I started today a bit late. I turned the television on to a Stoke City and Liverpool game already in the 60th minute. Liverpool, by name and legacy, would be the obvious favorite in this match up, but it remains nil, nil in 76th minute.
An interesting scoreline with a team that has so much fire power, as Liverpool does. Yes, they've been the chief possessors of the ball throughout the game, but this hasn't been as one sided as you'd think. Stoke is putting up a fight, trying to keep the status quo, as a draw would basically be equivalent to a victory against the English powerhouse.
Liverpool, since I've turned the game on has played wonderfully. They've made some beautiful passes and touches in the attacking third, that has nearly numerously resulted in the ball almost going in the back of the net. Stoke almost caught Liverpool off guard in the 80th minute when a wing player made a pass to the middle to an open Stoke player streaking down the middle, who then took a one-touch shot, only to find it deflected by a few defenders obstructing their opposition's prize. Not much play in the midfield from either squads. Both squads seemed to send the ball into the attacking third and go from there. That might have been due to time constraints, as I did turn the game on in the 60th minute.
As the game goes back and forth during the late stages it has began to get a bit touchy. Both teams are letting their competitive juices flow, without limit, as there's only 10 minutes, or so, remaining. The last five minutes the tempo has been turned in Stoke's way, as they've been the chief possessors and aggressors. About 10 minutes remain in what could be the Premier League's first scoreless draw of the year, but as I was writing those words down Liverpool's Brazilian striker, Philipe Coutihno blasts a beauty from approximately five yards outside of the box, that looked as if it was going to go wide ride and curved just at the last second inside the top, right corner of the goal and into the back of the net for what seems to be the winner! An Absolute stunner!
Stoke City still has about five minutes remaining, but they must be completely deflated after they made such a tremendous effort to keep the game scoreless and gave one up in a heart beat. Funny thing, it seems a substitute was standing on the side ready to come in and replace Coutihno, the man who scored what seems to be the game-winning goal. Whoa, and Stoke almost had an opportunity to draw in the 92nd minute, when one of their players got behind Liverpool's line of defense, but the send went a bit too far and into the Liverpool's goalkeeper's hands. The final whistles sound and the Stoke fans are stunned. Liverpool grabbed this one from the magician's top hat in the late stages and came away with three points.
That was an exciting, heart-stopping twenty minutes. Each team played formidable and either one deserved a win. A draw would've also served the two righteously.
As I search through the guide, there isn't really anything to watch. I turn to the NFL Network to watch their rankings of the top 100 players of last season. They're talking about Cam Chancellor right now. This guy is one of the best safeties in the league. He has the speed of a corner and the size of a line backer. He's extremely cerebral as well. The combination of those three qualities make him deadly in the backfield and a nightmare for opposing slot receivers and tight ends, the two positions that usually work the seams(the middle of the field) offensively.
This article I'm reading in the LA Times seems to have revealed an issue the Dodgers are having. They've lost 23 out of 35 games this year against National League teams with winning records. That doesn't sound like a squad destined to make any push once it comes to the post season, since they can't fare well against teams that will likely be there with them.
Against the Pirates yesterday the way the outcome was achieved was somewhat odd. Usually, the Dodgers' bullpen have problems subsequent to a near flawless outing by whomever their starter is. This time it was quite the contrary. Newly acquired pitcher Matt Latos gave up six runs in four innings before being pulled. The bullpen though, kept the Dodgers in it by not giving up a single run, while the Dodgers rallied to score five and almost pull one out as they left a runner stranded on third in the ninth inning.
The Dodgers are running out of time to make things click together. They have the right pieces, and they get the performances they expect from them, only scarcely are they intertwined. One night the starters are on, while the bullpen gives up a game. Other nights the bullpen has to get called on early on, like yesterday and get the job done. If they want to make a run in October they have to be firing on all cylinders. The gun can't jam. They've got to get six shots out of the six-shot magnum. I'll give Latos a pass. It was his first start in Dodger blue. But don't expect me to turn into John Stockton, I'll give him A pass.
So, the Dodgers have designed a new program called "speed camp". They designate a few players, (five at first, now three) to this camp and train them to do one thing and only one thing, steal bases. These players aren't worried about the offensive or defensive part of baseball. They're here to learn how to steal bases the best they can and if they master the art can earn themselves a spot on the roster as a designated runner. For those who don't know what that is, a designated runner is a player that is substituted into the game for a hitter that gets on base. Say for instance, its the 9th inning and old, slow Jim Thome drives a single into left field and gets on base. It is the 9th inning and the need for Thome beyond that is obsolete, and since the man obviously could barely run faster than me he's then replaced by a player whose specialty is base running. So, though the role seems minuscule in the time played, it definitely isn't in value.
The three players who are up for this role are: Edwin Drexler, 23, who is with class-A Rancho Cucamonga; Robbie Garvey, 26, who is with double-A Tulsa; and Kyle Hudson, 28, who is currently on the disabled list because of a strained calf.
Before I could sit down and even begin writing about the game I'm watching, the Seattle Sounders versus the Los Angeles Galaxy a Sounders' player sent the ball in between defenders in perfect spot to runner who got behind the line and it was an easy tap into the back of the net in the opening minute to give them a very early 1-0 lead.
It shouldn't be a deficit that the Galaxy can't overcome, especially when they, basically, have the whole game to do so. The Galaxy come into this one (as they do basically all of their matches) as heavy favorites, because of their roster. World-class international players such as Irishman Robbie Keane and newly acquired Steven Gerrard of England and Giovani Dos Santos of Mexico.
Players like this keep butts in the seats around the stadium. L.A. averages near 21,000 fans a game, which isn't bad for a stadium that has a 27,000 spectator capacity. Their opponent, Seattle on the other hand, averages near 40,000 people in attendance for each game, which is the most by a highly significant margin. With Dos Santos joining the squad it would give more incentive to locals to attend Galaxy games, being he's a Mexican international and so is Los Angeles' population.
And hey, the expected didn't take long to happen, as a 13th minute galaxy goal off of a rebound from a corner kick brought the two sides together at one a piece. Similar to Seattle's goal, you could basically credit the goal to the assist man because of the absolutely perfectly placed ball to the runner who got behind the defense. Credit the runner for penetrating the opposing defense, but the pass was flawless.
In the 24th minute a deadly header that scorches past the defense on its way to goal was blocked by Galaxy goal keeper Donovan Ricketts. Then once again in the 30th minute a great send into the box turned into a Sounders' shot that ended up in the back of the net, but fortunately for the Galaxy the goal was waived off because the scorer was in an offside position.
A little food for thought; Seattle hasn't won at the Stub Hub Center for six years, in 10 visits, since the team's first match there ever. They're looking to change that today, but without a couple important pieces, like forwards Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins. An organization's worst nightmare could be a reserves dream though, the chance to show everybody what they're all about.
Like the prior futbol match i was watching there isn't much midfield play, which leads to a sloppy game. The score at halftime is 1-1, with both teams going into their respective locker rooms to devise a plan that will inch them ahead, give them the slight advantage needed to get the upper hand in a match that is closer than the friend you've had since you were 6.
It didn't take long for the Galaxy to find the upper hand. A ball from the right wing from A.J. DeLaGarza, on the floor as well, found its way between the group of Sounders' defenders in the box and found the last man Seattle would have wanted it to find, Robbie Keane, and he put the ball where it needed to be put, the back of the net for a Galaxy 2-1 lead.
A shot from Giovani Dos Santos from nearly 20 yards out just sailed above the crossbar in the 52nd minute and the expression caught by camera on spectator David Beckham's face shows how agonizingly close the Galaxy were to taking a 3-1 lead. But it remains so, for now.
The lead has allowed the Galaxy to slow their play down a bit and take control in the midfield, which, I think should be an objective whether you have established a lead or not.
The first one barely missed, but a player of his caliber doesn't miss often and the very next chance Dos Santos got on a break to score he put the ball in the back of the net and gives the Galaxy a resounding, versus the Sounders, 3-1 lead in about the 63rd minute. And with his services not needed, Dos Santos is subbed out in the 69th minute to a big ovation from the home(in more than one way)team, in his very first game in a L.A. Galaxy uniform. Expect big things to come from this guy in the MLS now and in the very near future.
A close call came in the 71st minute when the ball found its way in front of the Galaxy goal, after a cross from the right wing was sent with good distance, and while keeper Ricketts was off of his line. One of the Sounders' players managed to get a touch on it, but with not much velocity and a Galaxy defender was able to boot the ball out of the box before it went in the goal.
Then on the Galaxy counter, they found themselves pushing forward quick with numbers. With the ball on the left side of the box and a Galaxy player making a run behind the defense on the right side the ball rolled behind the defense by a pass from a Galaxy player, across the middle, to find the cutting player for a perfect shot only to find it volley off of the post and fire back, as if shot from a cannon.
Fortunately that goal wasn't necessary because of the 3-1 lead they'd established. The Galaxy got another good shot, this time by Juhnihno in the 89th minute, which was a rocket that was sailing above the keeper into the goal, but the Sounders' keeper made a jumping effort to block it and force the ensuing corner kick.
After two minutes of added time, the official blew his whistle a couple times to mark the end of the match. The Galaxy ends up in the win column with a 3-1 victory over the Sounders, giving them an 11-7-7 mark, good for 4th place in the western conference up to this point.
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