FiftyFive.One

6 responses to “#SEAvMIN Open Game Thread”

1. 

   Alex Schieferdecker

   August 20, 2017

   There’s no way on earth that the Loons should win this game, which by the laws of MLS, means we’ll somehow come away with a victory.

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   1. 

      mumbleblade

      August 21, 2017

      It looked that way for a while – until strange decisions by the manager and our usual defensive sloppiness killed us as usual. I find it strange that after such a competitive performance away to the defending (and surging) champions, we would hear so many “Heath out” rumblings. Yet we do, and I find myself inclined to agree with them. Is this the usual post-match overreaction? Or are the flashes of competitiveness paired with bizarre game management sufficient evidence that Heath is holding us back?

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2. 

   nomadic loon

   August 20, 2017

   They’ve been playing soccer in Seattle since the late 1880s in Seattle/Northwest leagues. But when Seattle entered the NASL in 1974, the rest of America found out about the city’s love of the game. The Sounders became the first team to record a sellout (at Memorial Stadium). This was before Pelé entered the league. The unlikely opponent for that first sellout game in ’74 was the Philadelphia Atoms – a team that finished with a losing record and had no star players; and it was not the opener. When the Kicks entered the league in 1976, the Sounders were in the Kingdome and had 11 regular season matches (Kicks won 6) and 3 playoff matches (Kicks won 1) against each other. The Kick’s playoff win was our very first playoff game in 1976. They shutout the Sounders 3-0 in front of 41,405 at Met Stadium in Bloomington. The Sounders folded in in 1983, but the Seattle Storm replaced them the following year as an independent pro team. To fill out a schedule, they hosted their own soccer derbies including one called “Challenge ‘84” which featured the Sounders, Minnesota Strikers, Whitecaps, and Cosmos. The Strikers won the Seattle match 3-0.
   The Sounders were back as an A-League team and won the championship in 1995 and 1996. During the Thunder-Sounders era there were 35 meetings, Minnesota had 19 wins, 11 losses, and 5 draws. That includes 4 playoff matches (1998 & 2003) and a US Open Cup match (2003). Another notable match was possibly the only Thunder game at Macalaster College in 2000. (if anyone was at that game, it would be great to hear the recollection). The big attendance home game was 7,478 at NSC in 1998 (unusually high for a regular season game in the early Thunder years). The big attendance away game was 8,966 at Qwest Field for the Sounder’s 2006 opener.
   In 2009, the Sounders elevated to MLS and played one pre-season friendly against the Loons in 2015. That game was a 1-1 draw in Tucson, Arizona. And although we got clobbered in the first regular season game this year, in summary Minnesota vs Seattle: 27W-19L-6D. We still have the edge. Go Loons!

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3. 

   Ricky Ray Backhaus II

   August 20, 2017

   Is it just me or is Molino looking poor tonight. A lot of misplays and turnovers by him. Or is that how he always plays? I haven’t been able to see many games this year

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   1. 

      mumbleblade

      August 21, 2017

      That’s basically how he always plays. When he plays on the wing, he seems to balance the sloppiness with the occasional pinpoint pass or dribble move around a defender or two. When he plays centrally, as he did in this game, he is just brutally ineffective.

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      1. 

         mumbleblade

         August 21, 2017

         The manager seems to want more goals from Molino, his first (relatively) big-money signing – and rightfully so. That’s probably why he plays him centrally. They brought in a bunch of wingers this summer, so I presume the Molino-as-#10 experiment will continue through the end of the season, or until Heath gets the ax, whichever comes first.

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