Fantastic performance!

Great game from FCD. Sure, Kljestan was missing, but no Toja or Ricchetti surely made it even.

If this level of play continues or improves, I think I’d most like to see the front office resign Cooper and Ricchetti instead of going after someone else. The best cure for low attendance is winning, and I’m sure the spice boys would back me up on that.

Funny that the official scorer doesn’t count Ante Razov’s shot off the post as “on goal”. That seems like the very definition of “on goal”… not over the goal or in the goal but directly onto the the goal.

i thought it was a sloppy win…but a good win, nonetheless. my big concern continues to be blake wagner and his poor run of turnovers. everytime he had the ball, it felt like something bad was going to happen. he put our defense in a few bad positions after giving away balls. wags needs to hurry up or put brek in the game sooner.

i thought davino had an outstanding game. he defended very well when chivas countered. he was left hung out to dry a few times, but did the best he could.

Very good early win. No sympathy for their injuries…we were also missing two of our best.

Quills, I used to think hitting the post or crossbar would count as a shot on goal, but learned otherwise. And I guess logically, if it bounces out, it wasn’t going in.

Agreed that Wagner still looks too shaky out there. Our only obvious weakness, actually…our two subs for Toja & Ricchetti played very well.

As unstable as Blake Wagner was yesterday, Brek Shea came in and showed exactly why Wanger is starting currently.

Brek was totally clueless out there and got “schooled” (Dave Dir’s word, not mine) by Chris Pozniak of all people. That lesson led to the cross that Razov banged off the post. I’m sure someone will blame that on the travel, but he only played 6 minutes or so.

I like what I’m seeing from our triple D defense…Drew, Duilio and Dario. I don’t mean to leave out Adrian but his name doesn’t start with a “D”. I guess we could call him aDrian.

Also of note was the way Saragosa slows down the transition game for us. A solid defender and clogs the center of the park, but does not offer much in the attack buildup or passing vision.

It really makes you appreciate and miss Pablo being out there….get well soon!

You might want to double check last year’s results. The team had three straigh shut outs in late June and early July against Colorado, Houston and Chivas.

Wye,

You’re correct. I intended to write “clean sheet wins”. That one against Houston was a tie. Thanks for the correction.

Quills – Cai is right…a shot can only be counted as “on goal” if it goes in or gets saved by the defending team. A shot that hits the post or crossbar without being deflected by the goalkeeper or defender and does not cross the goal line is not a shot on goal.

Right on Twotone. I was uncomfortable with Wagner all night long, until Brek came on. Shea made Wagner look like Frank Ribery.

Pablo is my favorite Toro (just can’t use Hoops anymore), but It is so awesome to have a guy like Saragosa to come in when Pablo can’t go. I would not want him to be a starter every week, but to spot start or to sub in to help lock down a lead is a perfect role for him. Sure hope that Green Card arrives soon. I would hate to loose him to clear an SI spot.

brek only played a few minutes. so, if he makes a mistake, it can be magnified. as i mentioned earlier, it would’ve been nice to see brek earlier in the game so he could get into the flow of the game. at least we know brek will get chippy out there (yellow card). i wouldn’t mind seeing brek get the start thursday after a short turnaround week for us.

Don’t believe Brett, Ibby or Wallace will be available for a while now. They were only available Sunday because their U20 team was meeting in LA.

I was one of the throng calling for Brek over Wagner. I’m glad Brek got some P-time but he’s got a ways to go.

I still would like to see Dax more central and Rocha out wide.

Pegasus, the 3 went with the u20s to Portugal to play in a mini-round robin tournament. They played 3 games over there from Monday-Friday and flew back to the US all day long Saturday. I think they went to NYC and then on to LA late Saturday night. I think thats it for them for the u20s this time around.

I don’t usually respond to blogs, but feel compelled to do so this time. I also just responded to the same fans on FCD’s blog also. This is a late response, I have been traveling, sorry. I was at the game Saturday. I am a professional coach and I was with other coaches and friends. We highly disagree with the comments regarding Blake Wagner. I feel he actually had a good night, was very stable getting more and more dangerous and has been playing very well. I record all the games and have watched this one again and still feel the same. The commentators felt the same too if you listen to their evaluations of Blake at the end of the first half and when he was substituted. They said he was very influential and had a great game. I agree. He is getting forward more often, more aggressive, and had a nice header that just missed. He is definitely getting into the mix. He is not afraid to take players on, has good foot work and his defense has been good and getting better each week. No one has scored on him yet and he has played all of 4 minutes. I have watched Blake for years and know what an excellent player he is and he deserves to be and should remain part of the starting 11. He is by far your best selection for that position. He had a couple of misses but the pluses were far, far more. He didn’t have anymore mistakes then anyone else on the pitch. You have to remember he is coming off a sports hernia operation and was down the whole off season. And needs time to completely return to his best as a number of other players in the league are doing. He is also playing a position he has not played for 3-4 years. So understanding that I am very pleased with his performance and know Steve recognizes his many talents also. He recruited him. I feel if he is given the change, he will be one of your better players for many years. All of my friends and I at the game like to see a good young player like Blake get acknowledgement for their good effort and play and not just tore down for a few small errors. That is not a good way to support and help promote good players. We all wish him good luck and want him to know we believe in him and support him.

“Gene Sports”. Are you a cousin to the fake Guy Sports from 1310 The Ticket?
I actually agree with you on Blake. I’ve always liked him, dating back to the U17 WC when the entire Italian squad went chasing after him after the game. I don’t think, however, he’s been faultless in the goals we’ve surrendered. But I’m willing to chalk that up to youth. If he learns from it, he and FCD will be better in the long run. I think it’s a clear case of confidence. Buzz has always cited that Blake has the physical tools but that the mental tools needed improvement. I think from game 1 to game 4 has beared witness to that development.

Gene,
We are all FC Dallas fans here and we want all of the players on the team to succeed. We show our support and cheer them on at the matches and by taking the time to read about them and discuss them when and where we can. (With the coverage of soccer in the U.S. being what it is, that usually means on-line blogs). These blogs are the modern equivalent of old timers sitting around a coffee shop discussing why Mantle is better then Maris. No personal offense should be taken by either the players or those close to them.
For the record, I agree with you that Blake needs to be given more time, and I think he can be a very good player in this league. But, he has been a little shaky so far and although no one has scored on him, a number of crosses have entered the box from his side of the field, especially in the Houston match.