, score at least three on Wednesday and not allow anything
from RSL. They then need to win in overtime. Is it impossible? No.
Is it easy or likely? Definitely no.
At least the rest of the
weekend in sports went how it should. UW beat Arizona in a great
second half of football (started with a lame first half...but UW has
always been a second half type of team, and the refs were shit the
entire game). By the way...Polk...a great Husky, or the
greatest Husky?
Also, the Seahawks went
down in flames like one would expect.
In fact, the Seahawks
had one hell of a funny/lame game. QB juggling happened when
Whitehurst was pulled for an injured T-Jack. Personally, if your
starter (no matter how lame he is as the first string) is
recovering, and your 2nd string QB is crap, try the unproven rookie.
Would Portis have pulled out a miracle? Who knows. However, it would
be better than risking an even worse injury on T-Jack...who, no
matter what you want to think about him, is still the starter.
At least with the Rams
picking up an unlikely win (over the Saints?!), the Seahawks are
looking a bit better in the hunt for a good draft pick.
Malik |