Welcome back faithful followers of the A-League. This week I want to take a second to reflect on a couple of former A-League greats who have moved onto even bigger and better things of late.
We always like to make conversation asking is player A better than player B? Then there's questions like if player A were in the same league as player B would he be as good if not better at the same level? Well, at the moment we are getting our answers on questions like these.
Take a look at the MLS statistics this week for the league's best goalkeepers and you'll notice that Jon Busch and Pat Onstad are either near or at the very top of the list. Onstad is statistically ahead of guys like Tim Howard, Adin Brown, Zach Thornton, and Nick Rimando, all of which have played with the U.S. National team.
Then there's Busch who tied the L.A. Galaxy's Kevin Hartman atop the league last season with a 1.09 goals against average. Busch has also earned plaudits around the league for his abilities to organize the defense in front of him as well as make the stellar saves when his team needs them. Make no mistake, the former A-League goalkeeper of the year will play a huge role if the Crew are to win MLS this season as some have picked them to do.
Onstad in the meantime has left behind the images of week 2 gaff that left many thinking he could be a laughingstock around the league if he allowed mistakes like the punch and bobble that wound up in his own net. Now he's down to a 0.38 goals against average and making believers of opponents and fans alike. Those of us in the A-League already knew how tough it was going to be for teams to score on him and I'm sure some Rhinos fans are wishing he were back with them during their current spell.
Now to talk a little about some of the current players making us proud in the A-League with the foremost among them being David Testo. The guy gets some time off, heads to Mexico with the U.S. Under 23 National Team and promptly scores a 70-yard goal against the Mexican U-23s in stoppage time.
Testo will be welcomed back into the fold in Richmond in time for this weekend's action. It appears the Kickers will need him to help jump-start their challenge in the Southeast Division where the Battery and Mariners have gotten out to fast starts on the season. The next few matches could be crucial to the Kickers if their opposition continues their torrid pace, luckily for them though; the Mariners and Battery will play in Virginia Beach this weekend.
Something else to take notice of this weekend is the U.S. Open Cup that I admit needs better coverage from yours truly as well as most of the other soccer scribes in this country. Anyway, almost all of the A-League qualifiers to the Open Cup will be determined in the next two weeks so here's a list of some the Cup qualifiers for this weekend:
Charlotte v. Atlanta (5/16 @ Charlotte & 5/17 @ Atlanta)
The Eagles looked to have begun turning things around but this will be the farewell weekend for Dwayne Adams in the Eagles goal. Atlanta have been slightly disappointing so far this season but could gain some valuable momentum if they can beat Charlotte twice this weekend and qualify for the Open Cup it could lead to better things. The Eagles, while wounded, are still a dangerous club. Look for a very tight meeting between these two clubs.
Minnesota @ Cincinnati (5/18 - Minnesota holds 1-0 lead after first leg)
Minnesota will be favored in this match but after what should be a tough game against archrival Milwaukee on Friday they'll need to be ready for the upstart Riverhawks. Cincinnati quite like this underdog role of theirs, however, and could very well overturn their deficit at home on Sunday. Either way it should be quite entertaining.
Charleston @ Virginia Beach (5/17 - Charleston holds 3-1 lead after first leg)
The Mariners had the perfect confidence builder heading into this top of the division clash that doubles as an Open Cup qualifier with their 3-0 thrashing of Rochester last week. Now they look to reverse their two-goal deficit and topple Charleston at the same time. This match could be huge in setting the tone in this division right away. The Battery, however, have quite the formidable defense even if missing players like Linval Dixon and Mark Watson. There are even rumors that Rick Titus may finally be ready to suit up for the Battery. This is definitely the marquee match-up of this week.
There are still three other Open Cup qualifying ties that need to be sorted out and will be decided in the next couple of weeks. These match-ups include Syracuse-Rochester, Pittsburgh-Richmond, and El Paso-Indiana, which I'll have a look at next week as we close out this round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Of course, Seattle's ahead of everyone in that they've already gotten the job done against rivals Portland and are now waiting to see how the draw shakes out for the next round.
If all of this isn't enough to whet your appetite for this weekend's A-League action then we're probably going to need to check your pulse. Either way this is going to be another good week for the A-League and you need to get out to the parks to catch some of these matches. If the early season results are any indication I'm sure you'll get a surprise or two.
Send your comments to the author or
Join us to discuss this article at usldiscussions.com
