Welcome to the last installment of my mid-preseason grades where you'll get the dish on how I think your favorite clubs on the Left Coast have done before the start of the season. Some clubs have had to deal with some very well documented downturns of late while others have reloaded for another run at perennial powerhouse Minnesota. No question that this year Minnesota has to be the favorite yet at the same time things could be particularly tricky with the addition of the Portland Timbers to the mix this season. Either way, this is the toughest conference out there and after looking over some of these clubs' homework assignments it's easy to see why next year's A-League champion could well be residing in a place very far from Rochester. But that's a story for a later date. So without further ado the red pen is out and it's time to give out some more grades.
El Paso: Here's a club that has arguably the lowest profile in the Western Conference simply because they're tucked away in one of the remotest sections of real estate in the contiguous forty-eight. From all accounts they've done a fairly decent job of becoming even more involved in the local community while attempting to gain more advertising dollars. Sometimes, though, it seems that the main objective of another season in West Texas is survival. The club has done well on the field and will continue to surprise teams when they make the trek to El Paso. With some astute player acquisitions leading up to the beginning of training for this season the impact of losing head coach Carlos Bracamontes will have been softened greatly. Many will likely see that the right thing was done in allowing Bracamontes' assistant Alfredo Solares to take over the reins instead of beginning another coaching hunt with the season quickly approaching. For some astute moves in on and off the field matters the Patriots receive: C+
Milwaukee: The Rampage have been fairly quiet of late but a flurry of news should be expected from the beer brewing region as we head into the season. They've changed addresses to a place that might wind up being a great thing for them or could wind up blowing up in their faces. Moving out of Uihlein could prove costly if their previous fan base doesn't come along for the ride but at the same time it shows some ambition on the part of their ownership to become more independent. That, though, could also wind up blowing up in their faces. Some fans in the Milwaukee area have practically been pleading for the two sides of Milwaukee soccer to come together for the city's greater good but it seems that both groups are at loggerheads with one another judging from what little news we've heard from the frozen tundra of Wisconsin. If the Rampage return most of last season's starting line-up they'll be as good as at least half of the league and I'm betting that they'll be closer to Minnesota's throne in the West. However, that being said, the lack of news of player signings and new deals off the field has made it all too easy to think that the Rampage aren't getting as much out of this off-season as they could have and for that reason they receive: C-/D+
Minnesota: Not only are the Thunder loaded but they've since added some extra stability to areas where they could've used some help in last year's championship match. They've added some quality in the back with their selections of defenders in the draft while they've also been busy re-signing many of last year's contenders. So far the loss of Brian Winters looks to be off set by the re-signing of guys like Zeba, Gentile, Menyongar (who had been tipped to move to the MLS by some), and Swallen. Also with a new deal in the works between Buzz Lagos' club and Mexican club Chivas they should be able to see some young Mexican talent come to get some "seasoning" as they reinforce a club that is favored by many to win the 2001 edition of the A-League season. They've been fairly busy throughout this off-season, as it's been readily apparent that they'll be making a huge push for the championship they lost to Rochester last season. For all of their efforts so far they get: B
Portland: First off the Timbers have looked like a club with extremely deep pockets in signing guys like Darren Sawatzky, Brian Winters, Greg Howes, Jeff Clark, and Vladim Tolstolusky. Four of those names should be recognizable for some that have followed the A-League in the past few seasons while many around Portland think Tolstolusky will also develop into a quality scorer as well. With these players forming a quality backbone for the Timbers the crucial part now will be to sign guys who will work well with them and give them a chance to compete right away in this tough conference. The Timbers have what will be a great facility, a top-notch coach, and good off the field leadership. Everyone's fairly certain the Timbers will be successful in the stands and for the most part we're waiting to see how the rest of their squad shapes up heading into the season. One thing's for certain, if they keep signing players of this caliber at this rate they could very well give Minnesota and the rest of the West a run for their money right out of the gates. For their moves thus far they get: A
San Diego: The off the field problems for the Flash have been well documented in arenas such as the USLDiscussions.com website but they have peresevered to come back for another season of A-League soccer. For this fact alone they should be commended because of the trials, tribulations, and losses they have suffered at the hands of faulty economic handling by their former benefactors. Their substantial gains through the draft will inevitably be off set by the loss of many of their star players like Mark Baena who was recently let go. One likes to think they'll be able to get out into the community to create more of an "our team" feeling but without substantial revenue coming in to the team's offices it seems less and less likely. If anything the onus is on the Flash fans and the rest of the S.D. soccer community to adopt the Flash and keep them from going under. While this may be overstating some of their difficulties it can't go ignored. On the field they'll be lucky to come out on the mediocre side of things because of the high profile players which had to be jettisoned because of high salaries. Losing Coach Clarke was hard but they softened that blow by hiring Santos once again but he'll have his hands full in Southern California this season. Getting this club within striking distance of a playoff spot while the guys in the front office attempt to stabilize the ship would be quite an admirable accomplishment for this season. In view of what they've gone through and what they've been able to do with their severe limitations in this off-season I can give them no lower than a: C
Seattle: Well, aside from losing Greg Howes and Darren Sawatzky, their main strike force for most of last season, the Sounders look in decent shape for the upcoming season. The Sounders bought in bulk at this year's draft and should wind up getting a decent replacement for Howes in former Spokane Shadow forward Brian Ching. He may sign with the Galaxy but he won't see enough playing time there to keep him hanging around so I expect to see him with the Sounders this season. The other four players they picked up from the draft should provide nothing if not depth for this team. They've also done very well in the off the field management during this off-season aside from an earthquake. The Sounders have taken advantage of their link with Werder Bremen and are looking to expand their presence in the Seattle sports market. Eventually they'll be playing in the new football stadium once Paul Allen and company finishes the construction. With this kind of development off the field the losses of Sawatzky and Howes is lessened in their final grade. They drafted well in an effort to replace those players, they return a large part of last year's squad, they have Coach Meggson to put things together on the field, and they have a strong plan from the front office so in light of all of these factors I give them: B/B+
Vancouver: Starting with renaming the club the Whitecaps to go with their old NASL rivals the Sounders and Timbers to the strides being made recently to have a higher profile throughout British Columbia shows that Vancouver has been one of the best movers during this off-season. As far as player acquisitions go they didn't necessarily set the league alight but they've done very well and have shown a willingness in their pre-season camp to bring in very young players. Bringing in the youth players from, say 16-19 and getting them into a professional atmosphere this early in their careers is exactly what many people have been calling for. Bobby Lenarduzzi has also shown an almost extraordinary ability to get not only his name but also that of the Whitecaps in print as often as is humanly possible. As far as their players go they may not be world-beaters this season but the support being drummed up for this club by front office maneuvers could well be. It seems nostalgia has played a large part in getting the 'Caps so much of their new found publicity but they've handled it wisely by milking it for all it's worth while focusing on the current team. They've solidified their back line by bringing in Hubert Busby, Jr. to be their netminder while building a solid core of sensibly priced players. This squad will likely make the playoffs again but don't expect them to get past clubs like Milwaukee and Minnesota. With everything they've done it's hard not to give them a good grade so they get: A
So there you have it, the grades thus far for what all the teams in the A-League have accomplished. There's still some time left before April but before the first games kick off this season I'll revise my list and get the pen out one more time to give the clubs around the league their final grade. As for now the gauntlet has been thrown down for all of the league's teams to maintain their success so far or to straighten themselves out
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