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| They are in the bush. They are not yours. |
I’ve got another game to watch/write about (or, rather, I feel compelled to watch another game and write about), so I will try (and arguably fail) to keep this short. (Eh, I've done worse.)
Given the relative promise of each team, and the fact Dom Dwyer was suspended, Nani was home barfing (or something), and Ruan was God knows where (and whatever the hell else happened with Orlando’s regular starting set-up, e.g., Sane), and the fact that Orlando rarely defended beyond its own attacking third, yeah, I’m willing to call the Portland Timbers’ 1-1 draw at home against Orlando City SC the worst-case scenario. The result doesn’t mean anything and/or everything, there are other games (there will always be other games, won't there, James?), but there’s also a time and place for picking up points, and Orlando and Colorado at home is (are?) that time and that place. Goddammit.
As I hinted in the preview thread, all Orlando needs is one goal. Part of me guessed it would take just one mistake, and that gets to what I didn’t say in the thread, and what I could never have foreseen: Zarek Valentin switching way the hell off on a single play. It took impeccable timing meeting a soft clearance for that that shot (one of two for Orlando) to come off, but sometimes soccer’s a sadistic mistress (and, if I’m being honest, that’s probably why I like it) and a team operationally undeserving of a goal gets the first one and comes perilously close to making it count for three points.
Given the relative promise of each team, and the fact Dom Dwyer was suspended, Nani was home barfing (or something), and Ruan was God knows where (and whatever the hell else happened with Orlando’s regular starting set-up, e.g., Sane), and the fact that Orlando rarely defended beyond its own attacking third, yeah, I’m willing to call the Portland Timbers’ 1-1 draw at home against Orlando City SC the worst-case scenario. The result doesn’t mean anything and/or everything, there are other games (there will always be other games, won't there, James?), but there’s also a time and place for picking up points, and Orlando and Colorado at home is (are?) that time and that place. Goddammit.
As I hinted in the preview thread, all Orlando needs is one goal. Part of me guessed it would take just one mistake, and that gets to what I didn’t say in the thread, and what I could never have foreseen: Zarek Valentin switching way the hell off on a single play. It took impeccable timing meeting a soft clearance for that that shot (one of two for Orlando) to come off, but sometimes soccer’s a sadistic mistress (and, if I’m being honest, that’s probably why I like it) and a team operationally undeserving of a goal gets the first one and comes perilously close to making it count for three points.
Thankfully, Jeremy Ebobisse came on, (arguably) loosened up Orlando’s defensive brick, and scored the second-bite equalizer that salvaged what would have been watching a gymnast fail to stick the landing 26 damn times (and only really coming close on four of them). I’ve got a question that follows from that, and it breaks in (at least) two directions: is Portland better off with Ebobisse out there instead of Andy Polo? Whoops, I just found the third direction on that question. (hmu if you wanna know the three directions, just don’t expect me to remember them.)
