I started the night thinking that a draw in Houston would be a miracle and fully expected a loss. However, as it turns it out I am extremely disappointed in the loss. Over the course of a match every player has at least one case of a lack of concentration or a mental lapse. In some cases, these lapses result in giving up a goal or in other negative consequences, but Jamison Olave picking up his second yellow card in this match when the team is leading 1-0 is completely unexcusable and he should suffer some consequences other than the league mandated suspension following his ejection. He has shown time and time again to be lazy on certain plays, to be too cute on others and to let his temper get the best of him. As talented as he is, if he cannot get control of these aspects of his game then he deserves to sit. As time goes on, he is becoming more Jean-Martial Kipre, and less Eddie Pope.
There were several oddities in this match including:
- A water break midway through the first half that apparantly was agreed upon by both team captains.
- An apparant back pass after a restart to Rimando that he picked up without a call.
- A weak penalty kick call when Rimando had appeared to back off fo the ball and Ching continued his run right through Rimando.
- An even weaker penalty kick taken by Brad Davis who appeared to try the hesitation move and didn't get anything on the ball.
Although the team played pretty well before Olave's gaff, I have concerns about the defense of this team. Russell, Wingert, Beltran, Joy, Borchers and especially Olave have shown an inability to concentrate as a group for a full 90 minutes. For all the talk about offensive ineptitude, I think defense is the real question mark for this team. If you read between the lines, the organization has been sending this same message.
