Another match, another lack of a chance to watch live. I thought I would just watch the scoreline come in via Twitter, and followed through a first half with no goals, but then realized Fox Soccer was re-playing the game right at its finish at noon. I set the DVR and went out to run some errands, and returned to watch the second half. Whatever good Everton had done in the first half disappeared in the second, as the Villains (seriously their nickname more on that in a later post) took over the contest, eventually pushing through with a goal. I was all set to write today about how the Toffees were uninspiring again, when, just 13 minutes later, Donovan threaded Bic Vic a beautiful through ball and EFC equalized. The game finished at 1-1.
One of the toughest things for Americans to get over in watching soccer is the tie, or draw. We are so accustomed to having a winner and a loser that we can't possibly fathom ending the game even. Which is funny if you think about it, because how often do you hear people say after a hard fought, evenly matched, close contest, "No one deserved to lose that game"? Sometimes we even hear the opposite. But in soccer, a draw can mean a win, and you often hear announcers say a team deserved the draw, or the point (a win gets a team three points, a draw gets each team one point). While it's hard to celebrate a tie, that's exactly what most managers are hoping for in a road match (like today was for Everton). I'm sure David Moyes (Everton's Manager) would have loved to win the match, but his post game quotes will surely speak to how Everton deserved the point and they were happy to get it, especially after going down 1-0. Don't get me wrong, I still find myself urging Tim Howard and the boys to put the ball in play more quickly towards the end of the game, but I have learned, begrudgingly, to be happy to take the point and move forward. But man, another goal would have been great...up the Toffees.
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