Because soccer isn't gay, but once in awhile it kinda is.
News & Analysis
Yet Another Setback for the Houston Dynamo
04/12/12
On April 15th the men in orange take on the Chicago Fire after consecutive bye weeks. Due to unrelated suspensions, the Dynamo knew they would be without starting midfielders Adam Moffat and Colin Clark. Then, with a definite blow to morale, the team announced that Brad Davis had been injured. This announcement brought back memories of the 2011 MLS Cup. In the semi-final against Sporting Kansas City, Davis went down late in the game. The Dynamo went on to beat Sporting Kansas City, but had to face the Los Angeles Galaxy without their star midfielder. The Dynamo ultimately fell to the Galaxy, and many fans believe the deciding factor in that game was the loss of Brad Davis.
Now at the start of the 2012 season fans are reeling from the surprise loss. While Davis’ injury is minor, the loss of his presence on the pitch is immense. There is no question that there can be no replacement for Davis, but this could be a good opportunity for Dominic Kinnear to test the depth of his midfield talent. In the face of this adversity, what will the Dynamo do? It is safe to assume that left back Corey Ashe will be shifted up to the midfield, and the resulting hole in the back line will be filled with Jermaine Taylor. As far as the midfield goes, Kinnear will have to find depth with the loss of three out of four starting players. Luis Camargo is expected to be game fit and would be a good attacking midfielder to see on the pitch. Rookie Alex Dixon had an impressive start late last season and could also see some playing time this weekend. Je Vaughn Watson and Nathan Sturgis may also get opportunities to step up for La Naranja this weekend, however Sturgis is more likely to be used as a substitution. Ultimately the Dynamo will need to see a strong back line led by Geoff Cameron and Bobby Boswell paired with good finishing up front in order to get another road win when they take on the Chicago Fire this Sunday.
Santos Laguna vs Toronto FC, Part 2: More Handbags Than the Real Housewives
04/04/12
After a heated affair in Toronto last Wednesday, we’re ready for round 2 of the CONCACAF Champions League semi-final between Santos Laguna and Toronto FC. Much has been made of the officiating by the Mexican side, with the word “gringo” being thrown around like it was beads at Mardi Gras including at the American referee Ricardo Salazar.
Dynamo Face Controversy From All Sides
03/30/12
On the heels of the Houston Dynamo’s first loss of the season to the Seattle Sounders, the Dynamo find themselves facing multiple suspensions and a civil lawsuit. If you have been keeping up with our coverage of the Colin Clark incident, you should already know that Clark has been suspended for three games, was fined an undisclosed amount and will complete additional sensitivity training. It is now being reported that midfielder Adam Moffat will also be fined and suspended for one game for a reckless challenge on Sounders Midfielder Osvaldo Alonso in the 35th minute of the game.
New York Red Bulls Looking as Good on Grass as They Do on Paper
03/29/12
The Red Bulls’ first win at our home opener — now the season can right itself before it is lost. What a win it was! Yes, I know Colorado were missing major players but NY is always missing major players; for example, no Teemo or Agudelo on Sunday. There are some still questions to review.
The Bright Spots
The Cooper/Henry partnership:
This is looking to be a budding partnership ready to run riot on the league. In the first two games, NY looked the best when they were both on the field together. In the first start together, each got a goal in the first 6 min and both got a brace. The few missed passes between the two make me think they are still meshing together so once they really get used to each other watch out. Cooper may be the answer to the everlasting Rodgers visa saga. I’ve never seen our offense start so well like it did on Sunday. I would have liked it to continue as strong all through the game but 4 goals in a game is always good.
William Conde
Wow what a difference the defense is with him in the lineup. I just hope he stays healthy but he may be the solution to all of the problems in the defense.
Roy Miller
Yep that one, the maligned left back that seems to always be the fall guy for any failure had probably his best game in a NY shirt. He seemed good in the back and assisted the final goal.
Marquez
Yep he’s back but he looked determined and ready to play as opposed to last year. He was very impressive minus the giveaway that lead to the Cummings goal but I could tell he was tired…
The Slur Heard Around The League – Some Dynamo Fans’ Views
03/27/12
When I went out of town this weekend and put the Houston Dynamo versus Seattle Sounders game on my DVR list, I never expected to come home to this game. I knew that the Dynamo lost and that Colin Clark said something controversial, but I didn’t look into it immediately. Instead I decided that I would wait and watch it myself. In hindsight I should have clicked on those news links because I was beyond unprepared for what I heard.
Personally, as a Dynamo fan and season ticket holder, I was immediately embarrassed. In all of the seasons that I’ve been a fan I have never heard anything so thoughtless come out of a players mouth, which says a lot considering all of the things Bobby Boswell has said in anger. In all seriousness though, I have a lot of faith that Dominic Kinnear came down on him. I know we haven’t heard anything official, but Kinnear is known to hold each player responsible for their actions and words on the pitch, and I hope this situation is no different. I also hope that the fans will hold him responsible for his actions. While Colin Clark wears our crest over his heart he represents every single one of us in his words and his actions and to me this is unacceptable.
Dynamo Win Again and Make Big Plans for BBVA Compass Stadium
03/21/12
rendering by HoustonDynamo.com
It has been a good week in the world of the Houston Dynamo. The men in orange won their second game on the road against the San Jose Earthquakes, fans got a new look inside the stadium and the club announced that they are expecting another sell out at BBVA Compass Stadium for the May 15th game when the Dynamo take on the Portland Timbers.
Fans can also register for the annual Go for Goal 5K. This 5K is headed up by assistant coach and former player Wade Barrett. Word has it that last year’s run had some pretty hilarious moments and I will be running the 5K this year in the hope that there will be similar antics. It is scheduled for May 6th as a part of events leading up to the Dynamo’s sold out home opener on May 12th.
New York Red Bulls Notes: The Ballack/Ireland Saga and the Season Isn’t at Defcon 1 Yet…
03/20/12
So generally I would do post about this weekend’s game but since it was an away game that kicked off at 10pm on St. Patricks Day, I don’t really remember the game other then we lost 2-0.
I’ve seen some Red Bulls supporters already freaking about the season because the first two games were losses. The good part is that if you look at the schedule, we now got two of our hardest away games done with. Starting with Dallas and Salt Lake away was always going to be a tough ask. As long as there’s a win on Sunday at home against the Rapids and the team steadies itself then the New York can get on with its quest. If not then its time to sound the alarms.
FC Dallas Beats Red Bulls, Debuts MLS on NBC, Signs Striker Out of the Blue
03/16/12
They call him Super Ratón. Mighty Mouse. Small but formidable, a fact underscored most by his impressive goalscoring past. 158 goals in 373 appearances, to be precise. And 22 for his native country of Panama. He scores goals, and that is precisely why Blas Pérez has come to FC Dallas. To score goals; to win games for a club that has often found itself short of experienced talent up top since the departure of Jeff Cunningham. But on Sunday, Super Ratón led FC Dallas to victory without opening his scoring tab for the Hoops. If he continues to perform like he did though, I might not even mind.
Filled to the brim with a sold out crowd of supporters and the pleasant buzz of vuvuzelas, FC Dallas Stadium played host to the Hoops’ victory over the Thierry Henry and the hated Red Bulls of New York. To some it was sweet revenge given New York’s role in the dismal end to the season last year, but for others, including yours truly, it was a showcase of things to come. Zach Loyd’s goal, which capitalized mostly on New York’s ineffective clearance, and Ricardo Villar’s man of the match performance truly stole the show, but for my money, Pérez’s debut was the main focus of the day.
MLS, Meet BCS
03/09/12
As we head into the season, I’d like to give my fellow fans an interesting piece of food for thought: The 2012 Supporter’s Shield winner may be undeserving of the title.
A few days ago, mlssoccer.com released their latest round of 2012 Pre-Season Power Rankings and, to little surprise, the same team that topped the list last year is once again on top. For many years, this meant little: the Power Rankings were nothing but a pundit’s best tool to engage his/her readership, stir up the riff-raff… and not much else. The rankings held little actual value.
But over the last couple of years, thanks to better coverage and writing by those in the business of doing both, the preseason power rankings have been a fairly good indicator of – if not exact table placement – how the playoff picture would shake out.
But not this year.
While I have no doubt that this year’s power rankings are a fair representation of where the league’s concentration of quality lies, lurking beneath them is a dirty little secret:
Thanks to our “new and improved” schedule, at the end of the regular season, a team may find itself undeserving of its final table spot. Even the regular-season champion, the Supporter’s Shield winner, may be undeserving of the honor.
Does that sort of problem sound familiar? Just call us the BCS.
And through some (slightly arbitrary) number crunching, I’m about to show you how and why.
An Open Letter To Simon Borg
(This post was inspired by a short Twitter conversation with SBNation writer Kevin McCauley, and based on the recent furor over Simon Borg’s comments during the April 30th edition of the ExtraTime Radio podcast — also posted on Waking The Red. )
Dear Simon,
Hey, how are ya? It’s me, John.
You probably don’t know me yet (or you never will…either way), but I am a huge TFC supporter. I’ve been that way for about six years now. I live in Calgary, which means I have to travel to a lot of TFC matches. In six years, I’ve been to almost all the stadiums on the West Coast, and wear my TFC swag proudly around town.
Oh, but there’s something you probably should know about me: I do bat for the other team…yep, queerer than a three dollar bill. AND I’m seeing someone, too — who doesn’t happen to be a soccer fan. I know, shocking right? I’ll give you a few moments to recover from the shock.
Anyway, where were we? Oh right…me. As I was saying, I’m seeing someone right now, who is a huge science fiction fan. I don’t claim to be an expert on shows like Battlestar Galatica, but does that make him less appealing to me? Nope. The opposite is true; he knows I am a sports fan, and knows about my TFC supporting ways. Does he have a problem with me spending my time writing and covering the team for SBNation? Heck, if he did…he would’ve dumped me right after my trip to LA for the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final.
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