Chad Barrett Turns The Corner

I don't know if I'll get to the fisking of the Fire-Revs game -- which will disappoint Kenn, but not as much as almost interfering with the open of the broadcast last night, for which I apologize profusely -- but if there one thing to take from the much-needed 2-1 victory, it's that Chad Barrett seemed to have a pretty great game. That Chris Rolfe got the in-stadium Man Of The Match award is a travesty, and I like Chris Rolfe.

Barrett's biggest problem always seemed to be taking too many touches on the ball in the penalty area and subsequently getting dispossessed before he could either pass or shoot. Last night he found Chris Rolfe for the first Fire goal, pounced on a first-touch rebound, and muscled his way into some good chances that unfortunately didn't fall for the third-year forward.

If Logan Pause has seen the biggest bounce from Blanco's arrival, I think Barrett has gotten the most help from new head coach Juan Carlos Osorio, although Blanco may certainly be a part of the growth as well with his passing into the final third.

Current notabbott.com whipping boy Wilman Conde had a good game, and I got in several arguments about him at Toyota Park with fellow fans, former general managers and the like about how I still think he's overrated. I just think he's too up and down -- he'll make some really great plays, but then make a bunch of stupid fouls or bad passes -- and my favorite defenders (think C.J. Brown and Dasan Robinson) are more quietly consistent. They're not flashy, but they're also rarely wrong.

Meanwhile, Columbus did us a solid by losing yet again, and we'll have to see what Colorado and Los Angeles do today. I still would almost prefer that the playoffs come down to a Beckham versus Blanco showdown on October 21st at Toyota Park, just because it would nice to see the Designated Player Rule actually live up to its billing. At least as far as the two teams with the highest-paid DPs battling to be the eighth-best team in the league lives up to any sort of billing.