It's been an odd year already in the opening couple of weeks in the A-League and it keeps getting stranger for yours truly. Especially odd was noting that Josh Hakala (from Soccer Fanatics radio fame) and I are tied atop uslsoccer.com's little prediction competition.
For those of you who are long time readers then you know that I'm absolute crap when it comes to predictions so this is a bit of interesting surprise. Also interesting is noting that somehow I have become "Billy", a name that my mother stopped calling me about a dozen years or so ago. All that work just to be "Bill" and someone goes and adds an extra letter in there much to my chagrin.
Anyway, after a bit of the old R&R down in Charleston to start the season it was back to civilization to have a look around to see if we'd yet emerged from the proverbial rabbit hole.
The answer is clearly a resounding no that has knocked many off kilter. Just look at the Charlotte Eagles at one end of the spectrum and the Cincinnati Riverhawks at the other. Then there's the Indiana Blast who still seem to be shuffling their way through the early part of the 2003 A-League season.
So what can we make of all this? It appears that the meaning behind all this is that this shouldn't be unexpected. It's not like strange things aren't inclined to happen in the A-League. At the same time you can almost always look back, hindsight being 20/20, and see where most of these "surprises" are coming from.
For example, in Indiana there were few reports about the players that they had in camp and rumors of injuries before the start of the season. Really, then, it should be no surprise that they've stumbled early on.
Next up you have Cincinnati and you have to ask, is this team really so different from last year's club that contended for a playoff spot right up until the last few weeks of the season? Apparently not as they've been bullish out of the gate with wins over Charlotte and Indiana as well as close, hard fought losses to potential contenders Virginia Beach and Minnesota. With all of the negative discussion in some fan circles about off the field issues it's likely that the actual players themselves are trying to use it as fuel to work some magic on the field. It'll be interesting to see if it can hold out.
Then there's Charlotte who have had a rash of injuries and one of the most convoluted situations in goal that I can ever recall. They have a solid coach in Mark Steffens, a quality offensive weapon with Dustin Swineheart, and a good supporting cast. So how have things gone so terribly off course so far for the Eagles?
Right now one would have to point out injuries and the possibility of trying to do too much in too little time leading up to the season. After all traveling to another country with your squad and then reaclimating in time to get in suitable shape for the start of the season had to be a tight squeeze for this team. It may be this that has caused most of their problems. One thing's for sure, though, and that is that this team is an enigma at this point.
Then there's the nice positive start that Syracuse got off to in their life in the A-League with a 3-1 road win at Charlotte. The Salty Dogs could be a surprise at this point but we'll wait on them to pull a few more wins out of the pup's bandana or doo rag if you're so inclined.
Either way, it's been an exciting if not slightly baffling start to the season especially when you consider that Toronto knocked off Pittsburgh in the 'hounds home opener 2-0. The Riverhounds had looked quite impressive in their 5-0 thrashing of Charlotte at the Eagles' nest the previous week. The Lynx, you might remember, were not exactly favored to be a real strong team in this division this season but this win in Pittsburgh definitely declares their intentions quite soundly.
Rochester also needed help from old friend Doug Miller to gain a draw with visiting Atlanta last weekend. A shock? Not necessarily but still a surprise nonetheless. It's especially interesting to note that the Rhinos gave up both Silverbacks goals late in the match. Fans may want to keep an eye on the back line of the Rhinos here in the early portion of the season although any shakiness is sure to be dealt with by Pat Ercoli.
So there you have it, a quick look around the A-League after a couple of week's worth of action and we're already looking at several surprising storylines. Now, while I was quite late with this article I can assure you, I will hopefully be back to form with an article covering the top storylines I'd like to see this season and hope that you'll join me in a few days time. In the meantime, get to as many matches as you possibly can, I know I will.
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