Once again it's an early week for yours truly and after going 50/50 last week I'm hoping to improve despite the second round match-ups being such close calls. Speaking of close calls, weren't some of those first round games barnburners? Nail-biting stuff in that El Paso-Minnesota series as well as in Charlotte-Montreal to go with that pair of close wins for Vancouver and the series between Richmond and Atlanta being decided only after the Kickers took a 2-0 lead into the dying moments down at DeKalb Memorial. This sets us up for another great, exciting week of playoff madness.
Montreal-Rochester
@ Montreal, Sept. 12 (7:30 EST)
@ Rochester, Sept. 14 (8:00 EST, Fox Sports World)
Well, it looks like Bob Lilley has his club in fine defensive shape and it couldn't come at a better time. After a tough test of nerves against Charlotte in the first round they'll have some good experience to draw on against Rochester. Surely the wind has to have been knocked out of the Rhinos' sails a bit after finding out earlier this week that PaeTec Park has been nixed and looks dead thanks to the incomprehensible Rochester Sports Authority's vote this week. The players for Pat Ercoli should be highly motivated, though, to put some smiles back on the Rochester soccer fans' faces. Besides, you also don't ever want to do what I'm going to do: bet against the Rhinos during playoff time. I see Montreal narrowly winning game 1 at their place 1-0 and then getting a 1-1 draw in Rochester to narrowly squeak though to meet the winner of the Richmond-Charleston series.
Milwaukee-Minnesota
@ Minnesota, Sept. 12 (8:30 EST)
@ Milwaukee, Sept. 14 (8:00 EST)
The fiercest rivalry in the Midwest is back again as these two teams get a chance to settle things once and for all this season. Their season series has had more twists and turns than a visitor to the brewing palaces of Milwaukee trying to drive to Blaine, MN and it should continue into this series. The Thunder had a very workman-like effort against El Paso that would have made Viking fans proud. Meanwhile, the Rampage got to take it all in during their week off. The problem with this series is that both of these teams lack that great midfield engine that can get you the hard to find goals in the playoffs. Milwaukee's missing Takawira and Minnesota have never really had an offensively productive midfielder this season. Either way, though, I think this series is down to Popik and Lowery. One of these guys will win this series for their team. I'm going with a 2-1 win for Minnesota in game one and a 1-0 win in Milwaukee for the Rampage. So what does that mean? I'm taking a guess and going with Popik and the Rampage 5-4 on penalties.
Charleston-Richmond
@ Charleston, Sept. 13 (7:30 EST)
@ Richmond, Sept. 15 (6:00 EST)
This is arguably the premier rivalry amongst the teams in the Southeast Division with both teams going in hard against one another in their games at the tail end of this season. Richmond really has the chance to be a sleeper out of the Eastern Conference this year and should Montreal defeat Rochester we'll be treated to a great coaching match-up between Leigh Cowlishaw and Bob Lilley. That being said, though, they'll have to get by Charleston to get to that point. Josh Henderson, Kevin Jeffrey, and Marco Ferruzzi will lead a potent Richmond attack into Charleston on Friday. Look for Charleston to counter with the surprising Ryan Trout and the consistent Paul Conway while shuttling different players all over the field. Here's where the Battery's record will have to be proven after storming through the regular season with only three losses. The odds are good that they'll get through the first round but one can never be certain in a rivalry of this magnitude. I'm very tenuously leaning towards a 2-1 Battery win on Friday with a 1-1 draw at Richmond on Sunday but this series promises to be a nail-biter.
Vancouver-Seattle
@ Vancouver, Sept. 13 (10:00 EST)
@ Seattle, Sept. 15 (8:00 EST)
Make no mistake this year's most dominant team was Seattle simply because of the gaudy record and nearly unfathomable amount of points they racked up. Still, though, this is the time of year that matters most and the question remains, can Sawatzky, Ching, and company get it done where and when it counts? Vancouver thinks not and will be out to prove it but they'll need an outstanding effort in every phase of their game to get the job done. I expect the Whitecaps to play a defense first approach even though they'll host the first match with the Sounders looking to put Vancouver away early. I expect the Sounders will live up to their billing in this series by winning away 2-1 and winning at home 2-0. For some reason I just can't see the Whitecaps offense exploding against this Sounders club right now but then again they've already shutout one team with a potent attack. Can they do it again?
One thing's for sure, though; this week brings us some of the best and most intriguing matches in this level of soccer. Enjoy it for what it's worth because after this week there will only be a scant few games left on the A-League calendar. Actually, only five games will be left in the 2002 season so take them in while you can. April is a long way off.
Send your comments to the author or
Join us to discuss this article at usldiscussions.com
