A veritable glut of football-Timbers & US matches
Such a deal! On the same Sunday the US men take on Brazil in the first ever FIFA sanctioned final for our side and then, in the later afternoon, home team Timbers try to topple the Montreal Impact. So I was hyperventilating by the middle of the US v Brazil match. What an extraordinary thing to see the world's best looking confused and in disarray as Dempsey and Donovan and Altidore attacked. And what a great performance the midfield and defense provided at the back end. Dempsey's volley for the first US goal was gorgeous. And Donovan's poise with the second was great as well. Was I surprised that Brazil came back hard and successfully in the second half? Not really. The mark of truly great teams is that they don't lose their focus even when they are behind. And one of soccer's aphorisms is "2-0 at the half is the most dangerous score" because it can lead the team ahead to settle back into a more defensive state. Hard to criticize very much the Brazilian goals. The first, a turn and shoot with the defender right there was brilliant. The last, a crashing header, looked to me as if it was Dempsey's mark getting in the air free. Dempsey was also caught ball watching in the first half on one of Brazil's wicked forays into our box. But certainly made up for it with his attacking contributions. When I turned the switch and the television went dark, I still felt it was one of the most exciting international matches I've ever seen.
But wait! There's more. At five that afternoon, we wedged ourselves into seats in Section 109 to see how our 'boys in green' would do against the Impact, once the toughest defensive side in USL. Shazaaammm! Timbers looked voracious. Kita's smashing header early in the match set the tone for a evening of exciting though physical football. The Timbers showed poise and a relentless work rate leading to a demoralized Montreal side by the time they knocked a ball into their own goal. The thing that worried me the most as we 'oooed and aaahed' at the flow of play was that these guys had to be equally hungry, equally poised and creative, and in good health to take it to the Sounders this Wednesday night. One commentator after the Montreal match observed that the Impact had tried to take a physical approach to the Timbers early on with the hope of throwing them off their game. Without doubt the Sounders will take a similar tack. Having watched parts of several of their games on FSN, I haven't been impressed with their sophistication or style, but the Sounders are fast and strong. We'll see. I think we can take the Seattleites. And next time around in South Africa, I think the US men can continue to be giant killers. I like that!
But wait! There's more. At five that afternoon, we wedged ourselves into seats in Section 109 to see how our 'boys in green' would do against the Impact, once the toughest defensive side in USL. Shazaaammm! Timbers looked voracious. Kita's smashing header early in the match set the tone for a evening of exciting though physical football. The Timbers showed poise and a relentless work rate leading to a demoralized Montreal side by the time they knocked a ball into their own goal. The thing that worried me the most as we 'oooed and aaahed' at the flow of play was that these guys had to be equally hungry, equally poised and creative, and in good health to take it to the Sounders this Wednesday night. One commentator after the Montreal match observed that the Impact had tried to take a physical approach to the Timbers early on with the hope of throwing them off their game. Without doubt the Sounders will take a similar tack. Having watched parts of several of their games on FSN, I haven't been impressed with their sophistication or style, but the Sounders are fast and strong. We'll see. I think we can take the Seattleites. And next time around in South Africa, I think the US men can continue to be giant killers. I like that!
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