On Thursday, we had an indoor soccer doubleheader at WISC. First game started at 6:20 followed by the 7:10 tilt. I'm happy to report The Crew came away victorious both matches!
When it gets hot around here (like it was on Thursday), WISC turns into an industrial-sized convection oven. The field is housed in a rectangular warehouse made from mostly corrugated metal (steel? tin?) and it is just plain HOT in there. I was sweating within the first 5 minutes after kickoff, and as my wife likes to point out, I'm a goalie and I was just standing there.
The boys who had to do the actual running around and scoring did great! Everyone seemed to just be clicking, shots were hitting the corners, one-timers were beautifully struck, and the passing tape-to-tape, to steal a hockey term. No one passed out or pulled themselves due to the heat, so chalk one up for staying hydrated and also a well-timed sub rotation.
I was a little worried I would be sucking wind because I've been hiding in my air-conditioned house during Seattle's "Killer Heat Wave 2009!!!" but that was not the case. Like my mates, I played a great pair of matches, and felt good enough to even play a third (thankfully that didn't happen). I have to wonder if playing indoor was actually easier than outdoor - we were out of the direct sun, with the tradeoff of slightly higher temperatures indoors - at least I think it worked that way.
All things considered, I'll be happy on gameday this week to play in cooler temps.
Showing posts with label soccer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soccer. Show all posts
Monday, August 3, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Clean Sheet, Perfect Night
At last! After all the planning, all the talk, the expectations, and a few predictable jabs from North American football fans (you know, the game where fat guys grab each other and fall down), Sounders FC played their first MLS regular-season game.
You could not have scripted this any better. The stands were packed with a sea of bright green jerseys, jackets, hats, and oh yes, scarves. The standard pre-first game pep talk from the suits (and plenty of boos for the guv). I think Drew Carey already has his playoff party booked. The band playing the old-school Sounders ditty (da dah dah, da dah dah...), the Sounders flags waving in the crowd, and the overall energy in the stadium. Oh, and the soccer horns - my wife hates them - there were plenty of soccer horns to be seen and heard.
The home team scores early, and it was all downhill for NY from there. The officials allowed a lot of contact, showed a few yellows, and took the usual amount of blame and abuse. Cap it off with a shutout, and sportswriters everywhere can bang out their "local boy comes home, pitches clean sheet" stories. Fans and owners go home happy, knowing that no matter what happens from here on out, they witnessed a magic night that cannot be taken away.
First of all, I would not have been there unless my friend Phil comes through and scores us free tickets to the match. Phil is a great guy - fellow footie nut, goalie, former co-worker at various shared stops including Nintendo, just to name a few redeeming qualities - and even though he works for the WSU athletic department (boo, hiss), it is because of his connections there that my Husky ass (as opposed to husky ass...walked into that one) was in my seat tonight. So I must swallow my purple & gold pride and salute the crimson & grey - go Cougs!
And my wife gets lots of hugs and kisses too - she could have gone to the game, but when our childcare plans went south, she took charge and came home early so I could go - who loves ya, baby?
The days leading up to the game were spent emailing and talking with Phil, trying to iron out the logistics. After my last gather-kid-at-bus stop-run, I dash off to the Park & Ride to catch a bus. Get to the P&R with five minutes to spare, and then spend the next hour listening to my iPod and texting my wife and Phil. One of the messages I get from Phil is a pic of Drew Carey (Sounders minority owner) as they march from a gathering point near the stadium and parade to the game. Phil, as usual, has crackerjack timing and happens upon the mob just as they are heading out.
We meet up at the field in front of a giant inflatable football (you know, soccer ball) and head in. There are smiles everywhere, high fives, whooping, hollering, and just a kind of noise that I've always associated with soccer. It's so fucking cool!
And the seats? Club level, Aisle 232, Row Q, Seat 5. I've had worse (like the seat behind a steel support beam at Fenway Park), but for this game, I'd sit on crushed glass. Awesome seats. A bit shy of midfield, behind the benches, looking down on Kasey Keller going through his pre-game warmup routine.
After a Freddie Ljungberg sighting (looking dapper in a tailored suit and acknowledging the masses), and the thankfully brief pre-game fluff (including flags from each United Nations member, and a bunch of young ladies in Sounders colors who move a lot like Seahawks cheerleaders), it is finally time to kick this thing off!
Fredy Montero scored less than 12 minutes in, so right away it set the crowd abuzz and erased any possibility that Seattle would suffer as did Toronto FC, who took something like nine games to score their first goal when they joined MLS. After each goal, everyone was high-fiving, screaming, and holding up their scarves. A young guy next to me even gave a gentle high-five to an infant in from of him - awwwwww.
So from start to finish, it was just an exciting and entertaining match. Kasey didn't have much to do, but when he did, it counted. One point-blank reaction save, and one to send a screamer over the crossbar was about the extent of his night. After the game, people were laughing, smiling, singing, and talking to everyone like we all knew each other. Well, in a way, we do - we're all soccer fans.
I hope this level of enthusiasm continues for the duration. 22,000 season ticket holders is a great start, even better than hoped for by the suits I'm sure. And it's a far cry from the A-League and USL days of the post-NASL (boy, I'm just full of it tonight) Sounders, who played in front of crowds of several hundred to a thousand or two fans for the most part in venues much less shiny and happy than Qwest Field.
And speaking of the Sounders of years past, we now know that Vancouver has been awarded an MLS franchise, and it looks like Portland may land one as well. That means an instant three-way West Coast rivalry with more history than any other MLS club can boast about in my opinion. The Whitecaps and Timbers (hopefully they keep their old names in some form as well) and Sounders just don't really like each other. And good rivalries can often generate great games, so let's hope that is the case.
The night ended with a burger at Red Robin (oh my god, the smell of garlic fries at the game was killing me!) and hanging out with Phil. I really can't think of a better night, unless it involves a bus full of Hawaiian Tropic swimsuit models looking for a couple of oil boys (except in this movie Phil and I get on the bus, but are hunted down and dragged from the bus by our chainsaw-toting wives). Let's call it Dumb & Dumber III: Tom & Phil's Best Day Evar!
Ole, ole ole ole...
You could not have scripted this any better. The stands were packed with a sea of bright green jerseys, jackets, hats, and oh yes, scarves. The standard pre-first game pep talk from the suits (and plenty of boos for the guv). I think Drew Carey already has his playoff party booked. The band playing the old-school Sounders ditty (da dah dah, da dah dah...), the Sounders flags waving in the crowd, and the overall energy in the stadium. Oh, and the soccer horns - my wife hates them - there were plenty of soccer horns to be seen and heard.
The home team scores early, and it was all downhill for NY from there. The officials allowed a lot of contact, showed a few yellows, and took the usual amount of blame and abuse. Cap it off with a shutout, and sportswriters everywhere can bang out their "local boy comes home, pitches clean sheet" stories. Fans and owners go home happy, knowing that no matter what happens from here on out, they witnessed a magic night that cannot be taken away.
First of all, I would not have been there unless my friend Phil comes through and scores us free tickets to the match. Phil is a great guy - fellow footie nut, goalie, former co-worker at various shared stops including Nintendo, just to name a few redeeming qualities - and even though he works for the WSU athletic department (boo, hiss), it is because of his connections there that my Husky ass (as opposed to husky ass...walked into that one) was in my seat tonight. So I must swallow my purple & gold pride and salute the crimson & grey - go Cougs!
And my wife gets lots of hugs and kisses too - she could have gone to the game, but when our childcare plans went south, she took charge and came home early so I could go - who loves ya, baby?
The days leading up to the game were spent emailing and talking with Phil, trying to iron out the logistics. After my last gather-kid-at-bus stop-run, I dash off to the Park & Ride to catch a bus. Get to the P&R with five minutes to spare, and then spend the next hour listening to my iPod and texting my wife and Phil. One of the messages I get from Phil is a pic of Drew Carey (Sounders minority owner) as they march from a gathering point near the stadium and parade to the game. Phil, as usual, has crackerjack timing and happens upon the mob just as they are heading out.
We meet up at the field in front of a giant inflatable football (you know, soccer ball) and head in. There are smiles everywhere, high fives, whooping, hollering, and just a kind of noise that I've always associated with soccer. It's so fucking cool!
And the seats? Club level, Aisle 232, Row Q, Seat 5. I've had worse (like the seat behind a steel support beam at Fenway Park), but for this game, I'd sit on crushed glass. Awesome seats. A bit shy of midfield, behind the benches, looking down on Kasey Keller going through his pre-game warmup routine.
After a Freddie Ljungberg sighting (looking dapper in a tailored suit and acknowledging the masses), and the thankfully brief pre-game fluff (including flags from each United Nations member, and a bunch of young ladies in Sounders colors who move a lot like Seahawks cheerleaders), it is finally time to kick this thing off!
Fredy Montero scored less than 12 minutes in, so right away it set the crowd abuzz and erased any possibility that Seattle would suffer as did Toronto FC, who took something like nine games to score their first goal when they joined MLS. After each goal, everyone was high-fiving, screaming, and holding up their scarves. A young guy next to me even gave a gentle high-five to an infant in from of him - awwwwww.
So from start to finish, it was just an exciting and entertaining match. Kasey didn't have much to do, but when he did, it counted. One point-blank reaction save, and one to send a screamer over the crossbar was about the extent of his night. After the game, people were laughing, smiling, singing, and talking to everyone like we all knew each other. Well, in a way, we do - we're all soccer fans.
I hope this level of enthusiasm continues for the duration. 22,000 season ticket holders is a great start, even better than hoped for by the suits I'm sure. And it's a far cry from the A-League and USL days of the post-NASL (boy, I'm just full of it tonight) Sounders, who played in front of crowds of several hundred to a thousand or two fans for the most part in venues much less shiny and happy than Qwest Field.
And speaking of the Sounders of years past, we now know that Vancouver has been awarded an MLS franchise, and it looks like Portland may land one as well. That means an instant three-way West Coast rivalry with more history than any other MLS club can boast about in my opinion. The Whitecaps and Timbers (hopefully they keep their old names in some form as well) and Sounders just don't really like each other. And good rivalries can often generate great games, so let's hope that is the case.
The night ended with a burger at Red Robin (oh my god, the smell of garlic fries at the game was killing me!) and hanging out with Phil. I really can't think of a better night, unless it involves a bus full of Hawaiian Tropic swimsuit models looking for a couple of oil boys (except in this movie Phil and I get on the bus, but are hunted down and dragged from the bus by our chainsaw-toting wives). Let's call it Dumb & Dumber III: Tom & Phil's Best Day Evar!
Ole, ole ole ole...
Thursday, August 21, 2008
USA 1 - Guatemala 0
The conditions were just horrible, and I hear the weather was bad too. The U.S. beat Guatemala 1-0 in front of a hostile crowd at Mateo Flores in Guatemala last night in an ugly, ugly match.
First of all, I will say that Guatemala has a very talented side. They move the ball well, and pressed the attack all night, especially in the second half. But that is where my praise for them ends. They clutch, grab, hit, dive, and cry like few other teams I've seen in recent memory. Yes, most teams do the same, I'm just saying Guatemala did it and then some. There have probably been cleaner pickup games between the Crips and Bloods, that's all I'm saying.
The hit on Eddie Lewis was just plain sick, and I don't mean that in a good way. The guy who hit him led high, and arrived late. I doubt FIFA will do anything, but I wish they would. That could have been a lot worse. Oh, and way to show how classy you are, Guatemala fans. As Lewis is being treated, officials had to hold up a riot shield to keep debris from hitting him as he lay prone on the ground. Nice touch.
Carlos Ruiz, now there's another class act. Way to kick Tim Howard in the head! And you wonder why he wanted to rip your head off instead of shaking your hand to kiss and make up. And the guy who took a kick at Carlos Bocanegra after he scored? Little kid stuff. Grow the fuck up.
When did international football get so ugly? Why do the refs let both sides get away with all the pushing, kicking, and shirt-grabbing? It's like the clutch-and-grab days of the NHL and the thug life antics of the NBA and NFL have wormed their way into the beautiful game, and I don't like it at all. Play the game, play the game hard, but cut out all the chickenshit, okay? Please? I really hope Cherundolo learned that you always get caught when you retaliate. Be the bigger man next time.
The MNT did well to escape with the road win, but they are going to need to play better in future matches.
First of all, I will say that Guatemala has a very talented side. They move the ball well, and pressed the attack all night, especially in the second half. But that is where my praise for them ends. They clutch, grab, hit, dive, and cry like few other teams I've seen in recent memory. Yes, most teams do the same, I'm just saying Guatemala did it and then some. There have probably been cleaner pickup games between the Crips and Bloods, that's all I'm saying.
The hit on Eddie Lewis was just plain sick, and I don't mean that in a good way. The guy who hit him led high, and arrived late. I doubt FIFA will do anything, but I wish they would. That could have been a lot worse. Oh, and way to show how classy you are, Guatemala fans. As Lewis is being treated, officials had to hold up a riot shield to keep debris from hitting him as he lay prone on the ground. Nice touch.
Carlos Ruiz, now there's another class act. Way to kick Tim Howard in the head! And you wonder why he wanted to rip your head off instead of shaking your hand to kiss and make up. And the guy who took a kick at Carlos Bocanegra after he scored? Little kid stuff. Grow the fuck up.
When did international football get so ugly? Why do the refs let both sides get away with all the pushing, kicking, and shirt-grabbing? It's like the clutch-and-grab days of the NHL and the thug life antics of the NBA and NFL have wormed their way into the beautiful game, and I don't like it at all. Play the game, play the game hard, but cut out all the chickenshit, okay? Please? I really hope Cherundolo learned that you always get caught when you retaliate. Be the bigger man next time.
The MNT did well to escape with the road win, but they are going to need to play better in future matches.
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