Out of my Head

Sounders Return To Winning Ways

After a 2-game losing streak, Seattle returned to the Xbox pitch and to its winning ways in putting away a pesky, but ultimately lesser team, San Jose Earthquakes with a 2-0 scoreline.

Goals came from Steve Zakuani, heading home in the 42nd, and Brad Evans, poking the ball through a hole in the Swiss Cheese SJ goalkeeper Nick Cannon, in the 55th.

 But man of the match award went to John, who helped bring both goals about by 1) going to the bathroom in the 42nd minute and 2) going to buy beer in the 55th minute.

Also, playing an important role in the game was Seattle net-meister Kasey Keller, who set a record of scoreless minutes (hmmm, sounds like a certain large target wearing rave green...)

The insertion of Zak into the starting lineup pleased many fans who've been calling for the #1 draft pick to get game time ahead of Pink Shoes LeToux. Zakuani was a threat throughout the night. It seemed every time he touched the ball he was burning Equake defenders and tearing off goalward. His goal was the result of some determined heading off a Ljungberg free kick. I believe Marshall knocked it into the mix and Hurtado headed it far post where the lone Zakster had a relatively easy task of heading downward into goal.

Large, lumbering white man, Nate Jacqua, has been receiving quite a bit of (deserved) criticism for his play and he was less than inspiring Saturday: ignoring shot opportunities, ignoring runs...Nonetheless, SlowJack did create the 2nd goal by bamboozling the defender with his stumble-bumble dribbling then laying off to Brad Evans who nutmegged Cannon.  The Wonderbread Express dominates again!

Methings the Seattle crowd is getting quieter as the season goes on. There were even several people in our section that actually wanted to sit in the 2nd half! If only those yahoos with the plastic horns would shut up. At one point, the big screen exhorted the crowd to chant the Sounders chant. No takers. People would rather blow on their horns. What would Freud say about that?!

The game was not an entirely positive experience, however, as the match was almost ruined by a drunk Chelsea fan who sat next to me and kept yammering about Freddy Montero being the new Cristiano Ronaldo. Making matters worse, all game long, he kept raving about his favorite Sounder, Nate "SlowJack" Jacqua.

Yeesh, go back to Chelsea, mate.

Major Freakin' News

So, this comes across my email late last night as a breaking news (emphasis mine) from CNN:

-- Ashton Kutcher is first to reach 1 million followers in Twitter contest with CNN.

Really? News? Edward R. Murrow was just placed on spin cycle....

Semis! Semis! Semis!

A surging, confident Arsenal FC put Villareal down 3-0 at Emirates earlier today, sending the Gunners into the Champpions League semifinal for only the 2nd time in the club's history. Arsenal will face their old friends Manchester United in a home & away set beginning March 5th at home.

Winger Theo Walcott, who was a terror down the right side all night long, got the scoring going in the 9th minute with a Thierry Henry-like chip over Villareal keeper Diego Lopez. After the goal, the Gunners poured through the Villareal defense like water through a sieve. It looked like a 2nd goal was imminent, but Emmanuel Adebayor could not find the touch and the game went to the half with Arsenal up 1 in the game and 2-1 Aggregate.

After the half, the Yellow Submarines looked sharper and began to build pressure on the Arsenal goal, though to be fair didn't create any real shots. Fill-in keeper Lukas Fabianski was brilliant throughout, particularly in sweeping up any through balls that penetrated deep.

The Villareal tide, though, was stemmed in the 69th minute when RVN and Adebayor took advantage of a slack defense and the lanky lad from Togo pushed the ball past Lopez and initiated what may be one of the lamest line dances in recent memory.

The game really got out of Villa's hand in the 69th minute when a dodgy foul in the box led to a shot from the dot and Sebastian Eguren got a red card for and an early shower. RVN lasered the penalty home and the 10-man Spanish side could only mope as Arsenal passed the ball around in what looked like a training ground exercise.

It's Chelsea Saturday in the FA Cup Semi and then Liverpool on Tuesday. The last month of the season is shaping up to be a corker!

Sounders Battled Valiantly With 10

Let me get this out of the way early on: Kansas City sucks butt. Seriously, this is not a good MLS team. This game felt like Arsenal V. Wigan (which by the way Arsenal won 4-1, after spotting the Wigs a goal and a couple of good chances) or Arsenal v. West Ham.

Our players looked better on the ball, sharper of mind and faster. Our defense looked capable, we had an offensive strategy that consisted of something slightly more sophisticated than the ol' NASA moon launch.

But, when we lost Keller on the red card and went to 10 men, well, if we got out of Large Tele Co Stadium with a 0-0 draw, then that'd be a fine evening. But...But...winning streaks are made to be broken and with a first-year team doing the unthinkable, Kansas City was probably just one of many teams that wanted to see a stop to the Sounders' precocious ways.. Anyways, the result was a 1-0 loss, with Sounders battling a man down for 65 minutes.

The first half, before and after Keller's ejection was largely scrapping for posession, with a few build-ups here a few coutners there. But after Sigi had a chance to chat with the guys at halftime, Sounders came out with their ears pinned back. Man, they took it to the Lizards of KC like the man-advantage was reversed.

I counted 4 excellent chances on goal, any one of which would've won the game. Montero rattled the woodwork on a free kick, had a point-blank open goal taken away by a lucky leg stab from a defender (created, BTW, by incredible hard work from Nate Jacqua to keep a lost cause inbounds and then feed Montero), Evans had a shot, and I think Jacqua had a go somewhere in there.

But after all that, the 9 field players got tired. You could see it in their body motions. They were flagging a bit, and the Liz started bringing posession into our half. I thought it was time to bring Zakuani in to freshen up our midfield, but Coach didn't insert him into the formation until after Davey Arnaud scored. I thought the keeper's positioning was a bit weak on the shot, but the opportunity was created by soft defending that was certainly caused by fatigue.

Even after the goal, though, the Sounders kept pressing and came close to equalizing. While the result was their first loss, this didn't feel like a loss; more like a moral victory and the Lizards escaping Seattle with a fortunate result. They won't win a ton of games this year...that is, unless they get the man advantage throughout the season.

The Sounders, on the other hand, will win plenty more games, despite this setback.

Sounders Trump Arsenal!...

...in this post. On the road at Toronto, the upstart fledglings from Seattle decided to continue with their winning ways, pasting a 2-0 win on Toronto FC, whose supposed "best fans in the league" spent a lot of time standing around with their arms folded (judging by the 20 minutes of the game I've watched so far!!).

Sounders found a goal from Freddie Ljungberg 15 minutes in, when the speedy Swedey played a give and go with forwrd Nate Jacqua and completely bamboozled the Toronto defense. Finding himself 1 v 1 with the keeper, Ljungberg was not about to miss and his clinical finish broke his Sounders' duck and put the visitors up. Newcomer (hey, they're all newcomers!) Steve Zakuani rounded out the scoring with a goal I have yet to see. (gonna watch the rest of the match when the visitors have left).

Toronto Coach Greg Carver was not amused:

"Every single one of (the players) I was disappointed in," Carver said. "I'm making no excuses, I'm not going to defend anybody today."

No kidding coach; neither is your defense.

Wadda ya know. Gang Green is 3-0-0 and leading the league.

Oh, and Seattle's fans are the best in the league!

Arsenal's match was not televised so I'm going on the Internets. Emmanuel Adebayor and Cesc Fabregas returned to the lineup after lengthy injuries. Ade scored 2 off of Cesc's 2 assists. Welcome back, boys. I daresay we missed you! Final: Gunners 2 - Manners 0

Montero? MSL Player of the Month

That's right. March 22nd nobody knew the kid from Colombia. But after 3 goals and an assist in two games - and generally looking like he owned Qwest Field and any defender that stepped on it - Freddy Montero is the MSL Player of the Month. Well deserved. This kid's a talent.

The Sounders have assembled a team that mixes young talents like Montero with solid veterans. Defender Tyrone Marshall anchors a back line that has yet to surrender a goal. According to the article, Marshall is also a positive force in the locker room. That's sure to be a key to the season as the games progress and the Sounders encounter adversity - let's face it, they ain't going to go 30-0-0.

Next up. Toronto. Wherever that is...

Arsenal: Listen to RVN!

Will they or won't they? As long as I've been a Gooner (admittedly, recent times - since 2003), there's been nothing as constant in the club as the speculation over the future of certain star players, and even those of lesser quality. Cesc Fabregas a popular target of departure worries. New Arsenal Chief Exec Ivan Gazidis says the Spaniard will stay.

Meanwhile, RVN - in my books, Arsenal's best player this season - says he is not worried about money when it comes to his contract negotiations. He just wants to see the club show a commitment to getting the players that will enable EPL and Champions League success.

"Financially Arsenal's last offer is fine, but that isn't everything for me. It's about my ambitions and how they can be fulfilled," he told Uefa's Champions Magazine.

"In the last four years I've only won one prize, the FA Cup, and that is too little. I want to push through to achieve more," he said.

Let's hope RVN's attitude can lead to just that...and perhaps, keeping the club's best pizza tosser at the Emirates.