Instant (Over)Reaction: New England

As far as Sounders games go, last night was as close to perfect as I could ask for. Packed House. Amazing weather. Goals galore. And of course, a win.

Now, I'm not going to allow myself to overreact because the fact remains that we are the same team this week as we were last week. We are 4-5-3 and in second to last place in the Western Conference. Even with all the talent and the feel good win last night, we are still not a great team. I'm not saying we won't make the playoffs or that we won't win any hardware, but we have a ways to go before we are there.

With that being said, here are some comments about the game.

• The weather was beautiful which in itself is a reason for Seattlites to go crazy. Add in the early goals. Check that, the beautiful goals and Qwest was apeshit last night.
• Leo's goal was a thing of beauty. We had the perfect view from behind as he struck it. It was one of those moments when the entire stadium is silent in anticipation of what is about to happen. Then when it hit the back of the net, pure ecstasy
• Had to feel bad for Revs rookie keeper Bobby Shuttleworth. Apparently playing at the Univ of Buffalo is nothing like playing in front of 36k. He seemed rattled all night
• Zakuani's goal was another thing of beauty. He attempted a volley minutes earlier and sailed it over the net. When given another shot, he finished it. He has been the Sounders best player all year long.
• Ljungberg looked great last night and I think I am starting to appreciate him more. Sure, he is infuriating when he consistently tries to beat players in corner, but the stuff he does in the middle of the field is beautiful. He is the most fouled guy in the league and I finally see why - it's because he tries crap (like splitting two defenders after receiving a pass and spinning on a dime) that no one else in the league would. He had a great game last night and seemed to be happy for the first time in a long time (amazing what winning does for a team)
• My buddies commented all night about how many headers Brad Evans was winning. Bottom line: He was a beast and should be playing Center Mid every game.
  
• To me, the MVP of the game last night was Pat Ianni. Sure, Leo, Zak and Montero provided the goals, but Ianni was quietly great. New England has only one player - Shalrie Joseph - and last year we let him beat us. This year, he was a non-factor all night. The game would have been a lot different had Joseph been allowed to get into a rhythm.
• It was absolutely great to see Taylor Graham get some minutes last night. He has been on the team for two years now and amazingly this is his first MLS action due to some reoccuring injuries. I think the writing is on the wall for he, Zach Scott and Roger Levesque, so it's good to see them getting some minutes.
  

Big game on Thursday night against DC. If we can get a full three points and go into the WC break at 5-5-3, I think we are in good position to make a run in the second half of the season.