Conference back40::soapbox

    
    In World Cup Qualifying, USA lost to Columbia 3-2.
    
    The winning goal had Lalas getting very badly beaten 20 yards out.
    Anyone else might have turned a bit red.
    
    								-mr. bill

USA lost to a college team?  Oh, you mean Colombia.

  Vancouver has whirled cup ?

  bb

    
    ColOmbia.  ColOmbia.
    
    Next up Mexico in Foxboro in April.
    
    								-mr. bill

    >                      -< Speaking of blushing.... >-
    >
    >
    >    ColOmbia.  ColOmbia.
     
    Costa Rica.  Costa Rica.
    
    DougO                            

  caramba !

  bb

|   Costa Rica.  Costa Rica.
    
    I'd wish I could start today all over again, but...
    
    								-mr. bill

   ruff crowd, m_b ?  hang in there, don't do a binder...

  bb

    
    This one at least I deserve.  Stuck my foot in it, then stuck my
    other foot in it.
    
    								-mr. bill

    In one of the more entertaining world cup qualifiers in memory,
    USA and Mexico went to a 2-2 draw at Foxboro.
    
    The match quickly started bizarre when US keeper Kasey Keller (say
    *that* three times fast) touched the ball for the first time on a
    backpass from Lalas.  He put the ball on the pitch lazily a few
    yards out to his right, but instead of his intended kick 60 yards
    downfield, Hermosillo "got a head on it" 10 yards away and the ball
    bounced lazily back into the goal.
    
    Excuse me?  He did *not* get a "head on it."  He got a face on it.
    That's gottah hurt.  I'd imagine that Mexico played the first minute
    with 11 men, but it had to be a dozen more minutes before they
    were playing with all 11 again.
    
    
    I don't know if Hermosillo was ever asked "was it worth it?"
    I don't believe keeper Kasey Keller got credited with the assist.
    
    But that was his only mistake.  He saved USA a couple of more times
    with astounding saves after Hernandez beat the off-side trap (a problem
    the Revolution has also been having lately).
    
    A direct kick late in the first half after Reyna was fouled cleats
    to the shoulder (yellow card for Davino) had Reyna putting a pretty
    ball into the area, and after a bad clear, Wynalda headed the ball
    past a fanning Lalas right foot (no way someone that big could get
    to that ball that quickly) to Pope, scoring a solid shot to the far
    post.
    
    Tied 1-1.
    
    Hernandez, who had been getting excellent opportunities all
    match, finally beat USA early in the second half.
    
    Then, and I still don't know exactly why, Hernandez got the
    red card after taking Alexis Lalas out from behind.  While there
    was no excuse for Hernandez to take Lalas out, the foul
    wasn't the nastiest of the match by any stretch.
    So unless the referee saw it as retaliation or cumulative
    violation of the rules, I don't understand the red card.
    
    But not looking a gift man advantage in the mouth, US pressed
    and pressed and pressed, with the last goal of the match almost
    as bizarre as the first.  Wynalda put the ball beautifully into
    the area again, and Pope(?) barely touched it with his head.
    However, Nicholas Ramirez got his head right on it and put
    the ball low to the far post.  Too bad Nicholas had come in
    for Mexico not 10 minutes earlier.
    
    To everyone's delight, Wagner came in for Dooley, and Mason
    for Lalas.  Not content with one point, USA was going for
    the win.  Lots of hard pressing, some excellent combinations,
    and best of all, every quick counter-attack very effectively put
    down.  The pressing for the last twenty minutes turned out to be a
    good gamble.
    
    It didn't pay off, but a match well played.
    
    Wish I was one of the 58K there.
    
    								-mr. bill

    >    and pressed and pressed, with the last goal of the match almost
    >    as bizarre as the first.  Wynalda put the ball beautifully into
    >    the area again, and Pope(?) barely touched it with his head.
                            Dooley
    
    Dooley deflected that ball, with the result that Ramirez didn't head it
    to his keeper, but just past him, and into the net.
    
    And seeing Mason and Wagner combine for a slashing attack after being
    on the pitch together for less than a minute was a real treat.  Bora
    must have been surprised.
    
    DougO

    Some very impressive things happening with the Revolution right now.
    
    The game against Kansas City Wizards went quite well, not because of
    the win, but because of the way it was won (in bad weather even).
    
    
    After their embarassing experimentation with the very productive
    on-side traps against Tampa and DC (resulting in 4 breakaway goals
    against them) they show every evidence of *LISTENING* to their
    coach about how to play this game.  (More about that in a moment.)
    
    Conde and Baba teamed for a goal in the FIRST minute, with Conde
    laying a rebound back out to Baba to score from about 30 yards out
    to the far post.  The importance of playing all 90 minutes, from
    first to last.
    
    In the second half Conde and Baba worked a wonderful give and go
    with Conde finishing less than 10 yards out to the near post.
    
    Both very pretty efforts.
    
    
    The defense is coming together quite well too.  (No more lazy bad
    traps.)  The midfield seems much more comfortable with their backs,
    and the backs are controlling the ball with effective clears back to
    the midfielders starting some wonderful counters.  And Lalas is playing
    very well for the full 90 minutes.  One particularly impressive clean
    sliding tackle on what should have been a breakaway stands out.
    
    
    Zenga earned the only goal against when he fumbled the ball (not
    a problem) and then *TACKLED* Preki American football style.
    Lalas was in a position to at least defend if not clear the
    rebound, instead Zenga gave up a penalty kick and goal.
    
    
    Most odd moment of the game came in the 87th minute.  Sawatzky
    was leading a two on none breakaway, when instead of heading for
    the net, he broke off and took the ball to the corner.  Rongen had
    discussed the importance of controlling the ball in the closing
    minutes after the Columbus game where New England let a goal in
    with just 2 seconds left (after a completely pointless one on five
    "breakaway" attempt led to a quick counter, then a corner, then
    a goal).
    
    But Darren Sawatsky seems to have learned this lesson just a *bit* too
    well I'd say.  (At least it shows he's listening too carefully to what
    the coach wants, rather than not listening at all.)
    
    
    Still the only team in the league playing close to competitive soccer
    is DC.  But New England is looking good to grow this new league's
    play up another notch.
    
    								-mr. bill

    Clash, after a thrilling come-from-behind on-the-road victory
    against previously undefeated DC last week, played a terribly
    shambling and ineffective game against Columbus at home Saturday.
    Defender Troy Dayak was out with the flu, and without him Doyle,
    Martin, and Emenalo missed coverage often enough that Columbus snuck
    in and pasted their very few chances into the net.  Clash outshot
    Columbus 10-2 in the first half, but couldn't find the net; and
    basically phoned in their second half.  Sullivan was terrible-
    twice not in position for his runs when Wynalda and Iroha sent balls
    into his space, and twice failing to pass to ready strikers and
    losing the ball carelessly.  He didn't appear in the second half.
    
    DougO

     <<< Note 779.66 by TLE::LICEA_KANE "when it's comin' from the left" >>>
          -< About 5000 die hards showed (no, I wasn't one of them) >-

   > Some very impressive things happening with the Revolution right now.

     The fact that they're playing a second season is impressive 
     enough.

    >The game against Kansas City Wizards went quite well, not because of
    >the win, but because of the way it was won (in bad weather even).
    
     I watched a bit of that one. They aren't looking too bad.

    Is Takawira's first name Digital or Vitalis? and, regardless, isn't
    this taking corporate sponsership a bit too far?

|   Is Takawira's first name Digital or Vitalis?
    
    Yes.
    
    								-mr. bill