Soccer: Fredy Montero
Scoring Summary:
SEA – Fredy Montero (Cordell Cato) 68
SEA – Montero (Alex Caskey) 71
FC Dallas – Kevin Hartman, Hernan Pertuz (Ruben Luna 84), George John, Matt Hedges, Zach Loyd, Jair Benitez, Andrew Jacobson, James Marcelin, Jackson, Fabian Castillo, Scott Sealy (Brek Shea 70).
Substitutes Not Used: Chris Seitz, Bruno Guarda, Victor Ulloa, Alex Lee, Bryan Leyva.
TOTAL SHOTS: 15 (Fabian Castillo 5);
SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Scott Sealy 2);
FOULS: 11 (Scott Sealy 3);
OFFSIDES: 2 (Scott Sealy, Fabian Castillo 1);
CORNER KICKS: 7 (Jair Benitez 6);
SAVES: 1 (Kevin Hartman 1).
Seattle Sounders FC – Bryan Meredith, Zach Scott, Jeff Parke, Jhon Hurtado, Marc Burch, Mauro Rosales (Fredy Montero 46), Andy Rose, Brad Evans (Servando Carrasco 77), Alex Caskey, David Estrada (Cordell Cato 66), Eddie Johnson.
Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Weber, Adam Johansson, Sammy Ochoa, Roger Levesque.
TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Mauro Rosales, Fredy Montero 4);
SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Fredy Montero 2);
FOULS: 16 (Alex Caskey 3);
OFFSIDES: 0;
CORNER KICKS: 2 (Mauro Rosales, Alex Caskey 1);
SAVES: 5 (Bryan Meredith 5).
Misconduct Summary:
SEA – Marc Burch (caution) 30
SEA – Jeff Parke (caution) 42
DAL – George John (caution) 57
SEA – Zach Scott (caution) 75
SEA – Fredy Montero (caution) 81
Referee: Fotis Bazakos
Referee’s Assistants: Frank Anderson, Corey Rockwell
4th Official: Abiodun Okul
Attendance: 10,092
Time of Game: 1:59
Weather: Clear, 80 degrees
SEA – Fredy Montero (Cordell Cato) 68
SEA – Montero (Alex Caskey) 71
FC Dallas – Kevin Hartman, Hernan Pertuz (Ruben Luna 84), George John, Matt Hedges, Zach Loyd, Jair Benitez, Andrew Jacobson, James Marcelin, Jackson, Fabian Castillo, Scott Sealy (Brek Shea 70).
Substitutes Not Used: Chris Seitz, Bruno Guarda, Victor Ulloa, Alex Lee, Bryan Leyva.
TOTAL SHOTS: 15 (Fabian Castillo 5);
SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Scott Sealy 2);
FOULS: 11 (Scott Sealy 3);
OFFSIDES: 2 (Scott Sealy, Fabian Castillo 1);
CORNER KICKS: 7 (Jair Benitez 6);
SAVES: 1 (Kevin Hartman 1).
Seattle Sounders FC – Bryan Meredith, Zach Scott, Jeff Parke, Jhon Hurtado, Marc Burch, Mauro Rosales (Fredy Montero 46), Andy Rose, Brad Evans (Servando Carrasco 77), Alex Caskey, David Estrada (Cordell Cato 66), Eddie Johnson.
Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Weber, Adam Johansson, Sammy Ochoa, Roger Levesque.
TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Mauro Rosales, Fredy Montero 4);
SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Fredy Montero 2);
FOULS: 16 (Alex Caskey 3);
OFFSIDES: 0;
CORNER KICKS: 2 (Mauro Rosales, Alex Caskey 1);
SAVES: 5 (Bryan Meredith 5).
Misconduct Summary:
SEA – Marc Burch (caution) 30
SEA – Jeff Parke (caution) 42
DAL – George John (caution) 57
SEA – Zach Scott (caution) 75
SEA – Fredy Montero (caution) 81
Referee: Fotis Bazakos
Referee’s Assistants: Frank Anderson, Corey Rockwell
4th Official: Abiodun Okul
Attendance: 10,092
Time of Game: 1:59
Weather: Clear, 80 degrees
FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman
It was a disappointing result. We were unable to score. I think that led into the pressure late in the game. Montero comes on the field. We know what he’s all about. He’s a very good player. He’s a difference maker and obviously tonight he scored two goals. For us, I thought we had probably 70 minutes of our best soccer of the year, getting the ball, moving the ball and I don’t want to emphasize the players we were missing. I thought the players we had on the field today were very good. They played hard, determined and, as you know, they had a very difficult game on Sunday that took a lot of energy out of them. I thought the first half Seattle was responding to us. I think we took the game to them. Rosales did have a great chance that (he) was unlucky not to finish, but if you look at the number of opportunities we had, the number of times we got behind the defense, we should have done better with it.
On the two Seattle goals…
The first goal I thought we were a little bit out of shape and then when (Fredy) Montero got the ball we had two guys who were right on him trying to make a tackle and somehow he got free. I think the players were almost in each other’s way at a point. He got free maybe 10 yards away from the goal and hit it to the near post. He hit it with so much power that Kevin (Hartman) couldn’t get a hand on it.
The second goal was really goofy. This is just us being a little bit naďve. We doubled up on the player with the ball and we left an open space in the zone. When we didn’t win the ball, we were out of shape. The ball went into the left side of the field. The guy came in and I think Montero probably beat George to the ball and that’s what Montero does. He’s a shark. He’s a finisher. He made a difference in the game. I thought we did a very good job with (Mauro) Rosales, who is probably their best player, and in comes Montero.
On the team’s overall performance during the game…
I’m disappointed, obviously, with the result, especially being at home. I thought the team played well, but we didn’t capitalize on our opportunities. With the few chances they did get, they capitalized on us. At the end of the day, we got beat 2-0.
On how to rebound after losing two disappointing games in a row…
Our backs are against the wall right now and we haven’t won a game in several weeks. I think the biggest thing we can do is to come together as a team and continue to believe in one another. For the next game, we’ll have Daniel [Hernandez] back, we’ll have Blas [Perez] back, and we will have Brek [Shea] back in the lineup, so I think we’re going to see a huge improvement with the team. Hopefully going forward we can see better results.
On how he can individually contribute to the success of the team…
I can continue to work hard in practice, I can continue to develop and I can get better individually. I think the most important thing is to come together as a group. I think the team needs to continue to grow and continue to progress. Our sights are the playoffs, and we still have our sights on that. This weekend would be a big swing for us if we can get three points.
FC Dallas defender Matt Hedges
On his first career start with the team…
It felt really good to get the start, but I wasn’t too pleased with the result. When I was out there, I didn’t feel like we really changed the whole way we played, and it felt good.
On how tonight’s performance can affect his future with the team…
Whenever the team needs me to get on the field for a start, I’ll be ready. I think I’ve defined my role with the team, and they know what I can do and that I can help the team, so I’m just trying to do whatever I can.
FC Dallas midfielder Brek Shea
On his health… My body felt really good. It’s just that my toe was a little sore. It’s more annoying than anything. It feels like there is something in your shoe, just poking you all the time. It did feel a lot better than it had after resting it this week. I’m wearing an insert in my boot that helps take a lot of the pressure off of it.
General thoughts on the match…
We were unfortunate to lose. I don’t think it was a 2-0 game. In the first half the chances were going both ways, but in the beginning of the second half I thought we really dominated, but that’s soccer. They had two chances and they put them away.
Are the recent struggles just a matter of the ball not bouncing the right way?
It’s not going our way right now in anything. Soccer is like that. Once you get things going in the right direction… Once things start rolling… We had it rolling at the beginning of the season. It’s not rolling right now. We have a lot of guys out, but I do think a lot of guys stepped up and played well tonight. It’s unfortunate we lost 2-0.
On five straight victories…
It’s great. Today was tough for us because it’s our fourth game in 10 days, so we had a lot of tired bodies out there you know, but you try to get people through it. That’s why we tried to cut the minutes for Rosales. We tried to cut Montero’s minutes as well to keep us as fresh as possible because we have another game on the weekend. But I thought our team responded well. I thought we defended well, which we’ve done all season.
I thought Jeff Parke was superb. I thought Meredith came up with a big save at a big time for us and then obviously Montero finished two good goals. There was a lot of good work by Cordell Cato on the first goal. You know so I was pleased for him in his first game.
On three straight shutouts…
Well they work for each other you know. They get in the way. They block shots. They help each other. They cover for each other. You know they take a lot of pride in keeping things away from goal. I think our goalkeepers don’t have to make a lot of big saves because we’re doing a lot of saves in front of them and when they do they’re able to come up with it and do well with it. So it’s a mindset and the mindset is with our midfielders and forwards as well in terms of making plays predictable.
On second half play vs. the first…
I think the first half we were too stretched out. I thought Rose and Evans played too deep together and so there was a big hole there. Also Strata and Johnson are big forwards that like to stay high a little bit, so we had a big hole in the middle of midfield. So basically in the first half (James) Marcelin ran the whole show and he was able to put balls to the next guy. Who then play into (Fabian) Castillo and people like that. We talked about that at halftime, and the second half Evans pushed into that hole a little bit. Montero drops into that hole, so now all of the sudden we were able to play and connect some passes into that hole and hold the ball for longer sequences and that forced them back a little bit.
Seattle Sounders FC goalkeeper Bryan Meredith
As a team this is our fifth win in a row, which is a franchise record for us. It’s very exciting. It was a great game. Sometimes you have to grind it out defensively, but the defense again did a great job. You have to give most of the credit to the defense for playing from minute 1 to minute 90 at 100 percent.
On diving save to end the first half…
He hit it across the goal and I don’t even know who it was. The ball just got up and kind of floated to the upper 90 and I just did everything I could to get a little tip on it.
On stepping in to play…
It’s been fun. You’ve got to be ready to step in and done the job at any time, which sometimes makes a backup position tough. I was prepared correctly before every game and luckily I’ve been able to extend our win streak.
Seattle Sounders FC forward Fredy Montero
It’s a great feeling coming off the bench. I try to do my best and do what Sigi told me and it was a big surprise for me to score those two goals and get the three points. Obviously when you are winning games you want to keep working and doing the same stuff. We tried to jump into the field and just enjoy the game. Try to be honest with us and try to be honest with the team and work hard for each other. We had a great battle today. We scored two goals and we got three points, which was super important for us.
On the second goal…
It was a little touch by the defense and the ball came to me and I just jumped and guided the ball into the net.
On the first goal…
It was a really fast play. I was battling for the ball and when I got the ball I tried to fake one defender and when I looked up I was right in front of the keeper. Then I just tried to put the ball into the net. It was a goal and a big moment for me.
It was a disappointing result. We were unable to score. I think that led into the pressure late in the game. Montero comes on the field. We know what he’s all about. He’s a very good player. He’s a difference maker and obviously tonight he scored two goals. For us, I thought we had probably 70 minutes of our best soccer of the year, getting the ball, moving the ball and I don’t want to emphasize the players we were missing. I thought the players we had on the field today were very good. They played hard, determined and, as you know, they had a very difficult game on Sunday that took a lot of energy out of them. I thought the first half Seattle was responding to us. I think we took the game to them. Rosales did have a great chance that (he) was unlucky not to finish, but if you look at the number of opportunities we had, the number of times we got behind the defense, we should have done better with it.
On the two Seattle goals…
The first goal I thought we were a little bit out of shape and then when (Fredy) Montero got the ball we had two guys who were right on him trying to make a tackle and somehow he got free. I think the players were almost in each other’s way at a point. He got free maybe 10 yards away from the goal and hit it to the near post. He hit it with so much power that Kevin (Hartman) couldn’t get a hand on it.
The second goal was really goofy. This is just us being a little bit naďve. We doubled up on the player with the ball and we left an open space in the zone. When we didn’t win the ball, we were out of shape. The ball went into the left side of the field. The guy came in and I think Montero probably beat George to the ball and that’s what Montero does. He’s a shark. He’s a finisher. He made a difference in the game. I thought we did a very good job with (Mauro) Rosales, who is probably their best player, and in comes Montero.
FC Dallas defender Zach Loyd
On the team’s overall performance during the game…
I’m disappointed, obviously, with the result, especially being at home. I thought the team played well, but we didn’t capitalize on our opportunities. With the few chances they did get, they capitalized on us. At the end of the day, we got beat 2-0.
On how to rebound after losing two disappointing games in a row…
Our backs are against the wall right now and we haven’t won a game in several weeks. I think the biggest thing we can do is to come together as a team and continue to believe in one another. For the next game, we’ll have Daniel [Hernandez] back, we’ll have Blas [Perez] back, and we will have Brek [Shea] back in the lineup, so I think we’re going to see a huge improvement with the team. Hopefully going forward we can see better results.
On how he can individually contribute to the success of the team…
I can continue to work hard in practice, I can continue to develop and I can get better individually. I think the most important thing is to come together as a group. I think the team needs to continue to grow and continue to progress. Our sights are the playoffs, and we still have our sights on that. This weekend would be a big swing for us if we can get three points.
FC Dallas defender Matt Hedges
On his first career start with the team…
It felt really good to get the start, but I wasn’t too pleased with the result. When I was out there, I didn’t feel like we really changed the whole way we played, and it felt good.
On how tonight’s performance can affect his future with the team…
Whenever the team needs me to get on the field for a start, I’ll be ready. I think I’ve defined my role with the team, and they know what I can do and that I can help the team, so I’m just trying to do whatever I can.
FC Dallas midfielder Brek Shea
On his health… My body felt really good. It’s just that my toe was a little sore. It’s more annoying than anything. It feels like there is something in your shoe, just poking you all the time. It did feel a lot better than it had after resting it this week. I’m wearing an insert in my boot that helps take a lot of the pressure off of it.
General thoughts on the match…
We were unfortunate to lose. I don’t think it was a 2-0 game. In the first half the chances were going both ways, but in the beginning of the second half I thought we really dominated, but that’s soccer. They had two chances and they put them away.
Are the recent struggles just a matter of the ball not bouncing the right way?
It’s not going our way right now in anything. Soccer is like that. Once you get things going in the right direction… Once things start rolling… We had it rolling at the beginning of the season. It’s not rolling right now. We have a lot of guys out, but I do think a lot of guys stepped up and played well tonight. It’s unfortunate we lost 2-0.
Seattle Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid
On five straight victories…
It’s great. Today was tough for us because it’s our fourth game in 10 days, so we had a lot of tired bodies out there you know, but you try to get people through it. That’s why we tried to cut the minutes for Rosales. We tried to cut Montero’s minutes as well to keep us as fresh as possible because we have another game on the weekend. But I thought our team responded well. I thought we defended well, which we’ve done all season.
I thought Jeff Parke was superb. I thought Meredith came up with a big save at a big time for us and then obviously Montero finished two good goals. There was a lot of good work by Cordell Cato on the first goal. You know so I was pleased for him in his first game.
On three straight shutouts…
Well they work for each other you know. They get in the way. They block shots. They help each other. They cover for each other. You know they take a lot of pride in keeping things away from goal. I think our goalkeepers don’t have to make a lot of big saves because we’re doing a lot of saves in front of them and when they do they’re able to come up with it and do well with it. So it’s a mindset and the mindset is with our midfielders and forwards as well in terms of making plays predictable.
On second half play vs. the first…
I think the first half we were too stretched out. I thought Rose and Evans played too deep together and so there was a big hole there. Also Strata and Johnson are big forwards that like to stay high a little bit, so we had a big hole in the middle of midfield. So basically in the first half (James) Marcelin ran the whole show and he was able to put balls to the next guy. Who then play into (Fabian) Castillo and people like that. We talked about that at halftime, and the second half Evans pushed into that hole a little bit. Montero drops into that hole, so now all of the sudden we were able to play and connect some passes into that hole and hold the ball for longer sequences and that forced them back a little bit.
Seattle Sounders FC goalkeeper Bryan Meredith
As a team this is our fifth win in a row, which is a franchise record for us. It’s very exciting. It was a great game. Sometimes you have to grind it out defensively, but the defense again did a great job. You have to give most of the credit to the defense for playing from minute 1 to minute 90 at 100 percent.
On diving save to end the first half…
He hit it across the goal and I don’t even know who it was. The ball just got up and kind of floated to the upper 90 and I just did everything I could to get a little tip on it.
On stepping in to play…
It’s been fun. You’ve got to be ready to step in and done the job at any time, which sometimes makes a backup position tough. I was prepared correctly before every game and luckily I’ve been able to extend our win streak.
Seattle Sounders FC forward Fredy Montero
It’s a great feeling coming off the bench. I try to do my best and do what Sigi told me and it was a big surprise for me to score those two goals and get the three points. Obviously when you are winning games you want to keep working and doing the same stuff. We tried to jump into the field and just enjoy the game. Try to be honest with us and try to be honest with the team and work hard for each other. We had a great battle today. We scored two goals and we got three points, which was super important for us.
On the second goal…
It was a little touch by the defense and the ball came to me and I just jumped and guided the ball into the net.
On the first goal…
It was a really fast play. I was battling for the ball and when I got the ball I tried to fake one defender and when I looked up I was right in front of the keeper. Then I just tried to put the ball into the net. It was a goal and a big moment for me.
The Seattle Sounders are off to the best start in their four-year history, recently overcoming a packed schedule and the loss of their starting goalkeeper.
The depth of their defense has helped in both situations.
Seattle looks to match a franchise record with its fifth consecutive victory when it visits struggling FC Dallas on Wednesday.
The Sounders (6-1-1) will be playing their fourth game in 12 days, then they'll return home for a Western Conference showdown with Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
Fredy Montero assisted on Mauro Rosales' goal in the 63rd minute this past Saturday to give Seattle a 1-0 victory over Philadelphia and its fourth straight win.
Seattle won a team-record five in a row Sept. 18-Oct. 15, 2010.
"Three games in a week is not an easy task, but we came out with nine points which is something that we are very happy about," coach Sigi Schmid told the team's official website. "I thought we had chances to get more than one goal and we were a bit unlucky. One day those floodgates will open up."
The Sounders haven't had to score much given how well their defense has played. They've outscored opponents 6-1 during their winning streak and they've posted five shutouts this season.
Schmid has used a rotation of seven defenders, allowing him to keep the defense somewhat fresh during a tough stretch of games. He's started six different four-player combinations, and the Sounders have allowed a league-low three goals.
"I really think we have seven starters," Schmid said regarding the depth of the defense. "It's a team effort when you get a shutout. It's not just the defenders, it's everyone together."
Bryan Meredith earned a shutout in his first MLS start Saturday in place of the injured Michael Gspurning, who will miss at least the next two games after aggravating a right hip injury in the first half of a 2-0 win over Los Angeles last Wednesday.
"I thought Meredith did a great job in goal and dealt with the things he needed to deal with," Schmid said. "Our defense did a good job of keeping things away from him."
He'll be in net again versus Dallas (3-4-3), which dropped to 0-2-2 in its last four with a 2-0 loss to Colorado on Sunday.
As if the recent struggles weren't enough, Dallas went down two men in the first half when Daniel Hernandez got his second yellow card in the 34th minute before Blas Perez was given a red card for what the referee deemed a reckless play in the 36th minute.
Each will serve a one-game suspension Wednesday for a Dallas team that's allowed 14 goals -- tied with Los Angeles for most in the West.
"We won't be putting our best team on the field because of the red cards and the injuries," coach Schellas Hyndman told the team's official website. "But I know I have a lot of guys in the locker room looking for an opportunity, and so they'll be given that opportunity."
Seattle is 1-0-2 all-time at Dallas, winning 1-0 in the most recent meeting Aug. 20 when Montero assisted on Rosales' goal in the 16th minute.
The depth of their defense has helped in both situations.
Seattle looks to match a franchise record with its fifth consecutive victory when it visits struggling FC Dallas on Wednesday.
The Sounders (6-1-1) will be playing their fourth game in 12 days, then they'll return home for a Western Conference showdown with Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
Fredy Montero assisted on Mauro Rosales' goal in the 63rd minute this past Saturday to give Seattle a 1-0 victory over Philadelphia and its fourth straight win.
Seattle won a team-record five in a row Sept. 18-Oct. 15, 2010.
"Three games in a week is not an easy task, but we came out with nine points which is something that we are very happy about," coach Sigi Schmid told the team's official website. "I thought we had chances to get more than one goal and we were a bit unlucky. One day those floodgates will open up."
The Sounders haven't had to score much given how well their defense has played. They've outscored opponents 6-1 during their winning streak and they've posted five shutouts this season.
Schmid has used a rotation of seven defenders, allowing him to keep the defense somewhat fresh during a tough stretch of games. He's started six different four-player combinations, and the Sounders have allowed a league-low three goals.
"I really think we have seven starters," Schmid said regarding the depth of the defense. "It's a team effort when you get a shutout. It's not just the defenders, it's everyone together."
Bryan Meredith earned a shutout in his first MLS start Saturday in place of the injured Michael Gspurning, who will miss at least the next two games after aggravating a right hip injury in the first half of a 2-0 win over Los Angeles last Wednesday.
"I thought Meredith did a great job in goal and dealt with the things he needed to deal with," Schmid said. "Our defense did a good job of keeping things away from him."
He'll be in net again versus Dallas (3-4-3), which dropped to 0-2-2 in its last four with a 2-0 loss to Colorado on Sunday.
As if the recent struggles weren't enough, Dallas went down two men in the first half when Daniel Hernandez got his second yellow card in the 34th minute before Blas Perez was given a red card for what the referee deemed a reckless play in the 36th minute.
Each will serve a one-game suspension Wednesday for a Dallas team that's allowed 14 goals -- tied with Los Angeles for most in the West.
"We won't be putting our best team on the field because of the red cards and the injuries," coach Schellas Hyndman told the team's official website. "But I know I have a lot of guys in the locker room looking for an opportunity, and so they'll be given that opportunity."
Seattle is 1-0-2 all-time at Dallas, winning 1-0 in the most recent meeting Aug. 20 when Montero assisted on Rosales' goal in the 16th minute.
The good, the bad, and the very, very ugly.
It's time again for the rarely imitated, never duplicated, original, BOLD PREDICTIONS.
(Which have been running since 1998).
I do this bit every year, and you can look back at all the previous versions on this site if you like, they're at the bottom of this page.
Here's last year when I posted a 5. Boo, 5 stinks.
So here they are…
Twenty Bold Predictions for 2012
(For recreational purposes only, no wagering please.)
1. David Ferreira will be MLS Comeback player of the Year. Former MVP is back and will be in the running for MVP again. …If he can stay healthy.
2. Brek Shea and company will make if to the semi-finals of the Olympics. After which someone will offer $15 million for Shea, which FCD will turn down.
3. Wilman Conde will quit New York during the season. Why? Cause the Red Bulls aren’t coached by Juan Carlos Osorio.
4. West Finish: LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, FC Dallas, Seattle, Vancouver, Colorado, Portland, San Jose, and Chivas USA. It’s hard to get better in the best conference. Not much has changed. LA depth carries them. LA depth is their key.
6. East Finish: Sporting KC, Houston, Philadelphia, New York, DC United, Columbus, Chicago, Toronto FC, Montreal, New England. I believe in Peter Nowak. The 5th spot and down is all up for grabs.
5. MLS will announce the newest expansion franchise to New York and it won’t be the Cosmos. Yes, again. I predicted this last year and I’m sticking with it. Garber wants him soome NYC FC, it’s gonna happen… eventually.
7. Jamison Olave will be Defender of the Year for Real Salt Lake. Big, physical, good positioning, and enough speed to handle most strikers. Plus RSL is really good.
8. Eddie Johnson will become a full time starter for Seattle and have a good season. Eddie needs a little love, Sigi has lots of love to give. Johnson will hit 10+ goals.
9. Seattle Sounders will be US Open Cup Champions. As long as they continue to value it and buy the home games, you can’t bet against them.
10. George John will re-sign with FC Dallas. It will catch fans & media by surprise, but Big John won’t go overseas. Not only will he stay in MLS he will sign a four year deal with FCD.
11. Peter Vermes will be MLS Coach of the Year. Sporting wins the East and gets Vermes the nod.
12. The Rookie of the Year will be Luis Silva. Silva will score just under 10 goals this season for TFC… says my magic 8-ball.
13. Frank Yallop will be fired midseason. I feel like there is a disconnect between the players Yallop wants and the players his FO gets him.
14. LA Galaxy will win the Supporters Shield. It’s starting to get annoying but they have the talent and depth to be tops again.
15. Fredy Montero will win the MLS Budweiser Golden Boot for the Sounders. Teal Bunbury would win it if he weren’t going to miss so many games with the Olympic team.
16. Real Salt Lake will be MLS Cup Champs. Someone will upset the Galaxy, FCD will get thugged out of the playoffs, and Sporting will lose to RSL in the final in Salt Lake City.
17. Sebastien Le Toux will be MLS MVP. He’s going to raise Vancouver up this year as he goes 10+ and 10+.
18. Brad Davis will finally get a recall to the US senior team. After another great season Klinsmann will want to look at Davis for the CONCACAF Qualifying slog.
19. San Jose will trade Chris Wondolowski. After Yallop gets canned, SJ will look to rebuild their team and trade older Wondo for some young talent and picks.
20. Blas Perez will be the MLS Newcomer of the Year. I think Perez is going to have a terrific season.
If you're bored and curious, you can read the previous decade plus worth of prediction here:1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.
It's time again for the rarely imitated, never duplicated, original, BOLD PREDICTIONS.
(Which have been running since 1998).
I do this bit every year, and you can look back at all the previous versions on this site if you like, they're at the bottom of this page.
Here's last year when I posted a 5. Boo, 5 stinks.
So here they are…
Twenty Bold Predictions for 2012
(For recreational purposes only, no wagering please.)
1. David Ferreira will be MLS Comeback player of the Year. Former MVP is back and will be in the running for MVP again. …If he can stay healthy.
2. Brek Shea and company will make if to the semi-finals of the Olympics. After which someone will offer $15 million for Shea, which FCD will turn down.
3. Wilman Conde will quit New York during the season. Why? Cause the Red Bulls aren’t coached by Juan Carlos Osorio.
4. West Finish: LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, FC Dallas, Seattle, Vancouver, Colorado, Portland, San Jose, and Chivas USA. It’s hard to get better in the best conference. Not much has changed. LA depth carries them. LA depth is their key.
6. East Finish: Sporting KC, Houston, Philadelphia, New York, DC United, Columbus, Chicago, Toronto FC, Montreal, New England. I believe in Peter Nowak. The 5th spot and down is all up for grabs.
5. MLS will announce the newest expansion franchise to New York and it won’t be the Cosmos. Yes, again. I predicted this last year and I’m sticking with it. Garber wants him soome NYC FC, it’s gonna happen… eventually.
7. Jamison Olave will be Defender of the Year for Real Salt Lake. Big, physical, good positioning, and enough speed to handle most strikers. Plus RSL is really good.
8. Eddie Johnson will become a full time starter for Seattle and have a good season. Eddie needs a little love, Sigi has lots of love to give. Johnson will hit 10+ goals.
9. Seattle Sounders will be US Open Cup Champions. As long as they continue to value it and buy the home games, you can’t bet against them.
10. George John will re-sign with FC Dallas. It will catch fans & media by surprise, but Big John won’t go overseas. Not only will he stay in MLS he will sign a four year deal with FCD.
11. Peter Vermes will be MLS Coach of the Year. Sporting wins the East and gets Vermes the nod.
12. The Rookie of the Year will be Luis Silva. Silva will score just under 10 goals this season for TFC… says my magic 8-ball.
13. Frank Yallop will be fired midseason. I feel like there is a disconnect between the players Yallop wants and the players his FO gets him.
14. LA Galaxy will win the Supporters Shield. It’s starting to get annoying but they have the talent and depth to be tops again.
15. Fredy Montero will win the MLS Budweiser Golden Boot for the Sounders. Teal Bunbury would win it if he weren’t going to miss so many games with the Olympic team.
16. Real Salt Lake will be MLS Cup Champs. Someone will upset the Galaxy, FCD will get thugged out of the playoffs, and Sporting will lose to RSL in the final in Salt Lake City.
17. Sebastien Le Toux will be MLS MVP. He’s going to raise Vancouver up this year as he goes 10+ and 10+.
18. Brad Davis will finally get a recall to the US senior team. After another great season Klinsmann will want to look at Davis for the CONCACAF Qualifying slog.
19. San Jose will trade Chris Wondolowski. After Yallop gets canned, SJ will look to rebuild their team and trade older Wondo for some young talent and picks.
20. Blas Perez will be the MLS Newcomer of the Year. I think Perez is going to have a terrific season.
If you're bored and curious, you can read the previous decade plus worth of prediction here:1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.
FC Dallas Manager Schellas Hyndman
On the difference makers in the game...
"Montero's goal was a great goal. We had quite a few chances in the first half. We were, I think, a little bit intimidated by the whole event. A lot of things weren't going our way and we just kind of got wrapped up. But it was a great goal by Montero."
On what factors were not going FC Dallas' way...
“We were losing a lot of possession. We weren't getting a lot of scoring opportunities. It seemed like a lot of calls were going against us. There was a lot of play going both ways, and I just didn't think we put enough pressure on them."
On whether fatigue played a factor...
"I don't think our guys really had a problem with fitness, so I would hate to think that fatigue was an issue."
On his halftime changes and how that changed the game...
"We went into a 4-4-2. We felt like the game wasn't in the midfield; it was a bit chippy in the midfield, so what we wanted to do was get Marvin Chavez more into the attack. I thought he really livened up and created a lot of problems for [Zach] Scott. He hit the post when he went in one-on-one, and then he had a great chance to finish it there at the end of the game on pretty much an open goal. I thought that going into the 4-4-2 helped us get a little bit more balanced attack, which I think kept Seattle back a little bit more."
On Brek Shea leaving for the National Team...
"He's going to be gone during the time that we're going to be taking a break. We have Tigres coming in on Saturday and then we play the following Saturday. My understanding is that Brek will meet us in New England when we arrive there."
"It's an opportunity well-deserved. He's playing extremely well. I think he's one of the best left-sided midfielders in the country. Today, it just wasn't a real easy day to get your foot on the ball."
On what he told his team...
"I talked to the team and my thing was 'You know what, sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce right for you.' We had some scoring chances that we didn't convert on. I'm thinking the three games that we played against Seattle were all 1-0 games. This was a difficult game. It was a bit of a smaller field and a little bit more intimidating. [Century Link] Field, you've got 10 times more fans, but they're a bit more removed from you."
On whether the crowd was a factor, and his thoughts on the way the Open Cup is currently organized...
“The crowd is a great motivator. For me, this is one of the best events - the Lamar Hunt Open Cup - but I'd really like to see it into a structure where it's not a bid system. A bid system is where one team will buy the games because they're bidding higher. I think 20 years ago, the college game was the same thing. It could go to the higher seeds, instead of a bid system where you're spending money, or it could be pre-determined. I think that brings out all the fairness to the event."
On how his team feels after tonight...
"This is not the way we wanted to end the Open Cup, but we also are excited about having a week and a half off."
Kevin Hartman - FC Dallas Goalkeeper
On the difference maker tonight and his team's performance overall...
"One goal. I don't know. I thought the first half, we certainly had some issues, in terms of our defensive shape and competing for second balls. I thought some of the changes we made at halftime certainly put us in a position to tie up the game. I know Marvin hit the post once. There was a play toward the end of the game when somebody had a shot from maybe four or five yards out that was blocked and then Marvin had a follow-up. I think when we didn't see either one of those go in we kind of felt like it might not be our night. You've got to give credit to Seattle. They play really well on the turf, and they compete. It's not necessarily conducive to the type of game that we like to play. But we're a team that doesn't like to give up. We're a team that continues to compete. I thought even through the 93rd minute, we were really putting them under pressure. I think that we're a team that really has ambitions and wants to win championships and unfortunately tonight we just weren't able to get the result.
On what it means to the team to lose the Open Cup semifinal...
"We haven't had an opportunity to train in about two months. We've been playing a game every three days. I think that was the 16th game we've played in two months, so we're playing a game every two or three days. The extra 45 minutes in Toronto where they took away our goal and we had to start over again was another bit of adversity that we had to overcome. But I think that we keep things in perspective and hopefully the fans do as well. I think that we're in really good shape in terms of the Champions League right now. Certainly we would love to be in the championship game of the U.S. Open Cup, but we're in pretty good shape within league and now that we'll have an opportunity to kind of adjust and get Jeremy kind of situated in the right back spot. Zach [Loyd] might be coming back. And then you have George John, who's somebody who obviously had a weird week and get him slotted back in there, push [Andrew Jacobson] in the midfield so that we have so many guys who are competing for the second balls, which was obviously an issue in the first half."
Sigi Schmid - Sounders FC Head Coach
On the win and going to the U.S. Open Cup Final...
"Obviously we scored a good goal. It was a great goal by Freddy Montero. I thought in the first half we were the better team-we had more chances. In the second half they were more aggressive, they played forward a little quicker, played with a little bit of desperation that we didn't always handle well and didn't really counter as well as we needed to take advantage of that. In the end we're happy with the 1-0 win. We're happy to get to our third final."
On Fredy Montero's goal...
"It's been a while since he scored. I thought he was a little unlucky because he almost got on the end of another one. Obviously the bicycle kick was one that he just barely missed, so he could have three tonight with a little bit better luck."
On what winning a third U.S. Open Cup would mean to the team...
"It means a lot. We always want to put trophies in there and to be a team to three-peat is something we've got to be proud of because these games are one and done. It's not like we had a bad game, let's come back next week and regroup. So, I'm very proud of what our team has done."
On the last two week stretch...
"It's been great because, like I said, we've won games different ways. We've won games by scoring goals. We've won a game by playing a man down and scoring goals, and we've won games by being able to defend with a lot of resolve and win 1-0. Winning in Mexico at Monterrey was certainly a great highlight, as well."
On the level of competition in the U.S. Open Cup...
"I think teams are more into the competition now because they know it brings with it an opportunity to play in the Champions League. Last year, everybody saw the notoriety that Salt Lake got from getting as far as they did in the Champions league, so everyone wants to grab a piece of that. I think the Champions League competition has increased as well in terms of its visibility in our region. As a result of that this tournament has taken on a bigger weight, as well."
Kasey Keller - Sounders FC Goalkeeper
On the match...
"Yeah, I feel great. We did everything we could to try and throw it away at the end, but somehow we survived. We should have been up three-nil and we almost paid the price by not taking advantage of the chances that we got. But saying that, somehow we hung on and got the win. Another great crowd here at Starfire. We keep that undefeated streak here alive and get back to play another (Open Cup) final, which is tremendous. Great play and now we can go see a huge crowd for another Open Cup."
On playing the final at CenturyLink Field...
"It'll be a big crowd, I'm sure. We're so happy, obviously. The organization has this facility to be able to bid so we get these good home games, which makes a big, big difference for us. Thanks to them and now hopefully we can reward everybody with our third (Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup victory) in a row."
On what went wrong in the second half...
"It's more than that, it's not just our defense letting down. We let them come at us. We let them. We didn't step up and put pressure on them when we should have. We relaxed and we dropped back into flat positions and we just didn't compete how we could have. And it's a shame because we had played so well for about 70 minutes and then the last 20 minutes we just stopped playing. We had some interesting calls, but in the end the result is what's important. Maybe a year and a half ago, maybe two years ago, we might have let this game slip. But right now we're in good form, we're getting those breaks when we need them - they crushed one off the post -- and you need that to get into the finals. We had that going for us today."
Fredy Montero - Sounders FC Forward
On returning to the Finals for the third-straight year...
"It's definitely very motivating and we're all very happy. Thanking God also, because it's not every team that can experience something like that three times in a row."
On whether he felt anxious to score a goal, after a few scoreless outings...
"Not really. One cannot predict when that will happen. The good thing is that the team is working united, all deserving those situations. We know that when something like that happens, it's not the end."
On the difference makers in the game...
"Montero's goal was a great goal. We had quite a few chances in the first half. We were, I think, a little bit intimidated by the whole event. A lot of things weren't going our way and we just kind of got wrapped up. But it was a great goal by Montero."
On what factors were not going FC Dallas' way...
“We were losing a lot of possession. We weren't getting a lot of scoring opportunities. It seemed like a lot of calls were going against us. There was a lot of play going both ways, and I just didn't think we put enough pressure on them."
On whether fatigue played a factor...
"I don't think our guys really had a problem with fitness, so I would hate to think that fatigue was an issue."
On his halftime changes and how that changed the game...
"We went into a 4-4-2. We felt like the game wasn't in the midfield; it was a bit chippy in the midfield, so what we wanted to do was get Marvin Chavez more into the attack. I thought he really livened up and created a lot of problems for [Zach] Scott. He hit the post when he went in one-on-one, and then he had a great chance to finish it there at the end of the game on pretty much an open goal. I thought that going into the 4-4-2 helped us get a little bit more balanced attack, which I think kept Seattle back a little bit more."
On Brek Shea leaving for the National Team...
"He's going to be gone during the time that we're going to be taking a break. We have Tigres coming in on Saturday and then we play the following Saturday. My understanding is that Brek will meet us in New England when we arrive there."
"It's an opportunity well-deserved. He's playing extremely well. I think he's one of the best left-sided midfielders in the country. Today, it just wasn't a real easy day to get your foot on the ball."
On what he told his team...
"I talked to the team and my thing was 'You know what, sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce right for you.' We had some scoring chances that we didn't convert on. I'm thinking the three games that we played against Seattle were all 1-0 games. This was a difficult game. It was a bit of a smaller field and a little bit more intimidating. [Century Link] Field, you've got 10 times more fans, but they're a bit more removed from you."
On whether the crowd was a factor, and his thoughts on the way the Open Cup is currently organized...
“The crowd is a great motivator. For me, this is one of the best events - the Lamar Hunt Open Cup - but I'd really like to see it into a structure where it's not a bid system. A bid system is where one team will buy the games because they're bidding higher. I think 20 years ago, the college game was the same thing. It could go to the higher seeds, instead of a bid system where you're spending money, or it could be pre-determined. I think that brings out all the fairness to the event."
On how his team feels after tonight...
"This is not the way we wanted to end the Open Cup, but we also are excited about having a week and a half off."
Kevin Hartman - FC Dallas Goalkeeper
On the difference maker tonight and his team's performance overall...
"One goal. I don't know. I thought the first half, we certainly had some issues, in terms of our defensive shape and competing for second balls. I thought some of the changes we made at halftime certainly put us in a position to tie up the game. I know Marvin hit the post once. There was a play toward the end of the game when somebody had a shot from maybe four or five yards out that was blocked and then Marvin had a follow-up. I think when we didn't see either one of those go in we kind of felt like it might not be our night. You've got to give credit to Seattle. They play really well on the turf, and they compete. It's not necessarily conducive to the type of game that we like to play. But we're a team that doesn't like to give up. We're a team that continues to compete. I thought even through the 93rd minute, we were really putting them under pressure. I think that we're a team that really has ambitions and wants to win championships and unfortunately tonight we just weren't able to get the result.
On what it means to the team to lose the Open Cup semifinal...
"We haven't had an opportunity to train in about two months. We've been playing a game every three days. I think that was the 16th game we've played in two months, so we're playing a game every two or three days. The extra 45 minutes in Toronto where they took away our goal and we had to start over again was another bit of adversity that we had to overcome. But I think that we keep things in perspective and hopefully the fans do as well. I think that we're in really good shape in terms of the Champions League right now. Certainly we would love to be in the championship game of the U.S. Open Cup, but we're in pretty good shape within league and now that we'll have an opportunity to kind of adjust and get Jeremy kind of situated in the right back spot. Zach [Loyd] might be coming back. And then you have George John, who's somebody who obviously had a weird week and get him slotted back in there, push [Andrew Jacobson] in the midfield so that we have so many guys who are competing for the second balls, which was obviously an issue in the first half."
Sigi Schmid - Sounders FC Head Coach
On the win and going to the U.S. Open Cup Final...
"Obviously we scored a good goal. It was a great goal by Freddy Montero. I thought in the first half we were the better team-we had more chances. In the second half they were more aggressive, they played forward a little quicker, played with a little bit of desperation that we didn't always handle well and didn't really counter as well as we needed to take advantage of that. In the end we're happy with the 1-0 win. We're happy to get to our third final."
On Fredy Montero's goal...
"It's been a while since he scored. I thought he was a little unlucky because he almost got on the end of another one. Obviously the bicycle kick was one that he just barely missed, so he could have three tonight with a little bit better luck."
On what winning a third U.S. Open Cup would mean to the team...
"It means a lot. We always want to put trophies in there and to be a team to three-peat is something we've got to be proud of because these games are one and done. It's not like we had a bad game, let's come back next week and regroup. So, I'm very proud of what our team has done."
On the last two week stretch...
"It's been great because, like I said, we've won games different ways. We've won games by scoring goals. We've won a game by playing a man down and scoring goals, and we've won games by being able to defend with a lot of resolve and win 1-0. Winning in Mexico at Monterrey was certainly a great highlight, as well."
On the level of competition in the U.S. Open Cup...
"I think teams are more into the competition now because they know it brings with it an opportunity to play in the Champions League. Last year, everybody saw the notoriety that Salt Lake got from getting as far as they did in the Champions league, so everyone wants to grab a piece of that. I think the Champions League competition has increased as well in terms of its visibility in our region. As a result of that this tournament has taken on a bigger weight, as well."
Kasey Keller - Sounders FC Goalkeeper
On the match...
"Yeah, I feel great. We did everything we could to try and throw it away at the end, but somehow we survived. We should have been up three-nil and we almost paid the price by not taking advantage of the chances that we got. But saying that, somehow we hung on and got the win. Another great crowd here at Starfire. We keep that undefeated streak here alive and get back to play another (Open Cup) final, which is tremendous. Great play and now we can go see a huge crowd for another Open Cup."
On playing the final at CenturyLink Field...
"It'll be a big crowd, I'm sure. We're so happy, obviously. The organization has this facility to be able to bid so we get these good home games, which makes a big, big difference for us. Thanks to them and now hopefully we can reward everybody with our third (Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup victory) in a row."
On what went wrong in the second half...
"It's more than that, it's not just our defense letting down. We let them come at us. We let them. We didn't step up and put pressure on them when we should have. We relaxed and we dropped back into flat positions and we just didn't compete how we could have. And it's a shame because we had played so well for about 70 minutes and then the last 20 minutes we just stopped playing. We had some interesting calls, but in the end the result is what's important. Maybe a year and a half ago, maybe two years ago, we might have let this game slip. But right now we're in good form, we're getting those breaks when we need them - they crushed one off the post -- and you need that to get into the finals. We had that going for us today."
Fredy Montero - Sounders FC Forward
On returning to the Finals for the third-straight year...
"It's definitely very motivating and we're all very happy. Thanking God also, because it's not every team that can experience something like that three times in a row."
On whether he felt anxious to score a goal, after a few scoreless outings...
"Not really. One cannot predict when that will happen. The good thing is that the team is working united, all deserving those situations. We know that when something like that happens, it's not the end."
FC Dallas drops to 3rd place in West after loss to Seattle
August, 21, 2011
8/21/11
3:33
AM CT
By Buzz Carrick | ESPNDallas.com
In a game that was worth a place in the standings, FC Dallas looked a little tired and a little lost in defense, leading to a 1-0 loss to Seattle Sounders on Saturday night. With the win Seattle moves ahead of FC Dallas into 2nd place in the Western Conference.
In many ways FCD controlled play, out-shooting Seattle 24 to 9, but Seattle scored the 3rd earliest goal of the season against the Red Stripes (all three losses) in minute 15 and FCD couldn't match it.
Seattle scored when Ugo Ihemlu muffed an interception, handing the ball to Fredy Montero. Jair Benitez rushed over to cover, perhaps forgetting Ihemelu's recovery pace, thus leaving Mauro Rosales uncovered for Monterno to set up for the goal.
FCD played from the 56th minute on down a man after Daniel Cruz received a second yellow for diving and was sent off. Cruz had previously been booked for a reckless tackle earlier in the game. "I feel very bad because it was the first time I played here for our supporters." said Cruz. "We lost the game and it was a decisive moment in the game when I went out, when I got the red card.
With George John suspended, Zach Loyd started at center back only to injury his hamstring and have to come off. Right back Jackson shifted to the middle and brand new FCD defender Jeremy Hall was forced into emergency right back duty despite never having trained with FCD. Coach Hynmdan indicated he had time for a short chalkboard session with Hall pre-game and that was it. The patchwork FCD defense didn't perform to badly, allowing only the one goal, but they didn't look sharp all night.
"We just have to adjust," Ihemelu said after the game. "It comes down to communication and trusting the guy beside you. We're going to have to build that trust and just get an understanding as quickly as possible because games are coming quick right now."
Kasey Keller came up with several outstanding saves, including one at the death knell of the game, to preserve the win. Seattle coach Sigi Schmid was quick to praise his keeper, "Not big, he came up huge. He made a huge save at the end of the day for us. He also dealt a lot with the crosses and made sure we stayed marked up."
Attendance: 11,635
Scoring Summary:
SEA – Mauro Rosales (Fredy Montero) 15
Misconduct Summary:
DAL – Daniel Cruz (caution; reckless tackle) 3
SEA – Erik Friberg (caution; tactical foul) 6
DAL – Ugo Ihemelu (caution; reckless foul) 27
DAL – Daniel Cruz (caution; simulation) 56
DAL – Daniel Cruz (ejection; second caution) 56
SEA – Fredy Montero (caution; reckless foul) 60
SEA – Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (caution; handball) 94+
FC Dallas – Kevin Hartman, Jair Benitez, Ugo Ihemelu Zach Loyd (Jeremy Hall 24), Jackson (Fabian Castillo 73), Brek Shea, Daniel Hernandez (Bruno Guarda 81), Daniel Cruz, Ricardo Villar, Marvin Chavez, Maicon Santos.
Substitutes Not Used: Chris Seitz, Andrew Jacobson, Bobby Warshaw, Jack Stewart.
TOTAL SHOTS: 24 (Brek Shea 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Marvin Chavez, Maicon Santos, Ugo Ihemelu, Bruno Guarda 1); FOULS: 18 (Ricardo Villar 5); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 10 (Ricardo Villar 9); SAVES: 1 (Kevin Hartman 1).
Seattle Sounders FC – Kasey Keller, Zach Scott, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Leo Gonzalez, Mauro Rosales, Osvaldo Alonso, Erik Friberg (Brad Evans 63), Lamar Neagle, Mike Fucito (Pat Noonan 78), Fredy Montero (Alvaro Fernandez 68).
Substitutes Not Used: Terry Boss, Roger Levesque, James Riley, Tyson Wahl.
TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Fredy Montero 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Mauro Rosales, Fredy Montero 1); FOULS: 22 (Fredy Montero, Osvaldo Alonso, Zach Scott 4); OFFSIDES: 2 (Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Mike Fucito 1); CORNER KICKS: 3 (Mauro Rosales 2); SAVES: 4 (Kasey Keller 4).
Referee: David Gantar
Referee’s Assistants: Phillippe Briere, Anthony Vasoli
4th Official: Tyler Ploeger
Time of Match: 1:53
Weather: Clear, 104 degrees
Stream of consciousness: FC Dallas at Seattle Sounders
May, 26, 2011
5/26/11
10:55
AM CT
By DJ Walker | ESPNDallas.com
The encyclopedia says Stream of Consciousness is “a narrative mode that seeks to portray an individual's point of view by giving the written equivalent of the character's thought processes”. In other words, DJ watches games, and writes down whatever comes to mind. Sometimes prescient, sometimes odd, almost always entertaining.
Wow. Raining in Seattle. I did not see that coming.
I also did not anticipate fog in San Francisco, heat in Phoenix, or humidity in Florida.
The fun part of stupidity is that everything is a surprise.
This game is being played on that execrable scourge upon modern civilization, artificial grass. Mercifully, they’ve at least come up with the technology to scrub off the football lines. Why no grass, Seattle? You’ve got the requisite moisture. Oh, I forgot, grass needs sunshine. Sorry.
Sorry for the snarky attitude, Seattle folks. It’s not your fault. I’m a little bummed by how the NBA Playoffs are going for my hometown team, the Oklahoma City Thunder . . .
Ooooh. Never mind. Forget I said anything. Sorry to bring that up. Look on the bright side - Clay Bennett has no interest in Soccer.
But I digress.
Okay, one more snarky comment: What’s the deal with those stupid gray X’s on the back of those hideous green jerseys? I know it’s supposed to be some sort of secret Adidas gimmick to give soccer players superhuman abilities or something. Probably a joint project with the boys over at the Department of Defense, I’m sure. Really though, it’s a soccer jersey, it doesn’t require titanium inlays, structural engineering features and top-secret CIA stealth technology. Sleeves and a number are really the bare minimum required.
Though for FC Dallas purposes, a sponsor logo wouldn’t hurt, would it?
It’s not even the 15th minute and Fredy Montero has already changed shoes. Come on Imelda Marcos, let’s get on with it.
Wow, I’m really going negative here. What is wrong with me?
Oh, I know what it is. Yesterday was the last day of school, and I won’t get to teach middle school for a whole 11 weeks. Clearly I’m compensating for my sadness and disappointment by lashing out at the opposing team in my soccer column.
Heh.
Heh heh.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah . . .
Oh, I slay me.
Where were we?
OH! BREK SHEA! GOLAZO! MAGIC! 1-NILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!
Brek has gone back to the semi-Mohawk hair style, which clearly has a reverse Samson effect on the kid.
Leading the Sounders 1-0 in the first half, AT Seattle? Is that even allowed under League rules? Joe Machnik, call your office.
I was having lunch today with a friend who has followed FC Dallas in the past, but who has been out of the loop for the last couple seasons. He asked me “Have they picked up any good players?” I then gushed awkwardly about Fabian Castillo like a teenage girl describing her first Justin Bieber concert. It’s a good thing I lost my dignity years ago in a tragic barber shop accident, or I would be totally, like, embarrassed.
Ian Rush lookalike Álvaro Fernández just blatantly threw an elbow at Jackson’s face then feigned innocence when he got whistled. I’d make an anti-Uruguayan slur here, but I don’t know any. Besides, Uruguayans seem like a pretty decent people.
Except for this guy, who is a disgrace to all thin-mustached Ian Rush doppelgängers everywhere.
(There’s a sentence you don’t see every day)
Kasey Keller just fell on his butt after making a goal kick. But, because he is Kasey Keller, he still managed to look cool in the process, and send the ball 70 yards
Kasey Keller is to soccer what Chuck Norris is to everything else but soccer.
Unlike Chuck Norris, Kasey Keller’s tears don’t cure cancer, but they do travel back in time and prevent it in many cases.
I don’t want to be impious and say Kasey Keller is a god, but I’m pretty sure he is at least a demiurge.
Halftime. FC Dallas is winning, and haven’t given up a goal in 444 minutes. Nice.
I have the eerie feeling I may have jinxed things by mentioning that statistic. But I included it anyway, because fear is not an emotion I am familiar with; as I’m sure you all know, I like to live on the edge. Why, just the other day I was at the bank, and I saw the drive-thru lane that said “Commercial Transactions Only”, and I drove right up to it, even though my transaction was clearly not commercial.
Yeah, you heard me right. I’m a loose cannon. I’m trouble. I’ll do it again. See if I don’t.
I like the one announcer setup Seattle uses for their broadcasts. Until that glorious day when all we get is crowd noise with nobody talking, one is the correct number of broadcasters for a live sporting event. Maybe two for football. The NBA is going with three announcers for the playoffs, and even with quality talent, that’s just too many people. Though I like the chemistry between Mike van Gundy and Mark Jackson; it’s like listening to two guys on a sofa watching the game with a cooler of beer.
Kevin Hartman is absolutely flawless tonight. If you are a youth soccer coach you would do well to show this game to your team the day you want to discuss goalkeeping and defense. Kevin is out-Kasey-Kellering Kasey Keller.
Nate Jaqua comes in for Fredy Montero. I know it goes against conventional wisdom, but I was more comfortable with Montero on the field. Fredy is a bit off his game, and Jaqua has a sneaky way of scoring big goals. Not as many, or as often, as he used to, but he’s definitely not to be trusted.
I know this is off topic, but I have to mention it: David Beckham missed a league game so he could go to England and play in an exhibition game? There are so many things wrong with this it makes me dizzy. If I was a Galaxy supporter (like, in some bizarre alternate universe caused by a rip in the very fabric of space/time created by Wesley Crusher in a holodeck experiment gone horribly awry) I would be furious not only with Beckham, but with Bruce Arena, Tom Payne, Simon Fuller, Don Garber and (oddly, I admit) Yoko Ono. The whole thing is a joke. Even Allen Iverson is somewhere saying “Man, we’re not talking about a game; we’re talking about a testimonial”. It has a very slimy “Ken-Shamrock-leaves-MMA-to-work-for-Vince-McMahon” kind of feel to it. I hope the playoffs don’t coincide with WrestleMania this year. I’d hate for Beckham to have to make another tough call.
Oh yeah - while I was ranting, FC Dallas held off a furious rally by the Sounders and held on for a 1-0 win. This team is on a roll like a pat of butter. This team is cooking with gas. This team is, dare I say, a juggernaut.
This weekend is the always exciting game against the Dynamo.
This match is sometimes nicknamed “The Texas Derby”.
Some folks refer to it as “The Battle for El Capitan”.
Personally, I prefer to call it “Houston, You Have A Problem”.
See you then.
Wow. Raining in Seattle. I did not see that coming.
I also did not anticipate fog in San Francisco, heat in Phoenix, or humidity in Florida.
The fun part of stupidity is that everything is a surprise.
This game is being played on that execrable scourge upon modern civilization, artificial grass. Mercifully, they’ve at least come up with the technology to scrub off the football lines. Why no grass, Seattle? You’ve got the requisite moisture. Oh, I forgot, grass needs sunshine. Sorry.
Sorry for the snarky attitude, Seattle folks. It’s not your fault. I’m a little bummed by how the NBA Playoffs are going for my hometown team, the Oklahoma City Thunder . . .
Ooooh. Never mind. Forget I said anything. Sorry to bring that up. Look on the bright side - Clay Bennett has no interest in Soccer.
But I digress.
Okay, one more snarky comment: What’s the deal with those stupid gray X’s on the back of those hideous green jerseys? I know it’s supposed to be some sort of secret Adidas gimmick to give soccer players superhuman abilities or something. Probably a joint project with the boys over at the Department of Defense, I’m sure. Really though, it’s a soccer jersey, it doesn’t require titanium inlays, structural engineering features and top-secret CIA stealth technology. Sleeves and a number are really the bare minimum required.
Though for FC Dallas purposes, a sponsor logo wouldn’t hurt, would it?
It’s not even the 15th minute and Fredy Montero has already changed shoes. Come on Imelda Marcos, let’s get on with it.
Wow, I’m really going negative here. What is wrong with me?
Oh, I know what it is. Yesterday was the last day of school, and I won’t get to teach middle school for a whole 11 weeks. Clearly I’m compensating for my sadness and disappointment by lashing out at the opposing team in my soccer column.
Heh.
Heh heh.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah . . .
Oh, I slay me.
Where were we?
OH! BREK SHEA! GOLAZO! MAGIC! 1-NILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!
Brek has gone back to the semi-Mohawk hair style, which clearly has a reverse Samson effect on the kid.
Leading the Sounders 1-0 in the first half, AT Seattle? Is that even allowed under League rules? Joe Machnik, call your office.
I was having lunch today with a friend who has followed FC Dallas in the past, but who has been out of the loop for the last couple seasons. He asked me “Have they picked up any good players?” I then gushed awkwardly about Fabian Castillo like a teenage girl describing her first Justin Bieber concert. It’s a good thing I lost my dignity years ago in a tragic barber shop accident, or I would be totally, like, embarrassed.
Ian Rush lookalike Álvaro Fernández just blatantly threw an elbow at Jackson’s face then feigned innocence when he got whistled. I’d make an anti-Uruguayan slur here, but I don’t know any. Besides, Uruguayans seem like a pretty decent people.
Except for this guy, who is a disgrace to all thin-mustached Ian Rush doppelgängers everywhere.
(There’s a sentence you don’t see every day)
Kasey Keller just fell on his butt after making a goal kick. But, because he is Kasey Keller, he still managed to look cool in the process, and send the ball 70 yards
Kasey Keller is to soccer what Chuck Norris is to everything else but soccer.
Unlike Chuck Norris, Kasey Keller’s tears don’t cure cancer, but they do travel back in time and prevent it in many cases.
I don’t want to be impious and say Kasey Keller is a god, but I’m pretty sure he is at least a demiurge.
Halftime. FC Dallas is winning, and haven’t given up a goal in 444 minutes. Nice.
I have the eerie feeling I may have jinxed things by mentioning that statistic. But I included it anyway, because fear is not an emotion I am familiar with; as I’m sure you all know, I like to live on the edge. Why, just the other day I was at the bank, and I saw the drive-thru lane that said “Commercial Transactions Only”, and I drove right up to it, even though my transaction was clearly not commercial.
Yeah, you heard me right. I’m a loose cannon. I’m trouble. I’ll do it again. See if I don’t.
I like the one announcer setup Seattle uses for their broadcasts. Until that glorious day when all we get is crowd noise with nobody talking, one is the correct number of broadcasters for a live sporting event. Maybe two for football. The NBA is going with three announcers for the playoffs, and even with quality talent, that’s just too many people. Though I like the chemistry between Mike van Gundy and Mark Jackson; it’s like listening to two guys on a sofa watching the game with a cooler of beer.
Kevin Hartman is absolutely flawless tonight. If you are a youth soccer coach you would do well to show this game to your team the day you want to discuss goalkeeping and defense. Kevin is out-Kasey-Kellering Kasey Keller.
Nate Jaqua comes in for Fredy Montero. I know it goes against conventional wisdom, but I was more comfortable with Montero on the field. Fredy is a bit off his game, and Jaqua has a sneaky way of scoring big goals. Not as many, or as often, as he used to, but he’s definitely not to be trusted.
I know this is off topic, but I have to mention it: David Beckham missed a league game so he could go to England and play in an exhibition game? There are so many things wrong with this it makes me dizzy. If I was a Galaxy supporter (like, in some bizarre alternate universe caused by a rip in the very fabric of space/time created by Wesley Crusher in a holodeck experiment gone horribly awry) I would be furious not only with Beckham, but with Bruce Arena, Tom Payne, Simon Fuller, Don Garber and (oddly, I admit) Yoko Ono. The whole thing is a joke. Even Allen Iverson is somewhere saying “Man, we’re not talking about a game; we’re talking about a testimonial”. It has a very slimy “Ken-Shamrock-leaves-MMA-to-work-for-Vince-McMahon” kind of feel to it. I hope the playoffs don’t coincide with WrestleMania this year. I’d hate for Beckham to have to make another tough call.
Oh yeah - while I was ranting, FC Dallas held off a furious rally by the Sounders and held on for a 1-0 win. This team is on a roll like a pat of butter. This team is cooking with gas. This team is, dare I say, a juggernaut.
This weekend is the always exciting game against the Dynamo.
This match is sometimes nicknamed “The Texas Derby”.
Some folks refer to it as “The Battle for El Capitan”.
Personally, I prefer to call it “Houston, You Have A Problem”.
See you then.
Schellas Hyndman - FC Dallas Head Coach
General Comments...
“It's Kevin [Hartman's] birthday today and we were talking about getting that shutout and to do it in a difficult environment like this with as much pressure on us. I thought it was a very good team performance."
On the defense...
“The whole game, especially the last 20 minutes, was really hard. I think they threw everything at us. When [Nate] Jaqua came in it brought another problem because not only was he able to hold the ball, but he was able to flick the ball on and he was able to connect at the end of it. We had it pretty well in our favor but what we had to do was keep knocking it out. When he came it, it added a different dimension. They are a good team that was very inspired to play at home and win in front of their fans. We don't get this done today if it isn't a complete team effort.
On Brek Shea...
“He continues to develop. He just turned 21 and we just signed him to a four year contract so he's a player that we have a lot of faith in. He's going to continue to develop. He broke through and beat [Kasey] Keller when he was coming out. It changed the whole game at that point in time."
Kevin Hartman - FC Dallas Goalkeeper
General Comments...
“It was one of those games where we really have to concentrate. We had to work hard for a long period of time because Seattle was throwing a lot of numbers at us and some quality at us. I thought we weathered the first half pretty easily and they kept throwing bodies at us in the second half. Fortunately we were able to block some shots, save some shots and prevent shots. At the end of the day, we were pretty content to get the three points and get out of here."
Brek Shea - FC Dallas Defender/Midfielder
On Dallas defense...
"As a team, we got a goal early. It was a pretty crazy game. Every time we come to Seattle, the fans, the turf, the water. We had to defend a lot tonight."
On goal...
"I was able to make a run, saw an opening, and split the defense. AJ (Andrew Jacobson) happened to find me and I saw Keller coming out and I tried to put it past him."
Sigi Schmid - Seattle Sounders FC Head Coach
General comments...
“So basically the soccer was better, but everyone is more disappointed with the result. Sometimes with bad soccer, you get a result, and better soccer, you don't get a result. The mistake on the goal, where we opened up... I thought we had chances and we certainly went forward. I was very pleased with the effort of [Mike] Fucito, thought he played very well. I thought [Lamar] Neagle came in and did well, I thought [Nate] Jaqua came in in this one and had an impact. "
On whether he's disappointed with the outing...
“No, we're really happy about it. I mean, we're over-thrilled about it. Of course we're disappointed. We're not happy about the fact that we only got four points at home in three games."
Mike Fucito - Sounders FC Forward
On his scoring chances tonight...
"He (FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman) made some pretty good saves. It'd be nice if one of these times the ball bounced to my left foot. We got close. I thought we were going to get one."
Fredy Montero - Sounders FC Forward
On the scoring opportunities tonight...
“Everybody saw that the game was progressing, we were playing well and opportunities were being created but every time that a team cannot score and cannot convert, they put themselves in danger. The opponent had one chance that they converted on and that's what happened."
General Comments...
“It's Kevin [Hartman's] birthday today and we were talking about getting that shutout and to do it in a difficult environment like this with as much pressure on us. I thought it was a very good team performance."
On the defense...
“The whole game, especially the last 20 minutes, was really hard. I think they threw everything at us. When [Nate] Jaqua came in it brought another problem because not only was he able to hold the ball, but he was able to flick the ball on and he was able to connect at the end of it. We had it pretty well in our favor but what we had to do was keep knocking it out. When he came it, it added a different dimension. They are a good team that was very inspired to play at home and win in front of their fans. We don't get this done today if it isn't a complete team effort.
On Brek Shea...
“He continues to develop. He just turned 21 and we just signed him to a four year contract so he's a player that we have a lot of faith in. He's going to continue to develop. He broke through and beat [Kasey] Keller when he was coming out. It changed the whole game at that point in time."
Kevin Hartman - FC Dallas Goalkeeper
General Comments...
“It was one of those games where we really have to concentrate. We had to work hard for a long period of time because Seattle was throwing a lot of numbers at us and some quality at us. I thought we weathered the first half pretty easily and they kept throwing bodies at us in the second half. Fortunately we were able to block some shots, save some shots and prevent shots. At the end of the day, we were pretty content to get the three points and get out of here."
Brek Shea - FC Dallas Defender/Midfielder
On Dallas defense...
"As a team, we got a goal early. It was a pretty crazy game. Every time we come to Seattle, the fans, the turf, the water. We had to defend a lot tonight."
On goal...
"I was able to make a run, saw an opening, and split the defense. AJ (Andrew Jacobson) happened to find me and I saw Keller coming out and I tried to put it past him."
Sigi Schmid - Seattle Sounders FC Head Coach
General comments...
“So basically the soccer was better, but everyone is more disappointed with the result. Sometimes with bad soccer, you get a result, and better soccer, you don't get a result. The mistake on the goal, where we opened up... I thought we had chances and we certainly went forward. I was very pleased with the effort of [Mike] Fucito, thought he played very well. I thought [Lamar] Neagle came in and did well, I thought [Nate] Jaqua came in in this one and had an impact. "
On whether he's disappointed with the outing...
“No, we're really happy about it. I mean, we're over-thrilled about it. Of course we're disappointed. We're not happy about the fact that we only got four points at home in three games."
Mike Fucito - Sounders FC Forward
On his scoring chances tonight...
"He (FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman) made some pretty good saves. It'd be nice if one of these times the ball bounced to my left foot. We got close. I thought we were going to get one."
Fredy Montero - Sounders FC Forward
On the scoring opportunities tonight...
“Everybody saw that the game was progressing, we were playing well and opportunities were being created but every time that a team cannot score and cannot convert, they put themselves in danger. The opponent had one chance that they converted on and that's what happened."
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Buzz Carrick
Buzz Carrick has been the owner and publisher of 3rd Degree since it was founded in 1997. A graduate of Texas A&M and Boston University, Carrick has been in television production since 1992, primarily in the field of live sports. For two years Carrick was the co-host of Inside Soccer with Brad Sham. While 3rd Degree is mostly focused on FC Dallas, Carrick has also written MLS SuperDraft Rankings for ESPN Soccernet.
AUDIO HIGHLIGHTS
Soccer Today: 5/19
Soccer Today: 5/12
Soccer Today: 5/5
Soccer Today: 4/28
Play Podcast Hannover captain and USMNT defender Steve Cherundolo and ESPN analyst Robbie Mustoe guest on this week's episode of Soccer Today.
Play Podcast ESPN's Ian Darke breaks down the Premiership finale and former goalkeeper Kasey Keller reflects on his own playing days and weighs in on some of the hottest topics in the American game on this week's episode of Soccer Today.
Play Podcast USMNT and AZ Alkmaar striker Jozy Altidore, along with NBC's Arlo White, guest on this week's episode of Soccer Today.
Play Podcast ESPN's Steve McManaman and The Times' Oliver Kay guest on this week's episode of Soccer Today.