A Letter from America: of Earthquakes and other natural disasters

Seattle Sounders versus San Jose Earthquakes
Saturday night (14th March, 2015) at CenturyLink Field

Another first! This week's blog page is furnished by our first ever guest contributor: West-Coast-based George Lewis. This American Cousin of ours is a mad-keen sports fan. Despite having no personal English club affiliation - yet! - he has a long-distance interest in the English Premier League, due to his participation in a weekly results predictions game, in which I also play (George, incidentally, had bravely gone for Burnley, Leicester, and West Brom, in the day's EPL fixtures). He is an irregular reader of this occasional column - and a keen smoker of fine cigars, whenever they can be found. Could I big him up any more? I heartily commend to you his offering here below, commenting on the still-nascent Major League Soccer construct and his 'local' San Jose side, with a few explanations added by your truly. Perhaps vaguely appropriately, I type this brief introduction as I listen to The Bluegrass State's very own Helen Humes, on Radio 3's Geoffrey Smith's Jazz, on the BBC i-player (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b052gjz6). 
It is both reassuring and refreshing to see a keen fan of US sports taking so effortlessly and enthusiastically to the world's favourite game. There may be hope yet for the North American 'franchise'. Meanwhile, I am also reflecting unenthusiastically upon my somewhat amateurish preparations, ahead of a vast and looming amount of white gloss woodwork painting, which has kept me away from observing close-hand Enfield Town's continued outside hopes of a play-off place in the Ryman Premier League. More on this anon. Enjoy!
P.S. I do apologise, in advance, for the unlicensed use of "Z's" where there should clearly be "S's", etc.

DES


Just when I thought I was completely out of touch, the second-rate, American version of the "beautiful game" is back!

When we left off, my San Jose Earthquakse were a top team in our "MLS" league here a season ago; but a devastating collapse against the much-detested LA Galaxy in the play-offs sent my team into a downward spiral. After their weak performance in the 2014 season, were MLS run like the EPL, San Jose would have been relegated. But that was then; and this is now!

The 2015 season is just getting underway. I expected little from SJ and hadn't really followed them much, but, after another long Saturday of crafting Powerpoint presentations for fundraising pitches, next week, I settled in for the evening's San Jose-Seattle match-up. Seattle is a good side; especially so in their home arena and their fanatical following. A fact that should undoubtedly warm your hearts: tonight's game was Seattle's 109th consecutive sell-out, with a whopping stadium seating of ~39,100!

San Jose surrendered a dismal goal in the very 1st minute, (DH: an 18th-second opener, courtesy of former Fulham stalwart, Clint Dempsey) and I almost gave up; but, ten minutes later, Team USA's striker Wondolowski; who is infamous for missing a potentially game-winning chip-in against Switzerland (in the FIFA World Cup knockout stages last summer) capitalized on a Seattle defensive miscue - and equalized.  Early in the 2nd half, "Wondo" struck again to put SJ up 2-1.  A good situation, but nothing remarkable yet. It was only then that the fireworks really began!

A San Jose midfielder (Victor Bernardez) was sent off in a questionable refereeing call. To be fair, he did get his spikes (studs) into a Seattle player's leg, but on the replay it was clear he simply whiffed at the ball (an 'air-kick'); there was no foul intent. It should have been a yellow; but SJ had to play on with just 10 men for the forty remaining minutes.

Seattle's attack was relentless: corner after corner, blast after blast, but first-year American 'keeper, David Bingham, played spectacularly; and the score held until lightning struck again, in the form of the previously unknown Innocent Ameghara, - a first-year Nigerian who made what would have to be the goal of the week.

The ball was chipped up to him a little past midfield and immediately a triangle of Seattle defenders surrounded him.  He outmaneuvered them to move the ball up 10 or 15 yards; but they closed and were about to take it from him when he executed a beautiful give-and-go with Wondo to beat all three of them near the corner of the penalty box.  Despite getting past those three, as Wondo chipped it back to him, two more defenders still stood between him and the goal.  With a brilliant feint, he got past both and hooked a shot around the keeper to the long side of the goal to put SJ up 3-1 all the while a man down. It was a marvel, and even though ours is a 2nd tier league, it was a world class goal.

But SJ still had to hold up for 20 more minutes, and the soggy field and unseasonably warm weather was taking their toll on the teams.  All substitutes had been used, and the players out on the field were cramping up, including Ameghara.

Seattle closed to 3-2 near the end of regulation time (with an Obafemi Martins goal in the 84th minute - remember him?!) but Bingham held up against a barrage of shots in the five minutes of injury time, which surely should have been only 3, to secure the 3 road points (to land their first away win of the season).

Thrilling!

--G