One of the things that I find so fascinating about soccer is that, in terms of watching a game, it’s more like art than sport. People can watch the same game and come up with wildly divergent opinions. Hockey has some gray areas, but if a group of people were to watch a baseball, basketball or football game, they’d likely have a consensus idea of how the game went, who did and didn’t play well, and they’d have a bevy of statistics to back up each point. Those sports have so many quantifiable and discrete events that the “what” is rarely in question. Those conversations are all about the why and the coulda/shoulda/woulda and the what-should-happen-next.
But with soccer, even the “what” is largely open for interpretation. Columbus Crew SC’s 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo really hammered that point home as I mostly encountered three different opinions on the match.
Opinion #1: A Boring Three Points
Crew SC took the lead on a 21st minute penalty kick by Kei Kamara after Houston goalkeeper Tyler Deric received a red card for taking down Federico Higuain in the box as the last defender. The 69 minutes that followed were humdrum.
Houston made a concerted effort not to let the game get away from them. They stayed compact defensively and tried to hold it at 1-0 for as long as possible, hoping to pounce on a Columbus mistake for a counterattack or maybe take a chance or two in the final minutes if they could stay within striking distance.
Columbus, meanwhile, held the ball at an astonishing 73.4% clip—the highest percentage in club history since Opta began tracking the stat in 2011—but never really seemed all that dangerous. The Black & Gold were called offside nine times, totaled 11 corner kicks, completed 88% of their passes and camped out in the Houston half of the field, but didn’t have much to show for in terms of successfully breaking down the Dynamo defense.
In a way, the red card ruined the game. Houston defended, Columbus possessed, and that was about it. It seemed like it would stay 1-0 forever and it did. A boring three points. The end.
Opinion #2: A Professional Performance and Victory
If you were to talk to the players and coaches who get paid to, you know, win soccer games, they were pleased with the evening’s events. What they saw was a team keeping its focus and composure while securing the necessary victory without incident.
“In my eyes, I’m proud of the team because I think it was a really professional performance,” said Crew SC Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter. “We have the tendency to get sloppy and to maybe get discouraged if you don’t get that second goal up a man, but I think that it was a very professional performance and we really didn’t give them anything. So I think it was good. I was happy with it.”
Given Houston’s posture, the only way they were likely to get into the game would be based on a Crew SC screw up. Playing the open style that they usually do, the Black & Gold are often good for a couple of tense turnovers per game. On Saturday, however, they avoided any man-advantage mental miscues.
“It’s important in those games because you can tune off a little bit and all of a sudden they’re counterattacking,” said captain and central defender Michael Parkhurst. “I thought Tyson [Wahl], myself, and Steve [Clark] did a good job of staying aware the whole game, knowing where [Dynamo forward Giles] Barnes was and where their wingers were. We didn’t give up much on the counterattack and a lot of that credit goes to the front guys for pressing as soon as we lost the ball.”
As the possession numbers and passing percentage would attest, Crew SC didn’t lose the ball often. To their eyes, there was composure in the attack that helped take the pressure off the defense.
“I think, quite honestly, it’s difficult to play up a man, especially when you don’t score,” Berhalter said. “It is a hard task because what happens is you start thinking you need to force balls and you need to get that goal. That’s why I’m so happy with the performance because we stayed patient and we stuck to what we were meant to do. We didn’t give them any chances and that’s the most important thing.”
It might have lacked the excitement and fireworks of the previous week’s 3-2 victory over New York City FC, but Crew SC took what the situation offered and calmly cruised to a 1-0 win.
“We’d like to have the offensive firepower every week, but if it doesn’t happen, we need to be able to lock it down,” Parkhurst said. “It doesn’t matter if we win 3-2 or 1-0. We’re happy with the three points and we’re happy with the performance.”
Opinion #3: That Was Fun!
Lest we spend too much time agonizing over the aesthetic intricacies of the sport, let’s look at the game through the eyes of someone attending her very first soccer game. I had firsthand access to her commentary throughout the match. Her soccer TV viewing experience pretty much consists of a handful of World Cup or Olympic games, plus some Crew SC playoff games in 2015 and a couple of the games so far in 2016. It was her first time at MAPFRE Stadium and she had a blast. Throughout the night, when people found out it was her first game, they would almost apologetically explain that the games are usually way more exciting.
“Why did people keep apologizing?” she incredulously asked at the end of the night. “I thought it was fun!”
Whether it was the red card and the ensuing goal, the speed and athleticism that translates much better live than on TV, the constant possession in the Houston end that held the potential of more goals, the realization that soccer can be a rough and physical sport, the near fight when Kei Kamara took exception to Alex’s elbow to the head of the Mohammed Saeid, or the drama of Houston’s last-gasp corner kick with the goalie pulled, her eyes saw an entertaining game that made her want to come back for more.
There was only one soccer game at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday night, but despite all eyeballs being glued to the same contest, the match produced many different interpretations. All three listed above are true in their own way.
Beauty, or lack thereof, is in the eye of the beholder. Just as it is with all art.
PS: Wins are stone-cold facts.
