Sounders and Fire play to scoreless draw and some super sweet analysis

It is too damned hot right now. I'm in a basement unit and it's still 273 degrees. If that temperature were in Kelvin and not degrees celsius, it might be pretty cold right now. But it's not. So we can all agree on that, and that the ref for the game (Baldomero Toledo... what kind of name is that?) was an idiot. I'm sure I've seen equally poorly officiated games, but one thing I do know: it's been a long time since I saw a ref hand out as many cards as Baldo did for things other than dangerous play. At least three cards for dissent. You're a ref not a parent. It's a passionate game, people are going to yell at you. Develop some thick skin, and take some of the oil out of your hair.

Anyway... to the game. I'm glad to report to you that Montero played another amazing game. Granted he didn't score, but he was at the heart of nearly every single dangerous attacking opportunity. Each game that goes by, we're going to see the combination of Montero-Jaqua-Ljungberg gain more and more understanding and become more and more dangerous. It isn't quite the Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard combination... but who is. These guys are starting to link up very well. There were a number of plays in the first half where these three guys and one other (insert Alonso or Zakuani here) combined to create a great scoring chance. I'll say it again, if Montero leaves, we're really REALLY going to miss him. He did miss one golden opportunity to score, and hit the post on another... I'm just sayin'...

Ljungberg. He looks like he wants to be here again. In the middle of that awful streak earlier in the year when we were losing and tying and drawing red cards every game, Ljungberg looked like the last place he wanted to be was on an MLS field. In the last 6 weeks that has completely changed. Ljungberg looks like he's rediscovered joy in the game, despite his explosions at subpar officiating decisions. And the beneficiaries of that joy are guys like Montero, Jaqua, and Zakuani. The attack is flowing these days, and my guess is that it means that the Sounders will take a lot of points from the rest of the games this year.

Other guys I thought played well. Alonso seems like he's back in form, destroying guys all over the place and winning tackles in midfield. His ball in to Montero in the 1st half was beautiful... beautiful vision, perfectly weighted pass, Montero with a perfect run and a perfect first touch. The finish was lacking (which is maybe the most crucial part) but the entire play unfolded perfectly. The other guy I thought played well was Ianni. No bad touches by him this week. All he did was win headers and tackles whenever he needed to, and he was never out of position. You barely noticed him, which is of course, the best thing you can say about a defender.

I have to say... I have liked what Le Toux has done recently. But today's game was a step backwards for him. He made bad decisions, and when he didn't make a bad decision, it was because he was indecisive and was promptly dispossessed. And who really surprised me? The outside backs. I don't give Riley enough credit for his incredible work rate and his improving service from the wing. He's starting to add getting around people to his list of skills. And despite his constant overlapping runs on the wing, he always gets back. Wahl doesn't get involved as much as Riley, but he's shown improved position and better passing instincts. I still think that Gonzalez will be a significant improvement, but his improvement has turned left back into a position of depth.

All things considered, I can't really complain about the effort on Saturday, especially coming off of the Open Cup game on Tuesday when some of these guys played 120 minutes. I would have preferred a Nyassi substitution instead of a Le Toux substitution, but that's my only complaint. The backline was solid. We barely heard anything about Chris Rolfe during the game. We heard about Blanco because he was booed every time he touched the ball, but his impact on the game was minimal. Time to take points against San Jose.

Game Day - Chicago Fire

Game Day!! Game Day!! I wish I had some keys to the game, but all I can put down is my thoughts. I'm sure none of them are key.

First, Brian McBride is out, probably for the rest of the year, recovering from shoulder surgery. That's a HUGE loss for Chicago. McBride would have been one of the few forwards SSFC faced this year that was actually a threat to beat Hurtado and Marshall for headers on a consistent basis. Big advantage to SSFC

Second, we're going to have to play a lot better than we did last time in Chicago. Despite getting out of there with a point on a super-lucky, playing a man down, set piece toe poke goal by Tyrone Marshall... SSFC did not impress in the game. It's been a long time since the first game, and SSFC are at home for this one. I think they will show their quality today.

Lastly, eat shit Chicago. Tailgate will start in one hour behind Pyramid Brewery. It's gonna be a scorcher!

The Montero to Fulham Rumors - The Impact of a Montero Departure

The rumors have been floating around for the past few weeks that Fulham of the EPL has been in contact with Fredy Montero. Schmid reportedly would not stand in the way of a transfer to Fulham (doubtful that Sounders FC could if they wanted to, although the terms of the loan deal with Deportivo Cali are not public). So what happens if they are true and Montero is gone in the next few weeks?

Count me among those who thinks that the loss of Montero would be devastating to Sounder playoff and Open Cup hopes. My first argument is an obvious one - how do you replace Montero's point production? As of today, Montero has played in 15 of the 17 MLS league matches, and has accounted for 9 goals and 6 assists. This puts him 2nd overall in MLS for goals scored behind Schelotto's 10, and in a tie with several others for 2nd overall in MLS for assists with 6. And if the Sounders learned how to capitalize on set pieces, his 39 fouls suffered (2nd in MLS) would provide a number of great scoring opportunities for others. I'm not sure how you argue against these numbers. They exceed anything that could be accomplished on luck alone....

Which leads to my second point. Sounders do not have another natural forward that gets it like Montero does. In the last month, as Montero, Jaqua and Ljungberg have developed an understanding of each other's games, the scoring opportunities have gone up significantly. And Montero is the one who has been the most consistent (if maybe not efficient) in scoring goals during the stretch, scoring in the last 5 MLS games. Additionally, Montero is one of the few guys on the roster that can create a goal out of nothing but his own individual talent. It is this ability to create that neither Jaqua nor Le Toux possess. And it's why I don't believe that anybody on the roster right now could step up their production to make up for Montero's absence.

Man, that last point has me on the verge of launching into several other Jaqua and Le Toux-related issues, but I need to stay focused.... Look, I'll grant you that Montero has had a lot of chances to score lately that he has failed to put away. Golden opportunities at that. The Houston Open Cup match on Tuesday was one prime example, with Montero failing to even get a shot off. But it's MONTERO that seems to find himself in that position. It's not Le Toux, and it's not Jaqua. I don't care how tall you are, or how hard you work. The truth is that Montero's ability to read the game and be in the right place at the right time will always be more valuable to a team than Le Toux's work rate.