Which do you prefer, an ugly victory or a beautiful defeat?

[MrCoffee]

Last Saturday, Seattle Sounders FC played a hideous game against Sporting Kansas City. It was one of the worst performances of the season so far, but they won the game on a stoppage-time goal.

Last night, SSFC played FC Dallas in a beautiful match. It was great fun to watch, even though we lost.

I know that the league table in soccer makes it hard to compare across sports, but which do you prefer: the ugly win or the beautiful loss?

[JonLP24]

1. I guess ugly win

I think I'm just glad they got the win and the game over with and they can worry about looking pretty next week(NFL-thinking of Arizona-Oakland game from last year) or next game.

[Forkboy]

2. I can't even comprehend what beautiful loss means.

I fucking hated losing, no matter how it came about. x(

As far as watching sports go though, that's different. As much as I root for the Bruins here in Boston, I really just want to see a good hockey game. If both teams play well and the team I'm rooting for loses it doesn't bother me, but if the team plays lousy and deserves to lose (cough...Bruins in the 2nd period last night) that will aggravate me.

[twogunsid]

3. As a Chicago Fire fan....

I'd just like a win.

[MrCoffee]

5. I have a bad feeling about June 4

Could be an ugly evening.

[lazarus]

4. victory is beautiful, to me

I guess we need to define ugly and beautiful. Most people don't like the sort of basketball I like (very defensive), and I can find a 78-74 game beautiful it's due to good defense.

In college football (my other big sport), I really appreciate good defense. Give me a hard fought 14-7 game any day over some travesty where both teams score over 40.

[LisaM]

6. It depends on what you call ugly

I love defense in any sport. I have heard sparkling defensive gems called ugly because there wasn't a boatload of scoring.

I have also heard games that were played in terrible weather called ugly. I don't agree. The sight of an athlete covered in rain and mud, giving it her or his all, is just as beautiful to me as a bunch of crisply executed hockey passes, or some twisting move Isaiah Thomas made to the basket.

I take your point, but in general, it seems that "ugly" is equated with defense.

[Forkboy]

9. Well you didn't like the Devils defense!

:hide:

;)

[LisaM]

12. Neutral zone trap, feh!

Not the same!!!!

[Forkboy]

13. I have mixed feelings on it.

It wasn't very exciting to watch, but is the job of the coach to entertain or to find a way to win? The defensive scheme itself was brilliant. Many teams, including the B's and Wings, still use a variation of it. The Wings use the Left Wing Lock a lot, which came out of the trap, and the B's play a similar style of clogging up the neutral zone, often playing a 1-1-3 forecheck that relies on turnovers in the neutral zone. For it's time, the Trap was perfect, and fit the style of hockey in the 90's. Boring, but highly effective. Hence my mixed feelings. It's nothing like watching an Edmonton game, that's for sure (even now when Edmonton sucks they're still exciting to watch).

[Auggie]

7. Ugly victory

Difficult to win championships without the occasional ugly victory.

[era veteran]

8. Ugly

This still hurts

March 28, 1992
In what many called the “best NCAA Tournament game ever,” Kentucky takes defending NCAA champion Duke into overtime before losing 104-103 in the East Regional finals in Philadelphia. A last-second shot by Christian Laettner sends Duke to the Final Four, and breaks the hearts of Wildcat fans everywhere. It is Cawood Ledford’s last game as the “Voice of the Wildcats.”
Mostly, I miss Cawood.

[mackerel]

10. I'll take a good game no matter the winner.

All the years I coached Volleyball I told my girls that I'd rather see them lose with honor and dignity than to see them handed a win by an easy team or lazy ref.

[rpannier]

11. I'll take the W

If I'm a disinterested spectator or have only a small interest in one team I'll take the great game.

[Awsi Dooger]

14. 48-45 football is the epitome of ugly

Other than I know I can comfortably bet against both fraudulent teams down the road

[Iggo]

15. First, let me say this: Scoreboard.

I played to win, and I'll take the win.

That said, I do really believe "it's how you play the game".

So which do I prefer? That depends a lot on my perspective.

Inside the match, I want the win. I owe it to myself. I owe it to my opponent. I owe it to the game.

But looking back over the years, it's the great matches I was in, win or lose, that I remember best.