Hey y’all,  down here in the big D.  Pretty uneventful trip down to Dallas.  Super comfy as you could probably tell from my photo.  Just getting ready for tomorrow, just missing a couple of guys through injury and illness, but the guys are ready to do the job and get a result tomorrow.  Looks like the weather down here could get a little interesting, maybe some thunderstorms tomorrow.  Looks like the weather finally turned in Seattle after we left.  Looking forward to the game tomorrow, they have a nice little stadium here with a good pitch.  We know we have to continue to keep the pressure on to get a result and continue with our good start to the season.  I would like to finish the game with all of our guys on the pitch and three points.  Try not to get sunburned this weekend.  Bald guys wear a hat!

Stay classy Seattle,

Kasey

Hey Everybody,

I understand there might have been some technical issues with finding the blog.  Sorry for the inconvenience, I hope it is all sorted out.

A couple days now before the game in Dallas and looks like there will be a change or two to the line up.  A couple guys trying to shake off some knocks and of course the suspension of James Riley.   Could be a great opportunity for someone who hasn’t had a lot of playing time.  A very big part of pro sports is taking advantage of the opportunities given.  So whatever the decision is that Sigi makes, lets hope the player or players rise to the occasion and make next weeks decision even harder.  Dallas have been struggling down at the wrong end of the table.  We don’t want to be the team that kick starts their season.  What will make our job a bit easier is if we can keep all 11 players on the field for the whole 90 minutes.

On the red card note, I was watching highlights from the English Championship promotion playoffs.  The goalkeeper for Burnley came sliding out  of the 18 yard box accidentally hitting the ball with his hand.  Wasn’t even a yellow card, just a free kick.  Proves my point that the refs in MLS are a little red card happy.   Stop looking reasons to pull the red and start looking for reasons not too! 

I’ll try to figure out how to upload some photos from the trip to Dallas.  I know there has been some requests for some more photos on the blog and I will try to make that happen.  I want to thank everyone for the great response to the blog so far.  Thank you to The End and lets get 3 points this weekend.

Have a great weekend, looks like the sun is going to come out just as I leave town!

Kasey

So yesterday I had a radio interview with Kevin Calabro.  I know Kevin well so when he asked me about my opinion on his ideas for changing the rules of the game, I had to give him a hard time.  Kevin’s suggestion was that if a team committed so many fouls the other team should get a penalty.  I joked with him that a basketball commentator is the perfect person to change the rules of the world’s most popular sport!  The same day an article in one of the papers suggested MLS should adopt a shoot out similar to the rules the first year or two of the MLS, or like they have in hockey to prevent ending the game in a draw.  Why do certain groups in America feel they have to change everything to suit themselves?  I suggested to Kevin that in basketball a shot from center court should be worth 5 points and if you shoot in between your legs facing backward it should be worth 10 points.  Kevin obviously thought this was ridiculous and rightfully so, but my point was made.  The game is the game, the rules are the rules.  The sport is healthy!  Sometimes teams come into a stadium trying to be negative.  Sometimes the home team plays terrible.  Sometimes the refs are terrible.  Sometimes it’s the greatest game you have ever seen!  The day after my kids were born we (Leicester City) played against Arsenal at home.  Arsenal took the lead in the 89th minute.  We tied in up in the 90th.  Dennis Bergkamp completed his hat-trick for Arsenal in the 92 minute.  In the 4th minute of time added on (94th minute) we tied it up to win a point.  One of the most exciting games I every played in was a draw!  Anyone who watched our National Team draw with Italy 1-1 in the last World Cup would agree that a draw can be a great result.

If you are fairly new to the sport, great, enjoy it, learn the intricacies, learn the game within the game.  Don’t think you need to change the rules to make it more “American”.  If you win the NBA championship you are not a World Champion.  If you win the World Series, you are not a World Champion.  You’ve only won the league!  I’m a baseball fan, a basketball fan, a football fan, and an all around sports fan.  I don’t like every sport, but I can respect the fact that people enjoy sports that I don’t. They don’t have to change their sport to please me so why do so many people think soccer needs to change for them?

Can’t we all just get along?

Kasey

Hey everybody!  The day after the game and everybody is trying to get all the controversy of yesterday’s game behind us.  It’s over, time to move on, take the positives and try to correct the negatives.  Today was a cool down for the guys who played and a reserve game against the reserves of Vancouver.  I went in before the end when it was 1-1.  Good run out for the guys.  Always hard to read too much into these games.  Good for fitness and to play someone other than your teammates.  With the next round of the Open Cup around the corner, it’s good to keep the squad ready.

Tomorrow is a day off from training which is good for me.  Over the last couple of years, I seem to be more sore two days after a game rather than the day after.  Might be sucking down a few Advil with my morning coffee.  What are  you going to do after all these years and over 600 games later?  Very fortunate with injuries, but still doesn’t stop the aches and pains. Just remember if you’re not crashing, you aren’t going fast enough.

If you have to go to work tomorrow make the best of it.  A lot of people out there would love to be miserable but getting a paycheck.  Those of you who truly love your work, right on!

Kasey

What is going on with some of the decisions from the officials?  I can’t say too much for fear that the powers at the league will fine me.  But wow, I’ve been around a long time, in a lot of different countries and all I can say is wow.  We will finish a game again with all 11 men on the field, but not if the refs have anything to do about it.  Enough about that, as for the match.

I feel we started the game pretty well, got the goal, then maybe got a little too casual.  That lead to their goal off our give away in a dangerous position.  We did this a couple of other times before we got punished.  Once again we were not able to get into any kind of a rhythm because of the sending off.  We need to be a little more disciplined to stop getting yellow and red cards, but so much could be avoided with some common sense refereeing.  In the end LA came for a point.  Even with a man advantage they were happy to defend instead of going for the 3 points.  That shows the respect other teams have for our team already.  I am proud once again of extra effort of the players having to play another long period of a game with a man down and coming away with a result.

As I thought my friends on the other team have nothing but envy of what they witnessed with the crowd.  I heard from my friend who heads up security that they had to escort out a number of fans who were getting a little too heated at the ref.  I can’t publicly condone the behavior but I do like the passion. Can we keep to the appropriate limits because I don’t want anyone to have to miss future games.

Think I’ll try to get a little sleep, tried to work out some frustration playing a little Bioshock.  Thanks X-Box 360 Wrenching a few splicers always calms the soul! Welcome to Rapture!

Kasey

Hey Guys,

A beautiful sunny spring day here in Seattle.  Haven’t been able to say that too often.  I hope we don’t make it too nice for those folks from L.A.. I have no doubt that the Sounder faithful will give the L.A. players some nice words of encouragement!

Good day before a game training at Starfire this morning.  Got that last prep done, had our team meeting so everyone is ready for our earlier than usual kickoff tomorrow.  Teams looking good!  Montero’s out with the red card, we’ll miss him but everyone is ready to take up the slack.  A lot of old friend on the Galaxy, it will be nice to catch up. As with Brian McBride last week, Eddie Lewis and Gregg Berhalter are old friend who our families all hung out together in Europe.  Now everyone is coming home to finish off their respective careers.  Great for the players and great for the league.  Besides the fore mentioned, longtime National team teammates Landon , Tony , Jovan, and of course the L.A. coaching staff.  I’ll fill you in on all the envious comments I’m sure they will have on the great atmosphere at Qwest!

If you have a convertible, take the top down and enjoy the great day.  If you don’t, you can alway cut the top off your car with a chainsaw and hope the good weather sticks around for awhile!  Being as we live in the Northwest, might not be the greatest of ideas. 

Don’t forget to wish your mom a happy Mother’s Day tomorrow.

Kasey

Hi everybody,

Good day of training today at Qwest.  Sigi likes to train two days before the game at the stadium.  He feels it give us that little bit more of a home field advantage.  This is cool, its a great place to train as well as play.  Always a little strange when you are training or playing in an empty stadium but you get used to it.  Body feels good after a good hard week, right where I want to be this far away from kickoff.

The big news coming out of the club is the confirmation of our game against FC Barcelona,  just a couple weeks after the Chelsea game.  As fun as these games are for both the fans and the players alike we have to remember that the goal is to win the League.  We can’t lose focus thinking about these two games.  We have had a great start to the season, but it is only that, a great start.  

More family and friends coming to this game for me than usually.  Probably has something to do with Mother’s Day.  Great way to spend time with the family, at the stadium watching the Sounders win!

Have a great weekend Seattle!

Kasey

Hey everybody,

Day off today from training.  Had to go down to the Port of Tacoma to pick up my car that was shipped back from Europe.  With all the new security we had to jump threw a few hoops, but in the end we got the car without any issues.  Got it back to Seattle just for it to break down around the corner from my house.  Limped it home and now have to tow it to the garage to see what’s the problem.  All excited to have my car back just to have this happen, typical.

Thought today would be a great time to answer some questions that you  have posted.

Yes, I was screened on the goal in Chicago.  By the time I saw it through the crowd just couldn’t react in time.  But like I said the other day, very happy with the effort in the second half to rescue a point.

 On the topic of promotion and relegation: on theory it’s great.  It gives opportunities for teams to be rewarded for being successful and punishing those who aren’t.  The big problem is financial.  Teams lose big money getting relegated,which then has a trickle down effect to other teams in the league.  As for investment, how do you tell an owner who wants to buy a team for a couple hundred million that if they have a bad year they no longer are in the NFL or NBA.  Very tough for American business men to understand.

Training tomorrow at Qwest, will it stop raining?

Kasey

Hey everybody,

Another fantastic day to be outside for practice.  Yesterday it cleared up in the middle of training to make an ok day, not so much today.  Good steady rain all practice and cold as well!  48 degrees when I got out of my car to go into the practice facility.  Where is this global warming they keep promising?  

Todays training was a typical early in the week plyo session.  Lots of hurdles to get the legs and lungs firing.  Went into some small sided games after we finished with our individual work.  Guys got after it today.  Got a bit physical and a little vocal.  I like it that way, lets you know guys care.  Montero scored a goal on me that I’m still pissed off about.  We came back to even up the series and take it to penalties.  Got my revenge by saving Fredy’s PK to help our team win.

At 2:30 pm we headed over to VMAC to life weights.  Wasn’t the most motivated this afternoon but you do what you have to do.  Now that I’m big and strong its off to Qwest for a United Way function.  Shame about the weather, kids are supposed to have some fun doing some drills out on the pitch.  Maybe if it keeps raining we can have kayak races!

Keep it real Seattle!

Kasey

How’s everyone doing?  After this mornings radio show went back home for awhile before having to head off to training.  What a beautiful Northwest spring day to dive around on some wet grass.  It took a few Advil and a Red Bull to get myself ready to train. Once we got going my body loosed up and the weather changed for the better.  Ended up being a pretty good day on the practice field.  Finished with a few small sided games in which my team was undefeated.

The guys who didn’t play against Chicago had a reserve game against Seattle U while we were training.  The boys prevailed 3-1 with a couple good goals from Jarrod Smith.  Always tough games to get motivated for when played at the training ground. Everyone did a professional job, worked hard and won the game.  

Have a great cinco de mayo Seattle!

Kasey

Hey everybody!  Just finished up my second day of guest DJ with Harms.  Had a lot of fun once again.  Looking forward to a little more sleep tomorrow and back to normal taking the kids to school.  

Looking outside not real excited for training later.  Had a lot of this weather all those years in England.  Not like I thought the weather was going to be any different back here in Seattle, but still not fun training in this stuff.  Looking forward to some summer weather in the near future.

Be cool and stay dry

Kasey