Galaxy Post-Game

"Disappointed in the Refereeing”

Said Sigi. Said many thousands of fans. But my throat is hoarse, and I can say it no more. (Sorry to the preteens sitting in the row in front of me). Besides this picture speaks louder than my words.

Beautiful Day, Beautiful Fans

Oh to not be layered! Noon felt a little early. But the afternoon sun was a treat, and the 28,000+ fans were amazing as usual.

About Passion and Control

The Sounders had passion. The referee had no control. One fed the other until the yellow shirt started flashing cards like my mother playing poker. I was proud to see the Sounders keeping each others backs like a team should. I was especially warm and fuzzy to see Freddie Ljungberg waving his finger in the face of the referees and getting right into the mix during the James Riley situation. Passion and physicality... I’ve said it before. It’s what I like to see out there.

Man of the Match?

The man of the match is the opposing goalkeeper?! The one who kicked the ball out of play in the 88th minute and flopped on to the ground the burn the clock? Weak. Totally weak.

The Shirts Come Off

Thank you! Are you guys reading this? Or are we just putting out the right vibe? Either way, keep those shirts coming off. As it should be!

Chicago Fire: The Day After

Set Play Sigh of Relief:
Although I’ve tried to ignore it up until now, negative incidents early in the game bode poorly for the Sounders. Keller’s red card in the 29th minute against Kansas City. Montero’s wide open chip shot sent wide in the early minutes at Chivas. And now a yellow card in the first minute at Chicago. Ouch.

Tyrone Marshall didn’t let it get him down though. His toe poke into the back of the net off of Freddie Ljungberg’s corner kick in the 74th minute caused five adults to simultaneously leap off the edge of their seats, throw their arms in the air, and breathe a collective sigh of relief. Whew. Thank you, Tyrone (and Freddie for the nice corner kick and Le Hawk for earning it)!

Montero and Patience:
My compadres and I were guessing about a lineup change for the second period during halftime last night. I put my vote in for Le Hawk coming on for Montero. I was wrong... until the latter’s red card. A gift perhaps? I thought so.

David Falk over at the Seattle Soccer Examiner has a great poll running asking what it will take to turn things around for Montero. You can probably guess how I voted. Check it out here and have your say!

Soccer Chicks

What exactly does this photo have to do with Seattle Sounders FC? Well, nothing, of course. But Google Analytics says that traffic is pretty light on Thursdays and that the posts with pictures of semi-naked chicks get a lot of hits.


So, let's find a connection here... imagine this team of soccer ladies is going to play an exhibition match against Sounders FC rain or shine (hopefully rain) some Sunday afternoon in July. All proceeds will go to Nothing But Nets and their campaign against malaria. Freddie Ljungberg will hook up with the chick front-row second from the left, but she’ll turn out to be allergic to dogs so it doesn’t work out. Brad Evans will be stalked by a Cosmo Girl who fell in love with his “Playa Profile,” but he won’t settle for less than back row, far right. Lastly, “Mandy” will be there and will finally win Evan Brown’s heart despite aggressive advances by middle row third from right.

Enjoy, boys (and girls).

A Little Thing Called Desire

I want to eat a whole Dungeness crab for dinner tonight. I want my dog to stop eating dish towels and puking them up in the middle of the night. I want my frickin’ sinuses to clear up.

However, none of those things (well, maybe the last one) would make the list of my desires. The things I long for. That I itch for. That I eagerly pursue. My hunger. My lust and lasciviousness.

Nope. Crab. Dog puking. Stuffy sinuses. Not on the list.

Strangely, it seems that beating Chivas USA was not on the Sounders’ list of desires last night either.

They just seemed a little... well, flat. Like they were jet lagged, or ate too much Mexican food, or expended too much mojo having sex before the match. Like they were forced to share a locker room with the Chivas Girls, a case of champagne, ten dozen raw oysters, and three hours to kill. (For background on this observation, see Freddie Lungberg’s comments on sex before games here. And then add this article to the list of reasons why the Seattle Times should quickly follow the PI into online obscurity and leave real news reporting to even the moderately qualified.)


I know, I’m a superfan. I’m not supposed to criticize. And I’m not, not really. I’m not telling you that they weren’t attacking or didn’t have the right people in the lineup or just couldn’t recover momentum after Montero swung his chip shot wide left in the seventh minute (seventh minute!@$?). All I’m saying is that watching the game was just kinda... blah. Like driving through the Dakotas on your way out West. You know it’s gonna be good, but at this moment, well... it’s not.

Poach Post

Yeah, I know, kinda weak that this post is purely a compilation of other cool info I found elsewhere on the web today. But the fact is that I’m on day six of being frickin’ sick, and I just don’t have it in me tonight.

So, here we go...

First up, Happy Birthday Freddie! Karl Fredrik "Freddie" Ljungberg was born April 16, 1977.

And this photo is all about the tattoo, obviously.

Next up, another priceless photo of our one and only:

Kasey Keller!

Taking us back in time! Remember kids, mullets were still cool back then. Especially when you rocked one while cruising in your Iroc Z28 with the custom paint job (like the one I drove to my junior prom with a case of Boone’s Farm in the hatch. Sweet!).

And finally, a bizarre and slightly uncomfortable segment from a local newscast down in LA. Sigh, local news. You just love to be base, don’t you? Must you always go for the lowest common denominator (LCD)? But I will admit, despite the fact I will be vigorously cheering against these dudes this weekend, I found this video very entertaining.



Props to Laurie over at the Seattle Offside blog for these two items above. Check out her Chivas-Sounders Match Preview for some proper soccer commentary. (You know, the kind you don’t get here.)

Top 10 Things True Sounders FC Fans Don't Do

Now that we've endured our first loss, it seems appropriate to discuss the Top 10 Things True Sounders Fans Don't Do. Bring on your comments folks, let's hear what you think!

10. Wear pink or silver or any other non-blue-and-green-colored variation of Sounders gear just because you think you look cuter and/or cooler. You don't, you faker. So far, I don't think the Sounders have sold out a la the Mariners and Seahawks, so this is for future reference (since the Mariner's home opener reminded me how lame this is).
9. Wear high heels to a match (unless you're a big hairy guy and it's part of your Sounders get-up). But you ladies, c'mon. I know there are a lot of dudes at Sounders matches, but wearing high heels is not the way to catch their eye. If you do wear heels and you bite it coming up the stairs as you try to execute a turn into your row whilst double-fisting Mike's Hard Lemonades for your sorority sisters, well... you will be appropriately mocked.
8. Wear your Premiere League scarf instead of a Sounders FC one because it's good for picking up chicks afterwards. "Yeah, I've been to England. Eng-LAND. It's an island, ya know. The Sounders, they're alright, but they don't compare. You wanna wear my scarf? Sure, baby. Okay, that's enough. Now give it back before your spill your Cosmo on it."
(Okay, moving on from the sartorial no-no's. True Sounders fans do not...)
7. Wander aimlessly through the concourse asking, "Where are the garlic fries" and "Why didn't I get my Kasey Keller bobblehead at the gate?"
6. Throw shit on the field like those Toronto lame-os. Class, baby. Class.
5. Brag to all your friends at work of the inaugural game, "Oh my god, it was sooo awesome!" and then fail to be able to name the opposing team when queried. "Huh?"
4. Discriminate against Freddie Ljungberg's playing abilities based on his age, the fact that he's retired from the international game, or that he is also (whew, it’s getting warm in here all of sudden – must be the laptop on my knees) an underwear model. And we're not talking Hanes either.
3. Let your lack of singing ability stop you from joining the Emerald City Supporters in their rendition of Perry Como's "Seattle" (Memorize the lyrics here). It's not really singing folks. It's a combination of shouting and chanting, and with a minimum of 20 people participating, it sounds just fine.
2. Boo the home team. And since booing the visiting team and/or refs can't be distinguished from booing the home team, best not do it at all. M'kay?
1. Leave early. Goddam it, unless your house is burning down, you better stay in your seat until the bitter end (presuming it is bitter if you are considering leaving early).