SKC’s First Loss at Home
By: Morpheus | August 6th, 2011I had a professor in college that told the class that the day that he returned tests he would not discuss the results of the test and he would not take any questions about the test for 24 hours. He said in the first 24 hours of receiving upsetting news your response will be emotional. After that 24 hours you will be able to approach things with a clear mind. This is why I don’t usually write about a game on the same day that it is played. But, today I am throwing that idea out the window…
Seattle Sounders are a good team with some very good players. I consider Sigi to be one of the best managers ever in MLS. And their ability to push late into games and to find energy when opposing teams are tired has helped them on more than one occasion and tonight was no different. They were able to turn the tide on a Sporting KC team that had looked dominate at home. And the Sounders were able to find 2 goals late in the game to give SKC their first loss at home this season and to end SKC’s 14 MLS game unbeaten streak.
But, Seattle did it with a little help from a player that I haven’t liked even in his days playing with the New England Revolution. That player is Pat Noonan. Most people might see him as a player that works hard on the pitch for every ball but in my opinion he is a sloppy and sometimes dirty player. Tonight he showed his true colors.
Lets set the play up for this. This game was physical from the beginning. With both teams showing they were willing to go in strong on a tackle even if that meant going through a player. With this tone being set early the referee had to make a lot of calls early on to keep the game in check. And in the first half he did a very good job of keeping the game from getting out of control. In the second half Pat Noonan received the ball about 25 yards away from SKC’s goal. Omar Bravo comes in from the side and makes a slide tackle. Bravo feet go between Noonan’s legs making no contact with Noonan and dispossessing Noonan of the ball. As soon as Noonan realizes he has lost the ball he flies into the air as if Bravo had just broken Noonan’s leg. This resulted in Bravo being ejected from the game, but this isn’t where it ends. Bravo then goes over to Noonan to help him up knowing that he made no contact with Noonan. I am sure there were some choice words from Bravo since he was just ejected because of a dive by Noonan. But, Noonan then jumps (like someone had just lit his shorts on fire) and attempts to headbutt Bravo. Was it a weak attempt to headbutt, yes, but it was still an attempt to strike an opponent. But there was nothing done to Noonan. He again got off without even a warning. It was this incident that changed the course of the game.
SKC had played really well up to that point even with the first half injury to Jeferson that forced SKC to make an early substitution. By the end of the game SKC looked really tired playing with only 10 men for 30 minutes in 90+ degree temps with humidity that pushed the heat index over 100 even at after the sun went down. Sassano played great coming on for Jeferson but he was injured around the 88th minute in a knee to knee collision that looks to be very serious. SKC didn’t have any subs left so he had to stay on the field but he couldn’t even walk let alone chase down a ball. I will say it one more time Diop is one of the worst players on this team when it comes to defending. His lazy slide tackles created space for Seattle to get their first goal of the game. But, on a plus side Sapong came into this game after getting a break in the last game and didn’t miss a beat. He created lots of space and was a threat going forward every time. Also, Seth Sinovic was amazing both defensively and especially offensively. His overlapping runs with Bravo where constantly frustrating Seattle and created more than one scoring opportunity.
Overall, SKC looked really good this game and they didn’t deserve to lose this way. But, I knew that the steak would have to come to an end some time, but I was hoping that it would come from a hard fought game not from Noonan and his pathetic theatrics. There is no telling what would have happened if Bravo wouldn’t have been sent off and we will never know. And now thanks to Pat Noonan, Bravo will have to sit out another game and all we can do is hope that MLS fines Noonan the same way they fined Saborio and Davies for their acting.
Category: Team News
Comments
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It seems to me you’re making several assumptions. Such as whether or not Omar Bravo actually made contact with Pat Noonan’s legs.
I suggest you stand on a field, I tackle you like Omar Bravo did, and then we’ll decide if I made contact with your legs.
Cheers!
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you’re a sore loser. what omar bravo did was totally bush league and for you to stick up for him is sad. He went in with BOTH of his cleats up and then his theatrics afterwards were pathetic.
GO SOUNDERS!!!!!!
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Wow why don’t you take a look again and see that the dirty player is Omar Bravo. Accept the loss like a man instead of bitching and making stuff up
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That would be a tough loss to swallow, especially since it ends a long win streak, but you need to watch the replays. First of all, Bravo does not go through Noonan’s legs, he wraps his legs around Noonan’s left ankle. Second, Bravo does not go over to “help him up”. He goes over to Noonan while he’s on the ground, puts his finger in Noonan’s face, and starts yelling at him. Third, Noonan did not headbutt him. He did get up quick and get right in his face, but that does not make a headbutt. You’ve gotta be a little bit more objective here. Tough loss, but the whole incident was ridiculous on Bravo’s part.
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Omar slid in with both feet. It was dangerous and warranting a card, maybe not a red, but a card.
And a headbutt? PLEASE! Noonan breathed on Omar and he dove like a little girl trying to draw a card for nothing. Luckily the ref saw it for what it was.
Omar should be fined for deceptive dishonorable play at faking the headbutt.
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You can tell that these responses are from sounders fans because they seem to have watched a replay that doesn’t exist. While I will admit that bravo did make a bad tackle and he did make contact with noonan, that was in no way a red card. It was a yellow card because of the late slide, but his cleats were not up, like people seem to think, and he made clear contact with the ball before he got close to noonan. And yes, noonan did attempt to headbutt bravo, although he was trying to be discrete at the same time. if bravo’s tackle, in which people seem to think he almost killed noonan by the way he played up his pain, then noonan’s attempt at a headbutt is worthy of a red card.
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If bravo’s tackle is worthy of a red card*
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Hey Travis, it’s called the internet. Maybe you’ve heard of it. Pretty easy to watch a replay of the event, as many times as you’d like.
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Yea we (KC) lost. But hey I wouldn’t be so proud if I were a Seattle fan. Y’all got straight outplayed for 89 mins. Rosales goal was superb but Neagle’s goal was very lucky and came from a fortunate bounce that landed exactly on his feet. Kudos to u sounders for stealing a road win, but let’s at least agree that Seattle was extremely fortunate to get the second goal and walk away with a win. KC was very unlucky and clearly showed as the better side even at 10 men. We’ll see u all in the playoffs hopefully.
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Here’s video of the tackle. Looks pretty clear-cut to me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Pp0onoTza8
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Adam watch that replay. Bravo made contact with the ground and the ball before Noonan went into the air. When Bravo made contact Noonan was already in the air. Did Bravo leave the ground on the tackle, yes. Would I have called it a foul, yes. Would I have given a card, probably. Would I have gone straight red with the way that game had been played, NO.
For those of you that aren’t soccer referees the attempt to strike a player is the same punishment as actually striking a player. That is a red card. Therefore Noonan didn’t have to actually headbutt Bravo. He just had to attempt it.
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@Denny, I have been both on the receiving and giving end of tackles like that. Do I think Bravo was aiming for Noonan? Nope, he made contact with the ball, then ground, then contact with Noonan.
And for those people that are attacking me for calling Noonan a dirty player. I am not only basing this on the last game. Go back and watch Noonan’s play (from around 2005) when he was teamed up with Taylor Twellman and played on the outside. He would go down with little contact in order to set up a free kick which Twellman was amazing at converting.
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Wow! This is a kick-ass site! Love it!
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why is it here in America a leg has to be broke for people to think the RedCard is deserved. This is an excellent call by the ref and more referees should take notice to get control of our league.
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When you leave your feet and go in two footed you are reckless and out of control, plain and simple. There was a tackle against an LA player not to long ago that was just like Mullens horrible tackle. The player only got a yellow and it made me sick. Its not the injury that causes the card it is the dangerous play. This was clearly dangerous play by Bravo
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Morpheus, Are you serious? Bravo went to help him up? LMAO! And that was no slide tackle. It was a two footed lunge. I have been playing for over 35 years and to here you call that a slide tackle is obscene. He may have got the ball first but that does not make the dangerous play acceptable.
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You really found a way to make this whole process easeir.
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