Game Grades: Houston vs FC Dallas
October 2nd, 2007 . 7:44 am . By: Peter Welpton
Wow, a lot to discuss about Sunday’s embarrassment, and really, is there another word that better describes having to listen and watch Houston’s impressive contingent run master smack/chat for a dominating 3-0 win? It hurts to say it, but truth is that FC Dallas is Houston’s bitch, and they hold the papers on Pizza Hut Park. First, the Ruiz/Clark incident: This was the karmic cloud coming back to rain all over Carlos. Ruiz is a sneaky weasel who is infamous for taking the small cheap shot, flopping and doing what he needs to do to gain an advantage. It has worked well for The Fish until this season when it has become apparent that the league and opponents now fully know how to limit his effectiveness and his lack of production this season bares this out. That being said, if Ricardo Clark is allowed to play in another 2007 MLS match, it will be a shame. His reaction to whatever he thinks happened was simply the most violent moment in MLS history. It does not matter if Carlos even touched Clark, on purpose or accidental. Ricardo’s action is mutually exclusive of anything else and MLS should bring the pain, or they establish a precedent for any other player to kick anyone on the ground. Speaking of “kicking someone while they are down”, the Dynamo did exactly that, again, to Dallas Sunday with a 3-0 victory that left the Hoops struggling to explain how their season has gone from reaching for the Supporter Shield to the shameful fact that they mathematically could lose the next three and miss the playoffs. In fact, is losing the next three really that much of a reach? Away to Columbus and home to Chivas and KC. An argument could be made that FC Dallas will not win another MLS game in 2007 – the team’s form is just that bad. Morrow, who has lived on the support of the fans and some good roster decisions, at this point needs to shoulder a load of blame. Morrow’s purchase of Denilson not only has cost Hunt Sports Group $800K+, but has spun the team’s fragile chemistry into a terrible mix as he has jumbled up an already confusing formation hoping to find a way to fit in the Brazilian star. But we now know why a player with such a pedigree was available and willing to come play in MLS – because he stinks. To be fair, trying to fit in so late in a season would be tough for anyone. The knock on Denilson is that he isn’t trying very hard, plus his fitness and decision making are flat out horrible. Denilson isn’t the lone issue. There are problems and poor performances all over the field and it is hard to make a case that it can be fixed this late in the season. Ball watching defenders, no width in the attack, poor passing from the midfield and a formation that renders Ruiz generally worthless are all generalities that can be discussed to death. If Morrow benches Denilson he takes the right step to fixing things, but with Ruiz now out for a spell – trying to get a starting 11 to find form will be difficult. If the Houston debacle was hard to bare, just imagine the mental anguish that will arrive when Ramon Nunez and the Chivas machine roll into town and notch a win. Ramon may not be starting, but you know the “gloat” will be in full effect. GradesSala – 4 Subs: Houston Fans – 9 (outstanding stuff, even if you are a bunch of annoying dolts) 15 Comments Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI Leave a comment |
That picture is insane. What is that, half of Houston around him?
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
PETER WELPTON IS DENILSON GONNA MAKE $8OO,OOO ONLY FOR 9 GAMES THIS SEASON? IF IT IS LIKE THIS MORROW DID WORST THAN COLLIN CLARCK WHIT SHACKA. DENILSON IS JUST LOKING FOR MONEY HE IS NOT INTERESTED BEENG HERE NEXT SEASON HE DOASENT CARE LIKE HE SAID IS NOT THE AND OF THE WORLD. HI IS ARROGANT.
I’m not so sure the Houston fans deserve a 9. They broke 3 or 4 of our chairs and beat up a Dallas fan. It’s a shame that a couple assholes have to ruin it for an entire organization.
Most violent moment in MLS history, are we forgetting Sala’s punchout last year?
One more grade…
Referee – 0.5
It’s not 800k. That’s what the figure would have been if he’d played all season. His salary for 07 is pro-rated from that. Or so I have been led to believe… regardless, he seems less effective than Ricardinho, and to make matters worse, appears to have imprinted some of his bad habits on him.
Peter is rating the effort put intothe game by the Houstank fans. Definitely cannot fault them for their energy during the game.
and, if the Dallas fan you are talking aobut is the same one that I know of, he pretty much deserved it. Besides, he did not really get “beat up”; shoved around a bit though.
Sorry “Inferno” but it’s just sad when a visiting teams supporter group comes in and is louder and prouder than the home teams group. Also if it’s class you wanna talk about maybe you should stop doing stupid chants that involve the F word. I’ve had a chance to sit with both the Inferno and La Raza and La Raza was the better group.
Anyway, I think you’re waaaaaay off base by saying that Ruiz flopped in this game and got what he deserved. That’s bull crap. He was pushed twice by Robinson, and knocked down by Onstad once. Let’s not forget about the assault by Clark. We should have won this game 4-3 on PK’s alone. Not to mention that if we had a decent ref the guys play would probably have been much better. It was for the first half. I don’t think that anyone saw the effort from Serioux. He played his butt off. His butt actually fell off he played so hard and he gets a 4…I take a virtual dump on that notion.
Did you update the grades? . . . I thought they were lower earlier,when I first read the article, but that might have been my subconsious playing tricks on me . . . not that it matters. Just curious.
Time to forget this fiasco and move on.
That whole game sucked real bad, but at least I have a nice farmer’s tan now!
Sorry “Inferno” but it’s just sad when a visiting teams supporter group comes in and is louder and prouder than the home teams group. Also if it’s class you wanna talk about maybe you should stop doing stupid chants that involve the F word. I’ve had a chance to sit with both the Inferno and La Raza and La Raza was the better group.
How can you say they were prouder?!?! Where are these comments coming from anyway? I don’t see any mention of the Inferno above.
And, please Levi, tell us all why La Raza was “better”. I really would love to hear that.
Oh, and another thing, we don’t have any chants with the f-word (at least not ones that are “organized”).
wow that pic is great, no wonder we coulndt score.. even the attackers are defending… you know what is sad, we are playing in our home and even the houston fans seemed to be defending.. crazy shit… sorry im just dissapointed..
I meant no offense to you(or any of the Inferno) personally so please don’t take it as such. By better I mean in a pound for pound sort of way La Raza just seem to have a better attitude, more organized chants/songs and unless their cursing was in Spanish I heard none. The time we sat with them they had their whole family there and it was just a more friendly organized atmosphere. Whereas the times I have spent with the Inferno have involved much more anger, cussing, lack of orginization, and booze. Which is fine if that’s what you guys are all about; but that would definitely point to why your numbers have seemed to dwindle. Just an observation. Like I said though, I think you guys all seem to be cool guys so don’t take it personal.
“and, if the Dallas fan you are talking aobut is the same one that I know of, he pretty much deserved it. Besides, he did not really get “beat up”; shoved around a bit though.”
BOFA, wtf do you know?
If you call getting surrounded, kicked in the chest, punched in the face four times, and hit in the back of the head with a beer bottle, breaking skin just being “shoved around a bit” you’re crazy.
How can you say it was deserved when it was just chanting back and forth, until the one fatass decides to kick in the chest?