Sunday, July 24, 2011

Man City - Galaxy - Running Blog

Ok, it's an exhibition, but whatever, let's check out the game.

1 - Beckham rolls a leading pass out to Miguel Lopez, but with a vast overestimation of Lopez' speed. 
2 - Man City in the box, but Kirovski pokes it away and somehow gets the call when the ball rolls out. Goal kick. 
4 - Glen Davis on the call, says, "Merrio Baloteli". 
5 - It's sunny in SoCal for this day game but it's actually probably cooler than many parts of the country, because there's an ocean breeze. 
6- Clichy hits his head on a challenge with Hector Jimenez, and Twellman demands he leave the field. Post concussion syndrome will do that to you. 
10 - Beckham, playing central and wearing the armband, is dropping far back in midfield. 
12 - Silva shoots wide on a good build up. 
14 - Davis and Twellman make an argument as to the worth of this game. Basically, it boils down to, "it's better than a reserve game" for young players. Gotta agree with that. 
18 - City fans may be unhappy right now - Micah Richards is down after a PK challenge from Brian Jordan.
20- GOAL! Balotelli stutters and slides the ball past Saunders, who has words with the ref about allowing Balloteli to practically stop before the fake.1-0 Man City
  22 - Lopez into the box, but doesn't pass, Man City counter. 
25 - Manchester City with the better of the play, but unable to crack Galaxy.
29 - Wow. Ballotelli with the ball, dribbles into the box, turns a 180, and tries to backheel a goal. It's wide. Some nerve. Cristman nearly equalizes at the other end, but shoots right to goalkeeper. 
30- SAVE! Saunders turns aside a sizzling Silva shot. 
31 - The announcers are indignant that Ballotelli dared to treat the match as the exhibition it is, and was goofing off, trying to show off. Mancini seems to agree - Ballotelli is getting pulled from the match for James Milner. 
32 - Ballotelli comes off, and as Mancini gets in his face, but the player ignores him and heads to the end of the bench. Sheesh. Bad scene there. 
34 - Davis' point about Beckham conceding the middle of the field by dropping so far back is valid. The Galaxy's shape is all off. 
35 - I can't help but wonder - if Balotelli had scored, would he have been pulled? How far does principle go if the trick move works?
36 - Balotelli has pulled his shirt off and is complaining on the bench to a teammate. 
38 - Balotelli earns his bratty reputation. It's hard work to keep it going, but he puts in the time. 
41- Gotta love how Davis and Twellman aren't giving Beckham a break on his bad positioning. 
44 - Cristman in the box off a sweet pass from Jimenez. Could've done some damage, but couldn't reach the ball.
45 + Balotelli stalks off the field at halftime - doesn't seem like he and Mancini have improved their relationship in this preseason. 
Alexi Lalas calls Balotelli's actions, "a disgrace to the universe". Um, I agree he shouldn't have done it, but a disgrace to the universe? Some little Martian is terribly insulted right now? Or maybe he was trying for a clever pun on the Galaxy. 
46 - Lescott is on for Man City, Perk is on for Saunders, Dunivant, Juninho, Gonzales. Keet is on for Becks. Watch the Galaxy have better midfield play now. 
48 - MC corner gets called back for offside. 
50 - Galaxy do seem more settled in their play.
53 - GOAL! Magee! The Galaxy's 4th goalkeeper scores on a volley kick. Nicely done. 1-1
55 - Galaxy in the box again, Dunny with a shot, but Hart is able to make the save, rebound nearly gets in, but Manchester United finally clear. 
56 - Galaxy corner, misses everybody. 
59 - Man City seems to have woken up. They look more intent on the game now. If Balotelli hadn't been messing around, though, they'd still have a lead. 
61 - The mask of Omar Gonzales doesn't have the ring of The Mask of Monte Cristo, wait, that was the Count of Monte Cristo, and the Man in the Iron Mask. Different books. Anyway, Omar has a plastic mask on to protect his broken nose.
63 - On cue, Omar fires from outside and Hart stops it with his chest, but can't catch it. However, no Galaxy players are able to get the rebound, so Man City clears it.
65 - SWP tries to take on Dunivant, but Dunny handles Dane Richards and Corey Ashe just fine, so he's not scared of fast little guys. Man City do get a corner out of it. 
66 - Jack McBean is on for the Galaxy. Wow, a teenager against the big guys of the EPL. Would be nice if he shows well. 
67 - And he does! McBean gets held, trying to fight his way into the box, and gets a card against Savic. Freekick for the Galaxy. 
68 - Juninho fires into the wall. 
69 - Galaxy going with the McAttack - McBean and Mcgee. Ok, fine, it's Magee. 
72 - The Galaxy showing off their depth a bit in this game. With new players in the second half, with LD and Angel out injured, they're still holding Man City level.
75 - Twellman finally admits he looks like Joe Hart and vice versa. 
76 - McBean earns a corner - if he heads it in, it's a dream debut for him. Ah, no, even big Omar misses the service. 
77 - Vlad the Impaler, I mean, Vladimir Weis, is in for Man City.
79 - Magee is off. He looks upset, but not ok. Not sure what's wrong. McCarty is in, Dustin, not Dax.
80 - If this game does go to penalty kicks, I like the Galaxy's chances, actually. Perk is pretty good with penalties. Very strong reaction keeper. If he was taller, he'd be a starter in MLS. Granted, that hasn't stopped Nick Rimando.
82- John Guidetti is in. He looks like Ty Hardin to me. Big blonde dude, basically. 
84 - Galaxy with a nice little run of play, though they don't get a shot out of it. 
85 - Gonzo heads a cross out of the box well.
86 - Galaxy get a corner. 
87 - Hejduk gets to the clearance and fires it toward goal, but the ball is wide.
89 - One minute left before the penalties, but the announcers can't stop talking about Balotelli, though he's not even on the bench for the second half.
90 - Perk reaction save - I told you so - on Guidetti, who was in point-blank after shoving De La Garza over.
90 + Ha, ha! Even the players forgot, or never knew, about penalties for this game. They started to trade jerseys and the coaches had to get them to stop. 
Dan Keat! Down the middle as Hart dives. 1-0 Galaxy.
Perk can't reach Man City try. 1-1
Birchy hits side netting on Hart. 2-1 Galaxy
Perk reads Weis, but the kick beat his dive. 2-2
Juninho goes the same way - hits the post! 2-2 
Suarez buries in the same direction. 2-3 Man City
Dunivant buries. 3-3
So does Man City - 3-4
Mikey Stevens does the business. 4-4
SAVE! Perk denies Guidetti again! 4-4 
SAVE! McBean rushes his shot and Hart saves it!
SAVE! Perk denies Lescott! 4-4
Omar puts it in - off the hands of Hart, but in 5-4
DeJong fires it it. 5-5
McCarty fires low and hard - 6-5
SWP goes high and into the corner. Perk no chance. 6-6
SAVE! De la Garza - put Hart gets a low hand to it. 6-6 
Hart to finish it off if he can score against his fellow keeper and he fires it past Perk - 7-6
Manchester City wins it!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think arena figured these crap friendlies out, save the better team for the 2nd half. Galaxy surely looked good that 2nd galf, mls take note.