Seattle 3-3 Spurs - report from CenturyLink Field

[Gaz_Gammon]

Poch def got his work cut out with the defence. We defend like a kids team. All aimlessly run towards the ball, oblivious to whats going on around you or pack the goal area and hope the 4 unmarked players lining up a shot on the edge of the box dont get lucky. Amazes me how pro footballers can look like they have no experience what so ever.
Anyway, early days yet. And please, no more mentions of top 4. Its embarrassing.

Totally agree. Seattle are a good all round team and top their league (and are in their season). That said even as an opening warm up game our back four and midfield were disjointed lacked pace and the communication was very poor at times. Naughton, Rose, Dawson and Lennon were simply not good enough against a team of youngsters and journeymen. It was also quite evident that aside from Kaboul our remaining defenders were left flat footed at times and way off the pace. As i said this result does not mean jack-shit but this team of professionals should still have performed better. It's not as if we had an entirely new back four now is it?

 

[spud]

Being at the game was an interesting experience. The Seattle fans made a fair bit of noise but they were 'cheerleaded' and I can't help but think that is cheating a bit. The stadium (Century Link Field - home of the NFL Seahawks and the Sounders) is excellent. Shame about what they play on.

As for the game, we were a defensive shambles and the most interesting thing for me was where Poch put people in the 3 of his 4-2-3-1. In the first half Lennon was left, Holtby was right and Townsend was central, and this 'inversion' was continued with the second half replacements. Earlier comments that Lennon was anonymous are right, but he always is when played on the left.

I don't think anything can be read into the game apart from confirmation (not that any is needed) that we desperately need a new left back.

I was extremely unimpressed with our players leaving the pitch without acknowledging the fans. Some had made a huge effort - and spent a huge amount of money - to be there, and the least that they could have done would be to come to the corner and wave. Piss poor.

 

[DCSpurs]

Had a chance to meet the team in an autograph session the day before. The club is doing a lot to build a supporter base in the States. It gave away shirts, scarves, and caps to the supporters club members that had traveled to see the match. Hopefully that will have long-term benefits.

Saw the match from the Spurs section today. Was unimpressed with Lennon, Rose, and Townsend. Same problem as last year. Got beyond the last defender on the wing but took poor angled shots or carelessly turned the ball over stead of crossing.

Lamela came on in the second half and was pretty active. He tracked back defensively and was aggressive in the tackle. That was something I hadn't seen before from him. Soldado played stronger than I recall, as well, holding up play well. He got into a shoving match with a Sounders player and the two squads squared up, although nothing came of it.

Tom Carroll seemed to always in good be positions to receive and distribute the ball. Capoue won tackles but his distribution was a bit lacking. It seemed we were very committed to possession and made a conscious decision not to play through balls behind the back line.

I made the trip from Washington, DC to Seattle to watch the match. I was impressed with the Seattle Sounders fans who were well organized and supportive of their club. This is remarkable for a few reasons. They don't rely on an immigrant population to drive attendance. It's homegrown interest and support within the same population as the fans of the Super Bowl Champion Seahawks. The whole city seems behind the team.

This a good sign for future prospects of football in America and a good reason for Tottenham to have made the visit to Seattle. Props to the club which worked with Seattle Spurs (local supporters) and Sounders supporters to grow its profile. The first thing to sell out of the stadium shop was the Tottenham - Sounders scarf. It didn't have mention of the match, was just both teams. A very good marketing move to connect with local U.S. Football supporters who will easily support a local team and an international one.

 

[spud]

Had a chance to meet the team in an autograph session the day before. The club is doing a lot to build a supporter base in the States. It gave away shirts, scarves, and caps to the supporters club members that had traveled to see the match. Hopefully that will have long-term benefits.

You must have been in the 'VIP' section behind the goal after training. One of our party was jealous as she wanted to get autographs. I was wondering how they chose the people to go in there.

I made the trip from Washington, DC to Seattle to watch the match. I was impressed with the Seattle Sounders fans who were well organized and supportive of their club. This is remarkable for a few reasons. They don't rely on an immigrant population to drive attendance. It's homegrown interest and support within the same population as the fans of the Super Bowl Champion Seahawks. The whole city seems behind the team.

I agree to an extent. The Sounders always play to good crowds and there is clearly a solid hard-core fan base in an area that, as you say, doesn't have the immigrant population to provide the bedrock of support. The vocal support shows that they clearly 'get' what traditional football support means.

On the other hand, I feel that the fact that their chants and clapping were led by somebody on a platform armed with a microphone and accompanied by a drum detracted from the overall support. It was scripted rather than spontaneous. I realise that this is perhaps necessary when there is no pre-existing culture to draw on, but it will become embedded in the US 'soccer' culture, which I think will be the worse for it. Plus, there was only one occasion that I can recall the rest of the ground joining in; otherwise they were the typical passive north american 'sit and watch' crowd.