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Yohan
03-09-2012, 12:30 AM
Sat 10 Mar
6:00 Colorado vs Columbus
6:00 Vancouver vs Montreal
7:30 DC vs Kansas City
10:30 San Jose vs New England
10:30 Los Angeles vs Salt Lake

Sun 11 Mar
3:00 Dallas vs New York
7:00 Chivas vs Houston

Mon 12 Mar
9:30 Portland vs Philadelphia

Oldtimer
03-09-2012, 08:05 AM
For a neutral, the Vancouver-Montreal match should be a great one to watch. Those two teams have a long rivalry from the USL days (and going back to their NASL predecessors).

It will also give us an idea how bad Montreal's team really is. My guess is really, really, bad.

Ageroo
03-09-2012, 08:30 AM
Wife will be out with the ladies on Saturday....booyaa. Looks like a slate of footy for me on saturday! :) Actually looking forward to watching that vancover/montreal match....time for them to renew their rivalry anew.

cherono
03-09-2012, 11:42 AM
I'll try and watch the LA v RSL game - good match up, plus there's the selfish hope that we see two or more Galaxy attacking players suffer a knock preventing them from playing Wednesday!

Roogsy
03-09-2012, 11:44 AM
Most of those lineups are really interesting save for San Jose/New England (ugh, battle of the bottom-dwellers) and Chivas/Houston (I just can't get into Chivas at all).

Dv23
03-09-2012, 11:54 AM
Damn. I have plans tomorrow night, but I'll be recording the MON-VAN game and the LA-RSL one as well.

Yohan
03-10-2012, 12:49 PM
Most of those lineups are really interesting save for San Jose/New England (ugh, battle of the bottom-dwellers) and Chivas/Houston (I just can't get into Chivas at all).
I find SJ vs NE game pretty intriguing. Both teams have added a lot of players who may or may not do well and both teams might end up surprising a lot of people. (and I finally believe in Wondo power)

tfcleeds
03-10-2012, 02:13 PM
Good article.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/03/09/mls-season-17-ready-or-not-here-it-comes

rocker
03-10-2012, 02:23 PM
It's gonna be fun to watch Montreal/Vancouver because I can get enjoyment out of all the goals scored. In other words, when Montreal gets scored on, I laugh. When Vancouver gets scored on, I laugh. :)

Detroit_TFC
03-10-2012, 02:27 PM
At least you guys get a nationally televised match today. In the US, NBC Sports Network's first game is tomorrow at 2:30 pm, Dallas v RBNY. Ridiculous.

mowe
03-10-2012, 02:32 PM
Can't wait for Vancouver-Montreal. Not too often you get to see two Canadian teams playing at the premier level of soccer.

Montreal are going to need time to come together as a team, but they have a good mix of young and experienced players. Going to be interesting to see what Marsch can get out of them.

I wonder if LA will rest any of their players. Or maybe they're confident about the TFC game and would rather get a good start in the league.

Island Man
03-10-2012, 05:46 PM
If anyone needs a stream for Van/Mon http://www.firstrowsports.eu/watch/112571/1/watch-vancouver-vs-montreal.html

Cashcleaner
03-10-2012, 05:55 PM
Gonna try to watch the Vancouver/Montreal match at a bar. It's on TSN, so I might get lucky.

Island Man
03-10-2012, 06:53 PM
Rapids take the lead v Crew, Moor with the goal :D

Island Man
03-10-2012, 07:57 PM
Crew 2-0 down now

Auzzy
03-10-2012, 08:05 PM
Fairly poor attendance for the Colorado home opener vs. Columbus. 17 degrees C & sunny at kickoff in Commerce City, CO.

lazlo_80
03-10-2012, 08:12 PM
I know Montreal didnt have much firepower but they looked downright lost once they got it into the box.

So far in KC-DC ALOT of the long ball strategy...

Yohan
03-10-2012, 08:14 PM
http://www.sportlemon.tv/v-2/16/192/v-379211.html

DC vs KC

Redpunkfiddle
03-10-2012, 08:14 PM
Just woke up to the new playoff format. Two conferences, top 5 teams qualify in each. No 'wildcards'. Playoffs progress intra conference, so no crossover games.

4th and 5th play a one off at the higher seed. That team plays the number 1 Conference Seed, and the 2nd plays 3rd over two legs.

The Conference Final is now two legs, changed from the single game in previous years.

The Final is no longer at a neutral venue- it goes to the higher seed among the finalists.

I guess that means it is always best to hope for a Western Conference win over anyone in the East.

Unless of course we are competing with the Western Conference leader for the Supporters' Shield...

Yohan
03-10-2012, 08:22 PM
really good atmosphere at RFK...

Yohan
03-10-2012, 08:23 PM
This was my prediction for this week's game. I swear I'm not cheating

3/10
Colorado 2 Columbus 0
Vancouver 2 Montreal 0
DC 1 Kansas City 1
San Jose 2 New England 1
Los Angeles 1 Salt Lake 1

3/11
Dallas 1 New York 1
Chivas 0 Houston 1

3/12
Portland 2 Philadelphia 0

I should be playing proline!

dantdot
03-10-2012, 08:33 PM
Anyone else finding mlssoccer.com broken, half-loading and not uploading highlights?

TFC/Everton
03-10-2012, 09:05 PM
Watching Sporting KC play DC United... Man, I do not miss Dero. #NoStyle

boban
03-10-2012, 09:08 PM
This was my prediction for this week's game. I swear I'm not cheating

3/10
Colorado 2 Columbus 0
Vancouver 2 Montreal 0
DC 1 Kansas City 1
San Jose 2 New England 1
Los Angeles 1 Salt Lake 1

3/11
Dallas 1 New York 1
Chivas 0 Houston 1

3/12
Portland 2 Philadelphia 0

I should be playing proline!
Screw proline. Should go to Vegas

lazlo_80
03-10-2012, 09:08 PM
Bill Hamid is playing out of his mind. Really doing a lot to keep DC in the game.

Waggy
03-10-2012, 09:13 PM
Caught a bit of Mtl/Van (god does MTL look bad). Pumped for the LA game though. Hope they run the stars out for 90.

DangerRed
03-10-2012, 09:13 PM
Gentlemen,

If one was to look on the internet -- and, I'm not saying I am -- for, say, a website of reliable MLS game streams, where do you guys think one would look?

lazlo_80
03-10-2012, 09:15 PM
for this week mls live is free. can watch them all there.

Yohan
03-10-2012, 09:16 PM
Gentlemen,

If one was to look on the internet -- and, I'm not saying I am -- for, say, a website of reliable MLS game streams, where do you guys think one would look?
http://www.firstrowsports.eu/
http://www.sportlemon.tv/
http://livetv.ru/en/allupcomingsports/1/

Yohan
03-10-2012, 09:18 PM
we have a Jacob Peterson sighting...

Yohan
03-10-2012, 09:19 PM
also a Maicon Santos sighting

Yohan
03-10-2012, 09:29 PM
Sapong with a header off a corner. 1-0 KC

damn. there goes my prediction record lol

rocker
03-10-2012, 09:30 PM
KC plays a very aggressive, hardworking style (and with talent). They have been pushing DC for all 90 minutes. And it pays off in the end.

Roogsy
03-10-2012, 09:32 PM
DC looks awful. Hoofing it upfield all game long. Sporting looked good. The scoreline (0-1) was generous. Sporting dominated the game. Hamid saved DC's asses on several occasions.

DangerRed
03-10-2012, 09:36 PM
Yohan - thanks for the links.

Maicon Santos - still can't bury an easy chance. You guys see that howler? KC very very well done with first game, road game and win under their belts. I can't wait till LA v RSL at 10:30.

Pinkie
03-10-2012, 09:39 PM
also a Maicon Santos sighting

i miss him.

Roogsy
03-10-2012, 09:40 PM
Yohan - thanks for the links.

Maicon Santos - still can't bury an easy chance. You guys see that howler? KC very very well done with first game, road game and win under their belts. I can't wait till LA v RSL at 10:30.

Served up on a silver plate with no KC player within 6 feet of him and he decides to "field goal" it instead of controlling it and giving it a better effort. It was pretty bad.

Yohan
03-10-2012, 10:35 PM
http://www.firstrowsports.eu/watch/112582/1/watch-la-galaxy-vs-real-salt-lake.html

RSL vs LA

Yohan
03-10-2012, 10:36 PM
hrm. no Javier Morales for RSL

LA playing mostly same lineup as Wed's game vs TFC except no Juninho and Boyens (Sarvas and Meyer in instead)

Gallade
03-10-2012, 10:37 PM
this is the big one - mild sprains for all the Galaxy, please.

RealG-TFC
03-10-2012, 10:40 PM
ban the galaxy, they trow streamers

rocker
03-10-2012, 10:43 PM
good... so TFC will be rested and LA will not... except for those two guys.

Yohan
03-10-2012, 10:44 PM
http://www.mlssoccer.com/video/2012/03/10/highlights-col-vs-clb

Colorado vs Columbus highlights. which you should watch just for Quincy Amarikwa's rocket goal. so far goal of the week candidate (and also for his retarded celebration)

jloome
03-10-2012, 10:46 PM
http://www.firstrowsports.eu/watch/112582/1/watch-la-galaxy-vs-real-salt-lake.html

RSL vs LA

My router threw up a phishing warning for its popup ad, so be careful dude
Edit: Just seems to have been the one.

DangerRed
03-10-2012, 10:55 PM
Mad unpro? Announcers calling players by their first name. You already sound like a dude who couldn't cut it calling college pointyball. Don't add to it by "Keane passes it to Landon, who's open."

EDIT: but then again, who am I to complain? Same dude, two minutes later: "And don't forget about your KFC Galaxy pack, available at a KFC location near you..." LOL. Thanks, chief.

Auzzy
03-10-2012, 10:57 PM
I don't think the RSL player was offside a few minutes ago. The LA LB was farther back & held him onside.

The ball really slips & slides on this grass. Maybe they should put some Astro Turf into the Home Depot Center. :D

Yohan
03-10-2012, 10:58 PM
love the school girls chanting lulz

rocker
03-10-2012, 10:59 PM
Nick Rimando's outfit is blinding me.

Yohan
03-10-2012, 11:03 PM
LA is really pacing themselves, allowing RSL to really take the game to them. I guess they are still tired

Yohan
03-10-2012, 11:05 PM
oh boy... that Saunders bobble could have been costly. being #1 pressure getting to him?

jloome
03-10-2012, 11:05 PM
LA look so mortal to me. So overrated. very dangerous finishing team, but their mid and defence both will have big ups and downs with Gonzalez and Ricketts stabilizing back there.

Auzzy
03-10-2012, 11:06 PM
I don't know where LA gets this reputation of being a "clean" team. They hack lots of legs & ankles.

Saunders is good but not super steady. TFC needs to get way more shots at him, even if they aren't great shots. He's capable of bobbling things.

jloome
03-10-2012, 11:08 PM
Mad unpro? Announcers calling players by their first name. You already sound like a dude who couldn't cut it calling college pointyball. Don't add to it by "Keane passes it to Landon, who's open."

EDIT: but then again, who am I to complain? Same dude, two minutes later: "And don't forget about your KFC Galaxy pack, available at a KFC location near you..." LOL. Thanks, chief.

I don't think Posh calls him "David" as often as these two poseurs.

Yohan
03-10-2012, 11:09 PM
yikes. Donovan off the crossbar

Auzzy
03-10-2012, 11:11 PM
LA does nothing for 20 minutes, has some decent chances, and the announcers almost splurge.

rocker
03-10-2012, 11:13 PM
Robbie Keane sure complains a lot.

Auzzy
03-10-2012, 11:14 PM
Robbie Keane sure complains a lot.

How often does this team have dislocated shoulders from all that waving about?

Yohan
03-10-2012, 11:15 PM
game starting to get a little more interesting with both team having chances

sully
03-10-2012, 11:15 PM
LA does nothing for 20 minutes, has some decent chances, and the announcers almost splurge.

I know. They did nothing for 20 mins. They have good chance after some good passing and we're told that no other team can play the extreme football la can. Salt lake have been the better team so far though.

tfcleeds
03-10-2012, 11:18 PM
LA does nothing for 20 minutes, has some decent chances, and the announcers almost splurge.

Glad I'm listening to the RSL broadcast on MLS Live.

Yohan
03-10-2012, 11:20 PM
Glad I'm listening to the RSL broadcast on MLS Live.
it's actually not that bad, except for the PBP guy constantly using first names of players

Auzzy
03-10-2012, 11:21 PM
LOL LA got screwed on that call, advantage for sure.

Auzzy
03-10-2012, 11:23 PM
Glad I'm listening to the RSL broadcast on MLS Live.

I am too. That's why I'm even more surprised. They were talking "OMG look at that amazing possession" after LA strung together a few nice passes, after barely having the ball for 20 minutes.

EDIT But overall I don't think the announcers are too bad.

Yohan
03-10-2012, 11:26 PM
two off the crossbar for LA. yikes

AlanO
03-10-2012, 11:27 PM
Wow, great shot from Sarvas.

DangerRed
03-10-2012, 11:30 PM
Can't tell whose fans, LA or RSL, but they're doing the bullhorn "Pooooooooooooorto"-style chanting, and it sounds pretty good. Good for them.

Auzzy
03-10-2012, 11:31 PM
Nick Romando is good, but I've always thought he's a bit too short. 5 foot 10 inch goalie? A taller goalie would have gotten some fingers onto that Sarvas shot, which was pretty much in the middle of the goal.

Yohan
03-10-2012, 11:41 PM
Nick Romando is good, but I've always thought he's a bit too short. 5 foot 10 inch goalie? A taller goalie would have gotten some fingers onto that Sarvas shot, which was pretty much in the middle of the goal.
if Rimando had like two more inches of height, he'd be playing in Europe

DangerRed
03-10-2012, 11:44 PM
if Rimando had like two more inches of height, he'd be playing in Europe

Whoa there... that's a bit much.

:D

Yohan
03-10-2012, 11:47 PM
Whoa there... that's a bit much.

:D
not really. Rimando was on the bench for US friendly vs Italy recently. he's generally #3 on depth chart for USMNT (behind Howard and Brad Guzan). maybe not top European league, but at least Championship level. btw both Guzan and Howard started off with MLS

jloome
03-10-2012, 11:53 PM
not really. Rimando was on the bench for US friendly vs Italy recently. he's generally #3 on depth chart for USMNT (behind Howard and Brad Guzan). maybe not top European league, but at least Championship level. btw both Guzan and Howard started off with MLS

great reaction keeper. he could play in Europe, even now. But not a the top level. he's never been premier league quality. Guzan isn't seen as it yet. Championship? Yeah probably.

tfcleeds
03-10-2012, 11:53 PM
Can't tell whose fans, LA or RSL, but they're doing the bullhorn "Pooooooooooooorto"-style chanting, and it sounds pretty good. Good for them.

I'm finding it incredibly annoying, but maybe that's just because it's LA...

Yohan
03-11-2012, 12:02 AM
great reaction keeper. he could play in Europe, even now. But not a the top level. he's never been premier league quality. Guzan isn't seen as it yet. Championship? Yeah probably.
Guzan did well during the games he did get while Shay Given was injured.

jloome
03-11-2012, 12:02 AM
Guzan did well during the games he did get while Shay Given was injured.

Yeah, true. They do rate him.

dantdot
03-11-2012, 12:09 AM
Golden balls indeed.

Auzzy
03-11-2012, 12:09 AM
Shit.

jloome
03-11-2012, 12:10 AM
Class finish. Wish he could have done that for us a few times.

Auzzy
03-11-2012, 12:10 AM
Don't give Beckham that much time & space.

Auzzy
03-11-2012, 12:12 AM
LOL. Lesson: take shots at Saunders all night. Wasn't Saunders fault at all this time, but both defenders & goalie are often a bit shaky. Just take some shots.

Yohan
03-11-2012, 12:12 AM
1-1 now

RealG-TFC
03-11-2012, 12:13 AM
That was awesome! OG Galaxy

AlanO
03-11-2012, 12:13 AM
whoopsie

jloome
03-11-2012, 12:18 AM
Jumped the ad board. Shouldn't that be a yellow, ala Tony Tchani, LOL (only for TFC, of course.)

jloome
03-11-2012, 12:19 AM
LOL Galaxy folding in on itself. It's a black hole for MLS publicists.

Auzzy
03-11-2012, 12:19 AM
Jumped the ad board. Shouldn't that be a yellow, ala Tony Tchani, LOL (only for TFC, of course.)

Well, yellow for his shirt off anyway, should be.

jloome
03-11-2012, 12:22 AM
LOL, That genius Bruce Arena. takes out Sarvas and Magee and everythign goes downhill. Now his last offensive option is Sir Chadrick of Barrett, he who tilts with barn doors and misses.

Auzzy
03-11-2012, 12:22 AM
Yup, Morales got a yellow, "Excessive celebration."

jloome
03-11-2012, 12:22 AM
Well, yellow for his shirt off anyway, should be.

yipper skipper.

jloome
03-11-2012, 12:23 AM
LOL Great tackle by Delagarza. If he's LA's backline leader thisyear, they're in trouble.

Yohan
03-11-2012, 12:23 AM
LOL. go RSL

AlanO
03-11-2012, 12:24 AM
This is getting better by the minute!

tfcleeds
03-11-2012, 12:24 AM
Please LA, implode like this on Wednesday!!

Auzzy
03-11-2012, 12:24 AM
3-1 for RSL is nice. Still need some injuries on the Galaxy though :D

Redpunkfiddle
03-11-2012, 12:24 AM
Excellente. See you Wednesday.

Auzzy
03-11-2012, 12:28 AM
"Mountain American Credit Union Save of the Game."

Before the game is over, no less.

Yohan
03-11-2012, 12:31 AM
"Mountain American Credit Union Save of the Game."

Before the game is over, no less.
who said Nick Rimando wasn't that good again? ;)

Auzzy
03-11-2012, 12:31 AM
WTF why doesn't Beckham get a card for throwing the ball away? That's fucking stupid.

Oh well, the ref hasn't given LA many other favours tonight.

Auzzy
03-11-2012, 12:32 AM
who said Nick Rimando wasn't that good again? ;)

Rimando is great! Just not very tall.


Wait, what, I thought that LA was completely unbeatable at home?

moralis
03-11-2012, 12:32 AM
Interesting to see how much energy the LA Galaxy players will have for Wednesday's game. They look exhausted.

Gallade
03-11-2012, 12:37 AM
that was a lot of fun - I think LA/Seattle might be a hair's-width better as a pure quality exhibition, but this is the matchup I would use to get someone to watch MLS.

NBS
03-11-2012, 01:24 AM
Interesting to see how much energy the LA Galaxy players will have for Wednesday's game. They look exhausted.

They also look pissed.

rocker
03-11-2012, 11:01 AM
Bruce Arena said after the game maybe he should have rested some more guys. lol.

Yohan
03-11-2012, 02:06 PM
Dallas vs New York now

http://www.firstrowsports.eu/watch/112751/1/watch-fc-dallas-vs-new-york-red-bulls.html

Looks like a sellout at Frisco

Yohan
03-11-2012, 02:30 PM
1-0 Dallas after a scramble in the box and Zach Loyd slots it in. NY defence still shambles

Yohan
03-11-2012, 03:07 PM
1-0 Dallas at halftime. Henry did hit the post with a sneakily taken free kick

Not a convincing first half from NY

Yohan
03-11-2012, 03:39 PM
Nice chip by Ricardo Villar to put Dallas up 2-0. again, NY defence so shambles

Yohan
03-11-2012, 03:56 PM
Kenny Cooper with a fabulous chip to get NY back in the game. 2-1 Dallas

Yohan
03-11-2012, 04:07 PM
http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2012/03/schedule-in-question-as-galaxy-fall-to-rsl.html

Arena pissed at LA playing last night's game when Seattle and TFC gets a day off

Yohan
03-11-2012, 04:13 PM
2-1 Dallas final. Not very good body language from Henry who is clearly frustrated

JackBauer24
03-11-2012, 04:13 PM
To be fair, when is Arena not pissed?

mowe
03-11-2012, 04:15 PM
And he has every right to be. If Seattle and Toronto get the weekend off to rest then so should LA. An instance where the league directly put the Galaxy at a disadvantage (but don't let the conspiracy theorists know).

Good for TFC, though. We need every advantage we can get.

DOMIN8R
03-11-2012, 04:29 PM
Every team suffers fixture congestion issues at some point. This week belongs to the Galaxy. Anyway - wrong thread for this discussion.

tfcleeds
03-11-2012, 04:42 PM
http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2012/03/schedule-in-question-as-galaxy-fall-to-rsl.html

Arena pissed at LA playing last night's game when Seattle and TFC gets a day off

Piss off, Arena. Your club seems to get every other little advantage handed on a platter to it from the league, so just suck it up.

ManUtd4ever
03-11-2012, 05:46 PM
Piss off, Arena. Your club seems to get every other little advantage handed on a platter to it from the league, so just suck it up.

QFT.

Yohan
03-11-2012, 06:05 PM
http://www.sportlemon.tv/v-2/16/198/v-379988.html

Houston at Chivas USA now

lazlo_80
03-11-2012, 06:10 PM
I have seen nothing this weekend to make me think we can't get a playoff spot. The east has not been impressive so far.

Yohan
03-11-2012, 06:17 PM
I have seen nothing this weekend to make me think we can't get a playoff spot. The east has not been impressive so far.
i'll have better idea after game 5 or so. it's just first game

Yohan
03-11-2012, 06:21 PM
what a throughball from Geoff Cameron from the back to spring that Ching breakaway... that Ching shit the bed big time on

Yohan
03-11-2012, 06:58 PM
0-0 at halftime. Both teams had quality chances, but boy, USL level finishing

Kaz
03-11-2012, 07:49 PM
http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2012/03/schedule-in-question-as-galaxy-fall-to-rsl.html

Arena pissed at LA playing last night's game when Seattle and TFC gets a day off


oh too bad Bruce, you have the Concacaf referees in your pocket quit complaining.

Yohan
03-11-2012, 07:57 PM
Andre Hainault with clutch goal for Houston in 92min. 1-0 Houston

and that's the final score. not doing too bad in my predictions...

one game tomorrow night. Philly at Portland

ngrunberg
03-11-2012, 11:15 PM
This might be worth a Thread of its own... but with still 1 game to go in Week 1 TFC is currently sitting in a playoff spot... without even playing a game! How brutal is the East!!! KC and Houston are the only ones with points - NY, DC, Montreal, NE and Columbus all with losses! It doesn't get better than that. If Portland can win (which gives me a $310 win on a $10 proline bet (Timbers + Caps against terrible Impact, RSL against tired LA, Rapids over crappy Crew at altitude early in the season) the east has 2 wins and 6 losses to show for week 1!

Redpunkfiddle
03-11-2012, 11:51 PM
Yes everything is going according to plan, although only DC was at home. It will be different with the new playoff format and hoping the West pounds the other Eastern teams anytime they play. It used to not matter with the 'wildcard' spots.

lazlo_80
03-12-2012, 12:45 AM
a hilarious post game interview with Thierry Henry...

http://www.mlssoccer.com/video/2012/03/11/henry-we-lost-thats-all

DOMIN8R
03-12-2012, 05:36 AM
a hilarious post game interview with Thierry Henry...

http://www.mlssoccer.com/video/2012/03/11/henry-we-lost-thats-all

Just. Wow.

Davenport
03-12-2012, 07:16 AM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/mar/12/la-galaxy-real-salt-lake-sporting-kc

Fort York Redcoat
03-12-2012, 07:57 AM
LA still looked dangerous that first half. Chances off the post and beam. The OG did in the backs confidence. Salt Lake's first 2 goals were pretty lucky.

Good day for Texas yesterday. Nice to see Hainault get the first goal for Houston this season. He's clearly happy he stayed another year. So used to seeing Cooper in a Dallas shirt. Hope Dallas can keep that attendance for at least a month or two.

Henry- what a pleasure it must be to interview him.

Auzzy
03-12-2012, 08:18 AM
http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2012/03/schedule-in-question-as-galaxy-fall-to-rsl.html

Arena pissed at LA playing last night's game when Seattle and TFC gets a day off

So, although Arena admits he screwed up by playing too many first-team players vs. RSL, he also blames others. From someone else, I might listen to it. From Arena & his crew, not so much, they seem to do lots of whining. Perhaps that's also why his players spend half of each game waving about with their arms, demanding the ref make some call that they feel is rightfully theirs.

The league explained clearly, it's hard to do the scheduling and fit everything in. LA plays in a couple of competitions. I wouldn't be surprised if they also book a stupid mid-season friendly to rake in more $, making the schedule even more difficult.

Can't see why LA didn't use a bigger mix of starters & 2nd string in all three games. No need to mail in any game with a purely reserve lineup: mix it up throughout.

Another thought: if you've got Juninho, Beckham, Keane, Donovan, Buddle, and more big names on your first team, maybe you can't afford as many good players for the 12th to 30th spot? Something I noticed in the LA-RSL game: after LA made their subs, instead of getting a boost through fresh legs, they seemed to get worse. RSL scored all their goals after the first two LA substitutions. And maybe your first team is a bit old on average, adding to the fatigue problem? (Too lazy to look up the stats on their average age.)

Auzzy
03-12-2012, 08:20 AM
Good day for Texas yesterday. Nice to see Hainault get the first goal for Houston this season. He's clearly happy he stayed another year. So used to seeing Cooper in a Dallas shirt. Hope Dallas can keep that attendance for at least a month or two.

Henry- what a pleasure it must be to interview him.

I think Henry is normally pretty good in interviews. Yesterday he was clearly pissed, and the questions were a bit inane in comparison. Not sure why they bothered posting the interview.

Roogsy
03-12-2012, 09:05 AM
I wouldn't be surprised if they also book a stupid mid-season friendly to rake in more $, making the schedule even more difficult.


This. If they do this, then all this whining will seem hypocritical.

Canary10
03-12-2012, 09:38 AM
It is interesting though that the league scheduled a game (and a tough one at that) for LA in between Champion's League games while Toronto and Seattle were given the week off. This might be the odd instance of the league screwing the Galaxy.

Detroit_TFC
03-12-2012, 10:01 AM
^ burdens of being a "marquee" team in the league.

NYRB were shocking. I had a feeling they made zero headway on their internal issues, seemed clearly so on the pitch. Meara has some quality but he's going to be in a grinder with that leaky defense. I can see a bit of an attack if they could get Rodgers out of his visa limbo and pair him up with Cooper. That would give Henry some targets to pass to.

#1 pole position on manager sack race - Hans Backe.

Canary10
03-12-2012, 10:05 AM
^ I thought so too.

I think the east is wide open. I don't know if we're doing a prediction thread, but I'm going out on a limb and saying TFC wins the east with 50 points.

Auzzy
03-12-2012, 10:09 AM
^ LOL. I tend to be an optimist about TFC. This year I'll just say, I think they can be competitive in the East... Lowered expectations is the key to happiness! :D

GabrielHurl
03-12-2012, 10:27 AM
Hopefully a regular feature from one of the English newspapers

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/mar/12/mls-5-things-david-beckham-sebastian-velasquez

Kaz
03-12-2012, 11:23 AM
is that the Borg idiot interviewing Henry?


I just want to punch that guy

Yohan
03-12-2012, 08:05 PM
Portland - Philly game on GolTV at 930

whyalwaysme11
03-12-2012, 08:10 PM
Portland - Philly game on GolTV at 930


my gf is watching some hunger games thing on her computer
so the tv is mine all mine

excited to watch Kris Boyd
he is in the starting line up
very surprised to see Jean-Baptiste get the start

should be a good one

Yohan
03-12-2012, 08:33 PM
http://www.firstrowsports.eu/watch/112962/1/watch-portland-timbers-vs-philadelphia-union.html

on now

tfcleeds
03-12-2012, 08:33 PM
Helen Keller on tonight's broadcast team...

Yohan
03-12-2012, 08:54 PM
stadium wide tifo. sick

tfcleeds
03-12-2012, 08:56 PM
Anyone know what the Timbers Army was chanting for 5 mins. before the anthem was sung?

Yohan
03-12-2012, 08:57 PM
PT clap clap FC clap clap

Yohan
03-12-2012, 09:00 PM
crowd noise is so loud that I can't heard the commentators clearly

tfcfan2011
03-12-2012, 09:09 PM
lol toledo...

MarkEightThree
03-12-2012, 09:16 PM
Anyone else watching on Xbox? Wondering if it's just my stream that has a problem with the audio matching the video.

Decent game so far. Toledo's looking extra slimy.

Yohan
03-12-2012, 09:17 PM
this MacBeth kid is doing well in goal for Philly

Yohan
03-12-2012, 09:17 PM
Anyone else watching on Xbox? Wondering if it's just my stream that has a problem with the audio matching the video.

Decent game so far. Toledo's looking extra slimy.
the broadcast isn't sync'd properly. same thing on tv too

Flint
03-12-2012, 09:17 PM
Timbers Army definately in a league of their own.

MarkEightThree
03-12-2012, 09:22 PM
the broadcast isn't sync'd properly. same thing on tv too

Thanks, worried I had just wasted $7.

Yohan
03-12-2012, 09:32 PM
interesting stat. 26 Colombians play in MLS to 22 Canadians

TFCREDNWHITE
03-12-2012, 09:41 PM
Timbers stadium is absolutely packed and rocking!! What a great atmosphere!

Yohan
03-12-2012, 09:43 PM
turf + monsoon rain really killing the game

Red Rat
03-12-2012, 09:53 PM
my thread was deleted anyhow
Timbers army are the best supporters in MLS, these guys rule MLS.
I admired them and I applaud them

Yohan
03-12-2012, 10:06 PM
Jean Baptiste with own goal. 1-0 Philly

Yohan
03-12-2012, 10:09 PM
An Jean Baptiste equalizes. oh look. clouds of smoke

STB
03-12-2012, 10:10 PM
An Jean Baptiste equalizes. oh look. clouds of smoke

That smoke looks immense !!

tfcleeds
03-12-2012, 10:11 PM
Gotta admit, I've been impressed with Philly. I thought their roster overhaul over the off-season would be to their detriment, but they've got some quality.

Redpunkfiddle
03-12-2012, 10:12 PM
Goat.

Yohan
03-12-2012, 10:14 PM
Gotta admit, I've been impressed with Philly. I thought their roster overhaul over the off-season would be to their detriment, but they've got some quality.
That Pajoy guy has been playing really good. Kris Boyd however, not much so far

Yohan
03-12-2012, 10:21 PM
welcome to MLS Kris Boyd

2-1 Portland

Yohan
03-12-2012, 10:31 PM
wheels gone out for Philly as Al Hassan scores and Portland goes up 3-1. nice chip

lots of good goals this week in MLS

tfcleeds
03-12-2012, 10:33 PM
Amarikwa goal of the week though for sure.

whyalwaysme11
03-12-2012, 10:33 PM
interesting stat. 26 Colombians play in MLS to 22 Canadians

very interesting

whyalwaysme11
03-12-2012, 10:38 PM
portlands back line is still a bit suspect but hell what do i know its the first game

whyalwaysme11
03-12-2012, 10:48 PM
were all gonna have to merge to the north end to make this kind of noise

Toronto_Bhoy
03-12-2012, 10:48 PM
my thread was deleted anyhow
Timbers army are the best supporters in MLS, these guys rule MLS.
I admired them and I applaud them

Agree.

Delightful to watch.

Oldtimer
03-12-2012, 10:49 PM
So the Timbers got "Toledoed." The all-time favourite referee in MLS does it again!

Yohan
03-12-2012, 10:49 PM
were all gonna have to merge to the north end to make this kind of noise
that opportunity is gone after north stand was made available for season tickets.

I highly doubt we'll ever have what Timbers have in Portland

Yohan
03-12-2012, 10:50 PM
3-1 final

Entertaining week one in MLS

Auzzy
03-12-2012, 10:53 PM
So the Timbers got "Toledoed." The all-time favourite referee in MLS does it again!

What did Toledo do this time? I only watched part of the game.

Yohan
03-12-2012, 10:56 PM
What did Toledo do this time? I only watched part of the game.
a non call on a pretty convincing penalty

'the spoil is a big piece of wood' classic commentary

also, I don't think there was one draw in this week's game

Red Rat
03-12-2012, 10:58 PM
Excellent game, always a joy to watch The Timbers

Dub Narcotic
03-12-2012, 11:39 PM
What a great week for TFC. One point in total for Eastern teams.

jazzy
03-12-2012, 11:50 PM
my thread was deleted anyhow
Timbers army are the best supporters in MLS, these guys rule MLS.
I admired them and I applaud them

I;m fine with our support....Timbers Army have a long standing relationship with the team ,...we're growing AGAIN!...and once we're ALL onboard with simple love of the game, support where you live ....we'll overcome the denial of simply enjoying ourselves and self analysis.......yup hats off to them....it's great for the league,....lets kick their ass! :scarf:

NBS
03-13-2012, 06:07 AM
Timbers army also has certain advantages in terms of stadium design. Nonetheless, fantastic fans. Simply fantastic.

loconet
03-13-2012, 07:01 AM
What a great week for TFC. One point in total for Eastern teams.

this! .. lol. I was supporting every single west team through these matches. Great results.

rocker
03-13-2012, 07:09 AM
The first half of the Timbers game was awful though. Neither team was getting any real chances... disjointed play etc.

I like that forward Pajoy for Philly, but I'm not sure they've improved (one game I know). Goalkeeping is a question (McMath really screwed up that one goal) and Adu looked invisible until midway through the second half.

Timbers really came on in the second half when they faced the Timbers Army. They really went at Philly.. Timbers still have to work on their fluidity... they play really herky jerky at times... some of their players look like they're all arms and legs, ready to fall over at any moment. You could tell Boyd was pissed off that players weren't doing the simple things and linking up properly. But in the end their energy on that small field really pays off. And Boyd's header was sublime.

It'll be interesting to see if Timbers can do this on the road though, where they were awful last year. Home field advantage is great, but not if you turn into crap on the road.

Detroit_TFC
03-13-2012, 09:31 AM
The boss of NBC Sports, Jon Miller was at the game with the Don. Miller said in 34 years of being with NBC he's never seen anything like what he saw in Portland.

I know we get a bit nervous about the supporters becoming part of the entertainment, but jeez, its breathtaking to see a supporters section like that in North America.

tfcleeds
03-13-2012, 09:42 AM
If anything, it just sets the bar a little higher. I'm fine with our support, but there's no use in resting on our laurels.

Having said that, I bet we could make that kind of a din if we had a roof over our supporters section.

Red Rat
03-13-2012, 11:15 AM
roof or no roof we will never match that

TFCBarrie
03-13-2012, 11:29 AM
roof or no roof we will never match that

I think we could have been better than that. People care too much about losing here and start giving up after awhile. ANY city can be like that, if they want to.

:flare:

sashavukelich
03-13-2012, 11:41 AM
I had the chance to go to Jeld-Win stadium in August, it's beautiful. I think that we COULD match them, but the morale is a tad low right now. If TFC get to a winning start for the season, i think we can see some fan swagger come back.

Right now i'd say, people are hopeful, but still recovering from past-'abuse' lol, from MLSE.

Portland fan also, are incredibly fun, warm and love to chat soccer. I'd encourage anyone from the GTA to go visit Oregon (on vacation) and catch a game. You'll love it there.

Yohan
03-13-2012, 02:34 PM
Week 1 goal of the week
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/03/13/vote-att-goal-week-week-1

tfcleeds
03-13-2012, 02:48 PM
Voted for Amarikwa, although Camilo's is a close second.

Yohan
03-13-2012, 03:20 PM
I think we could have been better than that. People care too much about losing here and start giving up after awhile. ANY city can be like that, if they want to.

:flare:
I agree it can happen here in Toronto too, but we face a huge uphill battle.

Toronto is a cosmopolitan city of multiple cultures that some love footy. We have grassroots soccer. But we are still fighting to connect professional soccer with grassroots level. The media here doesn't give soccer much attention, at least not yet. Avg Torontonian hardly knows about soccer.

I don't know why but the Pacific Northwest gets it. Soccer is mainstream and part of their culture. Avg joe american in Seattle and Portland pays attention to soccer, at least casually, even if they aren't hardcore. Nothing impressed me more than my visit to Seattle and you can feel that soccer dominates that city, at least for that day. People talk about soccer in the streets. Soccer gets front page coverage in their media. (it helps that Seattle and Portland doesn't have much competition from other sports teams) Their cities identify themselves with their soccer team. Toronto doesn't.

So it was easier for Seattle and Portland to plan their move to MLS and set aside a large section for their supporters groups. Toronto didn't know and now we only have small space that we can really call supporters sections. (and TBH, it's just half of 111, 112 and maybe half of 113. WTF happened to 127?) It's a hard thing to try to convert people into soccer fans. Easiest way to do it is to sell the atmosphere (because everyone loves a good party) and you'll impress people easily with tons of people singing and chanting like they do in Portland and Seattle than our little pocket in the southeast corner of BMO. (and let's be honest. Our effort wasn't very good last year IMO and we need to step it up big time)

Until we can get avg Torontonians to talk about TFC like they do with Leafs, it'll be a slower growth of support of soccer in Toronto. And it'll take years to get this kind of support like they do in Pacific Northwest

Yohan
03-15-2012, 02:41 PM
vV7hOAHTm_0

cheeky

Detroit_TFC
03-15-2012, 03:05 PM
To be completely honest, when Paulson was struggling with the Portland city council to get approval for the stadium renovation, the whole thing sounded so mickey mouse, I figured it would be a bust. I probably should stay out of marketing because I got it wrong.