Instant (Over)Reaction: Monterrey

I don't know what to say about last night's game besides that the better team won. If you watched the game, you know what I mean. Monterrey came into Qwest and beat us. The weathered the storm for the first 30 minutes and took advantage of two quality chances to beat us 2-0. Now, I know that we outshot them 17-7, but did anyone really feel that we were dominant?

Even though I have nothing to offer about the game, I do have two general comments.

1. First, I was upset by how loud Qwest was after Monterrey scored their goals. I knew coming into the game that Monterrey would be supported well, but it wasn't like there were Monterrey supporters every where you looked. In fact, green/highlighter yellow outnumber blue in the stands by a 9:1 ratio. The problem was that there were many Sounders 'fans', wearing rave green, who were also cheering for Monterrey when they score. Listen, you're allowed to have more than one favorite team, especially if they are from different countries. But you are not allowed to wear the colors of one team and then root for their opponent. I have no problem with Sounders fans taking off their rave green and putting on their hometeam's colors for the rare game against their hometown team. That is acceptable, but cheering for the opposition when you're in rave green is completely unacceptable.
   
2. Second, I am bummed to see us at 0-2 in CCL group play, but I think this will be good for us in the long run. I loved that the Sounders front office wants to win every game and every competition. That is what I want from them. Unfortunately, with 3 competitions and a tightly packed schedule, winning all 3 is IMPOSSIBLE. They need to focus on two of them or they are going to burn themselves out. I never really thought we were good enough to win the Champions League considering no US team has ever won in Mexico and the 4 best teams in the region are from Mexico. I am happy that we get to face some international competition, but never did I think we would conquer them all. So now that we are virtually eliminated from the competition, we can focus on two competitions that we CAN win - MLS and US Open Cup. This weekend is a big. Of all the teams below us, I am scared most of Chicago, not just because of their talent but because they have played 3 less games than us. If we can find a way to win that represents a 6 point swing and a HUGE advantage going into the final weeks of the season. So let's hope we get it done on Saturday and then turn around on Wednesday and use some fresh legs and Starfire home cooking to move to the US Open Cup Finals.