OT; Sounders Playoffs!!!

[Logicallylethal]

After ending the season with a 7 game WINLESS streak and barely squeaking into the playoffs...the Sounders battled and won their knockout round (equivalent to a wildcard round in the NFL) 2 to 0 defeating the Colorado Rapids.

The score indicates an easy win, but it was an ugly hard fought victory. Sounders as usual start off fast but squander precious opportunities to score (Wide open Neagle header off the finger tips of the goalie, Dempsey long bomb barely sailing over the cross bar).

But then in the 27th minute they finally capitalize with a gorgeous brad evans goal. Perfect execution allowing the ball to bounce off his chest off the deflection right into his shooting motion placing it in the one corner the goalie couldn't get to.

1-0...crowd is hyped...i'm pretty drunk...

Game continues...sounders continue with attack after attack but fail to push the game to a 2-0 lead (Burke free kick bouncing right off the top post, Neagle shot in the box blocked by a clear hand ball...not called by the ref). But just as momentum is swinging our way....Michael Spurning (our goalie) makes a Chris Maragos like mistake by grabbing the ball outside of his goalie box...wtf spurning

That results in a red card...costing us to play a man down the rest of the game while hanging on to the slim slim 1-0 lead. And those final minutes were hang on for dear life time. Colorado sent all their offensive arsenal our way.

The Rapids very nearly score the equalizer on a couple opportunities but we continue to hang tough. Then finally in the 90th min...2 minutes into the stoppage time...Dempsey connects on a beautiful pass to Eddie Johnson...he jukes right then back left through the defenders leg and then flips the ball graciously over the goalie for the second and final goal to seal the playoff victory

Mayhem at the Clink ensues! What...a...game


Next up...the Portland Timbers this Saturday at the Clink again for the first leg. Second leg will be Thursday in Portland.

LETS GO SOUNDERS!

 

[Logicallylethal]

Eddie Johnson with the game sealing goal in the 90th minute!

Here's the link to all the highlights

Highlights: vs Rapids - Seattle Sounders Football Club

 

[Banned 10x]

I can't believe Gspurning did that. I coach a 14U soccer team and I've never seen a goalie at that age do anything close to that. Unbelievable.

 

[gowazzu02]

I can't believe Gspurning did that. I coach a 14U soccer team and I've never seen a goalie at that age do anything close to that. Unbelievable.

YEah Gspurning is a GMoron....

Way too many whistles and flopping last night for my liking, but alas thats soccer.

 

[kcden]

YEah Gspurning is a GMoron....

Way too many whistles and flopping last night for my liking, but alas thats soccer.

I can't find it in the highlights; what did Gspurning do?

 

[Logicallylethal]

Anyone going to the game this sat?

 

[dude82]

I'm not sure what happened to them for the last 6 weeks or so, but they picked a hell of a time to start going in the right direction again.

 

[Logicallylethal]

Section 109 Row L!

 

[WizardHawk]

I can't find it in the highlights; what did Gspurning do?

Colorado was moving down and he went outside of the 18y box to get the ball coming in and caught it. Automatic red card for touching the ball. He had enough time to wait for it to take a bounce and get it inside the box, but for whatever reason didn't pay attention to where he was. Absolutely frustrating mistake. You finally get your franchise goalie back and he totally puts your season in jeopardy with one of the dumbest mistakes I've seen in MLS.

Very lucky to have kept that win.

They better bring a lot more to the table today if they want to take the lead on leg 1 against the Timbers.

 

[dude82]

Colorado was moving down and he went outside of the 18y box to get the ball coming in and caught it. Automatic red card for touching the ball. He had enough time to wait for it to take a bounce and get it inside the box, but for whatever reason didn't pay attention to where he was. Absolutely frustrating mistake. You finally get your franchise goalie back and he totally puts your season in jeopardy with one of the dumbest mistakes I've seen in MLS.

Very lucky to have kept that win.

They better bring a lot more to the table today if they want to take the lead on leg 1 against the Timbers.

Gspurning has to sit this one out because of the red card, too, doesn't he? If he does, that makes it even worse. The game on Wednesday was close enough at the time that that mistake was made that it could have been a disaster for the Sounders. Luckily the offense tacked on another goal to win it more convincingly, but that could have been bad.

 

[WizardHawk]

Yeah, and he pretty much cost them the season with that stupid move. Only the second goal keeper in MLS history to get a red card in the playoffs and have to miss a game and because his dumb ass wasn't there we end up down 2-1 in the home leg. Sure, he will be back next game but it's too late really.

Between their last month of going winless and the dumbest move a goal keeper has made in MLS playoff history this is a sad ending to an otherwise great year for them.

 

[Logicallylethal]

Is it bad luck...or pure inability to finish opportunities?

Offensively the opportunities are ALWAYS there every game. Even during our losing streak. We are never dominated on the field. It's just the other teams capitalize on their opportunities and we always seem to squander them or have an unlucky bounce or tip

- Brad Evans shot outside the box wide right
- Dempsey free kick off the goalie's finger tips
- Dempsey free kick barely sailing over the cross bar
- Dempsey left footer inside the box wide left
- Dempsey header directly into the ground bouncing up deflecting off a defender just enough to sail over the goal post (no corner kick btw...eff you refs)
- Dempsey header in the final minutes struck really well but right into the arms of the goalie

The difference today...Timbers goalie Ricketts is one of the best in the game...our starting goalie Spurning is a dumbass...and our backup Hanhnamann can't stop a shot coming directly at him

...seriously everyone at the clink was scratching their head when that goal went in. The angle of the shooter he had no way of striking it in...yet somehow it deflects right off of the goalie as if he wasn't expecting a shot and it sails right in

I don't know what it is...but there's no explaining how someone as good as Dempsey can get off 5 shots on goal and not be able to score a single goal tonight! This is like Russell having Tate and Baldwin wide open for a td 5 times and missing all 5 times either over throwing it or having the ball tipped or dropped

I'm disappointed that we lost tonight but being able to score that goal in the 89th minute kept us alive for the second leg Thursday. We can still do this, we just need to execute and capitalize when the opportunities present itself

 

[Logicallylethal]

Even though we lost...the clink was rockin once again

 

[WizardHawk]

I'd say they have less than a 10% chance of winning the second leg by enough to move on. And you are right about that goal. Had Gspurning been on the field at worst that game ends in a 1-1 draw. His hand ball is the worst ending to a season in team history, and should be considered one of the worst in MLS history.

A team that hasn't been scoring well in over a full month has no real chance at winning on the road by 2 at one of their biggest rivals pitch when they have a goal keeper as solid as they have.

Dempsy hasn't been good at all since he joined the team. Call it out of sync or whatever you want, but one goal in as many games as he has been in isn't what we signed up for. He commands double and triple teams every time he has the ball so where is the adjustments on the offense to take advantage of having others uncovered who can take a quick pass and a score? I see a lot of others standing around or otherwise not moving into more open positions around him just watching what he does with the ball.

Adding new players during the season almost never works out as intended and this is another example. Next year after they have had time to gel and work on things as an offensive unit I would expect Clint to be a force in the league. Just too bad the season is ending this year as it is for this team.

 

[Logicallylethal]

I'd say they have less than a 10% chance of winning the second leg by enough to move on. And you are right about that goal. Had Gspurning been on the field at worst that game ends in a 1-1 draw. His hand ball is the worst ending to a season in team history, and should be considered one of the worst in MLS history.

A team that hasn't been scoring well in over a full month has no real chance at winning on the road by 2 at one of their biggest rivals pitch when they have a goal keeper as solid as they have.

Dempsy hasn't been good at all since he joined the team. Call it out of sync or whatever you want, but one goal in as many games as he has been in isn't what we signed up for. He commands double and triple teams every time he has the ball so where is the adjustments on the offense to take advantage of having others uncovered who can take a quick pass and a score? I see a lot of others standing around or otherwise not moving into more open positions around him just watching what he does with the ball.

Adding new players during the season almost never works out as intended and this is another example. Next year after they have had time to gel and work on things as an offensive unit I would expect Clint to be a force in the league. Just too bad the season is ending this year as it is for this team.

That's one of our biggest concerns...offensive spacing and fluidity...but i think in general that's a common problem with mls soccer overall. Offenses just aren't that good...players just don't know where to be...how to time passes...how to think three four moves ahead...and big stars like eddie johnson lack the basic ball skill to do something as simple as receive a pass and not have it deflect off his chest or foot 10 feet

Soccer is a game played in tight spaces so when someone is able to thread the needle and give you a pass where you have a lane to move forward you got to have the ball skill to receive it and turn up or make a move. Most of our guys receive the pass and it deflects off of them and the defender either recovers or out right steals it.

I think there is a lot of criticism with Dempsey and some of it is deserving. In many games he has tried to do too much, trying to leave his imprint on mls and make that big splash. But whenever he doesn't try too hard you can tell that he sees the field the best out of every player on our team. That goal to seal the game against Colorado in our knock out round was set up by Dempsey. And last night's game despite not scoring he had 5 shots on goal that was either saved or went slightly wide or over the post.

Maybe I'm more optimistic than others but I feel like we still have a good chance to win it this Thursday.