For the record, I did all my Major League Soccer (MLS) viewing on Sunday morning before the U.S./Mexico final. And, let me tell you, the two games I saw just paled in comparison: the play was slow, stilted, and, at times, uninterested. In one game in particular (first mentioned below), the players for both teams positively lumbered around as if high on cough medicine. Is this a function of the dog-days having arrived or does MLS always suffer against a direct comparison against national team games with everything on the line?
If it's the former - and I think it could be, 'cause I've seen some great MLS games in my day - the league's competition committee really needs to get this in hand. The two products I, ahem, enjoyed yesterday morning didn't hold up well.
Getting on to the games I saw and the ones for which I merely reviewed the highlights (noted in each instance)....
Colorado Rapids 0 - 1 FC Dallas
(Endured every minute of this pig...when I could help fast forwarding...ugh)
- Perhaps the rumors are true: perhaps Colorado really, really sucks. FC Dallas hardly shined either. And their defense looked almost amateur at times. This one made for a spectacle on par with watching necrophiliac porn...without the "creepy factor" to render the proceedings interesting. That both sides showed CPA-esque levels of creativity didn't help.
- Was it hot in Denver on Saturday? I can think of no other reason for a game involing professionals to suck that horribly hard.
- Is Fernando Clavijo's seat getting hot yet? If not, it should be.
- Badly as Dallas played, they at least manufactured a chance or two. One of these - the one that sent in Carlos Ruiz alone on goal - stands as an exemplar for the game as a whole: Ruiz hesitated to the point of paralysis, while Rapids 'keeper Bouna Coundoul pretty much sat down and fell on top of the ball. So...fucking...ugly...
New England Revolution 3 - 0 Toronto FC
(took in all of this affair...in spite of the periodic fit)
- Sure, I'm happy New England won and all, but this one wasn't much to look at either. New England won this duel of wayward balls over the top courtesy of a slight edge in quality of personnel, but choppy play and sloppy give-aways predominated.
- Toronto, for their part, looked downright feeble. Reis had a save or two to make (six? they credit him with six?), but Toronto offered nothing that stood out.
- Well, New England's third goal was pretty nice...and good to see Dorman get back on the goal-scoring pony. On a related note, Adam Cristman showed savvy beyond his years with the set-up to this one; anyone know where he is with Rookie-of-the-Year honors?
- And, OK, Noonan turned in a smart headed goal as well. Anyone know where Adam Cristman is in the rookie-So, yeah, the had its moments - and I have to confess that, every time I resorted to fast-forwarding the archived online video, something happened that required me to stop and go back.
- But I also remember being so achingly bored, and so often, that I continually resorted to fast-forwarding.
- The only player who really stood out for Toronto did so for all the wrong reasons: Kevin Goldthwaite had a rough night.
- All in all, this was a good, timely win for New England. But they looked far from polished, let alone interesting.
Moving on, now, to the highly impressionistic results-based reviews - I'll state I watched the highlights when I did and acknowledge it when I didn't. Taking things chronologically, I already posted something quick (and possibly useless) on the Houston Dynamo's rout of Chivas USA (and finally saw Brad Davis' hat trick - the second goal was a beaut), but never got to....
Columbus Crew 2 - 1 Kansas City Wizards
(Caught the highlights...fun stuff)
- Hindsight being 20/20 and all that, this was the beginning of a very good week for the Crew; how's 5th in the East sound Mr. Schmid?
- And get this: Eddie Gaven scored.
- As (ridiculously) proud as I am to have seen the Crew's streak coming (I'm not going to find it, but it's down in the archives), the Wizards' issues on defense strikes me as the more newsworthy item. The KC team definitely has some things to figure out.
Real Salt Lake 2 - 1 DC United
(highlights....and sweet, sweet ones at that)
- Could any individual from this country and associated with soccer be happier than Jason Kreis right now?
- Possibly: it may or may not be Robbie Findley; the rookie picked up both goals, the last of which (I think) was wonderfully taken off a break-away.
- Credit DC fans for seeing this one coming...at least I think they did. It looks like they have a West Brom Albion of their very own in RSL.
- Regarding DC's goal...shit...damn near unwatchable, that one. Hide the children....
- I don't think this unexpected result does much to my opinion of either team - but the hiccup for both is duly noted.
Los Angeles Galaxy 2 - 3 Columbus Crew
(Delicious, heart-breaking highlights...I laughed and laughed)
- For my money, this week's Result of Note.
- And quelle embarrassing for LA: Columbus played them evenly - e.g. goal-for-goal - with a man down for 60 minutes. Those new recruits just can't come soon enough.
- To make things worse, it's only a lousier goal-differential that makes them better than 2007 whipping boys Real Salt Lake. Do we have a new whipee?
- Turning to Columbus, it'll be interesting to see where self-belief meets talent with this team. Seven points from a possible nine over the last three games should take care of the belief side.
- On the talent side, what to make of the Alejandro Moreno trade? Why does that look like the piece that brought everything together?
- Whatever it was, I'm guessing Red Bull New York - who sat idle this week - is looking at Columbus differently after this past weekend.
- The $64,000 question: how will the rest of LA respond to the arrival/return of Beckham, Carlos Pavon, and Landon Donovan? That's a lot of talent, too much, I'm thinking, for a turn-around to not happen. Then again, what if it doesn't?
Kansas City Wizards 0 - 1 Houston Dynamo
(Didn't catch a single sight of this one....hope it was OK)
- Yes...it's going to be very interesting to see how people view Kansas City after Week 12.
- Ditto with the Dynamo. At least one team in the West is waking up.
Showing posts with label Adam Cristman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adam Cristman. Show all posts
The Unintentional Brilliance of the Assist Statistic
Somewhere out there, an article on Steve Ralston moving into second place in the all-time assists in Major League Soccer (MLS) goes into a somewhat obligatory spiel about how assists don't quite fit soccer, a sport that rarely wears statistics well.
That spiel made sense till last night when I watched the New England Revolution's Steve Ralson head a ball over his head toward goal; that semi-random action led to an Adam Cristman goal, the Revs' first for the night and Cristman's first all-time. It's not so much that Ralston consciously headed the ball with an assist to Cristman in mind; the action can more accurately be described as bonking the ball somewhere that seemed useful. Whether intended or not, that shows up as an assist to Ralston and, the more I think about it, the more fair that is.
Of course, there are "real" assists; in the same game, for instance, LA Galaxy midfielder Pete Vagenas played sharp pass against the grain - and through a thicket of defenders' legs - to teammate Kyle Martino; it was a spot-on, intentional pass and Martino slotted it home for the Galaxy's first goal. When people talk about assists, that's what they have in mind.
Even if Ralston's assist was more random, less skilled, etc. it falls under a kind of big umbrella concept: making shit happen. In a sense, that's what the assist stat should be: give it an acronym ("MSH's"?) to protect tender ears, but that's basically what's going on. The same principle applies on the defensive end as well. A well-time tackle (for instance, Frankie Hejduk picked Francisco Mendoza clean in the Columbus Crew v. Chivas USA game) could pick up the same statistical denotation.
Sure, this is imprecise and, sure, people will quibble about what really counts as an MSH, but we already quibble about assists and everything else under the sun so what's the harm? But the MSH fits a sport like soccer, in which so much positive activity cannot be readily quantified.
No, I don't think this will ever become an official stat - though I'd love to see league officials have to explain it to soccer neophytes. But it does help me look at Ralston's looming stroll into the league record books without wondering how many of those assists would require asterisks. The thing is, none of them do because all of them essentially say, "Let the record show that, on 113 occasions, Steve Ralston made shit happen."
(########)
That spiel made sense till last night when I watched the New England Revolution's Steve Ralson head a ball over his head toward goal; that semi-random action led to an Adam Cristman goal, the Revs' first for the night and Cristman's first all-time. It's not so much that Ralston consciously headed the ball with an assist to Cristman in mind; the action can more accurately be described as bonking the ball somewhere that seemed useful. Whether intended or not, that shows up as an assist to Ralston and, the more I think about it, the more fair that is.
Of course, there are "real" assists; in the same game, for instance, LA Galaxy midfielder Pete Vagenas played sharp pass against the grain - and through a thicket of defenders' legs - to teammate Kyle Martino; it was a spot-on, intentional pass and Martino slotted it home for the Galaxy's first goal. When people talk about assists, that's what they have in mind.
Even if Ralston's assist was more random, less skilled, etc. it falls under a kind of big umbrella concept: making shit happen. In a sense, that's what the assist stat should be: give it an acronym ("MSH's"?) to protect tender ears, but that's basically what's going on. The same principle applies on the defensive end as well. A well-time tackle (for instance, Frankie Hejduk picked Francisco Mendoza clean in the Columbus Crew v. Chivas USA game) could pick up the same statistical denotation.
Sure, this is imprecise and, sure, people will quibble about what really counts as an MSH, but we already quibble about assists and everything else under the sun so what's the harm? But the MSH fits a sport like soccer, in which so much positive activity cannot be readily quantified.
No, I don't think this will ever become an official stat - though I'd love to see league officials have to explain it to soccer neophytes. But it does help me look at Ralston's looming stroll into the league record books without wondering how many of those assists would require asterisks. The thing is, none of them do because all of them essentially say, "Let the record show that, on 113 occasions, Steve Ralston made shit happen."
(########)
The Unintentional Brilliance of the Assist Statistic
Somewhere out there, an article on Steve Ralston moving into second place in the all-time assists in Major League Soccer (MLS) goes into a somewhat obligatory spiel about how assists don't quite fit soccer, a sport that rarely wears statistics well.
That spiel made sense till last night when I watched the New England Revolution's Steve Ralson head a ball over his head toward goal; that semi-random action led to an Adam Cristman goal, the Revs' first for the night and Cristman's first all-time. It's not so much that Ralston consciously headed the ball with an assist to Cristman in mind; the action can more accurately be described as bonking the ball somewhere that seemed useful. Whether intended or not, that shows up as an assist to Ralston and, the more I think about it, the more fair that is.
Of course, there are "real" assists; in the same game, for instance, LA Galaxy midfielder Pete Vagenas played sharp pass against the grain - and through a thicket of defenders' legs - to teammate Kyle Martino; it was a spot-on, intentional pass and Martino slotted it home for the Galaxy's first goal. When people talk about assists, that's what they have in mind.
Even if Ralston's assist was more random, less skilled, etc. it falls under a kind of big umbrella concept: making shit happen. In a sense, that's what the assist stat should be: give it an acronym ("MSH's"?) to protect tender ears, but that's basically what's going on. The same principle applies on the defensive end as well. A well-time tackle (for instance, Frankie Hejduk picked Francisco Mendoza clean in the Columbus Crew v. Chivas USA game) could pick up the same statistical denotation.
Sure, this is imprecise and, sure, people will quibble about what really counts as an MSH, but we already quibble about assists and everything else under the sun so what's the harm? But the MSH fits a sport like soccer, in which so much positive activity cannot be readily quantified.
No, I don't think this will ever become an official stat - though I'd love to see league officials have to explain it to soccer neophytes. But it does help me look at Ralston's looming stroll into the league record books without wondering how many of those assists would require asterisks. The thing is, none of them do because all of them essentially say, "Let the record show that, on 113 occasions, Steve Ralston made shit happen."
(########)
That spiel made sense till last night when I watched the New England Revolution's Steve Ralson head a ball over his head toward goal; that semi-random action led to an Adam Cristman goal, the Revs' first for the night and Cristman's first all-time. It's not so much that Ralston consciously headed the ball with an assist to Cristman in mind; the action can more accurately be described as bonking the ball somewhere that seemed useful. Whether intended or not, that shows up as an assist to Ralston and, the more I think about it, the more fair that is.
Of course, there are "real" assists; in the same game, for instance, LA Galaxy midfielder Pete Vagenas played sharp pass against the grain - and through a thicket of defenders' legs - to teammate Kyle Martino; it was a spot-on, intentional pass and Martino slotted it home for the Galaxy's first goal. When people talk about assists, that's what they have in mind.
Even if Ralston's assist was more random, less skilled, etc. it falls under a kind of big umbrella concept: making shit happen. In a sense, that's what the assist stat should be: give it an acronym ("MSH's"?) to protect tender ears, but that's basically what's going on. The same principle applies on the defensive end as well. A well-time tackle (for instance, Frankie Hejduk picked Francisco Mendoza clean in the Columbus Crew v. Chivas USA game) could pick up the same statistical denotation.
Sure, this is imprecise and, sure, people will quibble about what really counts as an MSH, but we already quibble about assists and everything else under the sun so what's the harm? But the MSH fits a sport like soccer, in which so much positive activity cannot be readily quantified.
No, I don't think this will ever become an official stat - though I'd love to see league officials have to explain it to soccer neophytes. But it does help me look at Ralston's looming stroll into the league record books without wondering how many of those assists would require asterisks. The thing is, none of them do because all of them essentially say, "Let the record show that, on 113 occasions, Steve Ralston made shit happen."
(########)
(W)Revs Wrap: Shells Get Shocked
Add another win against another minnow and you've got the New England Revolution at 6-0-0 and, as this guy points out, holding a +20 goal differential with 23 goals scored and 3 allowed. (If nothing else, BigSoccer people are always reliable about knowing such arcana.) And that's a 4-0 win to boot.
So, why am I not feeling easy about the season ahead?
patfan1, another BigSoccer commenter, takes the same view as me (here):
Sums it up nicely, I think. Still, it is good to see the names of the youngsters - Adam Cristman, Arsene Oka, Wells Thompson - all over the several write-ups, because that tells me they're performing at a level higher than that of a preseason Professional Development League (PDL) team; that's what you'd expect when you're players find themselves on the professional side of what a woman in the second link above calls a "half-professional" encounter...bet the Shell Shockers liked that.
Speaking of professionals, the Boston Globe's write-up on the game contained some intriguing details on line-ups, where people (Steve Ralston) played when another (Shalrie Joseph) left; the former elicited a reaction from another message boarder, which precisely matched mine:
Let me go on record now as saying this is something I'd like to see Nicol experiment with. Though I read good things about Ralston's fitness and activity further down in the larger discussion on this game, I'm wondering how he'd do as an outright playmaker. You'd lose the crossing (though not totally), but he's a smart passer of the ball and, through a quick first step and guile, has a decent knack for creating small openings for passes and shots. I'm just saying they could do worse.
Right. All for now. Thanks to the BigSoccer people I borrowed from. If I understood "repping" I'd be happy to pass on some...but I've got no idea what that means.
So, why am I not feeling easy about the season ahead?
patfan1, another BigSoccer commenter, takes the same view as me (here):
"These games mean nothing. It appears that the rookies can play, at least against the level they've played against. Now comes the test. Here's hoping they can do the same with the season here."
Sums it up nicely, I think. Still, it is good to see the names of the youngsters - Adam Cristman, Arsene Oka, Wells Thompson - all over the several write-ups, because that tells me they're performing at a level higher than that of a preseason Professional Development League (PDL) team; that's what you'd expect when you're players find themselves on the professional side of what a woman in the second link above calls a "half-professional" encounter...bet the Shell Shockers liked that.
Speaking of professionals, the Boston Globe's write-up on the game contained some intriguing details on line-ups, where people (Steve Ralston) played when another (Shalrie Joseph) left; the former elicited a reaction from another message boarder, which precisely matched mine:
"Most interesting news to me was the fact that [Steve Ralston] played center mid after Thompson subbed on."
Let me go on record now as saying this is something I'd like to see Nicol experiment with. Though I read good things about Ralston's fitness and activity further down in the larger discussion on this game, I'm wondering how he'd do as an outright playmaker. You'd lose the crossing (though not totally), but he's a smart passer of the ball and, through a quick first step and guile, has a decent knack for creating small openings for passes and shots. I'm just saying they could do worse.
Right. All for now. Thanks to the BigSoccer people I borrowed from. If I understood "repping" I'd be happy to pass on some...but I've got no idea what that means.
(W)Revs Wrap: Cristman Leads Over Olimpia
Nice crowd, eh? The photo comes courtesy of Sean Heffernan (who introduced himself here and gave a bang-up match report here).
Sorry to make this so brief, but I did a bunch of background crap to make my blogging life easier. It didn't help that the U.S. win over Ecuador has produced as much online commentary as any game I've seen. Then there was the time I wasted trying to figure out how to catch U.S. v. Guatemala AND the CONCACAF Champions' Cup semifinals; the answer there, of course, is that I don't....I lost track of the weeks, you see.
Suffice to say the New England Revolution turned in a 3-1 win over Honduras' CD Olimpia. Not bad. And the atmosphere down in New Orleans sounded nice enough as well. As nearly everyone mentions, this takes New England to 5-0 on the preseason. And, also as usual, I'd reply with, yeah, but against whom?
There's also the fact that rookie forward Adam Cristman is the story here; he's got four goals now in three games. Again, against whom?
Still, as I confess in the comments field to my colleague's post on the New England Revolution's corner of The Offside, that Cristman appears at all capable of starting right now constitutes good news. And, again, make sure you read the comments from Sean, who caught the game live. He not only offered some nice insight on the game, but he's got me feeling a bit more comfortable about the Revolution heading into 2007.
(#########)
(W)Revs Wrap: Cristman, Cristman!; More Joseph
I'll start with a little announcement: assuming things go according to plan, I'm going to relinquish my place on the New England Revolution blog for The Offside. Sabin, who has been my partner in producing that corner of The Offside, will take over sole authorship.
I decided instead to blog about another Major League Soccer (MLS) club: the Columbus Crew. They need the love and, me being a son of Ohio, I thought I'd make a decent fit. I'll let y'all know as soon as things get nailed down, but I won't, however, be linking back and forth between this site and that one. Why? This is, and will remain, a New England Revolution blog. In spite of my boredom/frustration with my team, I'm not changing allegiances. I'm merely providing a need - though it helps that it's a team for whom I've got a soft spot. So, Go Crew...except when you play New England.
Turning now to actual Revs' there's not much of substance. There are a couple nice pieces on rookie forward Adam Cristman, though one is more practically valuable than the other. That could be a factor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch piece focusing on Cristman's emotional well-being (good, for the record) instead of cold calculations of what will happen on the field, which is the tack taken by Soccer New England. With Pat Noonan's injuries looking to keep him out for the first game or so, these are things you might want to know.
Then again, New England Soccer News ran a piece this morning that is cautiously optimistic about an early return for Noonan. This space's position: it's a long season, people, don't rush it. Please?
Other quick items:
The Revolution corner of the BigSoccer boards is carrying a decent debate on the spat between Shalrie Joseph and the Revolution front office. It was petering into jabs last time I visited, but there's good content on sports economics and the value of a contract versus the value of a player in there as well.
And, tucked in the middle of expansive commentary on DC United and sundry items, the Washington Post's Steve Goff had something interesting to say about the 2007 Eastern Conference race:
Swell.
I decided instead to blog about another Major League Soccer (MLS) club: the Columbus Crew. They need the love and, me being a son of Ohio, I thought I'd make a decent fit. I'll let y'all know as soon as things get nailed down, but I won't, however, be linking back and forth between this site and that one. Why? This is, and will remain, a New England Revolution blog. In spite of my boredom/frustration with my team, I'm not changing allegiances. I'm merely providing a need - though it helps that it's a team for whom I've got a soft spot. So, Go Crew...except when you play New England.
Turning now to actual Revs' there's not much of substance. There are a couple nice pieces on rookie forward Adam Cristman, though one is more practically valuable than the other. That could be a factor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch piece focusing on Cristman's emotional well-being (good, for the record) instead of cold calculations of what will happen on the field, which is the tack taken by Soccer New England. With Pat Noonan's injuries looking to keep him out for the first game or so, these are things you might want to know.
Then again, New England Soccer News ran a piece this morning that is cautiously optimistic about an early return for Noonan. This space's position: it's a long season, people, don't rush it. Please?
Other quick items:
The Revolution corner of the BigSoccer boards is carrying a decent debate on the spat between Shalrie Joseph and the Revolution front office. It was petering into jabs last time I visited, but there's good content on sports economics and the value of a contract versus the value of a player in there as well.
And, tucked in the middle of expansive commentary on DC United and sundry items, the Washington Post's Steve Goff had something interesting to say about the 2007 Eastern Conference race:
"Q: Who do you think is the most improved team in MLS this offseason? Who's going to be worse off than last year?"
"A: Once Beckham settles in, LA could have a very good team after missing the playoffs last year. NY has some potential with Arena in charge and Reyna in the leadership role. Worse? Things aren't looking good in New England."
Swell.
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