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| MLS playoffs: Seattle Sounders v LA Galaxy – live! | MLS playoffs: Seattle Sounders v LA Galaxy – live! |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 2.28am GMT02:28 | |
| 2 mins: Almost immediately Robbie Keane pounces on a defensive error and arrows towards goal. It gets away from him and Seattle clear for a corner, which they then get awkwardly away, but that was almost a dreadful start for the hosts.Now boos ringing round the field after Valdez gets leveled by a challenge from Leonardo. He’s getting groggily to his feet now. Lively start... | |
| 2.26am GMT02:26 | |
| Kick Off | |
| ...we’re underway. Seattle kick off. | |
| 2.25am GMT02:25 | |
| Last minute huddle timeSecrets swapped, gossip exchanged, and... | |
| 2.21am GMT02:21 | |
| Popular sentiment | |
| Yo can we start this match? Some of us have to work tomorrow morning. | |
| Some of us have to work tonight. Sort of. At least the teams are out on the field now... | |
| 2.19am GMT02:19 | |
| When I say we’re nearly ready for kick off... | |
| I of course meant “subject to ceremony”. Giant flags. Banners. Anthems. Scarves held aloft. Oh, and the teams wandering out of the locker rooms, which they’ve not yet done... | |
| 2.14am GMT02:14 | |
| Nearly ready for kick off | |
| Turn off those debates, pitches battles, and whatnot. This is happening. | |
| 2.07am GMT02:07 | |
| Perfect conditions | |
| They’ve averaged around 44,000 per game this season, and a suitably enthusiastic presence has shown up for this one. It’s been raining in Seattle but has stopped for now, and it’s a perfect 57º for playing soccer. And the pitch looks...like Seattle Sounders’ pitch. | |
| 2.02am GMT02:02 | |
| Stats. Because, stats. | |
| The Sounders are are currently on an eight-game unbeaten run (4-0-4), and have won 11 games at home this season — the third highest in MLS. | |
| On the other hand, they’ve also met the Galaxy three times in the playoff, and LA have advanced every time.... | |
| 1.58am GMT01:58 | |
| Couple of thoughts on that D.C. game while we’re waiting | |
| Bill Hamid was excellent — when D.C. were wobbling after Agudelo’s wonder goal, he made a couple of great saves, then was there again in the dying seconds of the game to preserve the win, just as he’s done all season. Chris Pontius got the equalizer, and after getting a goal a couple of games back (D.C. fans will just want to forget Sunday in Columbus ever happened) looked to be settling in for a nice playoff run, but picked up a knock in the second half and had to go off. Rolfe too got his goal and looked creative and lively throughout, but man of the match, and earning some playoff redemption, was Fabian Espindola, who tormented the Revs defense, and in particular Andrew Farrell, all night. In the end he ensured D.C. were value for their win. | |
| New England meanwhile, looked alternately static and over-committed in defense, and while they had their chances, also looked to be just showing a lack of offensive depth, as the game went on. That might be an area Jay Heaps et al will want to look at in the off-season. | |
| 1.48am GMT01:48 | 1.48am GMT01:48 |
| Team News | Team News |
| Team News | Team News |
| LINEUP. @SoundersFC XI. PLAYOFFS. GALAXY. Frei Mears Evans Marshall Gonzalez Valdez Rose Friberg Ivanschitz Dempsey Martins | LINEUP. @SoundersFC XI. PLAYOFFS. GALAXY. Frei Mears Evans Marshall Gonzalez Valdez Rose Friberg Ivanschitz Dempsey Martins |
| #LAGalaxy XI: Ricketts; DLG, Gonzalez, Leonardo, Rogers; Zardes, Juninho, Gerrard, Lletget; Keane, Dos Santos pic.twitter.com/ff1qODFDIX | #LAGalaxy XI: Ricketts; DLG, Gonzalez, Leonardo, Rogers; Zardes, Juninho, Gerrard, Lletget; Keane, Dos Santos pic.twitter.com/ff1qODFDIX |
| So, no Ossie Alonso in the starting line up for Seattle. Andy Rose in the heart of midfield, which sets things up in intriguing manner for what’s likely to be a key midfield battle. LA may be in more of a 4-1-3-2 than the above illustration suggests, with Juninho being asked to sit deeper than usual to allow Gerrard to concentrate on doing some work underneath Dos Santos and Keane further up the field. But they look at pretty full strength. | So, no Ossie Alonso in the starting line up for Seattle. Andy Rose in the heart of midfield, which sets things up in intriguing manner for what’s likely to be a key midfield battle. LA may be in more of a 4-1-3-2 than the above illustration suggests, with Juninho being asked to sit deeper than usual to allow Gerrard to concentrate on doing some work underneath Dos Santos and Keane further up the field. But they look at pretty full strength. |
| 1.41am GMT01:41 | 1.41am GMT01:41 |
| You be the ref, part 973 | You be the ref, part 973 |
| “You are being berated by an early Lollapalooza line-up. Do you: | “You are being berated by an early Lollapalooza line-up. Do you: |
| a) Identify the most tattoo-covered and make an example of him b) Wait for the manhandling to die down, brush the dirt off your yellow-clad shoulders and point at the clock/scoreboard.c) Agree that they have a point and all those old hair metal bands had to be got rid of somehow, but have they heard of Britpop?” | a) Identify the most tattoo-covered and make an example of him b) Wait for the manhandling to die down, brush the dirt off your yellow-clad shoulders and point at the clock/scoreboard.c) Agree that they have a point and all those old hair metal bands had to be got rid of somehow, but have they heard of Britpop?” |
| Jermaine Jones is not happy, to put it mildly pic.twitter.com/XGWiV0cNOd | Jermaine Jones is not happy, to put it mildly pic.twitter.com/XGWiV0cNOd |
| 1.34am GMT01:34 | 1.34am GMT01:34 |
| An email | An email |
| Daniel Stauss trembles: | Daniel Stauss trembles: |
| “I’m in Seattle but can’t go tonight, and all day long I’ve been carrying a low-grade dread. LA in the playoffs, again... It’s hard to get the battle fever on, what with visions of Shalrie Joseph in the starting 11. Maybe I’ll just hide under my bed; wake me if Sigi still has a job in the morning.” | “I’m in Seattle but can’t go tonight, and all day long I’ve been carrying a low-grade dread. LA in the playoffs, again... It’s hard to get the battle fever on, what with visions of Shalrie Joseph in the starting 11. Maybe I’ll just hide under my bed; wake me if Sigi still has a job in the morning.” |
| A yes, the infamous playoff game against Portland a couple of years back, where Seattle sent out a barely ambulatory Shalrie Joseph as the tip of a midfield diamond. Pain/hilarity ensued, along with the most sustained interrogation of Schmid’s mandate as coach. Let’s hope we have a better game all round tonight. | A yes, the infamous playoff game against Portland a couple of years back, where Seattle sent out a barely ambulatory Shalrie Joseph as the tip of a midfield diamond. Pain/hilarity ensued, along with the most sustained interrogation of Schmid’s mandate as coach. Let’s hope we have a better game all round tonight. |
| Updated at 1.43am GMT | Updated at 1.43am GMT |
| 1.32am GMT01:32 | 1.32am GMT01:32 |
| Final Whistle — D.C. go through | Final Whistle — D.C. go through |
| So D.C., the masters of winning after falling behind, recover from Sunday’s mauling in Columbus to get the job done by beating New England 2-1, with the Revs experiencing another nasty sting in the tail with Jones’ actions — rather similar to Espindola’s red card after the final whistle when D.C. were eliminated by New York last year. And Jones could — should — face a similar ban as Espindola (who incidentally was great tonight). So then there were 11... | So D.C., the masters of winning after falling behind, recover from Sunday’s mauling in Columbus to get the job done by beating New England 2-1, with the Revs experiencing another nasty sting in the tail with Jones’ actions — rather similar to Espindola’s red card after the final whistle when D.C. were eliminated by New York last year. And Jones could — should — face a similar ban as Espindola (who incidentally was great tonight). So then there were 11... |
| 1.29am GMT01:29 | 1.29am GMT01:29 |
| Jermaine Jones has been sent off for New England! | Jermaine Jones has been sent off for New England! |
| Jones incensed by Marc Geiger not awarding what looked like a clear penalty, and races 30 yards to confront the referee — “making contact” as the announcers gently put it. Straight red and he’ll likely face a significant ban at the start of next season... | Jones incensed by Marc Geiger not awarding what looked like a clear penalty, and races 30 yards to confront the referee — “making contact” as the announcers gently put it. Straight red and he’ll likely face a significant ban at the start of next season... |
| 1.26am GMT01:26 | 1.26am GMT01:26 |
| LA Galaxy | LA Galaxy |
| First of all, it’s not Steven Gerrard’s fault. Not really. Being played in the center of a 4-4-2 alongside Juninho has not been the most helpful use of Gerrard’s remaining assets, and it’s often made for a really ungainly and uncharacteristically unbalanced Galaxy team since the Englishman’s arrival. | First of all, it’s not Steven Gerrard’s fault. Not really. Being played in the center of a 4-4-2 alongside Juninho has not been the most helpful use of Gerrard’s remaining assets, and it’s often made for a really ungainly and uncharacteristically unbalanced Galaxy team since the Englishman’s arrival. |
| Sunday’s game against Sporting KC attempted to address that by switching things around so Gerrard could get further up the field without leaving huge holes of the sort Portland waltzed through in a 5-2 victory at the StubHub Center the previous week. And while it didn’t work out, it looked a bit more effective, and gave Gerrard the chance to make some useful secondary runs. | Sunday’s game against Sporting KC attempted to address that by switching things around so Gerrard could get further up the field without leaving huge holes of the sort Portland waltzed through in a 5-2 victory at the StubHub Center the previous week. And while it didn’t work out, it looked a bit more effective, and gave Gerrard the chance to make some useful secondary runs. |
| You’d bet on Bruce Arena to tinker with formation and personnel to balance things out for 2016, but at the moment it looks 50-50 whether the Galaxy are going to be able to sort their midfield out in the 2015 playoffs to the point where their attacking riches are even relevant. And less than 50-50 if you consider the first hurdle is the artificial turf of Seattle in front of a (spoiler alert) hostile crowd. If Gerrard is planning on having one of his BIGCUPNIGHTS™ for the Galaxy, tonight might be a really good time to do it. At the very least, LA need Juninho to have one. And probably Robbie Keane and Gio Dos Santos. And Gyassi Zardes. And Donovan Ricketts. And the four man defense need to play better. And…everyone. | You’d bet on Bruce Arena to tinker with formation and personnel to balance things out for 2016, but at the moment it looks 50-50 whether the Galaxy are going to be able to sort their midfield out in the 2015 playoffs to the point where their attacking riches are even relevant. And less than 50-50 if you consider the first hurdle is the artificial turf of Seattle in front of a (spoiler alert) hostile crowd. If Gerrard is planning on having one of his BIGCUPNIGHTS™ for the Galaxy, tonight might be a really good time to do it. At the very least, LA need Juninho to have one. And probably Robbie Keane and Gio Dos Santos. And Gyassi Zardes. And Donovan Ricketts. And the four man defense need to play better. And…everyone. |
| Bill Hamid just preserved D.C.’s lead with a great reflex save in the final minute of regular time at RFK Stadium, by the way. | Bill Hamid just preserved D.C.’s lead with a great reflex save in the final minute of regular time at RFK Stadium, by the way. |
| 1.22am GMT01:22 | 1.22am GMT01:22 |
| Time running out at RFK StadiumThat Rolfe goal was a beautiful team build up by the way: | Time running out at RFK StadiumThat Rolfe goal was a beautiful team build up by the way: |
| 1.20am GMT01:20 | 1.20am GMT01:20 |
| Seattle Sounders | Seattle Sounders |
| If Seattle do go out tonight this season might go down as the year of The Notebook. When the Sounders lost to Portland in the US Open Cup at their hitherto impregnable Starfire Complex, earlier this year, the whole game represented one of the more spectacular implosions of a frontrunner in recent years. | If Seattle do go out tonight this season might go down as the year of The Notebook. When the Sounders lost to Portland in the US Open Cup at their hitherto impregnable Starfire Complex, earlier this year, the whole game represented one of the more spectacular implosions of a frontrunner in recent years. |
| Never mind the loss in their beloved US Open Cup, to a less than beloved rival, the game also saw Obafemi Martins stretchered off, and three players sent off — including Clint Dempsey. Dempsey infamously tore up the referee’s notebook just before being asked to leave the field, thus breaking the cardinal rule of | Never mind the loss in their beloved US Open Cup, to a less than beloved rival, the game also saw Obafemi Martins stretchered off, and three players sent off — including Clint Dempsey. Dempsey infamously tore up the referee’s notebook just before being asked to leave the field, thus breaking the cardinal rule of |
| don’t get on the wrong side of passive-aggressive Cascadian litter monitors | don’t get on the wrong side of passive-aggressive Cascadian litter monitors |
| “don’t interfere with the referee’s equipment”, and earning himself a lengthy ban to go with his already impending absence on international duty. | “don’t interfere with the referee’s equipment”, and earning himself a lengthy ban to go with his already impending absence on international duty. |
| (those who have observed the US national team of late may be inclined to wonder if several of Dempsey’s colleagues have also been absent while on international duty, but that’s another story…) | (those who have observed the US national team of late may be inclined to wonder if several of Dempsey’s colleagues have also been absent while on international duty, but that’s another story…) |
| Seattle duly struggled through the summer and even when they eventually began to get their key players back and steady things somewhat, there’s just been a sense of late that some of the aura they’d built up round themselves earlier in the season has markedly diminished, and while nobody would be particularly surprised if they went on a playoff run and even, finally, made an MLS Cup, nobody would be surprised if they didn’t, either. | Seattle duly struggled through the summer and even when they eventually began to get their key players back and steady things somewhat, there’s just been a sense of late that some of the aura they’d built up round themselves earlier in the season has markedly diminished, and while nobody would be particularly surprised if they went on a playoff run and even, finally, made an MLS Cup, nobody would be surprised if they didn’t, either. |
| 1.18am GMT01:18 | 1.18am GMT01:18 |
| D.C. United 2-1 New England (ROLFE!) | D.C. United 2-1 New England (ROLFE!) |
| Chris Rolfe has made up for missing that penalty by slotting home from the edge of the six yard box to put D.C. ahead with 7 minutes remaining... | Chris Rolfe has made up for missing that penalty by slotting home from the edge of the six yard box to put D.C. ahead with 7 minutes remaining... |
| 1.12am GMT01:12 | 1.12am GMT01:12 |
| Meanwhile, elsewhere | Meanwhile, elsewhere |
| Over in the Eastern Conference, D.C. United, they of the “noone rates us, we don’t care” demeanor, were hosting New England tonight. | Over in the Eastern Conference, D.C. United, they of the “noone rates us, we don’t care” demeanor, were hosting New England tonight. |
| Anyway, this happened early on... | Anyway, this happened early on... |
| ¡JUAN AGUDELO! Lo que hiciste es para nunca dejarte de querer. Así es como se ejecuta una chilena. #MLSCupPlayoffs https://t.co/XgeFlnca3v | ¡JUAN AGUDELO! Lo que hiciste es para nunca dejarte de querer. Así es como se ejecuta una chilena. #MLSCupPlayoffs https://t.co/XgeFlnca3v |
| ...which really didn’t help D.C.’s mood. Mind you, Chris Pontius equalizing just before half-time helped considerably, after Bill Hamid had performed his habitual heroics to keep D.C. in the game. | ...which really didn’t help D.C.’s mood. Mind you, Chris Pontius equalizing just before half-time helped considerably, after Bill Hamid had performed his habitual heroics to keep D.C. in the game. |
| D.C. possibly back in a funk right now, with Chris Rolfe having just missed a penalty. There’s just under 15 minutes to go of normal time in that one, and I’ll keep you up to date with developments as we count down to kick off in Seattle. | D.C. possibly back in a funk right now, with Chris Rolfe having just missed a penalty. There’s just under 15 minutes to go of normal time in that one, and I’ll keep you up to date with developments as we count down to kick off in Seattle. |
| 1.07am GMT01:07 | 1.07am GMT01:07 |
| Preamble | Preamble |
| Evening all, and welcome to the MLS Western Conference | Evening all, and welcome to the MLS Western Conference |
| final | final |
| knockout game between Seattle Sounders and LA Galaxy. | knockout game between Seattle Sounders and LA Galaxy. |
| Looking back just a few short months ago, we might reasonably have anticipated this as the Western Conference final. That was before suspensions, international absences and injury started to interfere with Seattle’s formidable Dempsey/Martins partnership that had terrorized defenses at the start of the season, and before Steven Gerrard was invited to turn back the clock as a box to box midfielder for LA — more on that in a moment. | Looking back just a few short months ago, we might reasonably have anticipated this as the Western Conference final. That was before suspensions, international absences and injury started to interfere with Seattle’s formidable Dempsey/Martins partnership that had terrorized defenses at the start of the season, and before Steven Gerrard was invited to turn back the clock as a box to box midfielder for LA — more on that in a moment. |
| Seattle have shown intermittent signs of coming back to life of late, after a long derailment threatened to drop them out of the playoff race altogether at one point, and Sunday’s emphatic first half against Real Salt Lake should give any defense in the league pause for thought — especially one, like the Galaxy’s, that has conceded seven goals in its last two games. | Seattle have shown intermittent signs of coming back to life of late, after a long derailment threatened to drop them out of the playoff race altogether at one point, and Sunday’s emphatic first half against Real Salt Lake should give any defense in the league pause for thought — especially one, like the Galaxy’s, that has conceded seven goals in its last two games. |
| The Galaxy could have avoided this game altogether had they done better than the two losses that came in those games — including a 2-1 loss to a Sporting Kansas City side with slumping issues of their own, on the final day. But the 2015 Galaxy, or the late 2015 Galaxy anyway…have issues. And now they face a must win game on the artificial turf of CenturyLink Field, and the possibility of an ignominious early exit from their attempt to defend the MLS Cup. | The Galaxy could have avoided this game altogether had they done better than the two losses that came in those games — including a 2-1 loss to a Sporting Kansas City side with slumping issues of their own, on the final day. But the 2015 Galaxy, or the late 2015 Galaxy anyway…have issues. And now they face a must win game on the artificial turf of CenturyLink Field, and the possibility of an ignominious early exit from their attempt to defend the MLS Cup. |
| Whatever happens tonight, it’s not quite the two-legged clash of the Western titans many envisioned for late November — at least one of these teams will be emptying their lockers before Halloween. | Whatever happens tonight, it’s not quite the two-legged clash of the Western titans many envisioned for late November — at least one of these teams will be emptying their lockers before Halloween. |
| Anyway, I will be here for the rest of the evening to see one of these two teams and their montage-friendly bevy of stars off the premises — taking your tweets and emails and in no way zoning out to check on the open World Series/Republican debate tabs on my browser. Send said tweets to @KidWeil, said emails to graham.parker@theguardian.com and we’ll get through this together. And I’ll be back in a minute with more build up and team news. | Anyway, I will be here for the rest of the evening to see one of these two teams and their montage-friendly bevy of stars off the premises — taking your tweets and emails and in no way zoning out to check on the open World Series/Republican debate tabs on my browser. Send said tweets to @KidWeil, said emails to graham.parker@theguardian.com and we’ll get through this together. And I’ll be back in a minute with more build up and team news. |
| 9.07pm GMT21:07 | 9.07pm GMT21:07 |
| Graham will be here shortly. Meanwhile, here’s what we learned from Decision Day: | Graham will be here shortly. Meanwhile, here’s what we learned from Decision Day: |
| Related: New York Red Bulls' Supporters' Shield could augur MLS Cup breakthrough | Related: New York Red Bulls' Supporters' Shield could augur MLS Cup breakthrough |