Crew 1 - RBNY 0

Hey folks,

Let me start out by apologizing for not updating again as promised this past week. Things have been a little hectic, but after this weekend, my schedule evens out, and I will have literally more time on my hands than I know what to do with - depending on my work schedule, I will most likely have time to attend a practice or two in the coming weeks and do my best Walt Wheeler impression (no encroachment on your readership intended, friends at HPI!). But my plans and scheduling issues aren't what you're here to read about, so on we go...

It really is a great time to be a Crew fan. I'd like to point out that, since I've started this blog, the Crew have yet to lose a game. In fact, they've won all three. I guess a massive club like the Crew just needed that extra little media reinforcement that I, fortunately, am able to provide. Self-centric kidding aside, this is really the best I've felt about this team for a VERY long time. After the New England game and the Kansas City game, I felt like the next two games would be the crucial point in the Crew's season, and now that those two games have come to pass in the form of victories, I now publicly declare my belief that the Crew are actually on a roll. Earlier in the season, we saw some good play from the Crew, but through a lack of finishing and some other problems, the W-Column was looking pretty short. Are the Crew actually playing better now? Maybe slightly, but most importantly, they are playing with confidence, and seem to have survived the infamous "gel time" to finally generate some goals, and, if tonight's game is any example, the defense looks back to its best as well.

Moving on to the specifics of the game, I thought it was a good effort by the Crew, although I don't believe it was quite the monumental smackdown that the good denizens of BigSoccer believe it to be. The Crew played well, and created a lot of opportunities, mostly from corner kicks and crosses, but with the final scoreline of 1-0, Sigi's boys could certainly have been made to rue some of the many missed chances that they had, but a good effort on the part of the Crew defense combined with a fairly impotent New York attack made sure that the Black and Gold got their third successive victory. If Kei Kamara had missed on his goal, and the game ended 0-0, I'm not entirely sure that the general populace would be writing epic poems about this performance (of course I know that people would be less happy with a draw, but I'm referring more about the performance itself and not necessarily the result). I'm happy with the way that the Crew is playing as of late, but they could be more than a good team (which they are), and if they are more clinical on their chances, they could certainly be a championship contender.

That being said, the defense certainly did themselves proud tonight. New York's attack was not the juggernaut that it has been in previous games, but even so, the defense did a good job in limiting Angel and Co.'s chances all night long. Hesmer was good when needed (which wasn't very often), and looks to have comfortably taken hold of the #1 keeper spot (which, if you read my last post, is fine by me). The defense was helped tremendously, however, by a magnificient performance from the Crew's defensive midfielders, who emphatically shut down Claudio Reyna's midfield throughout the whole 90 minutes. One of the things that made the defense so good in the Crew's start to the season was that the whole team contributed to the defense, and tonight was a good example of how the forwards and attacking midfielders can really help out their defense colleagues.

On the offensive end, it wasn't too bad, given Schelotto's absence. Thomas, in his first MLS action this season, defenitely showed some rust, but also made some good plays, and once he's back to total fitness, should definitely challenge for a starting position. Kamara was very active throughout his time in the game, and his goal was certainly well-taken. He also had a few opportunities where he should've done better, and one or two times where he probably should've crossed/passed instead of taken a shot, but is acquitted in my mind by his goal. Grabavoy looked pretty good out there, but, in my mind, hasn't really shown the ability to take control of a game and dictate his team's offensive play the way the best players of his position do (see Riquelme, Juan Roman), which is something that was made all the more imperative by Schelotto's absence. Ned is certainly a good player, but still has a fair amount to learn (I'll talk more about that in a later post). On the whole however, the offense was good in creating chances, but not quite as adept at finishing off those chances.

So, to wrap up, it was a good effort by the Crew tonight, and especially by the midfield. They showed several times that they could string some good passes together, and a solid defensive effort helps the Crew on the way to their third win on the trot (does anyone know where the hell that phrase comes from?). Having beaten two of the best teams in the league within a week's span, I feel damn good about this 2007 Crew team. I realize that this is the unofficial Team of Broken Dreams, but I'm going to enjoy this streak while I can, and hopefully it won't end anytime soon.

This time I PROMISE to make at least one post this week in addition to my analysis of the next two games. Thanks for reading all, and I'd appreciate any comments you have for me. If I don't start to get some feedback, I might assume that no one is interested in what I have to say, and I could stop writing, and we wouldn't want that, would we? (If you do, please let me know! I want some feedback!). So, on the subject of commenting, I will leave you with a question for you to answer in the spirit of Mascot Soccer: Who would win in a race - Sonic the Hedgehog, or the Road Runner?

Thanks again for reading!