STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS MATCH REPORT
Dallas v San Jose, 15 May 2004

Brad Davis started off the match doing the things everyone’s been complaining he doesn’t do enough of. Controlling the ball, beating people on the wing and getting in dangerous crosses and passes. Burn nearly score twice in the first minute.

Not that I’m superstitious or anything, but we’ve done much better when the opponent dominates the first five minutes. The one game where we came out guns blazing, well, that was last week, and we just don’t want to talk about that, do we?

Eric Quill could have had two goals in the first 10 minutes but for Pat Onstad.

Oh this is ugly. 14th minute. Donavan picks a loose ball just outside the box, draws two defenders, lays of to Mullan, who thumps the ball right off the post. The ball is drawn as if by magnetism to Donavans left foot. He traps, shoots and scores. We’ve got guys running into each other like they’ve just met.

Cory Gibbs is out injured this week. Coincidence?

Yet another yellow card for the Wicked Finn (I have decided arbitrarily and irrevocably that Valakari will henceforth be known as the Wicked Finn). I like this guy. A lot. He’s not dirty by any means, but man does he play with heart and intensity.

Brian Ching makes it 2-0 in first half stoppage time. Three guys bunched up on the wing get beat on a give and go by Mullan and Mulrooney, allowing the cross by Mullan, who hits Ching, who was marked, kinda, and who knocks it in from about two feet out. At least we can’t blame Southlake.

The second half doesn’t even begin, in my opinion, until Oscar and Jason come in the game at the 60 minute mark. The first 15 minutes were like a training session. I need to see some urgency here, some spark. This is getting depressing.

Just when I was getting close to despair (and by that I mean the 65th minute) Rhine hits a beauty of a cross from just outside the right side of the box, Onstad starts to come off his line, backtracks, and his fate was sealed. Eddie heads it down and heads it hard from about three yards out. Eddie was indeed the one who made the initial pass to Rhine on the wing, then hustled into position to take the goal. That’s what we want to see.

I’m starting to sense a little confidence in the boys. Ronnie tees up from about 30 yards out and forces Onstad into a sprawling save to his left.

Dangerous free kick from about 18 yards and one inch from the goal in the 70th. Kreis drills the free kick through the wall and only Ramiro Corrales’ save off the line keeps it from being the equalizer.

Jolley picks up a yellow in the 74th and the quakes get a free kick from about five yards outside the penalty area. Agoos hits a screamer with his lethal left foot. How Garlick stopped that shot without giving up a rebound I don’t know. Excellent work by both teams.

Nearly an eaqualizer in the 76th. Kreis bounces off Onstad as he goes for the cross by Rhine. Looks like it nearly broke him in half. Pat Onstad’s a big boy.

Good pressure, and a series of corners around the 79th minute. Jolley gets robbed by Onstad, who dives right to save the headed shot.

Behncke made an excellent run down the left side and just shot wide in the 85th. I for one would like to see him do that a LOT more.

Behncke’s run notwithstanding, nearly all of the trouble we’re giving San Jose tonight is coming from the right side. We’re unlucky not to have equalized at this point, with four minutes and stoppage time to go.

Bah.

Well, we didn’t equalize, but neither did we lay down and die, like last week against the Evil Galaxy. Why we stopped playing between minute 5 and minute 65 of this match, I don’t know, but for that 30 minutes we owned San Jose. Shame it’s a 90 minute game.

Well, like most Burn fans, I’m going to have a couple drinks now, and wonder about what happened tonight. Drive safely, everyone.