Because soccer isn't gay, but once in awhile it kinda is.
rkk104
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Posts by rkk104
Chivas USA – Throwing in the Towel?
09/18/12
It’s been about a month and a half since I’ve written a Chivas USA update here. So first things first, sorry about that. And hello. After a long stint of traveling in August, I thought I’d be back with a nice long post for you guys, talking about the team was finally coming together from the odd but interesting trade of Blair Gavin for Shalrie Joseph that happened at the end of July. And then August actually happened. September has turned into a continuation of the downward spiral of the most goals they’ve allowed in forever. Every time I sat down to write out an update or an opinion post, I came up with nothing cohesive. I’d always wondered how writers came up with great posts when their teams were going through a bad place, and couldn’t have considered it more the past few weeks. Part of it also comes from my inability to watch the games, and to actually see where the team is failing. The rest just comes from me throwing in the towel. Yes, I’ve admitted it early here. But with only 2 draws from 6 games, is there really any way up from here?
Probably not. I don’t really want to go into the logistics of these losses, except to say that it seems our offensive problems have trickled into the defense. Considering the only minutes I could stomach watching was a portion of the home 2-6 loss against Seattle a few weeks ago. And with only 8 games left of the regular season, all against teams that are making serious playoff pushes, I’m in the camp of doubt here. There really won’t be any way this team will make it into the playoffs. Sure, they are 9 points off a playoff spot and have the games to do it but with the way they’ve been playing? Doubtful.
Chivas USA: Get it Together Goats!
07/24/12
Wednesday’s home win against the Portland Timbers ended a poor run of form for Chivas USA and brought promise to the team heading into Saturday’s Superclasico matchup against the LA Galaxy. However, an extremely poor first half set the stage for the 4-1 loss to the cross town rivals.
The Goats came out on Wednesday with a bit of a different lineup – Ryan Smith was inserted for Blair Gavin, with Alejandro Moreno as the lone striker. John Valencia also started in the defense for Raushawn McKenzie, though this seemed to be more of a rest thing with the Superclasico coming up. The team got off to a promising start, scoring an early goal in the 15th minute. Ryan Smith charged forward and passed the ball along the front of goal to Miller Bolaños who tapped it in. Of course I picked that moment to go to the bathroom at the Home Depot Center and missed it happen live. Nothing else really happened to speak of, and the match ended 1-0. I felt that it was a promising performance leading up to Saturday’s game as they showed some offensive sparks that had previously been missing.
Chivas USA’s Disappointing Form Results in US Open Cup Loss
07/13/12
Chivas USA’s promising U.S. Open Cup campaign came to a staggering end yesterday in their 4-1 defeat away to the Seattle Sounders. This match comes after a horrid home draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps over the weekend. The Goats were playing for a spot in the USOC final, something the team has never done before in franchise history. With a good run into the semi, the team had a good chance to vie for the title. However, their unfortunate summer form got the better of them. Not to discredit the play of the Sounders, Chivas USA was unable to find a good rhythm until late in the second half after Seattle had already scored 2 goals.
Both teams started off slow, but the Sounders were able to find their footing and gain possession after about 20 minutes. An Eddie Johnson goal put the Sounders up in the 31st minute after a defensive lapse from the Chivas USA backline. The goal was followed up with a couple more attempts from the Sounders and some terrific saves, yet again, from Dan Kennedy. Chivas USA had ZERO shots on goal in the first half.
Chivas USA’s Monumental May Builds Up to a So-So June
06/25/12
Before the international break, Chivas USA made headlines more times in two weeks than they probably had in a couple of seasons. It started with their 1-0 defeat of cross-town rivals LA Galaxy. The Goats had not beaten the Galaxy in 14 matchups. I’m not sure that many people would even acknowledge it as a rivalry due to its lopsided nature. However, Chivas USA showed a lot of promise in this season leading up to the matchup, while the Galaxy was sputtering. The Goats were able to convert a PK in the second half and go away with a 1-0 win at home. This type of matchup does wonders for confidence, and helped the team get an important away point at New York Red Bulls just 4 days later, and another point against the Seattle Sounders just after that. I won’t get into the details of their continued tendency to give up goals so soon after taking a lead, as I would just be beating on a dead horse.
International Soccer Ally Olivier Giroud is Très Sexy in French Gay Magazine
05/24/12
by rkk104
in Culture & Style
I know this website is mainly US Soccer related, but I thought I’d share a little news from the global soccer ally sphere. Every December, prominent French gay magazine Têtu polls readers on who they think is the sexiest Ligue 1 player. The winner is then offered the chance to grace their cover. It’s not required that they accept (2009 winner Yoann Gourcuff decline to appear on the cover). However, it’s always more fun when they do. Last year’s winner was French international Adil Rami, who beat out our very own captain and soccer ally Carlos Bocanegra (who, playing for St. Etienne at the time, did not even make the top 3!).
France National Team forward, Ligue 1’s 2011-2012 Golden Boot winner, and player for recently crowned champions Montpellier Hérault SC (and my personal favorite French player) Olivier Giroud was selected back in December, and I eagerly waited to see if he would agree to be on the cover. He teased fans via Facebook about a month ago with one of the photos and tagged it as “photo shooting.” Last week, pictures began to leak and Kickette got their hands on all of them via French website A Cause des Garçons (which of course I’m sharing with you all here!).
Besides the super steamy pictures we all get to salivate over, this annual cover gives the magazine a chance to partner up with their own soccer allies to create an open and warm community. Giroud told the magazine he was happy to be on the cover and hopes that his actions will help change peoples attitudes.
A Whole Lot of Question Marks for Chivas USA
05/10/12
If you’ve been trying to follow my posts about Chivas USA on here this season, and are disappointed by the lack of updates, well, two things: 1) I apologize and 2) Looking at the results, can you blame me?
While Chivas USA got off to a decent start, their current form seems to have brought fans to an all too familiar place. Three straight losses has put the team in second to last place in the Western Conference with 9 points in 9 games played. They still have not won at home.
Small silver lining: they finally scored their first goal at home this season last weekend in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Fire. Another interesting stat: the goal was off a penalty, the first one given to the team since August 2010. However, with a last-minute goal by Marco Pappa, many Chivas USA fans left the match with the “different game, same story” attitude. To be quite honest, it’s the same attitude that has been plaguing my mind for the past month.
What exactly is wrong? It is difficult to pinpoint. The team tends to be strong in defense. Relatively of course, considering the losses they’ve undergone. Most goals scored against them have not been until the waning moments of the game. So would that lead to lack of focus? Sure. The two paired together brings about the horrid defensive lapses that have led to all of the losses, a majority of which were games that ended 1-0. We could also discuss play at the other end. The team builds up well, yet continuously struggles in finishing. The play seems to tighten in the finishing third and the team loses their creativity that built up to the scoring opportunities.
Chivas USA: Unbeaten on the Road, and the Impressive and Magical Dan Kennedy
04/17/12
Chivas USA hit two records this weekend. First, with a 1-0 win against Toronto FC, the team went 3-0 in road matches, which equals their total road wins from the entire 2011 season.
Toronto FC v Chivas USA Highlights
A 31st minute header from Ecuadorian midfielder Oswaldo Minda was the difference, which is also striking considering their poor set piece performance last season. The team continued to press, and saw great chances from Ben Zemanski and Ryan Smith. One of the major players in this match for both sides was the wind: it seemed that whichever team played against the wind sat back more, and had very little control of the ball. Chivas USA controlled the game for the entire first half; yet they found themselves on the defensive for basically the entire second half.
The defense may not have always been composed, but they got the job done. From Heath Pearce’s stunning body block clearance on the line to Dan Kennedy’s repeated magical saves, they got another three points on the road. While the team is 3-0 on the road, they have yet to secure a win at home. They face the Philadelphia Union this weekend at the Home Depot Center, and hopefully, they can finally find their bearings and get three points. With this win, they sit at fifth in the Western conference.
When One Direction Goes MLS
03/28/12
My current favorite British boy band One Direction, currently tearing up the American music charts with their debut album, released their 2nd video diary chronicling their time in America today. The video features three members (and a crew member) playing a small game of soccer in a park in Boston Common. Why is this garnering news on this website?
Two of them happen to be wearing New England Revolution jerseys. While teeny pop music may not be your cup of tea, this is great promotion for the league. The guys are known by their fans as being soccer fans back in England, so the fact that they are wearing MLS jerseys, and not English Premier League or England national team jerseys is great. Also, I personally love that they are New England jerseys as opposed to kits from the New York Red Bulls or the LA Galaxy, which seem to be the go to with celebrities.
The Most Handsome Team in MLS?
03/12/12
As the MLS season gets underway this weekend, fans everywhere are getting excited to get back into the swing of watching their favorite team battle it out for a spot in the playoffs. Looking at Chivas USA’s preseason record, I’m not sure that I am one of those people. With a 2-7-1 record and a horrid 5-0 loss in the final game to the San Jose Earthquakes just a week before kickoff, it’s pretty hard to really be excited for this season. The final week before the season had been pretty quiet, as it seems the coaching staff was keen to turn this team around in the short time before the season starts in the opener against 2011 MLS Cup Finalists Houston Dynamo.
Meet Rachna, our Chivas USA writer…
02/09/12
by rkk104
in Chivas USA
Hi all! My name is Rachna and I am a Chivas USA fan living in beautiful (roughly) San Diego, CA. I say roughly as I am here for school, and home is an hour north (still not in LA territory though). My road to becoming a Chivas USA fan is a bit long, so here it goes!
I first came to watch soccer seriously during the 2008 Euro Cup. I chose to support Spain as I was a bit of a Hispanophile in high school, and latched myself onto them. I continued this support, yet felt a tad bit bad for not liking the United States, as I’ve always been one to support the USA. That same year I followed both Olympic teams in Beijing, despite the men not doing so well. This was a bit of a turning point. I loved players like Stuart Holden and Sacha Kljestan (though my love for the latter has diminished greatly in recent times), and was SO happy for the women to get their gold. I followed both national teams on and off until the Confederations Cup the following summer. The phenomenal win against Spain that no US fan will ever forget solidified my love for US Soccer. However, I was still a bit of an MLS newb, for lack of a better word. Since the Gold Cup team that year was basically a B team, I followed them closely, reacquainted myself with one Stuart Holden, and got into MLS. I spent the rest of that season watching MLS for various players but not supporting any team in particular.
