TFC v CLB

-For starters, I must point out that even though we still tied, we shouldn't be overly discouraged.  There were, however, some things that made me believe that some changes need to be made to the Crew.

-Warzycha needs to stop trying to be like Sigi and either make his mark or leave.  Warzycha is no longer an assistant coach and he needs to get that through his head.  Good head coaches make a mark on their team, they make it THEIR team... I feel like we are simply playing without a head coach.  I do give him some sympathy in that Schelotto has played well in the formation that Sigi carved out for him and it's hard to change the formation when you have Schelotto.  I'm not asking for a full blown revamping of the Crew, just maybe a little bit of some Warzycha soccer, not Sigi soccer.

-While on the subject of Warzycha, I question some moves he made in the Toronto game.  One, who the hell takes out Schelotto with a half hour left?  That's like taking Steven Gerrard out while 1-0 up against Manchester United with a half hour to go.  That's BOOTY.  I have heard that maybe the turf was bugging Schelotto, but even then, Noonan?  The guy just got back from an injury.  15 minutes in, I can understand.  Putting him into the playmakers role for a half hour?  No comprendo.  Two, why take out Ekpo?  Collectively, Warzycha removed our offense for a guy coming off injury and a rookie... Brilliant.

-I guess Lenhart shouldn't see any time when he should actually see it?

-Gaven impressed me in the middle.  I expected him to be similar to Ekpo in the role, except Gaven would be slower.  But he did well.  He fought for the ball and got a few opprotunities because of it.  Good stuff.

-Brunner is a man.  O'Rourke better watch his back.

-TFC's goal. What a mess.  One, how does Jed Zayner miss that ball coming down the line?  Aren't defenders supposed to read that play?  Two, what was Gruenebaum doing?  What kind of professional goalie comes out halfway to punch a ball, then changes his mind?  The kind that doesn't last two more years.  

-As negative as I appear to be, I wasn't completely pissed at the game.  We got a point in Toronto, which is good for just about anybody.  We did play well in the first half, although I blame Warzycha for not doing a good enough job during halftime to get these guys revved up.  Not a terrible performance, although I WANTED that win!

NO WAY! A new post!

Well, it's been a while.  I can't say I got to into the whole blogging thing, but after reading various Columbus Crew blogs, I decided that maybe I'll give it another go.

I'm a Crew fan, and like just everybody else, I can't say I have been that impressed with the Massive Canaries so far.  They looked good the first half of the game in Houston, but that was about it up until the first half in the recent Colorado game.  I had been discussing many opinions with my fellow Crew buddies about what had been wrong and what looked better.  Ekpo was never a center mid, the injuries to Hejduk, Marshall (although it seems like it was just for one game), Rogers, and Noonan have hurt tremendously (I think Hejduk was missed the most), Hesmer hasn't really been himself, as well as O'Rourke and Padula, and somewhat Moreno.  Nothing seemed right.  Then Moffat was healthy, and in my opinion he single handedly massively helped the Crew.  A healthy Moffat gives some added bite and enthusiasm in the center of the park, it pushes to Ekpos into his best position, the outside wing, and it gives Carroll someone to work with.  Moffat changes the face of the Crew.  It will be awesome to have Hejduk back because of the enthusiasm he brings to the pitch.  He has never been the best technically, but he makes up for it with his determination and leadership, which he couldn't be more of a leader in my opinion.  

The Beginning

To explain a little about what this blog will even be about, let me begin by explaining the name, zirrard19.  Zirrard is a mixture of the names of my two favorite soccer( or football) players, Zinedine Zidane and Steven Gerrard.  19 is my soccer number, so that obviously is tacked on to the end.  After telling you that, this blog will largely be about various football events that take place in the world.  

The first order of business involves where Zinedine Zidane lies in the memories of football fans everywhere America.  Most Americans just see him as that bald guy who headbutted that Italian in the World Cup, and it's a little frustrating to live around these people and hear that.  They don't really know who Zidane is, and they all think Pele and Ronaldo are the best to ever play.  I only slightly disagree.  In my honest opinion, Zidane is the best player ever to play the beautiful game.  The way is able to pick apart any defense that is thrown his way is amazing.  If you watch any youtube videos of Zidane (other than the ones with the infamous headbutt), you'll see a lot of Zidane making guys look stupid with simple moves, doing things no one else would think of trying, and amazing goals coming from all over the field.  His technical ability was out of this world.  I know most Europeans know about the exploits of Zidane and it's comforting to know that at least they understand what Zidane is all about.  But for all of the Americans, Pele is beat out by Zidane simply because the modern game is faster and bigger, and Zidane played more recently.  Ronaldo was never the greatest player ever, the best striker at a point in his career maybe, but never the best player.