Steam Of Consciousness MLS Cup Report

Ronnie Ekelund with a sweet knuckling free kick from 22 yards in the 5th minute. 1-0 early for San Jose. Not what I expected at all.

Agoos helping out offensively, winning balls and making good passes.

Razov with a good free kick from 30 yards in the 9th. Onstad dives right and covers the low shot.

Fire uncharacteristically unable to hold in their own end. A little nervous, perhaps? That's what led to first goal.

11th minute, great through ball to Beasley on the left side. Beasley charges toward goal and lays ball off. Robinson breaks up the pass. Announcers saying B should have shot. What do they know? I think I've said this before, but I would pay a premium for a game feed that had crowd noise but no commentary. These guys think they're on radio, they talk so much. Less is more, guys. Listen to Martin Tyler sometime and learn.

Razov goes down in the 16th minute, gets up whining to the ref, waving his imaginary red card in the air. Anybody doing that should get carded themselves. Have some class. Dayak only gets a yellow, and Razov shows up Brian Hall, waving his arm and yelling right in front of him. Nice, Ante, very nice.

ABC just flashed a graphic telling us that this is Agoos' 6th MLS Cup. Wow. I know the guy has taken a lot of heat from National Team followers, but you gotta admit he's had an impressive career. Won a national title at UVA, and was a four-time All-American. Four MLS Cup wins. Played in two World Cups. Pretty good resumé, don't you think? Not the fastest guy to ever play defense, but good anticipation, the ability to win and distribute balls out of the back, and a very dangerous left foot.

One of Pat Onstad's first games in MLS featured an embarrassing howler that had people asking whether he was really a first team professional goalkeeper. I remember thinking at the time that mistake was not representative of his skills. The rest of the season proved this to be true. The Fire will have to be a little sharper in their finishing than they have in the first half to get past him.

The second San Jose goal looked like a prototypical Chicago goal. Beautiful through pass from Jamil Walker, followed by a precise finish from Landon Donavan. Jamil Walker has been on fire during the playoffs. He's raised his game at just the right time. 2-0 San Jose at the half?

Brian Hall calling a great match. He understands the advantage rule and passive offside. Class of the league's officials. He worked the World Cup and acquitted himself quite well.

Chicago comes right back and scores in the 49th minute. Almost a carbon copy of SJ's first (Chicago-esque) goal.

No matter, not 30 seconds after the ensuing kickoff, Mulrooney chases down a long ball on the right side, collects it in the box and drills a shot past Thornton and beats him to the far post! What a game. San Jose are indomitable. The Team of Destiny, the Boys of Autumn, The Cardiac Quakes. Take your pick.

If Chicago can make a game of this and not lose their heads, the last forty minutes will be even better than the SJ/LA Conference Final.

Eric Roner making a game of it for Chicago. Unfortunately he plays for San Jose, and heads in an own goal in the 53rd minute. Unreal.

Poor Eric Roner. Three minutes after giving up the own goal, he fouls Rookie-of-the Year Damani Ralph in the box and gives Chicago the tying penalty kick.

OR NOT! Onstad, the MLS Goalkeeper-of-the-Year, stuffs Razov, diving to his right. If you submitted this game as a movie script, you'd be laughed out of Hollywood. Too many cliches!

Razov just missing in the 58th. What a shot. Inches away from making me think I'm dreaming this game instead of watching it.

Jamil Walker goes off with a hamstring injury with 30 minutes left. DeWayne DeRosario, his replacement, has been here before. He hit the overtime winner in the 2001 Cup Final against the Galaxy. He's had a sore hamstring as well, but I'm betting he'll find a way to run hard for the last half-hour.

Dangerous free kick in the 69th minute. Williams kicks it into the wall, gets his rebound, and nearly wins a penalty kick. Brian Hall was right on it though.

Lagos out for Ian Russell in the 70th . Lagos is a great player, especially in the clutch, but he is getting older, and probably the decision to go with fresh legs is a wise one.

At the same time, Mapp in for Andy Williams for the Fire. I don't get that at all.

71st minute Donavan gets his second. DeRosario with the cross from the right side directly to Landon's foot. Chicago hadn't given up a goal in the playoffs thus far. Nobody, but nobody, would have thought they'd give up 4 in the final. Then again, nobody would have thought the Quakes would score five unanswered goals against the Galaxy to get here in the first place.

Oh MAN! Damani Ralph puts a perfect ball across the box and Razov misses a sitter. The only thing you can say about that is that it is uncharacteristic. He's missed a PK and a three footer today. This has been the most unlikely soccer game I've ever seen.

It's 4-2 with six minutes left. I'd save it is all over but the shouting, but that would be ignoring everything that's happened so far. I'll actually be shocked if the Fire DON'T tie it up, the way this day has been going.

It's over. San Jose win their second MLS Cup 4-2 over Chicago. I predicted the outcome, but never dreamed I'd see a game like this. Great googly-moogly.

Man I love this game.

Official MLS CUP FINAL Prediction:


San Jose will win 3-2 in overtime. The winner will be scored by either Landon Donavan or Manny Lagos. It will be a great game, with a big crowd, a decent TV audience, an annoying halftime show, and uninspiring commenatators.

Remember, fans, you heard it here first.

Soccer Haiku #4

San Jose, oh my!.
Keep scoring in overtime.
The Fire are quaking.

Wow.

Again with the overtime heroics. It looks like SJ are the team of destiny. They will beat Chicago next weekend, as improbable as that sounds. Trust me, you've seen my history with predictions already. It's a lock. Call your bookie, place your bet. It's a done deal (Disclaimer: the author is not responsible for economic calamity caused by following his advice).

I didn't actually watch this game. Love is like that ('nuff said). Thank goodness for MLS Wrap.

I am going to find a way to watch the final and keep my relationship intact, however. Really. I mean it.

In other news, my beloved Dallas Burn announced they're going back to the Cotton Bowl next season. I would have bet big money they weren't going to make this sensible and fan-friendly move. The front office and Mr. Hunt deserve kudos for this. They saved some money this season by going to Southlake, but enough was enough. It was a horrible place to play and watch soccer. The Frisco stadium groundbreaking is close to happening, we're back at the venerable CB until then, our horrible record this season has earned us some prime draft picks, we're getting a new coach, and we have an allocation coming. Things are looking up in Bid D.

I met Mr. Hunt, once, very briefly. For a billionaire, he is a marvelously unassuming, friendly and humble person. You can't really second guess his decisions, if you go by his history. He practically made the NFL what it is. His vision is keen, and his track record impeccable. I've heard Dallas fans complain that he's cheap, but I imagine you don't remain a billionaire by being loose with your money. Wait until MLS is an established American institution, then we can become spendthrift. I'm pretty happy he's calling the shots; we could do a lot worse. This man believes in American Soccer, and has the means to back up his vision. Can't beat that.

Okay, I'm wrong again. Chicago advances to MLS Cup 2003. I was right about the close part, though.

Chicago 1-0 New England. Chris (boy, am I glad he's healthy going into World Cup Qualifying) Armas in extra time.

More Playoff Thoughts and Bold Predictions

Well, if you missed leg 2 of the Galaxy/Earthquake series, you missed the best game in the history of MLS.

Already ahead 2-0 on aggregate, the Galaxy got off to a quick 2-0 lead within the first 20 minutes. The Earthquakes were in a position where they had to score 4 unanswered goals just to get the game to overtime, and 5 to win. That's nothing in a basketball game, not too big a deal in a baseball game, and somewhat problematic in American football. But in Soccer? It's unheard of. Almost unthinkable. No way, San Jose, if you will.

I actually switched to the Sunday night NFL game on ESPN at this point, thinking, as did everyone except the Earthquakes and their fans, that Katie had barred the door, the die had been cast, it was all over but the shouting, and the fat lady had sung.

Then someone on BigSoccer mentioned that San Jose had scored, so I switched back. I then saw the most amazing comeback I've ever seen in any sport. They leveled the score in the last minute, and won it in overtime. Not a single trash goal either. Quality every one. You can't even really say the Galaxy folded, it was more like they got swallowed by destiny, or met the proverbial irresistible force. It was magic. I'm not a San Jose fan, but now I've got to root for them to go all the way just so that incredible win won't go to waste.

I think Fox Sports World is going to re-air the game tonight (Friday 11/14). If you didn't see it, you must. If you saw it, watch it and soak up every glorious second again.

PREDICTIONS

I only picked one of the Conference Semifinals correctly. This is not surprising. I ain't exactly Kreskin here, folks. But neither have I any shame, so here we go again.


West: San Jose/Kansas City

Destiny Beckons. 'Nuff said. San Jose goes to the Cup Final.

East: Chicago/New England

I will boldly predict the upset. New England will surprise everyone, including, probably, Mr. Kraft, and take out the Fire in a very close game.

Random Impressions From The First Round Of The Playoffs

* Chicago had a reported crowd of 15,312 for the second leg against DC, but it looked and sounded like twice that many. Congrats to the Fire and their great fans.

* New England managed to make their soccer field look like a soccer field. Thanks to Mr. Kraft for giving that one small gift to his fans. An even bigger gift will be an MLS Cup, which looks entirely possible given their recent form.

* Pat Noonan may be the find of the year. The next American superstar?

* Maybe we've seen the last of Stoichkov. I hope so. Maybe he'll take Dema with him.

* My playoff picks were about as prescient as the "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline.

WITTY ONE-LINER OF THE DAY

Carlos Ruiz reminds me of Mikhail Baryshnikov.

No, not because his moves are graceful and athletic like the great dancer's. More because they both found success in their second careers as actors.