With another slate of games coming up this weekend it's about time we have a look in at what happened last week. Then maybe a diagnosis for what's gone on can be made. Then again it appears that some clubs are experiencing ills that can hardly be fixed with a touch here or there.
One such club that's been experiencing some difficulties has been Minnesota. Their difficulties were compounded this past Friday when they made a trip to Cincinnati and managed to put a ball in the net unfortunately for them it was their own. Their second game of the weekend saw them facing off against Indiana once again but they showed their propensity for being snake bitten against teams they initially should've beaten rather easily as they were beaten in every category but the scoreline by the Blast. They walked away from the last weekend in the league scratching their heads and feeling lucky to have won a split.
On the other end of the spectrum of surprise there are San Diego and El Paso who did a double dip over the weekend and were gracious enough to split the spoils. Chugger Adair has made himself at home once again in San Diego by helping put the newly re-christened Flash near the top of their division while former Flash star Carlos Farias has helped El Paso elevate themselves near the top of the division as well.
On Friday evening the Flash ended the match early by scoring three goals in the first 45 minutes. By the final whistle in this one the Patriots had thrown everything including the kitchen sink at the San Diego defense yet still managed to go scoreless through the last 45. Then as the two clubs found their way back to West Texas it seems that the Patriots found their way again. This time the result was 3-1 in the Patriots favor and so it closed the Western weekend for these two clubs a fair bit better than where they had started from.
This takes us up to the next slate of matches for San Diego and El Paso… and what's that sound coming out of the East? It's a resounding thud coming from the area of Minnesota as they head to San Diego first to take a meeting with former mate Chugger Adair then travel to El Paso to avoid the Patriots' red glare of late. Either way this weekend will be crucial for the Thunder and could well determine very early in this season how seriously we should all take El Paso, San Diego, and Minnesota.
Cincinnati is coming off its stunning upset over the Thunder last weekend to face the Blast who were unlucky to not pull off their own Minnesota upset after controlling most of their match only to fall in overtime. Coming into this match it appears to be a battle of defensive will against an offense that is gaining confidence. Rodrigo Costa is getting hot for the Blast but there appears to be a new resolve in the back of the Riverhawks defense. This match should be fun to watch as two of last year's worst teams attempt to show how much they've improved by beating up on each other.
Montreal made their first appearance of the season, which means that apparently summer is right around the corner. Then again I'm sure they wished they had seen their own shadows and gone back home to prepare some more after suffering consecutive defeats against Charleston and Charlotte by the same 2-0 score. One thing that was on display for the Impact was the obvious lack of any offensive punch during their first two A-League regular season games.
In the first all-Canadian match of the year the Impact will face off against the Lynx and whoever controls the puck…. er, I mean ball should be able to win this match. It will be tricky going for the Lynx, though, even with their fervid following at Varsity just because Montreal already has two strikes against them and I'm sure they'd just love to beat Toronto at their place in their season opener.
Speaking of the Impact's previous opponents, they'll both be locked up in their own Open Cup battles this weekend with D3 foes. Charlotte will do a double dip with their former D3 opponents the Carolina Dynamo while the Charleston Battery will take on the Wilmington Hammerheads in a home and away series of their own. These games could prove to be tricky fixtures for the favored A-League teams because if we take a look at past games between these clubs we know they should come out closer than some may think.
Charlotte had a split as well last weekend in their matches against Nashville and Montreal. As was already mentioned they accomplished a solid 2-0 win over the Impact but earlier on the weekend they were rather soundly trounced by an improving Nashville Metros squad. Nashville didn't exactly give the Eagles the Fenger since it wouldn't be a very Christian thing to do in somebody else's home, but they did give Jeff Houser a run out. Houser scored a hat trick while leading the Metros to a surprisingly sound victory over Charlotte.
Unfortunately for the Metros the goals dried up when they arrived in Greenville, SC to take on the D3 Lions. In a match that by all accounts could've been won by either team no one did win and left it at 0-0 to halve the points in the Open Cup qualifier. Needless to say after gutty performances against the Metros and Silverbacks it appears that the Lions are a legitimate team in the D3 this season.
Interesting that we should mention the 'Backs, though, since they'll be the team facing the Metros this week in a home and home which will see several things decided. These two clubs will be playing for their second Willie Bee Cup and an Open Cup berth not to mention the pride that'll be at stake for these two Southern rivals. The one thing to expect from Atlanta this weekend, though, is the unexpected after their past few performances. A narrow 2-1 loss at Indiana last weekend coupled with a gritty 3-2 victory over Cincinnati should clearly show that no one can really tell what's going to happen when they get on the field this weekend.
Further north in another match with Open Cup implications Long Island will be taking on Richmond. The Riders will be looking to rebound after getting bounced rather harshly by the South Jersey Barons 4-3 last weekend. On the other side of things in qualifications the Kickers handled the Stallions rather easily in a 5-0 win which sees them in good stead heading into their match with Long Island. If anything the Riders will be looking to save some face against their A-League foes but it will be tough going against a hot Kickers squad.
In a return match of sorts in Open Cup qualifying the surprisingly strong Connecticut Wolves will take on Boston once again in an effort to do better than the draw they had early in the season against the Bulldogs. The Wolves have been one of the surprise packages of the league right now and look a decent bet to surprise quite a few people if they don't contend for the playoffs this season. A strong effort should see Connecticut through in this match and help this club build on its quick start to the season which was clearly in evidence during their 5-0 demolition of Rhode Island last weekend.
Rochester on the other hand has yet to look as convincing against their lower division opponents in Open Cup qualifying. Last weekend they faced off against both Western Massachusetts and New Hampshire and barely got away with a pair of 2-1 victories. They'll be hoping to look a bit more convincing when they get New Hampshire at the good old FF Ranch and Batting Cage as they host the lower division boys in this weekend's continuation of their Open Cup qualifying efforts.
In other action last weekend Seattle and Portland played two, both on turf, one on the astro kind and one on the martian-engineered grass-like stuff. Unfortunately we still have no definitive answer to the question of which helps teams to win more yet we'll give Portland the advantage on goal differential after winning their home match 2-0. The Sounders took the return on the bouncy blades 2-1. This weekend, though, Seattle will get ready to welcome the Rampage to their scientifically engineered surface.
Before the second leg of their western jaunt takes them to Seattle, though, Milwaukee will swing up to the Canadian City by the Bay, Vancouver, to take on the Whitecaps. This should prove a nice test for the Rampage who will begin to feel the pressure of their difficult Western Conference schedule.
In other matches from the last week Hershey went on a defensive tear, as they conceded no goals in three matches while winning against Northern Virginia and Pittsburgh 2-0. They drew level with Reading in their Open Cup match on Wednesday 0-0. So far seems so good for the 'Cats who have been nothing short of solid after many, including myself, started to count them out after appearing to lose a bit of offense late in the preseason.
Pittsburgh played well enough to defeat Reading 2-1 last Friday but did drop their Saturday match against the Wildcats. Now 'Hounds and 'Cats play switcheroo with their schedule before meeting up again on Saturday. Hershey has already gotten their match with Reading out of the way and now looks forward to Saturday's rematch with Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, the 'Hounds will face off against Northern Virginia before Saturday's rematch.
The remainder of the calendar sees a smattering of matches taking place out West with one other East Coast showdown. Connecticut will travel to Rhode Island on Wednesday in a meeting against the club they pounded 5-0 last week. Northern Nevada will be busy reshuffling their decks this weekend as they travel to Seattle on Friday only to move on to Portland on Saturday. The Aces would love nothing more than to steal a couple of road Open Cup points but their chances look slim. Then in the last match on the calendar for this upcoming week El Paso gets a rare midweek match versus Portland as PGE Park gets a run out on a school night. Should be interesting all around so have a great weekend watching all the action I know I will.
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