MLS Cup playoffs begin

[mattyc2422]

Kept track of the LA game this morning on the net and boy was I happy when Ruiz knocked in one, my boy Cobi (how good is this man) gets the double, Ruiz proves his sability once again with a 4th for LA and then just a little extra pain for KC with a goal in extra time.

Actually I still cannot believe the win, let alone the 5-2 scoreline.

All the way Cobi!
(dedicated my avatar to the great man for the next few weeks)

 

[you_idiot]

Originally posted by mattyc2422
Kept track of the LA game this morning on the net and boy was I happy when Ruiz knocked in one, my boy Cobi (how good is this man) gets the double, Ruiz proves his sability once again with a 4th for LA and then just a little extra pain for KC with a goal in extra time.

Actually I still cannot believe the win, let alone the 5-2 scoreline.

All the way Cobi!
(dedicated my avatar to the great man for the next few weeks)

Good on ya, Matty! Of course, there are some who will blame me for you putting an American soccer star in your avatar, but we'll take it.

I can't believe L.A. was able to put five past Kansas City, either-- that's a statement of praise for the Wizards' defensive tactics rather than a critique of the Galaxy's ability to score goals-- but full credit to Sigi Schmid. The Galaxy coach knows how to play the bunker-and-counter game as well, and Bob Gansler had to push as many players as forward as possible in the second half, given the fact they were trailing with their season on the line.

As you said, Ruiz and Cobi simply punished the Wizards' defense. Good organizational tactics by Schmid, and a good job by his team for carrying them out.

Cheers,
William

 

[you_idiot]

Semifinals have begun...

And the Los Angeles Galaxy have put the leather to their opposition in Game 1 of the Western Division's bracket...

At The Rose Bowl -- Pasadena
Los Angeles Galaxy 4
Danny Califf 21
Carlos Ruiz (2) 24, 84
Ezra Hendrickson 71
Colorado Rapids 0

The Galaxy can wrap up the series and clinch their fourth appearance in the MLS Cup championship match with a win in Denver on Wednesday (Thursday our time).

The New England Revolution and Columbus Crew open their semifinal series at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, tomorrow...

Cheers,
William

 

[you_idiot]

The Eastern Division semis started today, and it will definitely be going to three games...

At Gillette Stadium -- Foxboro, Massachusetts
New England Revolution 0
Columbus Crew 0
*after extra time

Revs 'keeper Adin Brown was man of the match in this one, with a series of huge saves. Stopped Brian McBride in the tenth minute, on Jeff Cunningham on the stroke of halftime, and two stops on Freddy Garcia, in the 83rd and again in sudden death.

Crew goalkeeper Jon Busch-- who has performed admirably in his rookie season so far-- also had to be at his best, credited with three saves on the day, but his defenders also cleared a couple of shots off the line in helping out.

Brown's heroics were even more important considering that USA international defender Carlos Llamosa was suspended for this match and defender Daouda Kante was sent off with ten minutes remaining in normal time after picking up a second bookable offense. Llamosa will return for Game 2 while Kante will be out.

All in all, a deserved point for each side.

Game 2 in Columbus will be on Thursday here (Wednesday evening there) at 9:30 a.m. AEST, and there's a webcast link available through the Crew's official website at www.thecrew.com. Game 3 will be Sunday (Saturday there) back in Foxboro.

Cheers,
William

 

[you_idiot]

One finalist is in, and we await a Game 3 decider in the Eastern Division bracket at the weekend.... details are here...

At Invesco Field at Mile High -- Denver
Colorado Rapids 0
Los Angeles Galaxy 1
Carlos Ruiz 64

The Rapids' inability to test Kevin Hartman in the Galaxy goal came back to haunt them when Ruiz-- a leading candidate for season and playoff MVP accolades-- scored off Cobi Jones' killer cross in the 64th minute. From there, the Galaxy maintained enough possession to seal passage to the MLS Cup final for the second year in a row and for the fourth time in the seven-year history of the American top-flight league.

Up until Ruiz's goal, the best the Rapids could do at threatening Hartman's net was a 31st-minute shot by Chris Carrieri on a three-man move involving Mark Chung and John Spencer that went wide to the right with Hartman stranded.

In the other game...

At Crew Stadium -- Columbus, Ohio
Columbus Crew 0
New England Revolution 1
Jay Heaps 3

Heaps scored the only goal of the game, but later got sent off-- however, the Revs will rely on their home-field advantage on Sunday (Saturday there) to clinch a berth in the MLS Cup final for the first time in their history. The Crew, meanwhile, will have to win Game 3, then win in a mini-game tiebreaker or else in penalty kicks to capture the "first-to-five-points" series.

Heaps got sent off in the 39th minute for head-butting the Crew's Guatemalan midfielder Freddy Garcia-- and it marked the third game in a row that the Revs had to finish their affairs with ten men.

It was a deserved win for New England, who defended bravely being a man down, but Columbus were unlucky not to have at least equalized as they attacked with three strikers for a vast majority of the second half, with the trio of Brian McBride, Jeff Cunningham and Dante Washington each missing gilt-edged chances.

Good coaching by Revs boss Steve Nichol, the former Liverpool and Scotland star, to organize his team's defense that has been riddled by suspensions leading up to this game and a couple of injuries to his rearguard during the match itself.

Listened to both matches via webcasts today, and they sounded perfect. The weekend's Game 3 between the Revolution and the Crew will be available on the Crew's website at www.thecrew.com.

The Galaxy will now have a week-and-a-half to rest before playing in another title game. But they've never won the league championship-- branding them with the dishonour of being akin to MLS's equivalent of the Buffalo Bills (or even the Geelong Cats ), losing on each of their previous three trips to the MLS Cup championship match. But as easily as they dismantled Colorado, one would think that they have one hand firmly on the trophy.

Cheers,
William

 

[mattyc2422]

We all cheer for the LA Galaxy....

Originally posted by you_idiot
Ruiz-- a leading candidate for season and playoff MVP accolades--

Well deserved winnder Mr. Relentless would be as well.

But they've never won the league championship-- branding them with the dishonour of being akin to MLS's equivalent of the Buffalo Bills (or even the Geelong Cats ), losing on each of their previous three trips to the MLS Cup championship match.

Thanks for the reminder mate. I've said it in past seasons and i'll say it again. This year is the year. Cobi has lead us there, and will go on further. Plus we have secret...or not so secret weapon Ruiz.

I remember seeing a tiny dude with dreads and thinking "that guy sure gives his all" in the 98 WC for the US. After discovering what the MLS was, and that this dreadlocked man was spearheading the Galaxy, I instantly felt attached to them and here we are, another chance for the title.

That tiny dude with dreads has done well.

 

[you_idiot]

Re: We all cheer for the LA Galaxy....

Originally posted by mattyc2422
I've said it in past seasons and i'll say it again. This year is the year. Cobi has lead us there, and will go on further. Plus we have secret...or not so secret weapon Ruiz.

I remember seeing a tiny dude with dreads and thinking "that guy sure gives his all" in the 98 WC for the US. After discovering what the MLS was, and that this dreadlocked man was spearheading the Galaxy, I instantly felt attached to them and here we are, another chance for the title.

That tiny dude with dreads has done well.

As a native San Josean and as someone who saw the Earthquakes win MLS Cup in Columbus last year (yes, I was there at Crew Stadium for the match when Dwayne DeRosario beat Kevin Hartman in off the post extra time), as a fan it pains me to see the Galaxy 90 minutes away from winning the only title to have eluded them. But I can't have any complaints about that as an objective observor, L.A. may not have been the most thrilling team to watch all season, they've just been the most consistent.

However, Matty, you summed it up pretty well. It's guys like Cobi Jones who deserve a title. If anyone deserves a title for as long as he's been toiling in MLS and American soccer as a whole, it's Cobi-- and you might as well throw in Alexi Lalas in that school of thought as well.

And other Galaxy players who have been there for a very long time, like Mauricio Cienfuegos, Kevin Hartman, Ezra Hendrickson, and others... they deserve it just as equally. They should have won in 1998, to be honest, if they hadn't been blindsided by the Chicago Fire that year.

But their time has come. Let's see if they come good on October 20 there, the 21st here.

By the way, the MLS Cup final will be webcast. We here in Australia can hear it live. Details forthcoming...

Cheers,
William

 

[mattyc2422]

Nice to see Alexi Lalas having a much improved year (finalist in Defender of the Year and Comeback
Player of the Year)\

Guys like Hendrickson who've been here around the same time as Cobi have been a great asset to the Galaxy.
Exciting times indeed.

Who's your tip for the other spot in the Championship?
is this a 2 man thread?

 

[you_idiot]

Originally posted by mattyc2422

Who's your tip for the other spot in the Championship?

At the start of the playoffs, I thought it was going to be a San Jose v L.A. rematch. The best two teams in the regular season playing another classic.

But after the 'Quakes got KO'd, I thought that Columbus had what it takes to get to the title game-- especially when Edson Buddle plays in attack with Brian McBride, Brian West, Jeff Cunningham and Kyle Martino. Which allows them to bring John Wilmar Perez, Dante Washington, and John Harkes (when healthy) off the bench.

But so far, New England has had their number, getting hot at the right time. However, I'll hedge my bets and say that the Crew will put in the necessary overtime to get to the final. Yet having said that, wouldn't it be a great story of the Revs got there?

Cheers,
William

 

[you_idiot]

***WEBCAST INFO***

If anyone's interested or otherwise has the energy to listen early on a Sunday morning, the New England Revolution v Columbus Crew match will be webcast via the Crew's flagship station WEGE, 103.9 FM, and a link can be found via the Crew's website www.thecrew.com. Kickoff is at 6 a.m. Sunday morning AEST, and look for the webcast link...

The title game will also be webcast, at 3:30 a.m. AEST, on Monday, October 21. And there should be some information on the front page of the www.socceraudio.com site regarding the Sports Byline USA network's streaming webcast of it (otherwise, there should be a link on the www.mlsnet.com site as gameday approaches).

Doing the call of the title game are John Shrader and John Doyle, the team which regularly handles the TV play-by-play of the San Jose Earthquakes broadcasts on Fox Sports Net-Bay Area. As I know these guys very well from my many years back in San Jose, these guys are exceptionally good... trust me on this.

Cheers,
William

 

[you_idiot]

The teams are now set for next weekend's championship match...

And the Los Angeles Galaxy will play hometown favourite the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

Sunday morning's playoff action, from Game 3 of the Eastern Division finals...

At Gillette Stadium -- Foxboro, Mass.
New England Revolution 2
Steve Ralston 17
Wolde Harris 47
Columbus Crew 2
Brian McBride 80
Dante Washington 87
*-after extra time

The Crew's spirited second-half fightback to force a series overtime fell just short, as the draw was enough to send the Revolution into the league's title tilt-- and extend their rags-to-riches season in the process.

I'll merely post a link to the match recap from MLS's website-- that could do the match more justice than I could give it, in a wrap-up...

http://www.mlsnet.com/games/02/1012clbne.html

Should be a very intriguing game next Sunday (there, Monday a.m. here).

Cheers,
William

 

[mattyc2422]

Carlos Ruiz MVP!
And what a man to win it! Rookie season!

 

[you_idiot]

Originally posted by mattyc2422
Carlos Ruiz MVP!
And what a man to win it! Rookie season!

And totally deserving of it, too, Matty.

His only competition, IMO, was Taylor Twellman of the Revs, but the fact that Ruiz had scored big goals in big games all season long-- and was scoring goals early in the season when the Galaxy's attack was struggling to the point where his teammates couldn't hit the broad side of a barn-- that, to me, made him a deserving winner.

Great story, really... Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid had his eyes on signing Ruiz ever since he saw him lead Guatemala's Under-23's to a berth in the Olympics at the qualifying tournament in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in the spring of 2000, and never gave up in trying to obtain him through the league's allocation system.

Cheers,
William

 

[mattyc2422]

you lil ripper!

 

[mattyc2422]

Being an Aussie fan, It's hard to keep track of MLS proceeding bar the net, but i'm ecstatic. Been bouncing off the walls all day.

Ruiz is a god. This guy could be anything one day. Tremendous talent that obviously loves the pressure and his team mates.

Cobi Jones is a much deserved champion, as is Cien and the other older guys. They've put in so much to LA Galaxy that they are not only idols, but sucessful ones.

The MLS is never going to get as much coverage as other sports, or other soccer leagues, but thats the way it goes. The diehard fans are one of the special parts of the league.

1998 was the year I discovered the MLS and Cobi was the one that made me a LA fan and I haven't turned back.
Had tough times, but we've made it!

CHAMPIONS! 2002!
A piece of history!

P.S New Cobi Jones avatar as a testament to his year, and career.

 

[you_idiot]

Stayed up all night to catch the webcast starting at 3:30 a.m. and it was nearly 6:30 when the dust settled with Carlos Ruiz's extra-time golden goal. I've compensated by sleeping for much of the day, but I have no regrets, though-- it was completely worth it.

Originally posted by mattyc2422
Being an Aussie fan, It's hard to keep track of MLS proceeding bar the net, but i'm ecstatic. Been bouncing off the walls all day.

I bet you have, Matty. And seeing that you barrack for the Galaxy, I congratulate you.

Revel in the glory-- you deserve it... although I'm sure the team's rivals to the north will be back better than ever in 2003.

Hope you (and others) got to listen to the webcast... Me, I got goosebumps hearing the dolcid tones of John Shrader-- he and Ridge Mahoney are press colleagues of mine from back home in the Bay Area, and it was nice to hear their voices again.

Originally posted by mattyc2422
Ruiz is a god. This guy could be anything one day. Tremendous talent that obviously loves the pressure and his team mates.

The demand will dictate that Ruiz will likely head to Europe season after next-- but 36 goals in all American-related competitions this season (24 in the regular MLS season, 8 more in the playoffs and another 4 in the U.S. Open Cup) certainly lend a testament about his abilities as a world-class striker.

Not sure if he'll ever get his due on the international stage until Guatemala become a power within CONCACAF, but it won't be any fault of his own. Surely, one can argue that Ruiz may become this generation's equivalent of George Best-- eg., a recognizable world-class talent that never got to display his wares in a World Cup finals campaign-- but there is no debating Ruiz's worth to his club side this season.

He scores big goals in big games, and in sensational fashion, at that. You can't ask for anything more than that.

Mind you, Ruiz's club still has one game to go, in the U.S. Open Cup final at the end of the week against the Columbus Crew-- so he may add another goal or two to that goal haul yet...

Originally posted by mattyc2422

Cobi Jones is a much deserved champion, as is Cien and the other older guys. They've put in so much to LA Galaxy that they are not only idols, but sucessful ones.

Cobi had a huge game, but so did another old USA World Cup warhorse-- Alexi Lalas.

Lalas was instrumental to the Galaxy's defensive effort in limiting Taylor Twellman and Wolde Harris to the premium chances that they had.

Yet having said that, the Revolution were lacking a true #10 out there that would have created more chances for those two, and maybe coach Steve Nicol would consider letting Alex Pineda Chacon take that role next year. (FWIW, I also think that Nicol will therefore get the "interim" tag removed from his title. He deserves the full-time post there, no doubt about it.)

Originally posted by mattyc2422

The MLS is never going to get as much coverage as other sports, or other soccer leagues, but thats the way it goes. The diehard fans are one of the special parts of the league.

61,316 fans at Gillette Stadium today... a testament that MLS has made it. Between the rising attendances in the league and the rising quality of play and an entertaining championship match and the league's contributions to the USA's very successful World Cup squad this year, all that shows that MLS should be considered among the best leagues in the world. Maybe not in the same breath as the Premiership, Serie A or the Spanish La Liga yet, but easily in the top ten. And if the Eurosnobs on these boards and beyond don't seem to grasp that, then they'll never get it... MLS is here to stay.

Originally posted by mattyc2422

1998 was the year I discovered the MLS and Cobi was the one that made me a LA fan and I haven't turned back.
Had tough times, but we've made it!

CHAMPIONS! 2002!
A piece of history!

P.S New Cobi Jones avatar as a testament to his year, and career.

BTW, Matty, that avatar rocks.

Lastly, this was a great playoff campaign that had everything, no doubt about it... and if this was an introduction to the league for a lot of people here, let me (as someone who has seen the league grow in the last several years to what it is now) say that it gets even better than this.

Cheers,
William

 

[mattyc2422]

Originally posted by you_idiot
Mind you, Ruiz's club still has one game to go, in the U.S. Open Cup final at the end of the week against the Columbus Crew-- so he may add another goal or two to that goal haul yet...

Friday our time, I think?

Do ya reckon we will get any highlights anywhere?
The World Game or Soccer scene? Anywhere?

 

[you_idiot]

Originally posted by mattyc2422

Friday our time, I think?

I believe so. And there should be a matchtracker on the www.ussoccer.com homepage.

Originally posted by mattyc2422

Do ya reckon we will get any highlights anywhere?
The World Game or Soccer scene? Anywhere?

I watched "World Sport" on SBS tonight-- and nothing. Ridiculous, considering they can get World Series and NFL highlights from the other major American networks (NBC and the CBS/Fox consortuim, respectively)-- and while the MLS Cup final is on the American ABC, and just as accessible as the others, they show nothing. There are no words in the English language to express how disappointed I am.

I encourage EVERYONE to write The World Game crew at twg@sbs.com.au and let them know what sort of an injustice they're doing-- not just for American soccer, but what they claim is their aim of covering the sport in every corner and crevace possible.

Also, if they need an expert to analyze American soccer doings on their Sunday showpiece, I'm certainly available.

Cheers,
William

 

[King Crow]

You_Idiot, as far as im concerned, you are contracted to Bigfooty long term, and if SBS wish to acquire your services, us Bigfooty members must be compensated handsomely.

How does a BBQ with Les Murray and Johnny Warren sound everyone?

 

[you_idiot]

Originally posted by King Crow
You_Idiot, as far as im concerned, you are contracted to Bigfooty long term, and if SBS wish to acquire your services, us Bigfooty members must be compensated handsomely.

How does a BBQ with Les Murray and Johnny Warren sound everyone?

You need not look far for a BBQ chef.

I'm not going to stop anyone from suggesting those things, either.

Cheers,
William

 

[you_idiot]

Per the U.S. Open Cup final that Matty mentioned, I should add that it indeed takes place Friday morning our time, 9 a.m. AEST, and the game's being webcast through the Columbus Crew's website at www.thecrew.com and via the team's flagship station at www.eagle1039.com.

Just thought I'd pass this along.

Cheers,
William

 

[mattyc2422]

Well, we couldn't make it the double in the Open Cup unfortunatly, but I am mighty proud of the Galaxy. A great 2003, with a superb debut season by Ruiz, and solid performances by the regulars.

 

[mattyc2422]

Just a note of interest William, I stayed home an extra 10 minutes today before I lfet for cricket to watch the replay of "soccer scene" on Foxtel which was first shown last night and lucky me, They showed a few highlights of the MLS CUP game, mostly all from the OT periods and some cup lifting celebrations.

Emotional scenes indeed, and I'm glad I missed the first few minutes of my cricket game to see Cobi lifting the cup.

 

[you_idiot]

Originally posted by mattyc2422
Just a note of interest William, I stayed home an extra 10 minutes today before I lfet for cricket to watch the replay of "soccer scene" on Foxtel which was first shown last night and lucky me, They showed a few highlights of the MLS CUP game, mostly all from the OT periods and some cup lifting celebrations.

Emotional scenes indeed, and I'm glad I missed the first few minutes of my cricket game to see Cobi lifting the cup.

Considering that I am cable-deprived, thank goodness for that, Matty.

Actually, I was looking through the community newspapers here in Ballarat last night, and ESPN Int'l Pacific Rim did air same-day, full-game coverage of the MLS Cup title game on Monday, at 9:30 p.m. Thank goodness for small wonders-- and that's a time slot I would gladly settle for next season, for the whole season.

Also, let's hope SBS shows MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup final highlights on the "World Game" TV show tomorrow, or else they will hear from some angry viewers here.

I should also add that with all due respect and congratulations for the season the Galaxy had, it's nice to see the Columbus Crew finally win a trophy. Arguably, they've been the best team in MLS never to have won anything-- and it's nice to see the likes of Brian McBride, Robert Warzycha, John Harkes, and their younger players as well, win something. Some good writeups in today's Columbus Dispatch regarding the same as well...

And not a bad goal from Freddy Garcia, for the eventual margin of victory, too...

Cheers,
William