A lot of good matches happened to be going on this past week and it was just our luck that many of them also happened to mean something besides just a win, loss, or draw. We had Open Cup matches, Southern Derby matches, and some divisional matches that will help to determine who represents their division come playoff time, which just so happens to be right around the corner.
The Charleston Battery finally lifted their first piece of silverware prior to Tuesday night's meeting with the Mariners since winning the old league championship back in, what was it, 1907? It's not quite official league-sanctioned silverware but it'll do because the team has finally managed to secure the Southern Derby Cup, which their fans helped to institute back in 2000. Albeit they didn't make it easy on themselves with what accounts recall as a lackluster 2-2 draw in Atlanta on Friday but they managed to win this trophy thanks to a five goal margin in the tiebreakers and a not-quite-enough effort from the Silverbacks in a 4-1 victory in Charlotte.
Did Charlotte roll over for that one or are things just going downhill fast for a franchise that has reportedly informed season ticket holders that they'll be back to watching third division soccer (otherwise known as the PSL) next season? That's not for me to say but it did look a little funny after the Eagles looked to have turned the competitive corner a number of matches ago.
It's a shame that a club that has worked so hard on having a good mission for its athletes is going to be leaving the A-League and I know there will be people in other front offices around the league who will miss the likes of Tom Engstrom and his staff who have worked so hard over the years. I do hope Hugo Galeano is around U.S. soccer for years to come as well even if it is at the PSL level. There are a lot of folks who could learn a lot of things about enjoying where they are and working hard for every bit of it from a guy like him as well as a number of his teammates. Anyway, if their self-imposed demotion does go through I'm sure I'll have even more to say about it but for now I'll move on.
To get back to my point, wait… did I have one? Uh, who knows but we'll plow ahead anyway. So how many of you doubted Bob Lilley and his Impact team would be atop the Northeast Division at this point of the year? They're trying to prove me right and I think they've got a good chance as the schedule winds down and the Rhinos are faced with the hard-charging Riverhounds. At this point you have to figure Pat Ercoli's got an eye on the Impact and another on the rearview mirror as Iribarren's men attempt to keep Rochester out of the playoffs for the first time since 1932 or something like that.
The Impact took a draw away from their midweek meeting with the Rhinos on Wednesday to add to their four-point haul from the previous week. Meanwhile, the Rhinos were busy trying to grind out a result in the Open Cup against MLS opponents, New England, although a 2-1 loss was not the result they were hoping for. The games to watch in this division this weekend are Syracuse at Montreal, Atlanta at Rochester, and Pittsburgh's home and away matches against Toronto. Says here that the 'Hounds and Rhinos should pick up full points with the Impact looking good for three as well especially considering they dismantled the Dogs 3-1 last week.
I did mention the Open Cup way back somewhere in this column and it's safe to say, and a bit disappointing to note, that the A-League is now almost gone from the fun of the oldest soccer competition in the U.S. with the lone exception being the Seattle Sounders who won a trip to LA to face the Galaxy. Milwaukee were drubbed by a revenge-minded Chicago Fire, the Beach boys went to overtime with D.C. United but lost to a Stoitchkov goal, and the Rhinos… well I already said they lost 2-1 to the Revolution, enough said about that. Still, I must say congratulations to the PSL's Wilmington Hammerheads who drilled the hapless Dallas Burn 4-1 at Legion Field.
Moving on and on and on and on and… oh you get the idea, way out West Seattle have two games in hand and are only one point behind Vancouver as we head down the stretch. Portland is still lurking and has some matches coming up that could really turn things upside down in that division. Still, I figure Vancouver and Seattle can practically sew things up as soon as this weekend if the results fall their way… not that I've ever been wrong before or called things early, I mean, Dewey did defeat Truman right? If El Paso don't make up any ground on Milwaukee this weekend it looks like the Central race is done as well but I advise you to check out the a-league.com standings page to verify my crackpot pronouncements.
An exciting week, almost two, some great upcoming matches, and a stretch that could induce cardiac arrest amongst those of us who wolf down the cheese fries with our beverage of choice. Then there's even more of my beautifully distracting verbiage if I do say so myself, but I hereby deny any allegations of misconduct. Next week, more mail madness from Montreal fans rampant in New York, all the alliteration we can allow by law, and more baseless presumptions and predictions than you can shake a stick at… or just a recanting of that Eagles rolling over for the Silverbacks statement.
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