Saturday, June 7, 2008

Galaxy/Rapids running blog

This is hilarious. The Rapids are wearing blue shorts. Chivas USA shorts, to be specific. Apparently, the ariport lost one of the team's equipment bags, the one that holds their shorts.

Colorapids -

1 - Alan Gordon is down already, took a ball to the face. Yikes. Rafael Gomes was trying to clear the ball and it caught Gordo square.
3 - It took him a while, but he's up again.
4 - Galaxy FK. It's pretty far out, but the crowd is happy to see Becks standing over it.
GOAL! Becks serves it in perfectly, everybody misses it, but it lands at the feet of Buddle, kind of knocks off him and falls to Pires, who knocks it in. 1-0 Galaxy
6 -Rapids FK, hits off the wall, Rapids get it back, knock it over to Cooke, Randolph tackles it out for a corner.
Corner taken, defelcts out for a goal kick.
7 - The Galaxy have traditionally started poorly this year, so this is a switch, to have an early lead.
10 - Vagenas is back in a starting spot. This week, actually, Pete has been with the starting team. In practice, Joe Franchino tackled Pete late, and the two of them got into a scrum about it. I wasn't there, but other reporters are talking about it right now. They had to be pulled apart.
13 - Colin Clark is down, rolling around. Becks played a dangerous ball to Pires near there, and Pires was able to slide the ball to safety, but he and Clarke went down.
15 - the Galaxy have the lead, but they are in no way controlling the play. The Rapids aren't really either, but they do have the ball in the Galaxy's end more.
Becks goes for too much on a long pass, overshoots the outlet runners completely.
17 - Ely then gets inspired to go for too much, shooting from distance way over the goal after collecting a pass from Becks.
20 - Who knew Becks could dribble? he does in midfield, holding off Christian Gomez, with some moves.
22- the Galaxy are having trouble moving the ball. Passes keep going to the Rapids. Gomez to Peterson, cross in - headed wide. Galaxy lucky there.
24 - Corner for the Rapids, who are staring to impose their will on the game. Gomez takes the corner - it's in the mixer, Erpen gets a touch, it's blocked by Franklin and cleared.
26 - Another corner. Cronin punches at this one, ball flies high, but X gets the block as it comes down.
27 - Mike Randolph crosses into the box, Gordon looks like he gets pushed - no call. Burpo has the ball.
32 - GOAL Buddle! He gets the pass from Xavier and the even is on call from the ref with Erpen and comes in against Burpo. Puts it clean away to far post. 2-0 Galaxy.
33 - Gomez gets a yellow for dissent.
36 - Despite their lead, the Galaxy still have little rhythm or control.
37 - Becks passes to Gordon in the box, who gets shoved - no call again. Crowd is pissed. Gordo, too.
39 - Becks pass to Ely - but Burpo punches it out first.
41 - The Rapids are a very physical team, and the Galaxy have trouble against that.
44 - RED CARD - Gordon was shown a straight red for stomping on Erpen after Erpen had kicked him in the nuts.
45 - RED CARD - To Erpen. the thing is, Kevin Stott when tfor the red card just as the replay was showing, where Erpen clearly kicks for Gordon's groin. We're wondering if the replay helped the ref out there. It might have been the linesman, though.
45 + Becks to Buddle in the box - almost. Corner. Deflected for another corner. Gomez to Conor Casey on the counter, zooms past X, but gets stood up by Franklin.
Halftime - The Galaxy more or less deserve the lead, because they did put away their chances, but their defense and midfield shakiness means that no lead is safe. If the 2-0 lead is the most dangerous in soccer, even more so with this Galaxy D.
47 - If Burpo loses this game versus the Galaxy, it will be the first time he loses to them in four matchups.
50 GOAL! Buddle to Pete to Ely, slipping in behind the defense and facing up against Burpo. He slots it far post. 3-0 Galaxy.
54 - Off the post! McManus nearly pulled one back for the Rapids there. Hes got the armband for the Rapids, incidentally. Erpen gave it to McManus as he went off.
57 - Buddle gets a yellow. He punched the ball contesting for it outside the box with Burpo. Oh, well, Burpo then shoved Buddle. Actually, the yellow went to Burpo.
60 Ruiz! He comes in for Buddle. Omar Cummings is on for Colorado.
62 - Clarke takes a shot from just inside the box - it hooks over the bar.
63 - The Rapids look disjointed now. The pressbox blames the Chivas USA shorts.
65 - Franchino comes in for Ely.
66 - As the play moves up field, Pete gets taken down. Beckham puts the ball out so Pete can be attended to.
67 - Pete is done, sitting on the bench. Jazic is getting ready to come in. Ante's first MLS minutes this year.
69 - Cronin catches a cross well there. He wants a shutout. It would be only his second of the season.
70 Edson Buddle has a left thigh contusion.
72 - Pete Vagenas, meanwhile, has a right quad injury.
73 - Looked like Ruiz got nicked from behind, but the ref doesn't go for it.
74 - GOAL! Rapids on the counter. Omar Cummings faces up against Franklin, who defends well, Cummings passes to an onrushing Clarke, who cuts the ball against X and puts it away versus Cronin, who loses his shutout. 3-1 Galaxy.
76 - Cummings again! He shoots wide, but the Galaxy midfield is suddently full of holes.
77 - Clarke again in the box, having juked his way past Klein. The Galaxy defense is like a sieve. A low murmur rumbles through the Galaxy fans as Herc is introduced to the game in place of Gomes.
79 - Ruiz gets a long pass form Klein - he's in the box - tackled away. Back again, Ruiz gets ball to Becks, who crosses, but no one can get on it.
81 - Gomez in the box! He gets the pass and shoots. High.
82 - GOAL! Herc! He puts away the rebound from his own shot off a Clarke cross. 3-2 Galaxy hanging on by their fingernails.
84 - The press box is grumbing. They have to rewrite their articles.
85 - Fan on the field! He's quickly subdued. It was one of Beckham's personal bodyguards who wrestled him down.
86 - Galaxy desperately clearing balls out of their box. This game looks very shaky for them.
88 - Randolph is down in the box. He limps up.
89 - The Galaxy have their entire team back. if they give way here, I'm not sure the defense can be blamed. It's on the whole team.
90 - Becks knocks the ball out for a corner. I bet Luis there would be five minutes of stoppage and he didn't believe me. He thought, four, max. I was right.
90 + Colorado circling the Galaxy goal. Shot! Deflected for corner. It's cleared barely to the arc. Foul. Galaxy ball. Colorado on a long pass, Cronin is out of his box, knocks it out for a deep throw. Colorado takes it quickly. Galaxy counter. Ruiz and Becks on the give and go. Out for a deep throw. Ruiz and Becks combine fo keep it down there for a while, but the Rapids work it back out and win another corner. Last chance for the Rapids.
It's cleared.
Final whistle.
Damn, that was anything but a comfy win for the Galaxy. The players look busted.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks like a sellout. What do you think?

Anonymous said...

I have to Gullitt credit, these young guys actually look like professional soccer players now, in terms of passing the ball and making good runs to open spaces.

The next week's game between our Quakes and the Galaxy should be a good one.

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah, they still cannot play defense to save his life. May be Gullitt needs to call Rijkard or Coeman for an emergency training session:)

Anonymous said...

In the last 10 minutes, Galaxy did look like a pub team on defense. Why aren't they just keeping possession and let the Rapids chase?? Plus, the Rapids kept doing the same thing, which gave the Galaxy trouble - tried to play long ball over the top of the defense.

Regardless, looking forward to next week's game in Oakland.

CACuzcatlan said...

Galaxy should have had at least one more. Buddle waited forever on that breakaway and eventually had the ball stolen by a defender. Ruiz still looks far from 100% out there, either that, or his age is starting to slow him down.

A.C. and L.B., are you guys gonna come up to the Bay Area for next weekend's game in Oakland? If so, would you be available to meet your Bay Area readers/fans at the game?

Frank Macomber said...

Haha, I thought the blue shorts was a good look for them.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't blame the Galaxy defense entirely on how that game ended up. The midfield and forward couldn't hold the ball. That's where they really missed Donovan, I think. They needed him as the speedy outlet to get the ball to, he can run the length of the field and/or just maintain possession to relieve the pressure on the defense to close out the game.

A.C. said...

Luis has decided he can't go, which kills my carpooling option. I'm not sure yet of driving on my own. Gas is so expensive, but I have family in the Bay Area, so I'm thinking of making the drive and spending some time with them as well.

Anonymous said...

no need to go it alone..hope on the galaxy supporters buses that are goin up!! Best time of your life!!

Anonymous said...

hop*

The Hammer said...

You should. Then you can write an "inside view" of the traveling supporter's experience.