I had been under the impression that the top two seeds were allowed to skip the Semi Final stage, but I was apparently in correct. Regardless, as the #1 overall seed, I was pitted against 8th seed Chicago. The MLS Conference semi finals are a two stage affair with no away goals rule, so ties are settled by extra time and penalty kicks. The first stage was to be held at Toyota Park in Chicago, a stadium that hadn’t been friendly to me in the past:
Excellent result! We played well, and were much more successful than the last time out against the Fire. The only two blemishes on the night were a late goal we gave up for cheap, and a 90th minute injury to winger Danny Earls. Fortunately the injury turned out to be nothing, and he wasn’t going to miss any time (whew!). The possession arrow slightly favored Chicago, but we looked the more threatening team throughout the match. This gave me some confidence heading into our crucial home leg:
ARGH!!! AGAIN!? Yeah yeah, we won 2-0 and advanced on a comfortable 4-1 aggregate in a match where I was fairly certain we were playing the Chicago reserve squad. My frustration stemmed from a cheap challenge (that resulted in no penalty) had put Fredy Montero down and out for the remainder of the game. The word I received from my physio post-match was grim: Fredy had broken his ankle and was to be out for 2-3 months. I could’ve punched something such was my anger. Fortunately for the local drywall, I’m not a violent person, and so was content to merely throw a pair of socks across the room and pout for few minutes. This was a crushing blow to our title hopes, and it couldn’t have occurred at a worse time. Thankfully I didn’t have long to dwell, and we immediately set to work preparing for our Conference Final matchup against the LA Galaxy.
Brilliant! We gave a fine performance as the squad went out and won one for Fredy (who is extremely popular in the locker room). We showed a lot of heart, and despite losing our best player, we put on quite a show. An LA own goal got us started, and the squad just took off from there. A late defensive breakdown gave the Galaxy a consolation goal, and they nearly managed to put a second on the board were it not for a fine save from Kasey Keller. This set us up for the ultimate showdown: an MLS title match against D.C. United!
I had very mixed emotions heading into the United match. I get along very well with their manager Ben Olsen, and we have great mutual respect for each other. Our teams are rivals, but we get along well on the pitch (they’re probably following their manager’s example). We’d beaten United in all three of our meetings so far (twice in the league and once in the US Cup), and I felt good about our chances. Then again, without Montero I wasn’t nearly as confident, and DC had beaten some good teams to get this far. The match was also to be played back in Chicago at Toyota Field, which also gave me pause (the stadium is jinxed, I swear it). The squad handled the pre-match media run-up (or lack thereof) well, and we walked onto the pitch with heads held high:
Agony! Despair! Watery beer! It was a game for the ages, but we just couldn’t manage it in the end. The first half was a complete deadlock with neither team generating anything that looked like a real chance, and was dominated by a subpar midfield display. My spirits were lifted when Nkufo put away an excellent shot to give us a 1-0 lead, but they immediately fell again as Quaranta burned us for an equalizer only four minutes later. As time wound down, it became apparent that we’d be heading for extra time. I decided to make a pair of subs and set the squad up for full blown «turtle mode». Our fitness was slightly better than United’s and I hoped to wear them down enough for us to slip in a late winner. If all else failed, penalties would be an acceptable result. We had several excellent penalty takers, and I was confident in Kasey Keller’s ability to stop shots.
Unfortunately we never got the chance to test my theory. My defensive posturing backfired, and Quaranta broke down our defense almost single handed to give DC the winning goal. I let my head drop as the final whistle sounded on our defeat. We hadn’t been able to beat United when it really counted, and they were taking home their 5th title as the result. Ben Olsen, ever the classy guy, sung my praises to the media in his post game interview, and I was sure to return the favor. If I had to lose to anyone, I’m glad it was him.
Next Steps:
So where does this leave us? Watch the video below to find out (I decided to test out a second video to gauge your reaction)! I apologize for any miscellaneous noises; I’m still figuring out some of the finer points of recording. :-p
Seattle Sounders End of Season 1
Thanks for reading (and watching) guys, hope you enjoyed it!
Sibo
31 мая, 2011 at 01:44
Unlucky to lose out in the final Jon! I received a very quizzical look from my cat when I shouted NOOOO! at the laptop when you clicked the resign button…oh well, good luck with the new team and I hope you save them from relegation! :D
Stromson
31 мая, 2011 at 12:48
Haha, thanks Sibo. It would’ve just taken way too long to rebuild Seattle, and I didn’t have that commitment to the MLS. >.> Hopefully we’ll pull off a miracle in League 2!
Excessive
31 мая, 2011 at 02:16
I have had no sleep, but I just had to stay up and watch the rest of that video. It was ‘Awesomeeeeee’. That how you say it in American? ;).
One of the best posts that I have read/seen on this site, I kid you not.
Little unlucky with the MLS mate, you were relying heavily on Montero and unfortunately it just didn’t pay off in the end. Still, you have got the consolation that the side you support won it in the end eh? Right decision resigning in my eyes, the points you gave were more than enough of an excuse.
Hereford is going to be tough mate, but I hope that you don’t quit even if you don’t save them from relegation as it would be like the Salisbury story when you first started out, which was brill ;)
Good luck!
Stromson
31 мая, 2011 at 12:54
Thanks Excessive, that means a lot (and yep, «awesommmmeee» is accurate)! I was pretty bummed about losing in the final, but if it had to be anyone, I’m glad it was DC United (wish we could do that in real life again). You’re right that I was leaning too much upon Montero’s incredible talents, but it was a good run regardless.
I’ll admit I gave some thought to picking my Salisbury story back up instead of going forward with Hereford. :)
Darren Smith
31 мая, 2011 at 11:58
Sooo unlucky mate but an excellent and gripping read. The video was also a nice addition. Tbh I am not a fan of the American soccer but really enjoyed your story. Will be nice to see you in the lower leagues again though.
Stromson
31 мая, 2011 at 12:58
Thanks Darren, glad you enjoyed it. :) Despite loving the MLS in real life, it just isn’t very much fun to manage in that league. I’m looking forward to returning to my roots!
CsAtlantis
31 мая, 2011 at 12:08
Poor Montero, he broke a few parts of his body, anyway you gave it a good shot, what happened to the North American Champions League by the way?
Good luck with your new club, hopefully you can improve their fortunes
Stromson
31 мая, 2011 at 13:02
Yeah, Montero’s body just couldn’t hold up to the pressure of being the leading man for a full season. Seattle advanced to the Quarter Finals of the NACL but the match wasn’t to be held until January, after I would’ve lost nearly half my squad.
vikingmarius
31 мая, 2011 at 12:50
It sucks that youhad such injury issues with your best player, and that you had to los the final in extra time it is heart-breaking. Hereford will be interesting I can’t wait to see how you do with such limited resources, you should sign Montero :P but that would be like your entire wage budget so unrealistic :)
Stromson
31 мая, 2011 at 13:08
Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’d have to sell every player on the squad for a substantial profit in order to be able to sign Montero. :-p I’m looking forward to the challenge of trying to keep Hereford afloat!
vaibhavc
31 мая, 2011 at 14:08
Hey Stromson
You were so close to winning, but I guess it just wasn’t to be. I was unhappy that you resigned from Seattle from seeing the comments, but after seeing the video I completely understand your decision. Good luck with Hereford.
Stromson
31 мая, 2011 at 15:10
Thanks Vaibhav! We were painfully close to that title, but losing to DC United lessens the blow substantially.
Ana Garcia
31 мая, 2011 at 14:18
You have as much luck as me in playoff games! So annoying when you beat a team everytime during your season then lose to them in a one off game.
Wierd up and down results in the NACL! Beat the best team and lost to the lesser team, I watched your video (have no sound at the moment unfortunatly) so England it is!
Montero was just to valuable, maybe you could lure him over to your new team!
Good luck! :)
Stromson
31 мая, 2011 at 15:17
Seriously…we coasted through the playoffs and just weren’t able to wrap it up when it really mattered. NACL was rather hilarious, but I wasn’t going to be able to keep my squad intact for the Quarterfinal and decided it was best to leave with my head held high.
Kevin
1 июня, 2011 at 09:38
I see you had a very active Memorial Day then! :)
Really bad luck losing the MLS Final like that after such a wonderful effort throughout the season. I was quite surprised that you left but a very interesting chioce in Hereford. Again love your video insert. Great job
Chris
1 января, 2012 at 03:00
Hi :)
Just wanted to let you know that I appreciate what your trying to do, I’m english, and its good to see you taking an interest in the football over here! I think its great that your going with hereford and if you get the chance, id like to see you manage MK Dons at some point because thats who i support and they are a brand new club with a growing histroy and good facilities!