Only two significant football matches this weekend. Liverpool went down to Monaco yesterday to meet CSKA Moscow in the European Supercup and came home as the third club to win this trophy three times. Tonight Earthquakes hosted “Anakin” Donovan and his Galaxy for the second time since LD punked out in Germany and for the second time took all three points.
Silverware is silverware and a team can never build too many display cases, I say, and closer to home the win means the team that I nearly gave up for dead two months ago has taken a lead of eight and none points over 2nd place FC Dallas and 3rd place Galaxy respectively. Still early days in England but props to the Reds for coming out strong with dominant performances on all three Champions League qualifying rounds, not giving up a goal in the first two EPL games, as well as this latest triumph. Props to San Jose for not giving in to injury woes, taking advantage of rough patches by their rivals and establishing a lead that should see them through to a top seed in the playoffs at least until the Finals.
Yesterday’s goals came from or were made by an oddly forgotten man on Rafa Benitez’s bench, Djibrille Cisse, who shrugged off all the talk of a potential return by Michael Owen to score the equalizer in the last 10 minutes of normal time, the go-ahead goal just before the end of the first half of extra time and setting up the last, insurance score in the second half. True that his first should have been called back since he touched it down with a hidden left hand but, as they say, that’s why we have human refs and not machines.The second was a beauty and I missed the third because Tivo doesn’t automagically extend recordings of sports events that run long.
All three goals tonight came from players who used to, recently, play for the other side. SJ opened accounts off a throw in all the way to the goalmouth with a tasty header by Alejandro Moreno on a shoulder to shoulder challenge with LA keeper Kevin Hartman, turncoat Donovan squared 15 minutes later with a blast from 25 yards before anyone was looking for a hot and the winner came from centerback Danny Cailiff, heading in a corner. Other than LD’s goal, the Galaxy were really unable to breakdown the Quakes back line, with Pat Onstadt only called on to make two saves. A very chippy outing, most of the yellows going to LA, and the one given to us on Kelly Gray a bad call though overall we probably deserved one to someone.
Next Saturday San Jose travel to Dallas for a first look at Pizza Hut Park and what could be their new in-state rivals if recent rumors about the franchise question being settled with a move to Houston prove true; the same night the US Men host Mexico in the key showdown for first place in the World Cup qualifying round. Liverpool finally get a rest because in Europe, unlike MLS, CLUBS DO NOT PLAY WHEN THE NATIONAL TEAM DOES, and when they pick up in two weeks it’s right back to the grind of two games each week for three straight weeks: away to early season critical favorites Tottenham and Spain’s Real Betis (opening matchday of the CL group round), Manchester United, away to Birmingham and finishing with consecutive(!) home matches with Chelsea (one EPL and the next CL).
Yay us!
BillSaysThis 