There are a few things we learned from the frustrating result Thursday. In ways they will influence
how we watch and appreciate the Sounders performance on the road next Sunday. In other ways, they
may be the same learnings that Sigi had in watching the film twice before an 11:30AM practice
Friday.
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That line is from Sigi Schmid, but I think it relates to so many of us after this first season. I
know it personally feels that way. Last night, with all of the pomp, with the win, it was one of my
favorite days of my young life that didn't involve family (yes, [...]
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If form matters, then Dallas is the one team that the Sounders don't want to face. Since September
1st they earned 16 points, best in the league. Sounders though are tied for 3rd with 10 points over
that same stretch. Much of their success has been credited to one Jeff Cunningham, who [...]
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Thank you Jim Mora. He was right. No team wants to talk about the Playoffs. They just want to win
more games. Now, for the Sounders that includes a Playoff game, preferably at least three. This
match was another where the Sounders played well enough to double their goal scoring total, and
also played maybe the [.
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Sometimes people pass things on that I have missed. In this case it isn't a minor detail, but a
rather disturbing statement from the KC interim coach Peter Vermes. Thanks Leo. He admits in public
that his team is unfit. "The thing that is hard for me to swallow is when we lose the game [...]
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Everyone that reads this site knows how important this match is for the Sounders and their ability
to make the MLS Cup Playoffs. It is even more important for Kansas City, would be eliminated with a
loss. KC was so poor early in the season that they fired their coach, and it hasn't [...]
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Another week, another victory! This week was a 4-0 route of Nuremburg. Bayer 04 have become,
along with HSV, one of the dominant teams in the Bundesliga. But it was only a year ago that Bayer,
under Bruno Labbadia had a blistering start. But it wasn't anything comparable to this start,
because the Werkself aren't just winning, their winning with panache and style.
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GBS misses a PK Gaven hits the post Marshall saves a certain goal Sure Alonso nearly scored as well
(Or Montero could have slid that in after). But the fact is that the Crew had more opportunities
and did not capitalize. Their moments of strength were stronger, and this was a match where luck,
Tyrone Marshall [.
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Ah, Columbus Ohio land of great sushi? While this is a home coming for Sigi, Ezra and Brad. It is
also in ways a homecoming for myself. While I did not travel, I have some Ohio roots, but more
importantly my MLS roots are with the Crew and Brian McBride. During MLS [...]
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New England represents so many of the problems with MLS 1.0. They are treated like step-brother by
their NFL partners, a minor tenant in a stadium that should be beautiful. This game though will
feature a team that on the pitch has scraped together through adversity and managed to teeter on
the edge [.
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That's the question that Steve Davis asks in his latest post at Daily Soccer Fix. It really comes
down to a few main topics where Freddie has been struggling 1- Adjusting to MLS Referees 2- Injury
History 3- Statistical performance 4- His nature as a "tweener" compared to the Sounders roster
Adjusting to MLS Referees I absolutely agree with Davis on Freddie's [.
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Ah, the stretch run. Many pundits and fans tend to focus on the final few games as if they are more
important than any other. Time skews our perception of the game, but honestly, in the Sounders case
those first five matches matter just as much as the last five. Without those [...]
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Sure, it feels like we've all been here before, maybe because of that great US Open Cup Win! But it
is not Groundhog Day. This is a league match against an opponent that is ahead of the Sounders on
the current table and are now pacing for 5th and 45 points. A win would also [...]
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DC United proudly display the word "tradition" on their back collars. There isn't another MLS club
that could do so. They have earned it. There was an idea that they carry 12 trophies means that
they deserve the 13th and that expansion franchises will never deserve respect propagated on the
net, somewhat [.
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Hurtado is out due to his Card situation. Now today we find out that Marshall and Graham are out as
well. So the Sounders in their quest for their first Cup in year one MLS have a significant
situation. Three of their four CB are out, the central midfield has passing issues and the [...]
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Remember back in the giddy days? The days of 4-2-0 and 12 points in six? The days of Nine Goals in
6, only 3 sacrificed and none of those by Keller! Remember the days when the Supporter Shield was a
goal, and not a dream? Remember the days of Sigi's Game, that nice [...]
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If you've been reading this site you know this match has significant playoff implications. This is
basically the 7th seed v the 10th seed. It is in essence a must win (remember those from early in
the season?). A win could bump Seattle to 6th and a loss dropping them potentially to [...]
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Not baseball, but the 4-3-1-2 or 4-1-3-2(Sounders sometimes in this variant), and how it developed
and is used in Europe. This is a great read on tactics. What is notable is that while Sounders FC
use a formation that could be described this way, they actually abandoned the #10 concept for which
Ljungberg was initially slotted.
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Let's test something this week. Sounders FC has a recent (last 5) form of 0-4-1 (0/8) and Houston
has a 2-2-1 (7/7) form in the same stretch of league play. Recent form would make you think that
Houston is a mid-table team and Sounders a bottom of the barrel expansion club. Recent form would
be [...
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Hamburg shook off their early season funk and tore apart Dortmund at the Nordbank Arena. It was
the 4th straight victory for the Dinosaurs at home against BVB. A series of early goals seemed to
settle the match by the 12th minute. Guy Demel pushed the first over the line after a massive
keeper error in the 4th.
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I'm not talking the political revolution where an incumbent mayor can't even make it past the top
two primary. I'm not talking web 2.0, or "hidden" Starbucks (Starbucks not really hidden). Its the
New England Revolution here, and yet the revolution they will be seeing is a pure partnership
between both Vulcan properties the [.
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Earlier we opened up the pregame analysis with a look at the defensive five in Bruce Arena's
current 4-1-3-2 system. Those five have been quite effective defensively, limiting their opposition
to the second fewest shots and second best goals against average in the league. But this match is a
marquee crusher because of the Galaxy [.
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The front five get all the attention in Galaxy-land. They are pretty, they are fast and they score
in bunches. They also aren't the only story down in Carson at the Home Depot Center. Arena recently
switched to the 4-1-3-2, and that back five has been better than solid, and they are the Galaxy
[...
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This is something that people have been asking me offline and via email "What is a Rotational
player?" It made so much sense to me that I have answered it on a one off basis, but the question
has come up often enough that I feel it is time to answer it here. As a [...]
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I didn't expect to write anything from the Barcelona match. It was a friendly, which to me screams
exhibition with a bigger price tag. But I think we actually learned a little bit about the Sounders
and Sigi last night. Sure the crowd set a record, sure we saw Lionel Messi work his magic, [...]
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The story will likely be focused on the Center Referee and Freddie Ljungberg's double yellow. The
first was for Simulation, what we all know as diving and the second is not listed in the match
report. While it was likely Dissent, the 2nd Yellow was so quick one could question. What I [...]
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Today, the game features the best road team visiting the 2nd best home team. Chicago is dealing
with some extensive losses (McBride, Pause, Soumare, Segares) while Seattle only deals with the
loss of Brad Evans. While Fire fans have confidence from their home draw against Seattle early in
the season, let us remember that good [.
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Three points against the league leaders. Destiny in the hands of the Rave Green. A match where the
depth of each side was tested, and it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has followed this
league for more than a few months that the two clubs at the top of the table [...]
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The Rave Green and Safety Orange face off in an early Saturday match this week. More than 32,000
fans will be present when the #3 hosts the #1 team as Seattle fans and the team have had to travel
a whopping 30 miles this week (Tukwila for the Open Cup) the Houston Dynamo put [...]
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Afer the Wednesday win over Portland Sounders had a light recovery day with stretching and some
jogging while the US Men prepared for their Gold Cup match. After practice Steve and I talked for
two minutes about the Open Cup past and future matches. Dave Clark: How do you think that crowd in
Portland was [.
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On a bright Sunday afternoon, while our National team rediscovered how powerful Brasil is, Seattle
Sounders FC put forward their wills, their force and declared that this is a summer of soccer
indeed. In front of the record setting crowd (thanks you last three people) Seattle showed that the
new Dragon Army was in [.
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What struck me about this piece, a must read for any Sounders fan, is that currently Sounders are
only using half of Dunga's tactics, but the descriptions of their play while grander in skill, seem
similar in style. The thinking is as follows the physical development of the game has made it much
harder for [.
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Three matches in eight days starts to wear on fans, on media, but mostly on players. The effect on
this team was not fully apparent, as there was plenty of energy in a lineup that saw a few changes,
but those changes were not what determined this outcome. Most often followers of a [...]
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It seems odd to say, but on Match Day Fifteen I see a must win on the road. It isn't necessarily to
stop the bleeding, 4 points in 2 at home is a great average. If Sounders do that over the season at
home they would be 75% to the playoffs. This is a [...]
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If that match had happened in the first month, we would have been thrilled. If that match had
happened in month two we would have been satisfied. But when it happens in the fourth match we get
disappointed. And rightly so. Because last night Sounders FC played like an expansion team. There
were moments [.
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Last night we saw the Freddyain (Two Freddies) at both their best and their worst. Some of the
mistakes in play between the two and by Montero himself were the very lowlights of the match. One
could come away from last night thinking that there were problems between the two that will never
[...]
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Sounders can take a huge step towards their first silverware of the 2009 inaugural season the
Heritage Cup. The Cup is a Supporters Cup initiated by Soccer Silicon Valley Community Foundation
and will be determined by a best of last two matches between all clubs with an NASL heritage name.
Points here are needed [.
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The simple answer is - Probably Not Sure, they have a missed PK, and only 1 goal from the corner,
and another from the rebound. I asked someone with a lot more experience following MLS stats than I
about the numbers, and guess what? Corner Kicks aren't gold in this league. They aren't even
silver. [.
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Ok, so Nate Jaqua will not be in Rave Green this weekend. The question is "What will Sigi do?" No
one knows this answer. The move to the 4-2-3-1 could be abandoned with Montero and Le Toux paired
at the top and the mids in the bowed DM/Winger formation of the early season. [...]
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This will be a game where both teams strive for a full three points for the first time in weeks.
Chivas hasn't won since May 9th (only three matches for two points) and Seattle doesn't have a win
in league play since April 25th (five matches for five points). Both teams will be down a [...]
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