From the above score and the game I saw recently on TV, it looks like its going to be a very, very long season for Dallas. they looked lifeless up front and not all that great in the back...which is obvious from the 4-1 score to an A-League team, admittedly a decent team.

On paper Dallas looks like a great team, but they have little heart and passion on the field. Maybe they will turn things around against DC Utd on Saturday!?!

Mark's playing for the Battery?

Whooops.

Boy, did I get some bad information. Good for Mark. I think you'll enjoy the runs he makes if he gets a chance to play. And as I said, he's developed a better shot over the last year or so. He used to run up the field, then wait for someone to pass it to. Now he takes the shot. As a forward, though, how much PT might he see with the likes of Waldo there?

The game tonight is at the newly soccer-sized Sun Bowl. It sits on the the campus of the Univ. of Texas-El Paso (UTEP), which owns and runs the stadium.

In renovating the place, they recently blasted away the oval dimension and squared parts of the field off to "soccer-size" it. I've been to lots of football stadiums around the country, and I have to say the setting and the stadium itself are among the best I've seen. It sits up high in the hills surrounding the campus and you can see the city lights if you're up far enough. The hills tend to make it a little louder than most stadiums, too, if there's a big enough crowd.

That's the thing, though. The place seats 50,000. However, I can't wait to see some soccer there. I have to miss tonight's game, but I look forward to more in the future.

Does the Sun Bowl have real grass now?

Let us know the result of tonight's game as soon as you can.

Thanks

In its renovation the Sun Bowl got the new AstroPlay surface. Players view it as a little faster and slicker than grass, but a "true" playing surface with no divots.

Galaxy 2, Patriots 0 -- Simon Elliott scores both goals in the second half, one on a PK, the other a direct kick.

Not one, not two, but THREE stories were written on this event in the El Paso Times. Check 'em out at elpasotimes.com. The first was front page about the Sun Bowl and crowd reaction, the next two are in sports (column and game story).

FRONT PAGE:
http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20020403-186886.shtml

GAME STORY:
http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/sports/todaysstories/20020403-186901.shtml

COLUMN:
http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/sports/joemuench/20020403-186906.shtml

Enjoy. These should help flesh out El Paso's soccer scene nicely for those who are curious.

Isn't "El Matador" still with Galaxy or has he quietly gone away? I'd thought that he would have been a draw, but he's probably with a Mexican team now anyway, right?

El Matador is playing for Club America. He left LA and MLS after last season and will not be returning anytime soon. He almost won a MLS championship (scored against San Jose in the Finals) before he left.

Hell NO!!! The blond diver asked to leave after last season and Sigi replied, "don't let the door hit you." Ok, maybe those where his exact words but no one in LA misses him. Especally now we have the "Little Fish"

Offically, Luis asked if he could buy out the remainder of his MLS contract, and everyone agreed it was best for him to just stay in Mexico. (no, I'm not that bitter we had to put with two seasons of his BS trips to Mexico and lame excuses why he couldn't make it to matches after giving up Clint Mathis, Roy Myers and...err...well these others we don't miss, in order to get someone who is only here half the season and didn't give a damn while he was here.) :rolleyes:

Guatemalan Carlos Ruiz is really shaking things up there in LA. El Pescadito was a great signing for the Gals...

I have been meaning to post my thoughts on the game for a while, but i would keep forgetting. SO here you go, an e-mail I sent out a while ago to a curious fan:

*************,

Hello. In regards to your curiosity about the match, it went pretty well. More than 7,000 El Pasoans showed up. The crowd was divided up into 90%/10% in favor of the Patriots. The Pat's looked quite well in my opinion. There were two players who stood out in my mind, but for two entire different reasons. Defensemen Carlos Martinez looked exceptionally well. To me, it seems like he has improved quite a bit since last season. He played very smart - he was patient, good speed, he did not overcommit when going one-on-one with an attacker. On the other end of the spectrum, there is Guillermo McFarlane, also a defensemen. You can tell that the years have finally caught up with him (You could tell last year too, but Tuesday night it was quite obvious). He has slowed down quite a bit. I am not sure how useful he will be to the team (if at all).

As for the rest of the team, I felt that they did an exceptional job under the circumstances (the team has probably only been working together for a month or so [ if not weeks]). The defense looks quite solid for it being so early in the season. Both goals came on dead ball situations - a penalty shot and a very well taken free kick. Midfield, IMO, could use more organization and work. However, I do admit that the Galaxy are a more superior team, so that could probably be the reason they were unable to do anything. Anyways, they were unable to get the ball upfield. Hopefully as April 20th approaches, this will improve. Finally as for our offense, the jury is still out. Either the Galaxy's defense was that good, or we need some work up front. They did have their chances, but were unable to capitalize. Also keep in mind that the midfield was unable to get the ball up field for most of the game, so that could be a huge factor. Overall, it seems we have a lot of speed and some skill with the ball. Two very good signs. IMO

Well if you need anymore info on the team, feel free to e-mail me or just check out the forum at usldiscussions.com. Take care

chuy

PS Hope to see you at the games this summer! Go Pat's!