CONCACAF Thursday

The Tailgaters In Seattle Are An Interesting Bunch

No filler today; let's get to it:

1. Puerto Rico knocks off Cruz Azul - Maybe I was wrong and the glass slipper isn't falling just yet. A 2-0 lead going into the return leg in Mexico isn't a sure thing (just ask Montreal), but damn if the Islanders aren't making believers out of even the most pessimistic people. And riddle me this, Batman; Nicholas Addlery has 3 goals for Puerto Rico in Champions League, but wasn't good enough to play for DC United or any other MLS team? Also, do you think Colin Clarke is having the last laugh after being fired by FC Dallas?

2. Vancouver goes to MLS; Is Portland far behind? - I'm hearing from multiple sources that the Timbers will be the 18th team in MLS after the Whitecaps announced their move earlier in the week. It's good for MLS as there's now essentially a "real" west coast part to the league. The Portland, Seattle, Vancouver USL rivalries will continue, throw a northern California team from San Jose into the mix, and these are all fairly easy road trips for visiting fans to attend. MLS fans are some of the most loyal in sports, and will follow their teams almost anywhere. A 6-8 hour road trip is nothing for them.

3. With all of the losses, what happens to USL1? - I have not talked to a single person of any authority in USL, so what I'm going to say is just something I wondered; is it possible to realistically see the USL1 and USL2 merge and become a single league again? The 2 teams furthest west are Austin and Minnesota, while Puerto Rico and Bermuda are the most challenging in terms of geography. Every other team is essentially in the eastern U.S. Sure, trips from Montreal to Miami and back are tough, but they're already doing it now. Maybe a few teams would have a travel issue budget-wise, but maybe it's not too far out of the realm of possibility? Again, let me try and talk to some people, and after they laugh in my face, I'll come back down to Earth. From my perspective, I think it'd be REAL interesting.

4. Match bans for key World Cup players -

a. Rafa Marquez is out for 2 games, home against Costa Rica and away vs. Honduras. That's a real tough loss, folks, even if Rafa has lost a step. He's still arguably the best defender in the region, and his leadership will be sorely missed. I think they'll get past Costa Rica, but I think an underestimated Honduran team can beat them, making them 1-2. I think Sven is not long for this team.

b. Dwight Yorke is banned for 4 matches. Any chance T&T had for qualifying is surely gone now. They're not a bad team without Yorke, but they've got to play the best 4 teams in the region during his absence, and they could realistically lose all 4. Even if they sneak out 3 or 4 points from their 2 home games, that would still leave them clearly behind the 8-ball going into the 2nd phase of the Hexagonal. I think the "magic number" of points to guarantee a spot in the top 3 is 15, and I don't see them getting it.

5. DC United - No Fred and no Quaranta to start the season. Moreno is a year older, as is Gomez, who basically didn't play the 2nd half of last season. The defenders, with the excpetion of Namoff, are young and had some major gaffs last year. Their most solid player is probably Clyde Simms, whose job isnt to score goals. All signs lead to this being a really tough year for United and its fans. I could see them finishing at the bottom of the East, but I've been wrong before.

6. MLS Preview - In all honesty, I don't really have one. Lots of changes in personnel in the offseason have left me not as familiar with some teams, but I will throw out a few random thoughts:

a. Seattle will be better than expected - Keller still has 2 or 3 years left in goal, and if Lungberg stays healthy, Seattle will be quite competitive. Plus, Sigi Schmidt is one of the most underestimated coaches in the history of U.S. Soccer. He'll have the team ready to play.

b. Columbus could repeat, but won't. They've got the talent, but there's something not quite right about them this year. It's not just the loss of Schmidt. Can't put my finger on it just yet.

c. MLS Champion will be... Heck, let's just go with Chicago. They've got tons of talent and are due for another Title.

Okay, that wraps up the week. Watching lots of basketball and eating bad food this weekend. See you all on Monday!