Inexplicably bad defending lead England to a 1-0 deficit against the Germans which was then doubled by a swift attack that exposed the frailty England had in defense again. 2-0 before the game felt like it had fully started and the small gang of Englishman at the Power & Light District were pretty well resigned to the defeat we expected going into the game. Matthew Upson pulled one goal back quickly and all of a sudden there was hope, England were pressing forward and then Frank Lampard unleashed a shot which cannoned downwards off the cross bar and over the line. It was a goal, we celebrated and then the sickly realization that it had not been given set in.

Inevitably the conversation turned to “England getting screwed” and then “we need video technology” to help prevent these things happening. Did I feel aggrieved? Yes, but as the game played out and Germany ran away with it it was also obvious that England were in over their heads and the better team was going to win.

I felt no anger towards the referees when the game was over, more a deeper conviction that the blame for the defeat lay squarely at the feet of the players sporting the Three Lions badge. They were simply not good enough.

Later that afternoon I watched Carlos Tevez score a goal for Argentina that was offside. I really didn’t see the offside until the commentators watched the goal again in slow motion and mentioned it. Mexico just got screwed. Right? And the Republic of Ireland by France with Thierry Henry’s hand ball. And England in 1986 by Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God”. And Germany by England in the 1966 World Cup final.

We remember these famous episodes, and yes in an ideal world they would never happen but expecting referees to be perfect is a foolish notion and to play devils advocate I think expecting that introducing instant replay into soccer will somehow cure the game of injustice is also foolish.

Goal Line Instant Replay – to see if a ball crossed the line is one of the most commonly requested new tools for referees that the scorned and aggrieved turn to. The reality is a tiny minority of the good goals that are not allowed to stand are those where we argue over if the ball crossed the line. Meanwhile in the Premier League, Seria A, MLS and leagues around the world scores of good goals are struck off every week because of blown off-side calls. As high as this number may be, as many goals are scored that are the result of an offside call that is not given. Headers are scored or missed because of shirt tugs. Corner kicks are unjustly won and lead to goals. Throw ins are taken from the wrong spot. Referees play the advantage only to have the team given the advantage lose the ball and a goal thirty seconds later.

In a fluid game like soccer a poor call in the opposing penalty area can lead to a goal at the other end of the field. In short, to fairly apply video technology to the game that we call “beautiful” every refereeing decisions given or otherwise would have to be subject to rejection. I just don’t think it can work. To have technology to disprove or approve Frank Lampard’s goal as a specific scenario would not have helped the USA with their two good goals that were not given during the 2010 World Cup. When you can point to scenarios where justice can be served, while others scenarios are left to the officials cries of foul play will persist.

Technologically imposed fair play brought to its ultimate conclusion would punctuate a game that is already suffering with simulated fouls, inconsistent refereeing and negative defensive play.

Nearly a half century after Geoff Hurst’s controversial goal I am left wondering if those decisions that are too close to call would not still be bitterly argued about. This certainly happens in the NFL, and ultimately instant replay is still in the hands of humans, and that human factor will never change.

They key to changing the game to make it more just, lies in more officials on the field. This was tested in last seasons Europa League and is being extended to the Champions League on trial. Basically goal line officiants at either end monitor the goal line and watch for foul play in the boxes. More eyes on the field takes the pressure off referees to keep up with a game that is ever increasing in speed. It has not been infallible, but then no system ever will be and at some point you just have to take the shit sandwich you have been handed and admit it just wasn’t your day.

Arnaud should not be captain of the Wizard’s or any other football team.  He is a reckless, stupid, hot head who has no business being in a position of leadership in any professional or amateur capacity.  3 red cards so far this season?  And today’s was beyond stupid.  The sad thing is nobody is surprised by this anymore.

Teal Bunbury should be given starts over Josh Wolff.  I’m not going to bash Wolff, lets just say at his age he has about as much to offer in the future as woolen socks and pig skin balls.  Lets face it, this season is over.  Let Bunbury get the starts, learn the game, score some goals and start 2011 stronger than he is now.

Craig Rocastle.  Off to a shaky start but he had a decent game tonight against the Red Bulls and that is not something you can say about the majority of the rest of the squad.  He is physical, but tonight he showed control and restraint and actually was quite productive with the ball.  I appreciate this might be blasphemous, but given time to get used to the finickity refereeing in MLS I think Craig Rocastle can be more productive as a defense, holding midfielder than Stephane Auvrey who I like but who also has a nasty knack of giving up possession at key moments.  Can Rocastle tame himself?  He appeared to do very well tonight and I’d like to see him out there more.

Our defense is a complete fail.  It is not necessarily the personnel but the system that leaves them exposed, and in doing so exposes their weaknesses.  Jimmy Nielsen has proven himself to make mistakes, Conrad has lost a step.  Escobar should be put on a boat and sent back to wherever the hell he came from in Columbia.  We really need a solid central defender.

Espinoza has been great … kind of.  I keep hearing that anyway but the reality for me is that he is merely and above average player in a pretty weak squad.  His switch to defense has helped him, in that it has gotten him into the squad and his defensive play has been decent however his link up play and his ability to get caught out of position up field, or to fail to get up field when its needed undermines the already weak 4-3-3 hybrid formation we are playing.

Free kicks …. largely horrible.  At least with Escobar out of the team we have stopped hitting the corner flags from 45 yards.

Goals.  We do not score nearly enough of them.  Blame Wolff, the formation, bad luck, the wicked witch of the west, my left nut or the ghost of Patrick Swayze.  Take your pick.  We don’t create chances in the penalty area, we have a target man he is about as dynamic in the air as a step ladder and no invention.  The forwards are a problem, but we also lack any form of guile and creativity through the center.

Zoltán Hercegfalvi – we sure could use him now.  Does anybody have news on how his recovery is going and estimates on when he will resume his career playing for the Wizards against college kids again?

Indian Sunil Chhetri should also be given a start or two.  I don’t believe he is ready, but hell as I have said the season is over, lets see what the kid has got.  We are not scoring goals now anyway so if he fails to find the back of the net we have lost nothing.  If he fails the Indian fans might stop blathering on about him not being selected, and if he succeeds we might have something we currently do not possess.  A striker.

Jack Jewsbury.  Ever reliable, ever solid.  In many respects the best player on the team so far this season, at least the most consistent.

Kei Kamara has come on a bit from last season and thank god we have him.  Without him and his goals we would actually be a complete laughing stock now instead of a marginally snicker worthy rag tag group of wanderers and journeymen.   Peter Vermes’ dirty dozen would be anchored to the bottom of the table without Kamara yet he frustrates the living hell out of me with his sloppy crossing, and his unwillingness to look before he passes.  He could be such a better player if he just worked out some of these kinks, and if he used his ample pace to stretch defenses with quality runs off the ball rather than plodding around.  All in all I am glad he is here, but I feel at a decent MLS side he is a substitute rather than a starter.

Losing games is one thing, but it appears more so than ever that we have a culture of losing at the Wizards which needs to be addressed.  I am tired of reading Kei Kamara talking about putting the latest defeat behind us and moving on.  That might be appropriate for Bruce Arena to say if his team lost a game now before continuing to run away with the MLS Support Shield but its starting to sound like a mantra.

Chance Myers.  Not that exciting after all….

Using your face to make saves is rather epic however Jimmy Nielsen in my mind has been little upgrade over Kevin Hartman.  I say this with caution as I like Jimmy, it is hard not to however he is starting to show the flaws Wizard’s fans were warned about by Danish fans and it has cost us a few goals of late.  People might point to Kevin Hartman’s horrible performances so far this year but that is a pretty weak comparison on a small body of work akin to looking at Wayne Rooney looking like absolute shit so far in the World Cup and writing him off as a bad player.  I’m not saying Nielsen was a mistake, but I am saying I’m not sold on him being this superstar goalkeeper.

Onalfo was practically run out of town on a rail after a dismal run during the summer months last year culminated in a 6-0 defeat to Dallas in Dallas.  At current the 2010 Wizards team has a worse record than Onalfo’s 2010 team.

Pablo Escobar.  Epic Fail.

Quitters.  The performance tonight, had no heart, no courage and simply smacked of going through the motions.  If you endured the tail end of last season when it was obvious we had no chance of making the playoffs you should have noticed the similarities as we bent over for New York and handed them the Astroglide.

Ryan Smith has been good.  I know people think he is lazy, I don’t.  I just think running all over the place with little purpose just makes you a fool if nothing is on.  Static forwards, no runs, no overlapping — nothing in this side is geared to work well with wingers, especially as Wolff can’t win a ball in the air to save his life and neither can Kamara.  He needs the team to have another credible threat to get him out of double and triple coverage.

Santiago Hirsig.  Forgotten Man.  Guess while Auvrey is out I am surprised that he isn’t on the bench in case Rocastle or Jewsbury are injured.  Hirsig the next roster cut for KC?  No point paying the man to play the Brass.

The Kansas City Soccer Stadium …. anybody really up for paying more to see the Wizards play this badly next season than we do now?  Things need to change if the stadium is to be filled.  Infuriating as this is, what really pisses me off is that the Wizards had a prime opportunity to radically expand the fan base this season.  With the World Cup, the Stadium Construction, and the Royals and Chiefs looking like a couple of special ed teams the Wizards had an opportunity to provide a winning alternative in a town so starved for success that people are buying season tickets to watch a pissant minor league hockey team that has a hint of being able to compete about them.  Instead if you watched USA vs Ghana today, and then flicked the TV over to channel 12 later in the day because you were in the mood for a bit more of the beautiful game … you’d probably never watch MLS let alone the Wizards again.

Unexciting.  Under-performing.  Unimpressive.  Unimaginative.  The perfect words to sum up the last X Wizards games.  Things have been so completely dull and disappointing … the second half of the recent Union game was about the most bored I have ever been at a sporting event.  I hate to say it but its a good thing for MLS that the Wizards are only on national TV three times a year.  I am sure KCWE viewing figures are sliding ….. they have to be.

Peter Vermes.  Technical Director.  Coach.  The guy that re-invented our squad.  The only man pulling the strings.  He should be fired.  Maybe no now, but ultimately if things do not improve by seasons end he needs to go.

World Cup Watch Parties.  Kudos front office, you did good.  2014 is but four years away — start planning now so you can … advertise … and promote this next time.  12,000 people turned out for today’s USA game which was marvelous, but there could have been so many more for so many of the other games.

X&Y : It looks like we are back at Square One. What If we get Robb Heineman to sing Fix You softly to the team or at least Talk and send A Message to Peter Vermes about expectations and quality. It seems like it will take Til Kingdom Come to sort this team out. The Hardest Part is that the team was built around running at the Speed of Sound and keeping the ball Low and none of these things seem to happen. Twisted Logic says that they should improve as the season moves onward but any hope I have for this year seems to have been Swallowed in the Sea. Now you know that I like Coldplay and am therefor quite gay.

Zusi needs more starts.  Whenever he has been on the field he has looked impressive.  He is every bit as industrious as Davy Arnaud without the very obvious downside of being a petulant, undisciplined ass hat. We look better with him on the field and he makes things happen.

It has been to busy around these parts to devote time to this site for the last month and it really isn’t looking much better for the next month.  If you are interested in joining me in this little endeavor and have the ability to express an idea or two drop me an email, I clearly need some other ‘voices’ to keep this rolling over the next few months and beyond to allow me to develop the site beyond being simply a blog.  This site was always intended to be a fan driven site that would host content from multiple people, maybe its time for you to scratch that itch and say the things you always wanted to about the Wizards.  Send email to starritt@gmail.com.