The past week has been a veritable smorgasbord of soccer action with matches at all levels of play here in the States. The U.S. National Team earned four more points in World Cup Qualifying. The U-20 Men's National Team has a shot to get into the second round of the Youth World Championships after a 4-1 victory over Chile. The MLS season is starting to take shape as they near the All Star break and of course the A-League season is truly in full swing.
Strange, then, that we would still see Minnesota languishing in the Western Conference, eh? The Thunder had another slow start to their weekend action dropping a 1-0 decision to the visiting Portland Timbers. They did however get on an even keel on the weekend by downing their archrivals the Milwaukee Rampage 3-1 to take full points for the first time this season. Some would say that this match had more to do with a wrestling match than a soccer match as a pair of Rampage players were ejected and a total of 33 fouls were called.
Minnesota gratefully took advantage of the rough play by capitalizing on their goal chances but Milwaukee will be a bit disappointed on their week. They'll look to rebound as they host San Diego and El Paso this weekend while the Thunder do the same except a bit in reverse. Both clubs will hope to take advantage of a pair of squads that have hardly been lighting things up on the road.
The Patriots and Flash FC seem to have had quite a bit in common in the latest weeks besides their meetings with Minnesota and Milwaukee this weekend. Last week, for instance, they each played Seattle at home, mind you not at the same time. Both teams won with El Paso beating Seattle 3-1 and Flash FC winning 1-0 over the Sounders. This week they'll both be heading to the Heartland to test their mettle against a pair of teams that most favored to be at the top of the Conference from wire to wire.
The Sounders don't play again until they pile into the minivan and head across the border to take on Vancouver on Sunday. The Whitecaps will be trying to make a better impression than they did while being off last week from A-League action. The 'Caps were rather soundly defeated by the Calgary Storm who currently play in the PDL.
Two of the powers in the Northern Conference faced each other in a tune up ahead of their Open Cup clash with Rochester taking on Hershey. The Wildcats and Rhinos are developing quite a rivalry and in this match in Hershey the Rhinos were able to win 1-0. Hershey was able to salvage something from the week though with a 1-0 thriller in overtime against Long Island on Wednesday. This win really helps the 'Cats to put some space between themselves and the Riders.
This week both Rochester and Hershey will get to stay home as they host Montreal and Connecticut, respectively. The Wolves had a fairly productive week that saw them pick up six points with a draw at home against the Riverhounds followed by a 4-1 victory at Pittsburgh. Connecticut continues to look impressive as they pick up points that will be valuable as they try to follow the lead of their MLS counterparts in going from worst to first.
Montreal had double duty against their Canadian compadres from Toronto. The Impact were able to take both games in their weekend set and finally look to be out of the blocks after gaining nine points in the standings. The Lynx, however, look far less impressive and will need results soon if they are to climb back into a decent position. They'll have their chance to pick up some points as they visit Pittsburgh Friday night. Incidentally, the 'Hounds will also face the Rough Riders on Sunday at Long Island with the Riders also getting in a late week match next Thursday against Toronto. Hmmm… anyone seeing any patterns here?
In the Central Conference a pair of struggling clubs were able to pick up some points against Cincinnati who appear to be quickly sinking in the division. Charlotte picked up four points with a 2-1 overtime victory at home while Atlanta picked up a full five points as they hosted the Riverhawks. The Eagles have a meeting with Richmond at the Nest this week and will hope to make some headway in their Conference. Atlanta gets a visit from Charleston where the Battery will be trying to make up for a very disappointing 3-2 loss to Indiana.
The Battery slumped severely as the execution for the Blast and the play of Rodrigo Costa lead to a rather humbling loss as it came on Charleston's home field. The Blast look primed for a good stretch ahead of this week as they prepare to for a home date with Cincinnati and a road game with Nashville. If the Blast pick up anywhere near maximum points this weekend they could make themselves a threat to the top teams in the Central.
Speaking of Nashville, they spent last week in Richmond where they secured an exciting 1-1 draw that saw them frustrate their hosts once again. If these clubs were to face each other in the playoffs later this year it could turn out to be one of those series where the only predictable thing would be unpredictability. With the Indiana match being their only game this week it is imperative that the Metros defend their home turf to maintain a challenge for a playoff spot and they should be able to do just that.
Everything's shaping up to be another exciting dose of A-League action so get out to the park, after all a little nature never killed anyone, right? Have a good soccer weekend as I know I will what with all of the A-League matches, MLS action, and the United States playing a very important game in Argentina on Saturday in the World Youth Championships. Enjoy and I'll be back next week!
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