Okay, I'm going to try and hit a bunch of different topics this week so try and stick with me on a few of the tangents I'm bound to go off on. Number one on this week's list is the Vancouver Whitecaps and their gaggle of fans that got on me about saying their beloved club was slipping at the wrong time of the season. What I meant was this: you average a goal a game going into the playoffs and usually you won't make it very far. Then again they did beat Minnesota last weekend and appear to have Seattle's number.
I don't think they've collapsed or anything like that but I do worry that they could be let down in the big matches because they haven't scored a boatload of goals this year. The scary thing about this Whitecaps team is that they remind me a lot of previous Charleston Battery teams. They're tight defensively, they roll up the regular season victories, and they sometimes struggle in games they should easily handle. Their series with Seattle should be a fantastic one that folks like me on the East Coast should stay up late for, though.
Anyway, the bottom line is this: the Whitecaps (and Sounders and Timbers and everyone who is a fan of a team further west than Cincy) have some great fans that haven't gotten the coverage in this space that they deserve this season. For that I give my sincerest apologies and huge thanks to those of you who pointed it out. Hopefully I can swing some sort of retribution your way during this playoff run or you can just satisfy yourself with my comeuppance when and if a Western team wins the whole thing this year.
Speaking of which, back to the upcoming Seattle-Vancouver series, is anyone else out there thinking that this could turn out to be one of the more exciting displays of potentially low-scoring soccer? I just have a gut feeling that the Whitecaps and Sounders know each other so well that we could see a 2-1 or 1-0 score line in one or both matches. Of course the Whitecaps are undefeated against the Sounders this year and Seattle doesn't have the old turf at Memorial Stadium to use against the Whitecaps. By the way, next season, could we get a balanced television schedule, somehow, someway, so people like me can stay up late and see guys like Kyle Smith, Andrew Gregor, Alfredo Valente, Jason Jordan, and Carlo Corazzin on a more consistent basis?
Before I forget I also want to throw a bone to the fans in Portland who are great supporters of the game for a team that could consider itself a little unlucky to have not made the playoffs. It is a shame that those fans in Portland will miss out on playoff soccer but I'm sure they'll be back next year ready to be loud and proud once again. Also hats off to "Timber Jim" who is reported to be hanging up his chainsaw. The fans out there will miss the much-loved and respected Timbers "mascot".
Missed more than Jim, though, will be legendary University of Portland coach, Clive Charles, who passed away from cancer this week. There ain't enough words to sum up how much the man meant to that school, Portland, or US Soccer in general. If you don't know who Clive Charles was I suggest you check out Soccer America's article on him. He will be sorely missed and I'm sure we all share our condolences with the Charles family.
Going back to my East Coast bias for a little bit this week it looks like both playoff matchups, Virginia Beach-Charleston and Montreal-Rochester, should prove quite intriguing. Charleston's got revenge on their minds after being eliminated from the Open Cup in extraordinary fashion earlier this season at the Sportsplex. The Mariners will want to prove that their previous knockout of the Battery was no fluke and that they're here to stay in the Southeast Division.
Rochester is aiming to prove all the doubters wrong as many fans are starting to genuinely believe that the king is dead. Bob Lilley is out to prove that there's a new king, however, as his team heads into the playoffs where they'll play in front of more large crowds at Claude Robillard Stadium. Don't forget that the Impact will be looking for revenge against the Rhinos for last year's playoffs.
By this time next week the playoffs will have begun and I will probably be buried under an avalanche of email telling me just how much more I don't know or care about the Pacific side of things. Hey, I barely mentioned Milwaukee and Minnesota this week. Where are those fans to rip me a new one? I know you're out there. Don't let the Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver fans get the best of you folks especially since you Wave and Thunder fans could be going head to head with your further Western counterparts. Seriously, though, the upcoming weeks will see the action heat up so continue to check out a-league.com and usldiscussions.com as you follow the A-League playoffs next week. By the way, Calgary and Toronto on Fox Sports World tonight? Yum!
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