I mean . . . seriously. I have 2 right so far. So poor. Predictions anyways:
Dynamo 1 - 2 Red Bull: The Dynamo aren't playing well right now. I don't care about the results. There's just simply nothing impressive to this point. Red Bull on the other hand look good.
Wizards 2 - 0 Fire: I'm worried for the Fire. The lack of energy they've shown in the first two games is really disturbing, while the way the Wiz came out last weekend makes you wonder just how good this team is going to get. The Bridgeview fans won't be too happy with this one.
RSL 0 - 1 Chivas: Eh. Boring. As usual. You'd think there'd be more goals here with the lack of defense on both sides, but I'm going to go against the curve.
Colorado 2 - 2 FCD: This is my pick for game of the weekend, though Dynamo vs Red Bull is a good meeting of old power vs new power. Colorado looks very impressive still, and Ruiz and Cooper are flying atop the Hoops' attack. Should be very entertaining.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Thursday, April 19, 2007
No hope.
Somehow the only games I've gotten right so far are the 2 Revs matches. Maybe that just proves it's a good thing I'm doing a Revs blog . . . Let's see if I can make it 3 for 3 with them. The only problem is when betting against me you still only have a 50-50 chance since there are 3 results possible in soccer . . . Awful isn't it?
Revs 3 - 1 Columbus: Andy Herron has to score against us. It's a rule. Otherwise, with Noonan back in the lineup, Khano looking like CRonaldo, and Twellman finally finishing, how can we not score 3 goals?
Revs 3 - 1 Columbus: Andy Herron has to score against us. It's a rule. Otherwise, with Noonan back in the lineup, Khano looking like CRonaldo, and Twellman finally finishing, how can we not score 3 goals?
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
The Saga Continues . . .
The Shalrie problems are never ending at this point. Apparently he could hold out if he doesn't get his wishes met. The argument appears to be over 10K and some bonuses. This all just seems ridiculous. Maybe the Revs just want Twellman to be the most expensive player on the roster and not him . . .
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Power Rankings
So I bet all y'all are wondering why I don't do any updates on the games . . . I assume you all saw them, or were at them, or can read about them elsewhere. That suffices. However, opinions on the game from my perspective:
1) Adam Cristman is good. I feel like he got noticed a lot more this week for what I thought I saw last week. He's stroooooong. He needs to work on his shot and crossing, but his physical ability is impressive and there seems to be a loooot of potential there.
2) Maybe Taylor's back? It wasn't like his goals were toooooooo difficult, but the 2nd one was definitely classy and textbook. He finished, which is definitely an upgrade from the week before. Let's just hope it continues.
3) People are evil. The entire row in front of me was filled with Khano lovers/ Noonan bashers. People. Don't so quickly forget what Noonan has done for this team. Just because he has been injured for a while doesn't give you the right to forget that every time he plays he does well and creates. We're a better team with him. Don't forget that. In addition, probably deserving of it's own number, Khano was oustanding. While this will make that row happy, I will say this: It's probably the first time. Probably the best game of his career, but I still am waiting (and hoping) to see if it continues. He looked so much more versatile and agile. He could be really good, but let's stop it with the unwarranted Khano praising.
4) The defense? I remember having 3 guys playing D, but I don't remember them actually playing. There was really no need for them, but when they were called upon they answered very well. Toronto's threats were blocked or cut off and that was beautiful. Avery John played quite well, and I think it went relatively unnoticed. Major props to a James Riley led backline. Let's see it against Columbus . . .
5) Toronto stinks. They need Ronnie O'Brien back ASAP.
Now, since everyone else does these, here are some power rankings:
1) FC Dallas: OH NO YOU DIDN'T!?!? Yes. Yes I did. 4 points on the road. And really I'm just going to focus on the LA game last Thursday. 3 road games to this point, and they have 4 points. Not bad. The RBNY game doesn't count since it was in the middle of a tempest and the RSL game was a tad sad, but power rankings are all about recent form and against Landon's Losers they were brilliant. Kenny Cooper and Carlos Ruiz are going to be obnoxious all year long.
2) NE Revolution: Yeeeeeeeeeeah. No bias here either . . . I truly think that whooping of Toronto was impressive. The Chicago game was minus Shalrie and Khano, and yes, they clearly made a difference this weekend, so it doesn't count. Getting Parkhurst and Noonan back will make this lineup even scarier, though Riley is doing a splendid job.
3) KC Wizards: Wow. I'm so disappointed. Why are they good? A 4-2 victory over DC looks so good on paper, and watching the highlights makes it look even better. If EJ can continue to fly, KC is going to be very impressive. Add in their recently acquired playmaker and the Wiz are off on the right foot.
4) RBNY: If Clint Mathis is going to score their guaranteed to be good. Adding in Juan Pablo Angel has to make them better, but I question how much so. He never really impressed me while playing for Villa (mainly because he never scored) and hence I wonder how much he'll do here. Still the gritty classy guys are looking good enough, scoring three goals in awful conditions. Still the tie against Columbus looked like Crew dominance and has to make you wonder.
5) Colorado Rapids: Write off this past weekend since they played for 80+ minutes with only 10 guys. The brilliance was shone in Week 1 and I think there's more to come . . .
6) Columbus Crew: I'm impressed. I really am. It looks like they're creating plenty, and haven't conceded a goal. It's there . . . they just have to finish. If they can just get that last touch . . . the wins should be piling up. Their new playmaker will also make a difference, and Columbus still looks good to me to scare some teams.
7) Chicago Fire: Booooring. The Revs handled them in the second half, and the Rapids game went by far too quietly. A tie against a 10 man side is never a good thing. There's just no life there, and Mapp needs to get more consistent.
8) Houston Dynamo: They shouldn't be this low. They're far better than this, but I haven't seen it yet this year. Interesting how badly the two CCC teams are doing at this point . . . You say, "Badly? They have 4 points!" I say . . . yes. It sure seemed like LA had the bulk of the chances in that 0-0 draw, and certainly the 1-0 win over Chivas wasn't too good either. Where's the life? Where is DeRo?
9) LA Galaxy: Landon has the spark and the legs, but he can't finish. I'm so proud of Eric Wynalda for noticing something I've been proclaiming for ages. One of my favorite personal phrases has been "Don't worry; Landon's taking it." for about a year now. Finally Eric pointed out just how bad his free kicks and corners were (though it was in the one game sense). He needs to take over much more. They should be better than this. FCD kicked their tales, but the impressiveness against Houston was clearly there.
10) Chivas USA: Eh. Good first game, not so much in the second. That's really all there is. I don't know if there's much potential here . . .
11) RSL: Fredward hasn't really gotten much going there in Mormon country. The defense is ever questionable, and the offense will be sporadic. Freddy will need to turn it up, or else it's another November at home.
12) DCU: Ouch. How far they have fallen . . . Facundo is proving to be the liability everyone saw him as. In addition, add in the fact that the offense is nowhere near where everyone thought it would be. Emilio is doing his job, but where's Jaime? Also, Devin McTavish? Justin Moose? Stephen DeRoux? Why are these guys starting? FRED ANYONE?!
13) Toronto FC: 'Nuff said. They haven't shown any signs of life. Ronnie O'Brien may be enough to connect the forwards, but without him they are not very good. Esky looks good, but Casey for Buddle should happen.
1) Adam Cristman is good. I feel like he got noticed a lot more this week for what I thought I saw last week. He's stroooooong. He needs to work on his shot and crossing, but his physical ability is impressive and there seems to be a loooot of potential there.
2) Maybe Taylor's back? It wasn't like his goals were toooooooo difficult, but the 2nd one was definitely classy and textbook. He finished, which is definitely an upgrade from the week before. Let's just hope it continues.
3) People are evil. The entire row in front of me was filled with Khano lovers/ Noonan bashers. People. Don't so quickly forget what Noonan has done for this team. Just because he has been injured for a while doesn't give you the right to forget that every time he plays he does well and creates. We're a better team with him. Don't forget that. In addition, probably deserving of it's own number, Khano was oustanding. While this will make that row happy, I will say this: It's probably the first time. Probably the best game of his career, but I still am waiting (and hoping) to see if it continues. He looked so much more versatile and agile. He could be really good, but let's stop it with the unwarranted Khano praising.
4) The defense? I remember having 3 guys playing D, but I don't remember them actually playing. There was really no need for them, but when they were called upon they answered very well. Toronto's threats were blocked or cut off and that was beautiful. Avery John played quite well, and I think it went relatively unnoticed. Major props to a James Riley led backline. Let's see it against Columbus . . .
5) Toronto stinks. They need Ronnie O'Brien back ASAP.
Now, since everyone else does these, here are some power rankings:
1) FC Dallas: OH NO YOU DIDN'T!?!? Yes. Yes I did. 4 points on the road. And really I'm just going to focus on the LA game last Thursday. 3 road games to this point, and they have 4 points. Not bad. The RBNY game doesn't count since it was in the middle of a tempest and the RSL game was a tad sad, but power rankings are all about recent form and against Landon's Losers they were brilliant. Kenny Cooper and Carlos Ruiz are going to be obnoxious all year long.
2) NE Revolution: Yeeeeeeeeeeah. No bias here either . . . I truly think that whooping of Toronto was impressive. The Chicago game was minus Shalrie and Khano, and yes, they clearly made a difference this weekend, so it doesn't count. Getting Parkhurst and Noonan back will make this lineup even scarier, though Riley is doing a splendid job.
3) KC Wizards: Wow. I'm so disappointed. Why are they good? A 4-2 victory over DC looks so good on paper, and watching the highlights makes it look even better. If EJ can continue to fly, KC is going to be very impressive. Add in their recently acquired playmaker and the Wiz are off on the right foot.
4) RBNY: If Clint Mathis is going to score their guaranteed to be good. Adding in Juan Pablo Angel has to make them better, but I question how much so. He never really impressed me while playing for Villa (mainly because he never scored) and hence I wonder how much he'll do here. Still the gritty classy guys are looking good enough, scoring three goals in awful conditions. Still the tie against Columbus looked like Crew dominance and has to make you wonder.
5) Colorado Rapids: Write off this past weekend since they played for 80+ minutes with only 10 guys. The brilliance was shone in Week 1 and I think there's more to come . . .
6) Columbus Crew: I'm impressed. I really am. It looks like they're creating plenty, and haven't conceded a goal. It's there . . . they just have to finish. If they can just get that last touch . . . the wins should be piling up. Their new playmaker will also make a difference, and Columbus still looks good to me to scare some teams.
7) Chicago Fire: Booooring. The Revs handled them in the second half, and the Rapids game went by far too quietly. A tie against a 10 man side is never a good thing. There's just no life there, and Mapp needs to get more consistent.
8) Houston Dynamo: They shouldn't be this low. They're far better than this, but I haven't seen it yet this year. Interesting how badly the two CCC teams are doing at this point . . . You say, "Badly? They have 4 points!" I say . . . yes. It sure seemed like LA had the bulk of the chances in that 0-0 draw, and certainly the 1-0 win over Chivas wasn't too good either. Where's the life? Where is DeRo?
9) LA Galaxy: Landon has the spark and the legs, but he can't finish. I'm so proud of Eric Wynalda for noticing something I've been proclaiming for ages. One of my favorite personal phrases has been "Don't worry; Landon's taking it." for about a year now. Finally Eric pointed out just how bad his free kicks and corners were (though it was in the one game sense). He needs to take over much more. They should be better than this. FCD kicked their tales, but the impressiveness against Houston was clearly there.
10) Chivas USA: Eh. Good first game, not so much in the second. That's really all there is. I don't know if there's much potential here . . .
11) RSL: Fredward hasn't really gotten much going there in Mormon country. The defense is ever questionable, and the offense will be sporadic. Freddy will need to turn it up, or else it's another November at home.
12) DCU: Ouch. How far they have fallen . . . Facundo is proving to be the liability everyone saw him as. In addition, add in the fact that the offense is nowhere near where everyone thought it would be. Emilio is doing his job, but where's Jaime? Also, Devin McTavish? Justin Moose? Stephen DeRoux? Why are these guys starting? FRED ANYONE?!
13) Toronto FC: 'Nuff said. They haven't shown any signs of life. Ronnie O'Brien may be enough to connect the forwards, but without him they are not very good. Esky looks good, but Casey for Buddle should happen.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Weekend #2
So I'm actually pretty proud of at least guessing a Dallas tie on Thursday, even if it wasn't completely correct. Good to see Landon get criticized for about 60 minutes though.
This weekend:
TFC vs Revs: The possible returns of Shalrie and Khano (yes, even Khano) would be an upgrade, and Noonan at least dwelling on the bench has to be a good thing, though I'm certainly hoping he starts. I foresee a much better Revs side today . . . but also a much improved Toronto. With all of those forwards, there's no way they don't score . . . TFC 1 - 2 Revs.
RSL vs Columbus: Columbus looked good last week. RSL didn't. This is at Columbus. I'm gonna go against Jeff Cunningham again and say Columbus takes all 3 points . . . RSL 0-1 Columbus.
KC vs DC: Ahhh the C game . . . DC can't possibly lose two in a row, and really shouldn't even tie at home. However, the altered Wizards with a new playmaker and no Josh Wolff (and no Bob Gansler) have given me something to worry about. They still lose . . . KC 1 - 3 DC.
Chivas vs Houston: Chivas surprised me last week, and so did Houston by not even coming close to beating LA at home. Fix things Houston . . . please. Start Dalglish. You're a much more fun team that way . . . Chivas 1-1 Houston.
Chicago vs Colorado: This one is surprisingly looking like a great game. I'm gonna give the edge to the free-flowing Colorado side (WHAT?! I never thought those words would go together . . .). Chicago has Mapp, but the forwards will have to do SOMETHING this week to help out . . . Chicago 0-2 Colorado.
FCD vs RBNY: There's no Angel yet, so why should I believe Red Bull are going to score? Oh yeah, Dallas's defense. Still, I just don't see RBNY as a flashy team and that needs a bit of a makeover. FCD is on a roll now, 4 points on the road already. Give 'em another . . . FCD 1-1 RBNY.
This weekend:
TFC vs Revs: The possible returns of Shalrie and Khano (yes, even Khano) would be an upgrade, and Noonan at least dwelling on the bench has to be a good thing, though I'm certainly hoping he starts. I foresee a much better Revs side today . . . but also a much improved Toronto. With all of those forwards, there's no way they don't score . . . TFC 1 - 2 Revs.
RSL vs Columbus: Columbus looked good last week. RSL didn't. This is at Columbus. I'm gonna go against Jeff Cunningham again and say Columbus takes all 3 points . . . RSL 0-1 Columbus.
KC vs DC: Ahhh the C game . . . DC can't possibly lose two in a row, and really shouldn't even tie at home. However, the altered Wizards with a new playmaker and no Josh Wolff (and no Bob Gansler) have given me something to worry about. They still lose . . . KC 1 - 3 DC.
Chivas vs Houston: Chivas surprised me last week, and so did Houston by not even coming close to beating LA at home. Fix things Houston . . . please. Start Dalglish. You're a much more fun team that way . . . Chivas 1-1 Houston.
Chicago vs Colorado: This one is surprisingly looking like a great game. I'm gonna give the edge to the free-flowing Colorado side (WHAT?! I never thought those words would go together . . .). Chicago has Mapp, but the forwards will have to do SOMETHING this week to help out . . . Chicago 0-2 Colorado.
FCD vs RBNY: There's no Angel yet, so why should I believe Red Bull are going to score? Oh yeah, Dallas's defense. Still, I just don't see RBNY as a flashy team and that needs a bit of a makeover. FCD is on a roll now, 4 points on the road already. Give 'em another . . . FCD 1-1 RBNY.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Let's try this again . . .
Prediction for tomorrow night's first MLS Primetime of the glorious ESPN-paying-for-our-games era. Heeeeeeere we go!
FCD 2-2 LAG
No defense for FCD, but they have Carlos Ruiz and Kenny Cooper. Maybe a better defense, but I think a lesser offense, for LAG. Should be entertaining regardless, and I think LAG prolly has a better chance of winning this game, but I'm gonna pick a minor surprise.
FCD 2-2 LAG
No defense for FCD, but they have Carlos Ruiz and Kenny Cooper. Maybe a better defense, but I think a lesser offense, for LAG. Should be entertaining regardless, and I think LAG prolly has a better chance of winning this game, but I'm gonna pick a minor surprise.
Monday, April 9, 2007
I'm dumb.
Well those predictions did not go well. DC losing to Colorado shocked me, but the Rapids definitely looked impressive (though Herculez was not nearly as good as Dave O'Brien seemed to think). Speaking of Dave O'Brien . . . STOP SAYING SKETCHY!!! There is nothing sketchy about these games! He's so obnoxious! Where was Eric Wynalda? Why does Rob Stone have to do the halftime/pregame stuff? Mooooving on . . . FCD and RSL was a boring game from what I saw. Yes, even though there were four goals. That's what non-soccer fans don't get. Sometimes 0-0 matches are very entertaining and games with goals can be snoozefests. Any Mexican game is a snoozefest and I imagine they score plenty . . . lol. The result doesn't shock me, I just underestimated Jeff Cunningham (again) just a little bit . . . Columbus and Red Bull scoreless wasn't very surprising either, and Columbus looked pretty darn good like I was hoping for. RBNY has a long way to go. ChiTown over the Revs was the only one I got right, but we looked surprisingly effective. Tons o' chances - nothing in the back of the net. Twellman needs to get his scoring touch going because he blew way too many opportunities in that game. Dorman does look oustanding though, huh? Toronto getting crushed by Chivas shocks me. That's all I can say. The Galaxy and Houston going scoreless is Landon's fault from what the highlights tell me. He probably should've had about 8 goals. Where was the Houston O? Interesting weekend . . . decent start to the season.
Team of the Week: Definitely has to be the Rapids. A bigtime win in the first game with the new colors and new stadium, and with the referee letting them get mauled down the stretch. Impressive stuff from a team that had a lot of trouble scoring at times.
Disappointment: Toronto. Why is Conor Casey on the bench? That's LUDACRIS! Trade him to us! We'll use him! Score some goals . . . you have 4 good forwards.
Player of the Week: Sacha Kljestan. Looking good again, he led Chivas with a goal and an assist. He's going to be one heck of a player . . .
The Revs result, in summary, not a bad one. I figured a loss was coming, but watching the game it probably should have at least been a draw. The offense was surprisingly fluent, and Wells Thompson definitely showed some skills (raw skills, but skills nonetheless), and contrary to everyone else's opinions, I was at least happy with Cristman's stregthy fighting some guys off. Good stuff from Reis, Dorman, Larentowicz. Twellman needs to score . . . Noonan's backheel was nice and has me very excited for his full return, hopefully this weekend.
Team of the Week: Definitely has to be the Rapids. A bigtime win in the first game with the new colors and new stadium, and with the referee letting them get mauled down the stretch. Impressive stuff from a team that had a lot of trouble scoring at times.
Disappointment: Toronto. Why is Conor Casey on the bench? That's LUDACRIS! Trade him to us! We'll use him! Score some goals . . . you have 4 good forwards.
Player of the Week: Sacha Kljestan. Looking good again, he led Chivas with a goal and an assist. He's going to be one heck of a player . . .
The Revs result, in summary, not a bad one. I figured a loss was coming, but watching the game it probably should have at least been a draw. The offense was surprisingly fluent, and Wells Thompson definitely showed some skills (raw skills, but skills nonetheless), and contrary to everyone else's opinions, I was at least happy with Cristman's stregthy fighting some guys off. Good stuff from Reis, Dorman, Larentowicz. Twellman needs to score . . . Noonan's backheel was nice and has me very excited for his full return, hopefully this weekend.
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