It's about to happen folks -the last playoff game of the first round. They're just doing a quick firefighter tribute right now.
They get Chivas USA jerseys - the firefighters.
1 - Kansas City kicks off. All the reporters in the press box are watching Galindo closely. He didn't show his usual speed on that play right there, but he might be playing it smart and conservative.
3. Nunez is up top with Galindo. Kansas City nearly scored. Cross by Arnaud just misses Johnson right in front of the goal.
4- Eddie Johnson with a shot on goal, misses the far corner by a decent margin.
7- Chivas USA hasn't has a credible attack on goal yet, but they're establishing more possession. EJ with a long outside shot. Missed by a less decent margin.
9- Scott Sealy in the box - couldn't quite make anything happen.
11- Now KC with their own run of possession. They certainly haven't come out and bunkered. The crowd is furious that a foul wasn't called on KC just there.
12- Paulo Nagamura dribbles the ball near the arc and lets loose a shot. Hartmancovers pretty easily.
14- Nunez shoots, also from outside. Hatman stretches for this one, misses, but it goes wide.
15- First corner kick of the game goes to Chivas USA. Nunez takes it- Hartman misses the punch, but KC clears anyway.
17- Galindo can't get by Nick Garcia - that's proof he's hurting right there. A healthy Galindo blows by Nic Garcia.
19- Chivas USA regains the possession mometum. They're hitting more of their stride. It seemed like Conrad fouled Nunez with a tackle from behind, but he did get ball. The crowd boos, lustily, but Mark Geiger waves play on. Jesse Marsch fouls Kerry Zavagnin hard almost immediately after - probably retaliation. He gets a yellow card.
22- FK for CHivas. Marsch takes it quickly, but KC recovers. Chivas working the ball around well, though.
24- Conrad cuts the ball off from his own goalkeeper, but does get it out of trouble.
26- CHV with two shots on goalfirst Nunez, then Nagamura, Hartman parries but can't catch either. Nagamura waves his hands up and down at the fans thrying to hype them up.
27- Jack Jewsbury gets called for a hard foul on Panchito Mendoza. FK gets cleared for throw. Nunez into the box, takes shot into Jewsbury's arm. Crowd wants handball.
30- Sasha Victorine falls on the slippery grass, Lawson Vaughn races past him and sends a pass in front of goal. Galindo gets a head to it, but it's wide.
32- Kansas City has lost their previous attacking vibe. They're defending by their teeth now. Galindo in the box, passes to Nunez, who jukes a defender and shoots into Galindo's gut. Hope that didn't hurt the sports hernia any more than it's already injured.
34- EJ with a touch is into the box - where he falls down, probably hoping for that FIFA continuation call. Doesn't happen.
37- Even when Kansas City manages to knock balls loose, they can't maintain possession for any stretch - oh, they nearly got a counter coing there, but Shavar Thomas cuts it off.
38- Sacha slipped. The mist strikes again.
39- Offsides call, right when it looked Sealy got fouled.
42- FK for CHV. It's cleared, but the ball gets sent right back to Galindo, who is in the box with it, but the ball gets toepoked away.
44- The mist is doomy and gloomy for somebody here. Wizards finally have a little run, but blow the final pass bigtime.
45- Sacha has two great chances to put Chivas up. The ball came to him in the box (I thought it hit his hand, actually). Jewsbury looked like he was holding his jersey, but behind Kljestan, so the ref couldn't see, and Sacha had trouble striking the ball at his feet. When he did, it deflected off the bodies arriving in the box. Mendoza claimed the ball and sent it back in. This time Sacha fired faster, but he didn't hit the ball well and it blooped wide.
Halftime
I'm pleasantly surprised by how well Nunez is fitting in and helping Chivas USA be dangerous when Galindo is less than his best. KC started well, but now they seem content to defend. It will be interesting to see which coach manages to fire up the troops at halftime.
KC had four shots in the half, none after the 20 minute mark. Chivas USA had ten, eight coming after the 20 minute mark.
2nd half
Cunliffe, who I thought would be tougher given that he's from Manchester, has a huge winter coat on. It's not that cold.
Anyway, KC is 45 scoreless minutes away from the second round. Then again, we saw how well that thinking worked for FC Dallas. Ante Razov is on the bench, looking pissy. He wants to play.
46 No subs so far for either team.
47- Galindo on the run (this used to be deadly for opponents) seems to pull down Harrington, but he protests when the foul goes against him. "They are a snake without fangs, writhing helplessly in the grass," says a reporter in the pressbox of Chivas USA's attack with Galindo hobbled and Razov on the bench.
50- They don't look so hopeless to me, but that last shot to Hartman was pretty toothless.
51- CK for CHV, goes out for goal kick.
53- Yellow on Mendoza for a foul on EJ
55- Chivas attack stalls at the top of the box. Shot by Nunez bounces off KC defenders.KC remembered how to attack. Arnaud to EJ, who takes a shot at the top of the arc. He had to step back to set it up, so Guzan has time to prepare and smothers the ball nicely. EJ could have found more angle to that shot - made Guzan dive for it, perhaps.
58- A little bit more midfield play developing - KC isn't so far back. A foul on Nagamura gets CHV a FK near the box. Good chance here, but Shavar can't get to the service. CK.
59- Shavar does get to the the corner, but Kurt Morsink saves off the line with a header of his own. Close call for the Wizards.
62- Arnaud with the free kick. Sacha clears, but the ball falls for Morsink, who shoots just a bit wide.
63- Bodies on the field. Nunez with a bad two-footed foul on Victorine.
65- EJ gets a card - not sure why yet. Dissent, apparently.
68- First sub. Pore is coming in for Victorine.
69- The crowd is cheering and chanting, willing CHV to score. They're starting to feel the desperation a bit now.
Galindo and Mendoza answer with a dual attack. They're in the box. Galindo shoots, beats Hartman - Oooooohhhh, it's off the post. Yikes.
70- Another shot - this one Hartman catches.
72- KC counter, EJ to Arnaud. Arnaud shoots wide.
73- Galindo on the break, but Conrad chases him down and tackles cleanly in the box. Galindo is furious with himself and his body's inablity to do what it once did.
74- John Cunliffe in for Nunez.
75- KC on the counter - Nunez and Arnaud work the the ball into the box. Arnaud shoots, but right to Guzan.
77- Going the other way, Galindo gets side netting.
79- CHV working the ball around for another chance, but KC get a counter going first. EJ's cross into the box is cleared out, though.
80- CHV starting to looked gassed. They've pressed the issue all game long, and KC has been content to let them do the work.
81- Sub for KC - Burciaga coming on. Sealy off. Hope Burciaga doesn't do something silly. Mendoza is off for CHV. Anthony Hamilton on.
84- Poor touch by Hamilton, he kicks ball out of bounds.
86- The PA system is blasting "Chivas" trying to get the crowd going again, but they seem bummed. The Legion at least starts up - they are the faithful ones.
88- Shavar tells Claudio Suarez to go forward. Chivas USA are throwing bodies up. It's a three-man backline now.
89- EJ on the break, gets by Bornstein, who is no slouch in the speed department. Borstein pulls him down, and the ref pulls out the yellow.
90- Long balls over the top aren't working for Chivas USA. Things look dire.
90+ A corner for Chivas USA - almost everyone in the box. No go, it's cleared. Galindo toepokes a ball across the face of the goal - it looks so tantalizing, but no one from Chivas USA is able to reach it and it rolls across the end line.
Another flurry in the box. Nagamura collides with hard in the box chasing the ball, but he hit the Wizards guy as well, so no PK. He takes the corner and Cunliffe heads it against the crossbar. The crowd roars and dies. Another corner, but KC clears.
One last Chivas USA effort comes to nothing. Fulltime. KC moves on.
EJ is furious about something right as the whistle blows. Don't know what.
16 comments:
Looks like a good crowd there, any estimates?
Chivas is way to relaxed and needs to play a little more urgently.
Anyone know where I can watch this online for free?
MLSLnet.com bro! Of course you would have to pay the fee. So you may want to check PSP first and see if a Sopcast is available. But I'm watching on the MLS feed.
Chivas better turn it on NOW if they expect to win this thing.
Preki better make some tactical changes. We all know KC is going to defend like hell and try to score on the counter.
mlsnet.com has been pretty handy to have. I think I got my money's worth this season.
Wonder if there's any chance for Razov to pull a Kirk Gibson for ChivasUSA? Unless one of those deflected shots finally hits the back of the net.
Chivas is starting to lose a step. When will Preki make his move? He has 3 subs left time is running out!
Unfortunate for Galindo that he got post on that shot but notice no follow up by any Chivas players to try to potch the rebound and get the equalizer.
who in the hell is Anthony Hamilton? I thought they meant the R&B singer:-)!!!
Chivas and DCU have no one to blame but themselves. Both 1 seeds came out too relaxed in the first half of their second legs. Yes both were a bit unluckly. But Preki could have implored better tactics in this one. Waiting to the 70minute to use any of your 3 subs when you need a goal is just stupid. And then he puts in Hamilton who I don't even remember playing before, why not Merlin? Yes Merlin is not a finisher but he has actually scored, but Hamilton? We will never know if Ante would have been the difference maker, but one thing is for sure both DCU and Chivas played a heavy price for playing their best forwards in meaningless games at the end of the season.
Preki is whining about the officiating but he should have been playing a man down for 30 minutes. Nunez's two-footed studs-up challenge was red card material.
east river:
I can't remember any meaningless games Chivas USA played this year.
I seem to recall that they were in the race for the Supporters' Shield until the next-to-last game.
And that they didn't clinch the Western Conference until the final game of the regular season.
Maybe I'm mistaken????????????????????????
Your right el guero my bad. Chivas did have the Supports Shield and the Western Confernce at stake in those last few games. But Preki should have made better tactical decisions in this game. Chivas did everything but score tonight.
They were just unlucky.
3 posts in the 2 games.
If one of those goes in, it's a different series.
They were a bit unlucky last night but they must take responsiblity for not finishing better, for not deploying a different game plan, for not making adjustments, and not making their runs to take advantage of rebounding shots. Its the playoffs and everyone must put more effort then they would in the regular season. Sasha has to take a shot on goal and Mendoza has to do better. Where were the Johnny Bornstein dangergous runs and shots on goal? Preki should have made decisions that would throw off KC game instead trying to play the same way Chivas would play in the regular season.
Both number 1 seeds in this years playoffs, were lead by 1st year coaches whose teams gave up a crucial goals in the first leg and then came out and lacked urgentency in the 1st half of the second leg. Chivas and DCU both played well in their last halfs but they didn't win. Why didn't they play like that in the 1st leg or even 1st half of the 2nd leg, thats not really a question as it is a statement.
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