It appears that Rapids defender Ugo Ihemelu will not be suiting up for the Rapids on Saturday against Toronto FC.
This makes me unhappy. Not only because Ugo is my favorite player, but also because it leaves us quite thin at the centerback position. Facundo Erpen received a red card last week for a kick to the nuts (yeah, ouch) so he's unavailable. Mike Petke is still a week or two away from being able to play for the reserves team. That leaves Rafael Gomes, and Stephen Keel.
I like Rafael....at central defensive mid. I also like Dirty Steve. As a backup.
I hate to say it, but this is a bad turn of events. Ugo's gone, Pablo's gone, Erpen's gone, and to top it all off, Bouna's gone and not playing for Senegal. This does not make for a happy koala.
The weirdest part is why Ugo won't be with the team.
His full name is Ugocheckwu Ihemelu. Well, sans middle name. Obviously the dude isn't of American descent. Nor is he of Canadian descent, at least you would think with a name like that, right?
Well, he's gotten called up to play for the Canadian national team. Why is that weird?
1. He was born in Nigeria.
2. He has a cap for the US International team.
3. His name is Ugocheckwu. Since when is that Canadian?
I didn't even know he had any association with Canada. But apparently enough to play for their national team.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for him. Hell, I wouldn't mind seeing him in there instead of Bocanegra or Califf for the US squad (I know, I'm probably alone in that sentiment, but I've never liked Bocanegra. I did kind of like Califf, but still, Ugo's the f'n man, man). But it sure leaves my Rapids up a creek.
Fortunately it will be Toronto that we're playing, and they aren't the best team in the world. But we will be at their field, and they've got a great crowd. They also aren't as bad as a second year team probably should be.
I don't envision good things for the Rapids this weekend, but that doesn't mean I won't be watching the whole game and cheering the whole time.
To quote the Simpsons; "Prove me wrong, children, prove me wrong."
Now go do it los Rapidos.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
I is impressed!
Wow, Netherlands versus Italy, what a game! It's not often you see Italy lose on the international stage, much less 3-0. Those Dutch sure know how to play an exciting game of football, and are probably my favorites for the rest of the tournament. Going beyond their players that I like (Van Persie the Arsenal boy, Van Der Sar the goofy but solid goalie, Sneijder, Arjen Robben, I could go on) I like the way they play. Pretty much in a state of disarray in the back four, and a frenetic style attack. I would like to see Jan Venegoor of Hesselink play (hope I spelled that right) but all in all, the best game of the Euro's that I've seen yet.
Keep it up, you crazy Orange Dutchmen, you've got a new fan in me.
Keep it up, you crazy Orange Dutchmen, you've got a new fan in me.
I is Euro 2008
Going in conjuncture with my previous post, if you are not watching the Euro 2008's on ESPN 2, well then, you probably aren't reading my blog.
Ah, who am I kidding, no one is reading my blog. It's kind of like a diary, except I wouldn't mind people reading it. But the fact that no one wants to read it, well, that's just the same.
Anyways, they are shown in HD which is absolutely spectacular. It looks wonderful.
So far some of the good games: Portugal versus Turkey, Germany versus Poland, and Croatia versus Austria wasn't too bad. I'm currently watching the France versus Romania, and still have Spain, Italy, Sweden,and Netherlands games yet to watch. This should be good.
I'm disappointed that England didn't qualify. I also thought Ireland would have been good enough to get in; possibly even Scotland. However, I could be a complete idiot and they aren't eligible or they suck. Scotland probably isn't good, but they have a decent league.
But to the point, catch it if you have a chance. There are some great players out there on the pitch, and I imagine the games will continue to get better.
Ah, who am I kidding, no one is reading my blog. It's kind of like a diary, except I wouldn't mind people reading it. But the fact that no one wants to read it, well, that's just the same.
Anyways, they are shown in HD which is absolutely spectacular. It looks wonderful.
So far some of the good games: Portugal versus Turkey, Germany versus Poland, and Croatia versus Austria wasn't too bad. I'm currently watching the France versus Romania, and still have Spain, Italy, Sweden,and Netherlands games yet to watch. This should be good.
I'm disappointed that England didn't qualify. I also thought Ireland would have been good enough to get in; possibly even Scotland. However, I could be a complete idiot and they aren't eligible or they suck. Scotland probably isn't good, but they have a decent league.
But to the point, catch it if you have a chance. There are some great players out there on the pitch, and I imagine the games will continue to get better.
I is Stupid Red Card
After reading up on it a bit, it appears that Pablo Mastroeni was sent off for throwing the ball to a teammate of his.
For those who don't know, Pablo (the only Rapids player on the US International Squad) got his first chance this year to play in an international match versus Argentina. Thanks to spectacular play by goal keeper Tim Howard and a nice save by the post off a header from Oguchi Onyewu, the US tied number 1 ranked Argentina 0-0.
Pablo played well, but earned a yellow card for an inauspicious tackle in the 60th minute. After another ten minutes passed, he was given a direct red card and ejected from the game. But for what?
Well, if you watch the replay, Maurice Edu commits a foul, which did somewhat deserve a yellow card. His number is 26. His name was written down. Literally seconds after that, Argentina was lining up for a free kick because of the foul commited by Edu, but they were also making a substitution. During this, the ref ran to Pablo, number 25, and flashed a direct red card.
This is what Pablo had to say regarding the incident on MLSnet.com:
"The reason why he said he gave me a second yellow was for throwing the ball to a teammate of mine," Mastroeni said. "It was really strange because they were making a substitution and it wasn't like they could play the ball fast or anything."
So, it appears he was given a second yellow for tossing the ball to a teammate.
However, this is ripe with stupidity.
Beyond the ref generally calling a bad game; there was more at play here. Why did he show a direct red card, rather than showing a yellow, followed by a red? Even if it was for what Pablo said it was for, that would result in yellow, red. This means one thing to me and most people that watched the game; the ref thought that he had booked Pablo when he booked Edu, written the wrong number, and then thought he missed the second yellow and bam, he got the red. Either way, it was an incorrect call. Tossing the ball to a teammate shouldn't be a second yellow, even if they were trying to play it fast. But the free kick was just outside the 18, they would've taken time to set up the play. On top of all this, the play wasn't really hampered anyways because it took place when the ref was writing Edu's name in the book.
Basically, the ref screwed up bad. Real bad. Like, shouldn't be allowed to ref for awhile. Like a timeout or something. Go sit in a corner and think about what you've done.
The US generally doesn't draw much in the way of good reffing. The Italy game during the last World Cup showed that (ironically, another game Pablo was ejected with a red card....hmmmm...).
Don't worry Pablo, even if the refs don't like you, you'll always have a fan in me.
For those who don't know, Pablo (the only Rapids player on the US International Squad) got his first chance this year to play in an international match versus Argentina. Thanks to spectacular play by goal keeper Tim Howard and a nice save by the post off a header from Oguchi Onyewu, the US tied number 1 ranked Argentina 0-0.
Pablo played well, but earned a yellow card for an inauspicious tackle in the 60th minute. After another ten minutes passed, he was given a direct red card and ejected from the game. But for what?
Well, if you watch the replay, Maurice Edu commits a foul, which did somewhat deserve a yellow card. His number is 26. His name was written down. Literally seconds after that, Argentina was lining up for a free kick because of the foul commited by Edu, but they were also making a substitution. During this, the ref ran to Pablo, number 25, and flashed a direct red card.
This is what Pablo had to say regarding the incident on MLSnet.com:
"The reason why he said he gave me a second yellow was for throwing the ball to a teammate of mine," Mastroeni said. "It was really strange because they were making a substitution and it wasn't like they could play the ball fast or anything."
So, it appears he was given a second yellow for tossing the ball to a teammate.
However, this is ripe with stupidity.
Beyond the ref generally calling a bad game; there was more at play here. Why did he show a direct red card, rather than showing a yellow, followed by a red? Even if it was for what Pablo said it was for, that would result in yellow, red. This means one thing to me and most people that watched the game; the ref thought that he had booked Pablo when he booked Edu, written the wrong number, and then thought he missed the second yellow and bam, he got the red. Either way, it was an incorrect call. Tossing the ball to a teammate shouldn't be a second yellow, even if they were trying to play it fast. But the free kick was just outside the 18, they would've taken time to set up the play. On top of all this, the play wasn't really hampered anyways because it took place when the ref was writing Edu's name in the book.
Basically, the ref screwed up bad. Real bad. Like, shouldn't be allowed to ref for awhile. Like a timeout or something. Go sit in a corner and think about what you've done.
The US generally doesn't draw much in the way of good reffing. The Italy game during the last World Cup showed that (ironically, another game Pablo was ejected with a red card....hmmmm...).
Don't worry Pablo, even if the refs don't like you, you'll always have a fan in me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)