Dave Kean

It all came to a halt last night and no one should have been surprised, after Saturday the odds of playing in the conference final Sunday were long.  And that’s no ones fault other than the players that put on the atrocious display in Salt Lake Saturday night.

In the past I’ve been impressed by Salt Lake, but after the last couple of games I think they have been shown to be typical MLS thugs. That’s not their problem, they play a style that works for MLS. It’s a league problem and Seattle has not built a team that’s equipped to play physical play-off football in that way.

The front office and coaching staff somewhere decided that they would build a team that played in the right way. They invested in young, talented players and put together a team that, when they are on, play about the prettiest football in the MLS. And that is something I can get behind. Read more…

So a couple of weeks ago the league made it clear when it dropped a 10 game suspension and $5K fine on Brian Mullan for “that” tackle of Steve Zakuani that reckless challenges were going to get hit hard.

Last week there was another hard “playing the player” tackle by Marcos Mondani of Chivas USA on Javier Morales. Morales is one of the most skillful players in the league and has been at the center of everything that RSL has done. He’s out indefinitely with a broken ankle and torn ligament, probably a season ending tackle. Looking at the replay the real difference is there was not the intent that seemed to be present in the Mullan tackle, but the tackle itself made little attempt to cleanly play the ball.

The league announced a 4 game suspension and $1500 fine for Mondani. The message of protecting the skillful players from the hard tacklers by imposing a 10 game suspension has been diluted by the same group of people. As a fan I want, more than anything else, consistency from the officials. It does not matter if they are in the league office or the referee in the middle of the game, I want it to be consistent first. Secondly I want the skillful players protected, but without a consistent message that’s not going to happen.

The league can do better than this, I’m not asking for superstar-calls from referees, I’m asking basic protection from over the top tackles.

I titled a post a few days ago “What sort of league is this?”, today the league office answered that. They are a league that wants to protect it’s players.

The league delivered a message today when it handed Mullan a 10 game ban and a $5000 fine. Playing the player rather than the ball is unacceptable, keep the game clean.

The 10 game suspension matches the ban given to Ricardo Clark for his stomp of FC Dallas’ Carlos Ruiz in 2007. At the time the Don said “In taking this action, Major League Soccer is sending a signal that it will not accept reckless and dangerous behavior on its fields,”

Well here we are four seasons later and this time it was for an on-the-ball incident rather than after play was blown dead. Zakuani never saw the reckless tackle coming and certainly did nothing to provoke it (as some agued Ruiz did).

The league has sent a message that players need to be protected from violent tackles. It’s something that has no place in the game, the league does not want players to take out frustrations in this way and the punishment is substantial enough to hopefully make players think twice before in the future.

As has been stated Mullan is a hard player, but not a dirty one. He was last Friday night, and is going to pay for the choice he made. Watching the game and then the replay while I don’t believe he meant to hurt Zakuani, I do think he wanted to send a message.

The league office stated, “Mullan’s tackle is the type of play we need to eliminate from our game and the level of discipline is consistent with our efforts to do so.”

“In making this decision, the Committee took several factors into account: the timing of the challenge, the location on the field, the moments immediately before the challenge where it is clear that Mullan is frustrated and the severity of Zakuani’s injury.”

Now it’s time to move on, the league has made it’s statement, Mullan has accepted his punishment. He will be back for the Colorado visit to Seattle in July. It would say a lot of his character if her were to face what would be a very hostile crowd.

I went to the Irishman to watch the Sounders play Colorado tonight. It looked like a fascinating game, both team need the points and Colorado are the champions. It’s always nice to beat the champions.

Four minutes in Steve Zakuani had his leg broken by a reckless tackle by Brian Mullin. There was little attempt to play the ball and Mullen crashed into Zakuani’s planted right leg. The prognosis is bad and I can’t see Zakuani playing again this year.

There is a tradition where the crowd applauds as a player is stretchered off. The entire bar went silent when the tackle went in, stayed that way through the replay and until Zakuani was moved off the field. The entire bar stood and clapped as he left the field.

The tackle was bad enough, but it looked to me to be in retaliation for a hard, but clean tackle a minute or two earlier on Mullen. This is league that’s historically allowed players to get away with a certain level of retaliation. I’ve played contact sports and get that the red-mist can take over, but it’s the lack of punishment that needs to change.

Mullen does not reputation as a dirty player, but it does not matter. It needs to be a lengthy ban from the league. A few minutes of research shows the toughest ban handed out by the league was a 10 game ban to Ricardo Clark for taking a kick at Carlos Ruiz in a Houston/Dallas game a couple of seasons ago. Ten games seems light punishment for what is at best a season ending tackle. The league needs to make a statement that retaliation and playing the player rather than the ball is not acceptable.

There are dirtier players than Mullen, far dirtier, but that makes no difference tonight. He retaliated, that is unacceptable and it needs to be a significant ban. In the post game show Eric Wynalda stood up for Mullen, repeated what’s been said a few times tonight, that he is not a dirty player. He retaliated, it’s simple, even in a physical league like the MLS there is no place for that sort of play.

The result tonight seems far less important. It was a good Seattle performance against a team that was playing very tight, disciplined football. “Workman like” would be a good description for the first half. Montero scored on the overlap on the left hand side, it was a well-created chance and Seattle did a good job of stretching the defence.

The second half was very poor for Seattle, they were lucky to hang on for the win.

Again Mario Rosales created the goal, he is a player that has a really good understanding of the game. However he seems to be struggling to play with Montero, he was less effective over all tonight when compared to the last couple of games when he was in the Montero role playing off Brian O’White. Sigi needs to work out how the two of them are going to make this work. Two very good players, but just don’t seem to be clicking together, despite the goal tonight.

Update-1

“I’m sorry for Steve. It was never my intention to injure him in the least. It’s a tackle that I’ve done hundreds of times and would probably do again. I had no intention of hurting him. It’s a freak, freak thing, and I apologize and wish Steve a speedy recovery.”

This is the quote from Brian Mullen after the game. It’s the “would probably do again” part that’s disturbing; there should be no league where a tackle like this, whatever the outcome of the contact, is acceptable.

A couple of hours after he broke the tibia and fibula in Zakuani’s leg he said he’d do exactly the same thing again. This is one of the WTF was he thinking moments. I feel surer than ever that the league needs to show that there are consequences for crossing the line between hard and reckless.

Colorado come to Qwest in July, we are is not going to forget this one.

The first win of the year is in the books and that particular elephant in the room is taken care of. It was not the best performance of the year, but it was good enough and that’s the piece that mattered.

Montero was still out after surgery to his wrist last week; he was around the stadium with a hard cast on. He should be back for next week. For today Mauro Rosales played up front with O’Brian White in a rather conventional, if make shift looking 4-4-2.

We did not have to wait long for the first goal. Rosales set up White in the 7^th minute for a well taken header just inside the near post. Very well set up and you did get the feeling that something interesting was going to happen every time Rosales got the ball.

Chicago responded straight away with the impressive Diego Chavez nicely finishing a pass into the middle after Parke slipped and gave him the space to finish.

The second goal was a great finish by Zakuani; he went past his marker and slotted home to give Seattle a 2-1 lead. The building got loud, this is what we’ve been looking for the first four games, and now they just had to hold onto the lead.

This was not Seattle’s best performance of the year. Having said that the home team largely controlled the first half, but the second half was a different story. Chicago made some adjustments at half time. Most notably by pushing the ball wider and playing in a little sooner. This created bigger problems for Parke and JKH in the middle and seemed to stretch the defence

Evans had a good performance, less a playmaker in the middle of the field, but making the runs into the box and taking up good positions. He put a lot of pressure on the defence, not through touches on the ball, but creating space for others to take advantage of.

Alonso was as important as ever; so much of what Seattle does goes through him. If he’s not the first name on the team sheet, it’s only because Keller is ahead of him. His importance to this team can’t be over estimated, and today he played his usual complete game and took a ball to the face defending a free kick late in the game.

What else did we learn today? Keller has plenty of life left in him yet with a couple of top drawer reaction saves in the second half to preserve the lead.

Steve Zakuani took the Chicago left back Jalil Anibaba to all over the park. The defender had no real answer for the pace of the Seattle attacker, this was fun to watch.

Set pieces looked better than ever. Corners especially have been an issue, today was better. With Friberg whipping the ball into the 6-yard box with pace anything can happen, and defences get worried.

Chicago is going to score goals and win a lot of games this year, Seattle beat  a very good team that controls the ball and comes forward quickly and with purpose. The two Uruguayans up front look dangerous. This is a playoff quality team.

O’Brian White has earned the opportunity to start over Nate Jaqua, He is a very different player than Jaqua, but is a more effective target forward. He’s faster, more aggressive in the box and has a better first touch than Jaqua. What happens when Montero is back will be interesting, but I think White has done enough to be in consideration with Rosales dropping back to play just behind Montero.

On balance Seattle deserved the three points, they played well and with Montero back next week things are looking good. Its difficult to say this was a must win game, but with a tough game at Philadelphia, coming away with three points today was important.

Another immensely entertaining game at Royal Brougham Park (or Qwest as some insist on calling it), the result was not great, but if Seattle continues to play like they have in the first three games then it’s going to be a great season.

You can pretty much substitute what I had to say after the LA and NYRB games here and be close. Chances, misses and great goal keeping would all be included in what I had to say.

Seattle were ultimately denied by some great goal keeping by Tally Hall, the reflex save to the goal keepers right from White (I think) in the first half was top class. Settle tried the tactic of shooting form outside, then inside and Hall seemed the equal of that idea. It’s difficult to over estimate how masterful the experienced Houston keeper was tonight.

Houston scored first, and rather against the run of play it must be said. Geoff Cameron beat Keller after some good build up play.

Erik Friberg seemed to be part of every Sounders play tonight, he worked tirelessly. Covering back when he needed, probing forward and supporting the attack when he could. A very impressive performance.

Jaqua finally made it onto the pitch, he replaced the largely ineffective White at 61 minutes. His presence was felt immediately with a run at goal. Just being on the field seems to open up Montero’s game. The center backs now had two top class threats to take care of and it seems to create a little more space just in front of the defence.

There is more on the good news front. Zakuani looked close to his best, lots of great runs and scored the first Seattle goal of the year. It came from a badly cleared corner that fell to Zakuani, who neatly put it away. It came during a period of solid Seattle play and the stadium erupted, the spell had been broken and we were back in this one.

Yes there are worries. primarily Montero not scoring again, I think the introduction of Jaqua opened up a little more space and he had a couple of good attempts saved tonight. It will come for Montero, and when it does I think the floodgates will open. He’s too good, but I’m sure the European teams that have looked at him over the last year have noticed the dry spell that goes back into last season.

Seattle has been in all three games so far this year. A little luck and they could be on 7 points rather than the one. Lots of football left to play over the next 7 months.

It’s been months since the opening date was announced. There are 17 other sides in this league, and out of this 17 it’s LA I wanted to see come into Royal Brougham Park to open the season.

There are a number of reasons for this wish. First and biggest is it’s payback time for last autumn’s playoffs, that’s obvious. Second is they humiliated us 0-4 last year in our home. It was a woeful Seattle display, but LA did what good teams do and dispatched us comfortably. The performance in HDC last July was not much better; I’m looking forward to the chance to seeing that particular wrong put right this July.

Lastly, but not least, I think LA was the best side in the League last year and if Seattle wants to be taken seriously as a contender then they have to beat the best, and I think the best is LA.

On Tuesday night the rest of the league will be watching. Loose and it’s not all over, win and the Supporters Shield is not ours. There are a lot of games to go and nothing will be won or lost on Tuesday night, but this is the opening game. This is Seattle’s chance to make a statement on national TV, win and the rest of the league takes a little more notice of Seattle.

Getting some revenge for last year in a full and loud RBP in a nationally televised game that has the potential to show that in 2011 Seattle is about more than full stadiums, sounding good and having bra straps on our shirts. It will show we are here to compete with the best in the league.

Tuesday night I’ll be taking part in a game day tradition that goes back to the first football league game in 1888. I walk to the stadium with the optimism and anticipation of a new season. Every team is level, no one has lost a single game yet; every supporter thinks that we can win it all, we can mow down all those put in front of us. Anything can happen.

I think we have the players, I believe we have the coach; I have no doubt about the supporters. Maybe this is our year; maybe we can win it all.

I love the feeling of walking from the concourse, through the tunnel towards my seats and into the lights of the stadium. Looking to my right and see the ECS already pogoing, taking in the noise, atmosphere, seeing the familiar faces as I walk up the stairs. It’s game day and there is no place like it.

I was not able to go to the Sounders-Colorado game at Qwest tonight, work got in the way of those plans. It was interesting to sit here listening to Arlo White calling an OK Sounder performance while tapping away on my laptop. Evens looked sharp initially, if he plays like this I can see why Sigi is so high on him. Montero finally got onto the scorecard with a brace and set up the JK Hurtardo for the first goal with a well placed free kick. New boys White and Friberg both played a part in Montero’s goals.

A little worry over Zakuani and Evans maybe picking up injuries, hopefully neither is nothing serious. A solid performance, but it gets serious now.

A lot to be positive about tonight in Sounderland, would have been nice to be there to watch the champions take on the cup holders. A trip to South Carolina may put paid to the home opener and I’m not happy about that prospect. I’m trying to get out of it, but stuff like that happens on this program.

In the champions League Harry Redknapp’s Spurs side came out with a game plan and executed flawlessly against AC Milan tonight at White Heart Lane. Spurs were defending a 1-0 lead earned on a memorable night in the San Siro three weeks ago.

Milans tactics were predicable, they had to take the game to Tottenham and be more adventurous than they were in the first leg. And they did just that, they played well, had a good passing game and Clarence Seedorf (who I think played when I saw Ajax in 1995) looked especially sharp and was very effective in spreading the ball around.

There are huge risks to sitting back and absorbing pressure and Milan had a couple of decent chances, the last one falling to Robinho in injury time. It’s a testament to Redknapp and Tottenham that they really had the measure of the Italian Champions tonight.

With the job done and Tottenham in the draw for the quarter finals they can feel good about where they are. It would be easy to be awed by playing a side with the heritage and players of AC Milan, but they were not and that’s a testament to Redknapp and his style.  Tottenham have proved they have the discipline and ability to alter heir game to match the circumstances.

It may be the London clubs first run in the champions league, but they played like they belonged there and there is no one they should be afraid of at this point.

I believe any side that wants to win this tournament is going to have to meet Barcelona at some point, clearly they are the best team in Europe once again. But last year Inter showed even the Catalonians they can be beaten. The final is at Wembley in May, dare we hope of an all London final? Imagine the atmosphere at a Tottenham verses Chelsea final.

Steve Zakuani has made decided his international future and was called into the Democratic Republic of Congo this week. DRC play a friendly against Mali at Stade Roger Rochard in Paris on Wednesday. A big week for Steve Zakuani, he’s good enough to make a difference at that level, I’m interested in how he does.

His brother Gabriel Zakuani plays for Peterbrough United in England and is also in the squad announced this week.

In the last few weeks he’s been linked to DR Congo and England, with a third option of waiting a couple of years to play for the US National team.

In the current FIFA rankings Mali are 64^th. The DR Congo are 124th after poor results in the Africa Nations cup and World cup qualifying over the last couple of years.

Sunday was a disappointing defeat and not the way we hoped the season would. Bottom line is Seattle just were not as good as LA over the two games. Galaxy did a great job of controlling the midfield and forcing Zakuani inside and taking away the speed down the outside that has worked so well over the last couple of months.

Seattle were beaten by the best team in the league this year, both sides had chances; the difference was LA put them away. LA were aided by some poor defending on set pieces, Beckhams precision deliveries and as is typical with any Bruce Arena coached teams, they were a very disciplined and well drilled team. The Seattle back four seemed to struggle adjusting to players with speed coming across the penalty area, I think the loss of Parke was felt, especially by Ilani

It’s been a great season no matter how you look at it. Qualifying for the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League, retaining the Open Cup (best moment of the year for me), beating last years points total and of course the others that have made the atmosphere in RBP second to none in this league.

Most supporters get this is a business for those in change, but fans don’t support businesses. They support clubs and the ownership has done the right things to make it a feel like a club that the fans are an organic part of.

The first half of the year was a little rough (the World Cup and Englands performance did not help me feeling positive either), but Sigi and the owners did what they had to do to make this team competitive in the second half. Ownership has set clear expectations for performance on the pitch and I believe that if the right player were to come along (or Montero, or perhaps Zakuani) the money would be available to bring them in as the third DP.

There are two big questions hanging over this club and the current squad. First is the expansion draft in a couple of weeks. The team gets to protect 10 players and a further player should they loose one to either of the two expansion team. Last year there was something of an outcry as James Riley was left unprotected, but Philadelphia went with Seb La Toux, who had a great year in their system and really showed the quality we’d seen at the USL level in 07 and 08.

So in the expansion draft the team is going to loose at least one, possibly two players as Portland and Vancouver build their squads.

Zakuani puts it wide against Toronto

Second is the status of the top players. Montero and Zakuani are both on the radar screen of European clubs and I’d not be surprised if at least one is gone in the transfer window in January.

There is a not a lot of transparency around contracts in this league, I don’t think anyone on the outside really knows Montero’s contract status, there are a couple of groups that own his rights, including (I believe) the Sounders in some way. I’ve said before and still think he’s got the potential to be a superstar in this game. That means Europe, and probably January, next summer at the latest.

Montero has been vague and made no commitments to next year with Seattle. Zakuani has made similar “wait and see what happens” noises.

Zakuani has a huge upside, there are is a dearth of fast left-sided players in England right now and his speed would give him a lot of value there. He’s made a good name for himself and the British press has mentioned him a couple of times, even once linking him to Capello and the national squad.

Loosing both these players would be a huge blow for Seattle, it may mean letting one go and offering the other enough money through the third DP tag (assuming Fernandez is a DP next year rather than just a squad player, again little transparency on the contract thing).

Kasey clapclap Keller

On the bright side Keller has been clear he wants to be back for one more year, I assume that can be done fairly easily.  I think both Nfuko and Fernandez are under contract to the sounders for next year.

Lastly for today, Sigi, mid year one or two lone voices were calling for his replacement, he has proven to be one of the best coaches in the league. He said last week “I love it here,” he said. “I love the city. I love the team. I love my ownership group. I love the fans. I don’t mean to be redundant, but that’s how I feel. For me this is a place to stay and finish and coach for a long, long time.”

Thanks for a fun year at RBP, it’s been awesome.