Two weeks ago, I made this pledge to not miss another weekly grades. And then I promptly skipped another week.So here I am again, telling you it won’t happen again. Or at least not for a while. Maybe.With that being said, here are this weeks weekly grades.
Seattle Mariners: The Ms lost 4 out of 7 of their games the past week, and now drop to 21-24, 6 games behind the Oakland A’s for lead of the AL West. Now over ¼ of the way into the regular season, I believe it will be unlikely that the Mariners make a postseason run. For this season, finishing above .500 would be a good goal.
The thing the M's lack most of all is power. The only two Mariners with an OBS higher than .400 are Ichiro at .426 and Russell Branyan at .613. Branyan is also the only Mariner with more than 4 homeruns. In order to get back into contention, the Ms will need to get more power from players like Griffey, Beltre and Lopez.
However, the pitching staff looks to be quite solid. With Bedard, Felix, Washburn, and Rowland-Smith making up the top four, the rotation should be the Ms biggest strength. And when Silva returns, we should be good… as long as we stick him in the bullpen. Grade: C
Seattle Sounders: The Sounders tied for the fourth straight game on the road against the Colorado Rapids. They put up a solid overall effort, especially without Ljunberg, Evans, and Alonso. Keller was a key to the game, making several great saves en route to the tie. Montero finally scored for the first time since week 2, and Jaqua got a goal for himself.
However, I have a problem with all these ties. Although the Sounders have not given up their second place position in their conference, they have given up much ground and are now clinginh on to a single point lead. In concept, a tie sounds much better than a loss. However, in reality, the difference between a tie and a loss is only a single point. Three ties is the equivalent of one win and two losses. If the Sounders had won two of their ties and lost two, they would have picked up two points in the standings. In order to stay in second place, the Sounders need to get healthy and start winning some games. Grade: B-
UW Women’s Softball: The Huskies won 5 out of 6 games in this year’s NCAA Women’s Softball Championship to advance to the eight-team College Softball World Series. Washington now faces Georgia on Thursday.
The Huskies are led by national player of the year finalist Danielle Lawrie. Lawrie has a .86 ERA with a 35-7 record and 454 strikeouts in 294 innings pitched. If the Huskies win, it will be the second Washington women’s national championship title this year (the first was cross country). Look for Lawrie to carry her team deep into the tournament. Grade: A
Photo Source: Seattle Times
Time: 6:30
TV: Kong 6
So I looked at the schedule this week for the Sounders and it was a little disappointing when I saw that they were playing away from home for the second week in a row. Last week, the Sounders tied the last place team in the league 1-1, which gave the Sounders their third draw in a row. This game left fans pondering when their team would finally start to play like the successful team they were earlier in the season. Colorado is coming off of a 1-1 draw against the New England Revolution.
Initially, when looking at Colorado and their record I see that they are in the middle of the pact meaning that they must be OK. However looking more closely, it is apparent that they have had the hardest schedule to start the season. With a +2 goal differential against all these teams, they are actually really good. Colorado has an offensive style of play centering the offense through Connor Casey and Omar Cummings who together have a combine total of 44 shots, 4 assists and 7 shots. These two forwards should be tough to defend for the Sounders defenders if they don't bring their top game. In the back field Colorado is a not as good and is a little unpredictable. Colorado commits many fouls, creating a lot of opportunities for the opposing team to score.
The Sounders have recently been hit with a string of injuries and suspensions that have caused some trouble in finding their true offense. Last week Steve Zakuani was very impressive creating opportunity after opportunity, however these opportunities were not executed upon. One explanation could be Ljungberg's migraine. This week Ljungberg is going to be back in the lineup along with James Riley who was out last week as well.With all starters back this week, it should serve as good look at the Sounders of the beginning of the season,
I believe with all starters back and Steve Zakuani creating countless opportunities from the wing, the Sounders will win 2-1. Let's hope they come out strong and play smart because I'm tired of going down to 10 players in a game.
Go Sounders!!
no comments
TV: Kong 6
So I looked at the schedule this week for the Sounders and it was a little disappointing when I saw that they were playing away from home for the second week in a row. Last week, the Sounders tied the last place team in the league 1-1, which gave the Sounders their third draw in a row. This game left fans pondering when their team would finally start to play like the successful team they were earlier in the season. Colorado is coming off of a 1-1 draw against the New England Revolution.
Initially, when looking at Colorado and their record I see that they are in the middle of the pact meaning that they must be OK. However looking more closely, it is apparent that they have had the hardest schedule to start the season. With a +2 goal differential against all these teams, they are actually really good. Colorado has an offensive style of play centering the offense through Connor Casey and Omar Cummings who together have a combine total of 44 shots, 4 assists and 7 shots. These two forwards should be tough to defend for the Sounders defenders if they don't bring their top game. In the back field Colorado is a not as good and is a little unpredictable. Colorado commits many fouls, creating a lot of opportunities for the opposing team to score.
The Sounders have recently been hit with a string of injuries and suspensions that have caused some trouble in finding their true offense. Last week Steve Zakuani was very impressive creating opportunity after opportunity, however these opportunities were not executed upon. One explanation could be Ljungberg's migraine. This week Ljungberg is going to be back in the lineup along with James Riley who was out last week as well.With all starters back this week, it should serve as good look at the Sounders of the beginning of the season,
I believe with all starters back and Steve Zakuani creating countless opportunities from the wing, the Sounders will win 2-1. Let's hope they come out strong and play smart because I'm tired of going down to 10 players in a game.
Go Sounders!!
no comments
By: Ronaldinho Hendricks
After an infuriating tie last week against the L.A. Galaxy the Sounders looked to take maximum points from this week’s game against FC Dallas. Dallas, who is last in the league, has only won one game this season and has suffered two consecutive losses. Despite missing Ljungberg to illness and Riley to suspension the Sounders traveled to Dallas with a very capable squad, including Montero recently returning from suspension.
The game began with much of the rhythm in Seattle’s favor. In the 16th minute, birthday boy and defender Jon Kennedy Hurtado scored by chipping Dallas’ keeper after a poor clearance. But not long after, the Sounders lost their spark. There was little flow in the midfield, there were poor touches on the ball, and often the defense was suspect. In stoppage time at the end of the first half, Dallas equalized.
The score remained 1-1 as the Sounders missed several opportunities and Brad Evans was taken off for what appeared to be a very painful and possibly serious knee injury. Dallas however picked up their game and nearly scored at several instances. This match begs the question; what is being done to get the Sounders back in their opening week form? no comments
After an infuriating tie last week against the L.A. Galaxy the Sounders looked to take maximum points from this week’s game against FC Dallas. Dallas, who is last in the league, has only won one game this season and has suffered two consecutive losses. Despite missing Ljungberg to illness and Riley to suspension the Sounders traveled to Dallas with a very capable squad, including Montero recently returning from suspension.
The game began with much of the rhythm in Seattle’s favor. In the 16th minute, birthday boy and defender Jon Kennedy Hurtado scored by chipping Dallas’ keeper after a poor clearance. But not long after, the Sounders lost their spark. There was little flow in the midfield, there were poor touches on the ball, and often the defense was suspect. In stoppage time at the end of the first half, Dallas equalized.
The score remained 1-1 as the Sounders missed several opportunities and Brad Evans was taken off for what appeared to be a very painful and possibly serious knee injury. Dallas however picked up their game and nearly scored at several instances. This match begs the question; what is being done to get the Sounders back in their opening week form? no comments
Game Time: 5:30
TV: Kong 6
The Sounders are coming off of a 1-1 draw against LA Galaxy which still leaves them undefeated in their last 4 games, including the US Open Cup play-in game. FC Dallas has not been as lucky this season with the worst record in the MLS (1-6-1) after a 1-0 loss last week to in-state rival, Houston Dynamo.
FC Dallas has not had too much to brag about with a 1-6-1 record. They do however have one very explosive forward in Kenny Cooper who has scored a total of 4 goals all season, but other than that Dallas is weak. They have allowed a total of 15 goals all season and only 3 other people have scored, but only 1 goal.
Seattle last week fought hard after some suspect officiating, another red car this time to James Riley (sorry Kevin), and just being down a player. This seems to be a reoccurring problem for the Sounders in that ever week someone different gets a red card, and we can never finish the game with all 11 guys.
This will be something that Sigi is probably emphasizing to his guys to play smart. There were some good things I saw last week though in the speed and pure hustle from our attack which if Montero returns will need to keep up. On the flip side though after these attacks we were slow to come back resulting in a lot of opportunities for the opponents which will need to change tomorrow.
This will be something that Sigi is probably emphasizing to his guys to play smart. There were some good things I saw last week though in the speed and pure hustle from our attack which if Montero returns will need to keep up. On the flip side though after these attacks we were slow to come back resulting in a lot of opportunities for the opponents which will need to change tomorrow.
This game should not be tough for the Sounders if we play our game. I see the Sounders coming out and winning 2-0 against this weak team. Hopefully we won't overlook them.
Go Sounders!!
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One of my friends that had season tickets invited me to come along. I jumped on the opportunity and went to the game with an open mind. Walking to the stadium kind of gave me flashbacks to my first Seahawks game.
The Sounders game day environment like the Seahawks game day environment is way different from going to a Mariners, Husky football, or Husky basketball game. I never knew people could get so hyped up for a soccer game. My friend remarked that the game day environment was just as crazy before the Sounders joined the MLS.
But he said, the fan base and the fan environment is on a whole different level now. Unfortunately I didn't have any Sounders gear, but my friend lent me one of his trendy Sounders scarves. It seems like these scarves are the equivalent of a baseball cap at a Mariners game. EVERYONE had one. We made it in time for the Golden Scarf ceremony (I still don't get what that is), but people seemed excited so I just clapped and smiled acting like I knew what the heck was going on.
I enjoyed the PA announcer. He wasn't like Tom Hutyler (M's PA announcer), but a guy with a British accent. I almost felt like I was at a Quidditch Match (whatever that feels like). Anyways, the pre-game player introductions were pretty epic and the crowd was just so into the game before it even started. Eventually the game started and I stood along with everyone else to watch the game for 45 minutes.
I didn't think I was going to be able to stand for that long, but it really wasn't a big deal at all. This was WAY better than watching it on TV. The seat I was in was one of the best seats of the house*. I'm not going to try to preach any ground-breaking analysis, as I was asking my friend a question like every 10 seconds about the different strategy and the way the game was going all throughout the game.
Thankfully my friend didn't get sick of me. Frankly, I was really surprised on how involved the crowd could get despite there not being so many goals scored. But, the anticipation that collectively builds among everyone watching is a cool thing. Every missed shot on goal was wrenching and collective, "Damn its, shoot, crap". I loved it.
For once, the fans at a sporting event were actually WATCHING the game. Soccer is not a passive sport to watch, unless you watch it on TV. Unlike baseball, football, or basketball, there are ZERO breaks in between the action. I think you'd be crazy to leave to go to the bathroom. I wasn't in a million years going to leave my seat and lose the possibility of seeing the Sounders score a goal. Speaking of goals, it is probably one of the best feelings to feel when your team scores a goal. The Sounders scored two this game. And it felt good!
Overall, it's amazing of what a change of heart a person can have. That's why you always have to be open to things no matter how much your pre-conceived notions may motivate you. P.S. my favorite player? James Riley!
photo source: [soundersfc]
*Tickets are cheap! You could get decent seats for $30...that's a good good deal in my opinion. no comments
By Ronaldhino Hendrix
On a rare sunny Mother’s Day in Seattle, the Sounders faced the LA Galaxy in a match that can only be described with one word, frustration. After an early goal from Sebastien Le Toux, the Galaxy equalized with a header from Gordon. The game only got more enraging as time passed with several non-calls from the referee.
One in particular was a foul on Nate Jaqua inside L.A.’s box late in the first half and no penalty shot was given. The worst however, came in the second half when defender James Riley was sent off for participation in a fight that was incurred after a Galaxy player refused to give a ball up for a Sounders free kick. Coach Sigi Schmid was quoted as saying, “I’m very disappointed in the ejection and I’m disappointed in the refereeing".
The Sounders were then forced to hammer out the remainder of the game with ten men and the ensuing result was a 1-1 tie. The Sounders still sit in second place but some wins would definitely heal some of the bruises of this match. no comments
On a rare sunny Mother’s Day in Seattle, the Sounders faced the LA Galaxy in a match that can only be described with one word, frustration. After an early goal from Sebastien Le Toux, the Galaxy equalized with a header from Gordon. The game only got more enraging as time passed with several non-calls from the referee.
One in particular was a foul on Nate Jaqua inside L.A.’s box late in the first half and no penalty shot was given. The worst however, came in the second half when defender James Riley was sent off for participation in a fight that was incurred after a Galaxy player refused to give a ball up for a Sounders free kick. Coach Sigi Schmid was quoted as saying, “I’m very disappointed in the ejection and I’m disappointed in the refereeing".
The Sounders were then forced to hammer out the remainder of the game with ten men and the ensuing result was a 1-1 tie. The Sounders still sit in second place but some wins would definitely heal some of the bruises of this match. no comments
Game Time: 12:00pm
TV: KONG
The Sounders are coming off a come from behind draw against the Chicago Fire. What was more amazing about this feat is that they scored the equalizing goal with only 10 players because of red card given to Freddy Montero. LA is coming off of a draw as well against Real Salt Lake. LA is coming into this game without international player David Beckham, who is with AC Milan until June, this is a little dissapointing for me because even though he is getting older and he is not in his prime I still would have liked to see him play.
TV: KONG
The Sounders are coming off a come from behind draw against the Chicago Fire. What was more amazing about this feat is that they scored the equalizing goal with only 10 players because of red card given to Freddy Montero. LA is coming off of a draw as well against Real Salt Lake. LA is coming into this game without international player David Beckham, who is with AC Milan until June, this is a little dissapointing for me because even though he is getting older and he is not in his prime I still would have liked to see him play.
The LA Galaxy has been ok on the road this season with 3 ties in 3 games, so they are not to be taken lightly because they can bring intensity away from their home pitch.Their biggest weapon is forward Landon Donvan who has scored 5 goals all season. He seems to be very similar to McBride (Forward for Chicago) in that he keeps his team alive in games and actually started along side McBride for the Men's National Team.
The Galaxy's defense is very similar to Chicago's in that they seem to have moments where they just let down, and this has been their killer all season. I do though see the Galaxy's defence as a little better than Chicago's.
The Galaxy's defense is very similar to Chicago's in that they seem to have moments where they just let down, and this has been their killer all season. I do though see the Galaxy's defence as a little better than Chicago's.
Sounders this week will be playing without Freddy Montero this week because, as I mentioned earlier, he got a red card and has a one game suspension. I do not though see this as that big of a problem for the Sounders as Keller's one game suspension. Montero through the last few games has really shown a lot more than his first few games, but what he has shown is not good.
He has shown that he is slow, doesn't have great fitness and keeps the ball to long which kills attacks. This week I'm glad to see him sitting, and hope to see Le Toux up front with Jaqua. LeToux showed a lot in the Sounders first Open Cup play-in game, against Real Salt Lake, where he scored 2 times and assisted the other 2 goals. This should make for a more fast paced game to watch.
He has shown that he is slow, doesn't have great fitness and keeps the ball to long which kills attacks. This week I'm glad to see him sitting, and hope to see Le Toux up front with Jaqua. LeToux showed a lot in the Sounders first Open Cup play-in game, against Real Salt Lake, where he scored 2 times and assisted the other 2 goals. This should make for a more fast paced game to watch.
Keys to the Game:
-Tempo up front
-Shutting down Landon Donovan
-Bring the intensity from the end of the previous game to this game
I think that with a more fast paced game against the Galaxy Defenence we will see a lot more shots resulting in more goals. The Galaxy should make it close, but I see the Sounders winning 3-2.
Go Sounders!!
no comments
Time: 5:30
TV: Kong 6
After a great comeback game for Kasey Keller, a breakout performance for Steve Zakuani, and a nice 2-0 win against San Jose the Sounders are facing the Chicago Fire at Chicago. Chicago is coming off of a 2-2 draw against the Columbus Crew after a major let down and allowing 2 goals in the closing minutes of the game.
Chicago this year is actually undefeated. Now it may not be what you are thinking with a 6-0-0 season, no they are actually 2-0-4. Chicago has the most high powered offense scoring the most goals of any team with 12 goals. Their deadliest player is Brian McBride who has scored 5 goals and was voted Player of the Month for April. That will be the key to the Sounders victory in containing McBride. The problem though with Chicago's game is their slow defense that has allowed 12 goals all season which has been the reason that they have tied so many games.
The Sounders looked strong last week with very minimum mistakes and even if a mistake was made there was always someone to back them up. Anchoring the defense was the strong return of Keller making 5 saves and kept his shutout streak at 385 minutes. This week though the defense will need to step up and have another great game. On the offensive end it seems that Zakuani really helped with his youthful speed and touch, but the question is what has happened to Montero. Montero has hit a slump and hasn't scored since week 2, and he also seems to be holding the ball for to long and sometimes slowing down our attack. I think he needs to pass it a little bit more and sooner before he gets 2 or 3 defenders on him. This will free him up more getting better shots and scoring more often.
Keys to the game:
-Freddy Montero getting back on track.
-Defense controling Brian McBride and not letting him get open shots.
-Kasey Keller presence (Ever since seeing him gone for two games and the Sounders being on their heels for most of the game he is now always a key to the game)
My prediction this week is that the Sounders offense will be able to take advantage of Chicago's weak defense, we will see Chicago's first loss, but we will also see the first goal allowed by Kasey Keller. The goal will probably come from his former teammate, from the Men's National Team, Brian McBride. I see the Sounders winning 3-1.
Go Sounders!! no comments
TV: Kong 6
After a great comeback game for Kasey Keller, a breakout performance for Steve Zakuani, and a nice 2-0 win against San Jose the Sounders are facing the Chicago Fire at Chicago. Chicago is coming off of a 2-2 draw against the Columbus Crew after a major let down and allowing 2 goals in the closing minutes of the game.
Chicago this year is actually undefeated. Now it may not be what you are thinking with a 6-0-0 season, no they are actually 2-0-4. Chicago has the most high powered offense scoring the most goals of any team with 12 goals. Their deadliest player is Brian McBride who has scored 5 goals and was voted Player of the Month for April. That will be the key to the Sounders victory in containing McBride. The problem though with Chicago's game is their slow defense that has allowed 12 goals all season which has been the reason that they have tied so many games.
The Sounders looked strong last week with very minimum mistakes and even if a mistake was made there was always someone to back them up. Anchoring the defense was the strong return of Keller making 5 saves and kept his shutout streak at 385 minutes. This week though the defense will need to step up and have another great game. On the offensive end it seems that Zakuani really helped with his youthful speed and touch, but the question is what has happened to Montero. Montero has hit a slump and hasn't scored since week 2, and he also seems to be holding the ball for to long and sometimes slowing down our attack. I think he needs to pass it a little bit more and sooner before he gets 2 or 3 defenders on him. This will free him up more getting better shots and scoring more often.
Keys to the game:
-Freddy Montero getting back on track.
-Defense controling Brian McBride and not letting him get open shots.
-Kasey Keller presence (Ever since seeing him gone for two games and the Sounders being on their heels for most of the game he is now always a key to the game)
My prediction this week is that the Sounders offense will be able to take advantage of Chicago's weak defense, we will see Chicago's first loss, but we will also see the first goal allowed by Kasey Keller. The goal will probably come from his former teammate, from the Men's National Team, Brian McBride. I see the Sounders winning 3-1.
Go Sounders!! no comments
Game Time: 7:30
TV: King 5
The Sounders return to Seattle this week after a 2-0 loss to the hands of Chivas USA. They will be facing off against the 1-2-2 San Jose Earthquakes who are coming off of a 1-1 tie at home versus the Galaxy. This match is between the two newest clubs in the league, but for these two clubs this is a rivalry dating back to the NASL (North American Soccer League). The NASL was the very first soccer league in the US containing 41 different teams through its 16 years of existence. These two teams also met in the preseason with San Jose coming out on top with a 3-2 victory, but these two teams have changed a lot from that preseason meeting.
San Jose has had a rough start this season facing off against the top teams in the league starting off against New England, Chicago and Los Angeles. The losses have not come at the expense of the offense of San Jose which has scored a total of 7 goals with two players with two goals each. If the offense is not the problem then there is only one answer: the defense. The San Jose defense has allowed 65 total shots with 30 shots on goal resulting in 9 goals allowed. The question is will Freddy and Freddie be able to take advantage of this.
Sounders are coming back to Seattle this week returning Kasey Keller to the lineup. Kasey Keller returns with 299 consecutive shutout minutes and looks to continue that streak. With the rock of our defense back the Sounders will have to concentrate on the offensive attack and expose those flaws in the San Jose defense. I think what the Sounders should do is replace Le Toux on the wing for Rookie Steve Zakuani who showed excellent footwork and crossing ability last game when he entered into the game as a substitute, and this would help the attacking ability of the Sounders.
Keys to the Game:
-The presence of Kasey Keller in goal and how he responds after his suspension.
-Pressuring the weak San Jose defense and just getting shots off plain and simple.
If the Sounders are able to do this I see the Sounders returning to form, in front of another sold out crowd, to win 2-0.
Go Sounders!! no comments
TV: King 5
The Sounders return to Seattle this week after a 2-0 loss to the hands of Chivas USA. They will be facing off against the 1-2-2 San Jose Earthquakes who are coming off of a 1-1 tie at home versus the Galaxy. This match is between the two newest clubs in the league, but for these two clubs this is a rivalry dating back to the NASL (North American Soccer League). The NASL was the very first soccer league in the US containing 41 different teams through its 16 years of existence. These two teams also met in the preseason with San Jose coming out on top with a 3-2 victory, but these two teams have changed a lot from that preseason meeting.
San Jose has had a rough start this season facing off against the top teams in the league starting off against New England, Chicago and Los Angeles. The losses have not come at the expense of the offense of San Jose which has scored a total of 7 goals with two players with two goals each. If the offense is not the problem then there is only one answer: the defense. The San Jose defense has allowed 65 total shots with 30 shots on goal resulting in 9 goals allowed. The question is will Freddy and Freddie be able to take advantage of this.
Sounders are coming back to Seattle this week returning Kasey Keller to the lineup. Kasey Keller returns with 299 consecutive shutout minutes and looks to continue that streak. With the rock of our defense back the Sounders will have to concentrate on the offensive attack and expose those flaws in the San Jose defense. I think what the Sounders should do is replace Le Toux on the wing for Rookie Steve Zakuani who showed excellent footwork and crossing ability last game when he entered into the game as a substitute, and this would help the attacking ability of the Sounders.
Keys to the Game:
-The presence of Kasey Keller in goal and how he responds after his suspension.
-Pressuring the weak San Jose defense and just getting shots off plain and simple.
If the Sounders are able to do this I see the Sounders returning to form, in front of another sold out crowd, to win 2-0.
Go Sounders!! no comments
By: Ronaldinho Hendricks
Last weekend the Sounders took the unfortunate fall against Chivas 2-0. The game’s result had four central causes: Freddy Montero’s success has gone to his head and in the game he tried to be fancy rather than efficient, Nate Jaqua has not been not showing the adequate skills needed to compete at the highest level regardless of his work rate, Sebastian Le Toux is starting over Zakuani, and most importantly the absence of Keller, who leads the team and keeps the back organized.
I believe that if changes are made by Schmid to fix these problems the Sounders will get back on track. And of course we’ll have Keller to bring back the force of the team as well. This next match against San Jose will be vital to keep in the top three. no comments
Last weekend the Sounders took the unfortunate fall against Chivas 2-0. The game’s result had four central causes: Freddy Montero’s success has gone to his head and in the game he tried to be fancy rather than efficient, Nate Jaqua has not been not showing the adequate skills needed to compete at the highest level regardless of his work rate, Sebastian Le Toux is starting over Zakuani, and most importantly the absence of Keller, who leads the team and keeps the back organized.
I believe that if changes are made by Schmid to fix these problems the Sounders will get back on track. And of course we’ll have Keller to bring back the force of the team as well. This next match against San Jose will be vital to keep in the top three. no comments
