What's really going wrong in Seattle?
- by Ridge Mahoney @ridgemax, May 24, 2010
[MLS] The rich got richer over the weekend, with the teams on winning streaks continuing to win and the struggling teams unable to reverse the momentum. Here
are six observations from those 450 minutes, plus stoppage time.
WHY PICK ON FREDDIE? After enduring another frustrating 90 minutes of numerous chances and no goals
that sent a rabid home crowd home disappointed, Seattle coach Sigi Schmid tore into attacker Freddie Ljungberg for complaining too much about fouls and rough play.
Since he came to MLS, Ljungberg hasn’t been shy about criticizing MLS officials, who he believes are far too reluctant to punish kicks aimed at ankles and knees. And he does give
them a lot of stick, often while on his butt waving his arms while play continues. Perhaps Schmid believes that whining distracts the Sounders from the job at hand, but in a 1-0 loss to San Jose
Saturday Ljungberg scythed through the opposition. One crafty run took him past two defenders to the left byline, where he cut back a ball that produced only a weak shot on goal.
Schmid also brought on young Miguel Montano and veteran Pat Noonan as subs to no avail, despite an incredible 18-3 edge in shots. Sometimes the ball just won’t
go in the net, and that’s what’s happened to Seattle in its last two home games.
OUTSHOT AS WELL. Kansas City carried most of the play against Columbus
Sunday, yet came out on the short end by the same 1-0 score. Keeper Will Hesmer, who’s been bothered by a bad back, wasn’t really tested despite the Wizards piling up an
18-7 edge in shots. Central defenders Andy Iro and Eric Brunner were careful enough to mark closely but not over-commit when confronted by dribbles and shots.
After winning their first two games of the season, Kansas City has failed to win in the last six. The Crew survived another shot off the post; a week earlier, of course, New York hit the
woodwork three times in a 3-1 loss. Luck is part of the game, but scoring four goals in two road games spaced just two days apart is also a good way to pick up points.
CHIVAS
CHOKE. A spectacular equalizer by substitute Justin Braun should have been rewarded with at least a point against Real Salt Lake; instead, Chivas USA surrendered an 89th
minute goal to Fabian Espindola when he latched onto a pass and raced behind the back line to drill a low shot into the net for a 2-1 win.
It’s getting tiresome
for Chivas USA fans to keep hearing this, but which of the two 2005 expansion teams is on the right track? RSL won MLS Cup last year and is moving back up the standings after a rocky start; Chivas
USA is at the bottom of a very competitive Western Conference. It lost 1-0 in Columbus a week ago when Braun committed a foul in the penalty area to provide the Crew with a penalty kick, and gave
up another late goal to RSL to throw away another two points.
D.C. DOWNER. United looked listless from the kickoff against Houston, and fell behind in the 10th minute
on a goal by Danny Cruz, who was making his first MLS start. D.C. United failed to score against keeper Tally Hall, who was starting his first MLS game.
Except for a brief flurry midway through the first half, D.C. United seldom looked capable of either scoring a goal or stopping the Dynamo, which missed a few good opportunities yet still notched
a second goal through Dominic Oduro. A summer overhaul, even if one can be implemented, may be too late, but at this point D.C. United doesn’t seem good enough to compete,
much less win.
RENTERIA REDUX. In both of the Crew’s road wins last week, Emilio Renteria scored after coming on as a sub. Against the Red Bulls
he pounced on a mixup between Tim Ream and Mike Petke to collect long ball that eluded both of them, then neatly rounded keeper Bouna Coundoul to
stroke the ball home. In the Kansas City game, five minutes after replacing Emmanuel Ekpo, Renteria got his head to a Guillermo Barros Schelotto corner kick to
direct a glancing header past keeper Jimmy Nielsen.
Renteria started his move from in front of the goalkeeper and, unmarked, simply ran toward the ball to get his head
on it, thus exploiting the narrow field at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Barros Schelotto hit a low, line-drive corner to the near post and none of the Wizards could react in time. On a tight field,
defending a corner kick normally requires a player on the near side of the goal area to cut off just the kind of ball Schelotto delivered.
AND FINALLY, WONDO. With his
fifth goal in six games, Chris Wondolowski got the Quakes all they needed to win again as they posted a fourth straight shutout.
On this one, though, he might have
been a tad offside, as defender Bobby Burling flicked a deflected cross to him at the far post. Still, he took the chance cleanly, rifling home a shot on a short bounce that would
have befuddled more than a few MLS forwards, even though he struck the ball a few yards from goal.
San Jose has some depth at forward this year, with Ryan Johnson the
regular starter and Trinidad & Tobago internationals Cornell Glen and Scott Sealy, along with Brazilian Eduardo, among the candidates. Right
now, though, the guy from Chico State has the edge
No question about it. The MLS refs in 2010 are letting a lot of fouls go and Freddy L is not used to it...i remember when Roberto Donadoni played for the Metrostars, he was a marked man each time he entered the pitch and the refs let a lot of hacking go ...Freddy L has a point, but he's got to either accept it or adjust to playing a more creative role instead of an attacking one.
A joke overheard at Qwest Field:
Q: How fast can Freddie Ljungberg run?
A: Only as fast as the referee.
Yes, he does get fouled a lot. But since he insists on taking virtually all the free kicks and corners despite showing no aptitude for them (a Ljungberg free kick or corner that finds its target or even beats the first man is a true anomoly), I can understand why defenders are happy to bring him down at every opportunity. Tactically, a Ljungberg set play is tantamount to a turnover. Much was made about Montero's recent (and deserved) benching in New York last week, but the truth is that Ljungberg's performances this season have been worse than Montero's. Small wonder, as this is a player who made a name for himself as a hard running winger and is trying to reinvent himself as laconic playmaker who doesn't defend and only moves when the ball is at his feet. I had mixed feelings about his performances last year. NO ONE seems to remember that Seattle's high scoring 2-0 start came with him on the sidelines. This season, after a summer of muttering about a return to Europe, he's come back looking like the player that wasn't good enough for West Ham reserves. But up to this point, no one in the press, management, or coaching staff has been willing to call him out until now. Everyone is still insisting he's a star. But stars produce and Ljungberg hasn't so far this season, not be a long shot. Sigi's now willing to criticise. I say better late than never, buecause this season the Emperor has no Goals.