MLS Week 8 Recap or Real Salt Lake has won 2 in a row?
This weekend saw more then a few surprises, starting off with the game of the week in Houston.
Wasn't this road trip supposed to kill the Chicago Fire? I seem to recall hearing so much about that, yet after seven road matches they have a very respectable 10 points and have not lost since the season opener against Dallas. Saturday's game showed why they are doing so swell. Thiago was the hero for the Fire. Not just because he got the lone goal, but also because of the great work he did on defense. But the difference between 3 and 1 point came down to the failure of Houston to get people in front of the box during the final moments of the game. How did their last corner kick not find net? Chicago's goalkeeper Zach Thornton was lost, but the Dynamo could not get it in. By the way, Dwayne De Rosario's high ankle sprain didn't seem to keep him from putting on a show.
Houston 0-1 Chicago
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How do two teams who had scored a total of ten goals between the them in 11 games suddenly break it open for nine goals in one match? I'm not overly surprised that New York gave up 4 goals as Jon Conway is nowhere near as good of a keeper as Tony Meola, and with the Red Bulls backline, you need a damn good goalie. However, I thought Brad Guzan was a better tender for Chivas. Perhaps Guzan just could not equal the might of Jean Philippe Peguero, who finally looked as good as he can be. Chivas put together some good plays, but yet again, they were unable to get any points. The Bulls final got their first win as a team. What does it say that they did it without Sir Pouts-a-lot, Amado Guevara?
New York 5-4 Chivas
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The addition of former LA players to the lineup for Columbus continued to pay off as Joseph Ngwenya got his team's only goal on the night. He also, along with the rest of the Crew provided some great defensive work. DC, for their part did what they do best; shoot the crap out of the opposition's goalkeeper. They got 17 shots to the Crew's 3! Yet, much like the FC Dallas game three weeks ago, they could not get one late. The Crew should be happy to get a point against the best team in the East, but there is bad news. Their keeper Jon Busch had to come out in the 85th minute due to an injury to his right knee.
Crew 1-1 DCU
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Just when it looked like New England was on to something, they go and get destroyed by Dallas. Going down 4-0 in the first 20-minutes is not a way you want to spend a Saturday evening. As has happened before, New England was absent from the first quarter of the match. Sadly for the Revs, FCD is to good of a team to let you sneak in for the last hour and walk away with points. Taylor Twellman was trying to get his side back in it, but thanks to the offside trap of Dallas's defense, he was busted every time. Kenny Cooper continues to look good and Carlos Ruiz is proving that trading away Eddie Johnson was not such a bad move after all.
FCD 4-0 NE
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This game could not be found televised anywhere, so I just have to go by match reports, but it sounds like Real Salt Lake really played a good game and even managed to come from behind to win. Take a moment to re-read that last sentence, because it might be the first time you have read anything like that. Real's coach John Ellinger sparked his offense with the late subs of Jeff Cunningham and Andy Williams, with Cunningham getting the game winner in the 80th. Sounds like a good match; sorry I could not watch it.
RSL 2-1 KC
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LA continues to prove that they are lost as they were forgettable in the first 45 with their best chances coming right before the half. They did bring it up in the second 45 thanks to the entry of an injured Herculez Gomez. Gomez was able to put true pressure on backup goalie Bouna Coundoul, forcing him to make a number of excellent saves. But yet again, LA could not get any goals. They have now gone 390-minutes without finding the net and have been outscored 9-0 in their last 4 games. Who would have thought that after nine matches LA would be tied with Real Salt Lake with seven points (to make it even worse, Real has a game in hand).
LA 0-1 Colorado
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So I performed a lot like LA this week as I went 2-4 while the wife went 4-2. The wife is now beating the crap out of me for the season as she stands at 23-23 while I flop around at 19-27. Just so you know, she's already rubbing my nose in it.
Wasn't this road trip supposed to kill the Chicago Fire? I seem to recall hearing so much about that, yet after seven road matches they have a very respectable 10 points and have not lost since the season opener against Dallas. Saturday's game showed why they are doing so swell. Thiago was the hero for the Fire. Not just because he got the lone goal, but also because of the great work he did on defense. But the difference between 3 and 1 point came down to the failure of Houston to get people in front of the box during the final moments of the game. How did their last corner kick not find net? Chicago's goalkeeper Zach Thornton was lost, but the Dynamo could not get it in. By the way, Dwayne De Rosario's high ankle sprain didn't seem to keep him from putting on a show.
Houston 0-1 Chicago
---
How do two teams who had scored a total of ten goals between the them in 11 games suddenly break it open for nine goals in one match? I'm not overly surprised that New York gave up 4 goals as Jon Conway is nowhere near as good of a keeper as Tony Meola, and with the Red Bulls backline, you need a damn good goalie. However, I thought Brad Guzan was a better tender for Chivas. Perhaps Guzan just could not equal the might of Jean Philippe Peguero, who finally looked as good as he can be. Chivas put together some good plays, but yet again, they were unable to get any points. The Bulls final got their first win as a team. What does it say that they did it without Sir Pouts-a-lot, Amado Guevara?
New York 5-4 Chivas
---
The addition of former LA players to the lineup for Columbus continued to pay off as Joseph Ngwenya got his team's only goal on the night. He also, along with the rest of the Crew provided some great defensive work. DC, for their part did what they do best; shoot the crap out of the opposition's goalkeeper. They got 17 shots to the Crew's 3! Yet, much like the FC Dallas game three weeks ago, they could not get one late. The Crew should be happy to get a point against the best team in the East, but there is bad news. Their keeper Jon Busch had to come out in the 85th minute due to an injury to his right knee.
Crew 1-1 DCU
---
Just when it looked like New England was on to something, they go and get destroyed by Dallas. Going down 4-0 in the first 20-minutes is not a way you want to spend a Saturday evening. As has happened before, New England was absent from the first quarter of the match. Sadly for the Revs, FCD is to good of a team to let you sneak in for the last hour and walk away with points. Taylor Twellman was trying to get his side back in it, but thanks to the offside trap of Dallas's defense, he was busted every time. Kenny Cooper continues to look good and Carlos Ruiz is proving that trading away Eddie Johnson was not such a bad move after all.
FCD 4-0 NE
---
This game could not be found televised anywhere, so I just have to go by match reports, but it sounds like Real Salt Lake really played a good game and even managed to come from behind to win. Take a moment to re-read that last sentence, because it might be the first time you have read anything like that. Real's coach John Ellinger sparked his offense with the late subs of Jeff Cunningham and Andy Williams, with Cunningham getting the game winner in the 80th. Sounds like a good match; sorry I could not watch it.
RSL 2-1 KC
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LA continues to prove that they are lost as they were forgettable in the first 45 with their best chances coming right before the half. They did bring it up in the second 45 thanks to the entry of an injured Herculez Gomez. Gomez was able to put true pressure on backup goalie Bouna Coundoul, forcing him to make a number of excellent saves. But yet again, LA could not get any goals. They have now gone 390-minutes without finding the net and have been outscored 9-0 in their last 4 games. Who would have thought that after nine matches LA would be tied with Real Salt Lake with seven points (to make it even worse, Real has a game in hand).
LA 0-1 Colorado
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So I performed a lot like LA this week as I went 2-4 while the wife went 4-2. The wife is now beating the crap out of me for the season as she stands at 23-23 while I flop around at 19-27. Just so you know, she's already rubbing my nose in it.
posted by Mike H at 5:09 PM
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