Damnit Nate is Sort of Right

Nate is right. I can be incredibly irritating when I want something. All I wanted was for him to post something on the website. He did that, so I can go back to just being annoying and argumentative.

But unfortunately, Nate is right. The Sounders look terrible lately. But I'm not as doom and gloom as Nate is. Sure, their results lately have left something to be desired, but at least we finally came out on the right side of a game that involved a red card. Nothing like a man advantage for almost an entire game to get you a road win. Maybe our general dislike of the August version of SSFC is a result of the EPL starting? With world class players back in season, perhaps we're being too harsh on these guys?

So with Nate's disappointment in mind, but a small bit of optimism in my heart, I will post my own player ratings at this point of the season.

K Keller - He has been brilliant, making saves at crucial times. We are very fortunate to have him. Unfortunately, he's been left hanging more than a few times this year, which has hurt his goals against average. But he's one of the only consistently high level performers on the team. He does look slow though, and his distribution has been both inaccurate and questionable. 9/10

Leo Gonzalez - Sure, he hasn't played much, but he's already looked much more dangerous than any left-sided option we've played all year. Tyson Wahl and Zach Scott are back where they belong, as backups. I'll go out on a limb and rate him despite a small sample. 7/10

JK Hurtado - He's been a rock. Wins head balls, wins tackles, makes crucial stops. Too many yellow cards though. His decision-making regarding tackles has been suspect at times. And maybe he's been guilty of some lackadaisical defending at times. But that's only resulted in a few goals, and he is only an MLS defender. We don't expect him to be world class. All things considered, he's been better than good but not quite great. I hate doing this, but I agree with Nate. 8/10

T Marshall - Consistent performer. Unfortunately, the things that come to mind when I review his year so far are a flukish own goal that turned a victory over DC into a 3-3 tie, and a clearance blasted off of Ianni that resulted in a 1-1 tie at NY. Trying to get those things out of my head... I still think his tackling and aerial presence have been solid. When he and Hurtado play, SSFC do not give up a lot of opportunities. 8/10

J Riley - Riley has gotten stronger as the season has gone on. Where at first I criticized his defending and his service, now I applaud his service and his workrate. His defending still leaves something to be desired, but if he were that good at defending and pushing forward, he wouldn't be in the MLS. The red cards are a bit stupid, but he's not in Kindergarten so he isn't supposed to keep his hands to himself. At the beginning of the year, I would have said 6/10. I think he's earned himself a higher score. 8/10

S Zakuani - I can't disagree much with Nate on this one. As the season has progressed, Zakuani has been our most consistent performer. When SSFC emphasizes Zakuani's flank in the attack, good things happen. I think he could do more to be a bigger scoring threat, and his service from the wing is average at best. Still, I'm just nitpicking. He's pure class and isn't destined for MLS much beyond next year's winter transfer window. 9/10

O Alonso - I'm not sure how well SSFC would be doing if Alonso were not on the roster, but I consider him perhaps the best signing the front office made in terms of putting a guy in a position to succeed. Alonso thrives in his current role, destroying plays and distributing the ball well once he wins it. I disagree with Nate here because I think Alonso's passing has been very solid and smart, and generally he makes low percentage passes at the right times - when they can lead to goals. I would rate him a 9, but Laura says he doesn't do a good job of following runners. 8.5/10

F Ljungberg - When he plays he's been a difference maker. I give him credit for the fact that he continues to work his butt off despite being surrounded with guys who don't understand the game as well as he does. Even in his moments of greatest frustration, he still works hard. His dribbling and timely passing set him apart. 9/10

B Evans - I don't agree with Nate here. I think Evans has been very pedestrian his assist against LA and his 5-hole goals notwithstanding. His decision-making is slow, resulting in his getting dispossessed in midfield repeatedly. You're not building a fucking sand castle. Defenders close you down faster than the tide at Ocean Shores. Christ. I'm still a little amazed he got a Gold Cup call up. He's looked terrible since he got back. 6/10

F Montero - Nate, you're an idiot. How does the league's second leading goal scorer rate a 2/10 from you? I realize you're trying to make a point. And the way Montero has been lingering on the ball lately has infuriated me as well. But he got a goal against LA the way he has in several other games in which he has sucked - by being in the right place at the right time. He's driving me crazy too, dude. Less time on the ball and less time on the ground. But he's scoring. If he gives me a goal a game, he can spend 45 minutes on the ground with a pillow and a blanket. I would rate him higher (maybe even a 10 if I were in a good mood) if he weren't blowing chances and he had a sense of urgency on the ball. 8/10

N Jaqua - Well, as much as I want to destroy this guy for playing 6 inches shorter than he really is, I have to apply the same argument I use for defending Montero. He's produced as well as you can expect from a second forward. He doesn't post well, he doesn't win headers as often as I would like, and his touch is subpar even for MLS. But he's poached some goals and seems to have a good understanding of where to run when Montero or Ljungberg have the ball. I'd gladly trade him in for Brian Ching though... come back to Seattle Chinger! Jaqua gets.. 7/10

The Sounders look terrible

I am doing this against my will. Normally I would never be so negative about my home team, but as many of you know Luis can be incredibly irritating when he wants something out of you. I do not see how this is beneficial to anyone, but here goes...

The Sounders are playing so poorly I don't know where to begin. We can not play a ball to feet. We control around 50% of those accurate passes. It takes two to three touches for a player to switch the ball on the defensive end, allowing the opposing team to simply jog and contain. We continuously chip long balls in to Jaqua (who is worse than me in the air), and Montero, who only shows effort 20% of the game. Even that is better than Ljungberg, who skips games when he "isn't feeling well", or when we are playing on old field turf. We have the most red cards in the league. The players know the MLS has the worst officials in the world, so they should be more careful. We have only started 1 GAME with our first 11 this season.

Here is how I would rate the level of play of our starting 11.

Keller- Fantastic. When he called out the team earlier this year for poor effort we saw immediate improvement. 10/10
Leo Gonzalez- I will give him another game or two to gel with the team TBD
Hurtado- Having a good season overall, but 9 yellows is too many. 8/10
Marshall- Inconsistant. Some great performances along with two red cards. QUIT booting the ball to no one! 6/10
Riley- Does well getting involved in the offense, plays in good crosses in the attacking end. 2 Red cards playing at right back? Keep your mouth shut and your hands to yourself. 7/10
Zakuani- Amazing effort, skill, and most importantly, intelligence. he makes great runs, beats people off the dribble, and scores goals. Deserving of a start in his natural position as a striker. 10/10
Alonso- Hard tackles, good vision, good effort. Needs to complete a better percentage of passes and give the ball away less. Probably suffering the most from an inconsistant lineup. 7.5/10
Ljungberg- Take that designated player money and hire a personal chef to cook all your meals for you. How many Arsenal games did you miss because of a headache? 8/10 when he plays, 5/10 overall.
Evans- Still trying to settle after leaving for national team duty. Looked solid before he left. 7.5/10
Jaqua- Has convinced himself that he is a skill player, he is not. Needs to score more goals in the air and win more balls in the air. 6/10
Montero- Bench him. He doesn't care. His injury simulations are embarassing. 10 goals is great, but with his ability he could esily have 20. 2/10

This starting 11 has the talent to win the championship, but it will not happen unless they increase their effort and begin to play intelligent football.