pro soccer

Dissecting the TFC-NYRB halftime kerfuffle

The video we have from the Toronto tunnel doesn’t tell us much. But let’s see what we can figure out:

0:17 — Is this a tent? It looks like footage from a wedding gone horribly wrong.

0:20 – Sacha Kljestan (NY No. 16) meanders into the frame along with phenom Tyler Adams (NY No. 4) and someone wearing No. 67, who is not identified on the Red Bulls roster. Is Adams old enough to be involved in this?

0:23 – Jozy Altidore (TFC) somehow is pushed back from the scene.

0:27 – A loud “Woooo!” Perhaps cross-promotion for the upcoming 30 For 30 on Ric Flair? (And yes, I’m embarrassed to recognize that sound.)

0:42 – How many people are in this tunnel? Bradley Wright-Phillips (NY) passes through like he’s just looking for the bathroom.

0:45 – Michael Bradley (TFC captain) is attempting to be the voice of reason with Jesse Marsch (NY coach) but is distracted by something behind him. Meanwhile, Toronto keeper Alex Bono wanders through as if to remind people not to mess with him because only goalkeepers can use their hands.

0:48 – Security guides Wright-Phillips away. Perhaps, as CCR once sang, there’s a bathroom on the right.

0:55 – Cameo appearances for NY’s Gonzalo Veron (No. 30) and Daniel Royer (No. 77).

0:56 – As Soccer America reported, Bradley appears to be yelling at Marsch, “Why are you here?” The rest of it appears to be directions to the visiting locker room. It’s been a while since I’ve been to BMO — are the tunnels that confusing?

1:00-1:45 – Some stereotypically polite Canadians have taken control and are trying to point the Red Bulls toward their locker room. Someone else is yelling the occasional f-bomb as if to deflate the notion of stereotypically polite Canadians.

1:45 – A kid who sounds like he’s about 7 years old yells, “This is OUR house!”

1:58 – A finger.

I still don’t know what Marsch was doing there.

 

soccer

MLS Week 6: How long can Red Bulls’ surge last before crash?

New York Red BullsThe New York Red Bulls needed just six games to match their win total (five) from last season. They’re on pace to finish 25-5-0 (75 points).

That’s not going to happen, of course. But what’s the upper limit for this team? Are they that good? Just on a hot streak? Just lucky?

It’s not that the Red Bulls were drastically overhauled. Ten of the 18 players who have seen playing time this year played last year, and a few more have been out of action for one reason or another. The newcomers are solid but not spectacular.

“We had 7 of the 11 players from last season in the first lineup,” new coach Hans Backe said in a small, candid postgame press conference Saturday in RFK Stadium’s tunnels after the Red Bulls beat D.C. United 2-0. “So something good has happened during the preseason. A key factor was in the preseason we went to Spain and started winning friendlies.”

Was fellow New York sportsman Yogi Berra right? Is 90 percent of it half mental?

Continue reading