From here on out there's a lot of things going on in a lot of different places so you'll have to bear with me. Here are some random observations to get you ready for the weekend games.
One thing I noticed that I happen to like a lot about this Atlanta Silverbacks team so far this season is that they are getting a number of guys to contribute. Dan Antoniuk is only barely leading the team in goals with two. As unimpressive as that number may be, consider that the Apes have no less than 7 players who turned up with either an assist or goal in their four matches so far this season. If they can keep up this kind of across-the-board effort they will be tough to beat if for no other reason than there's not just one guy you can plan on stopping to shut this team down. There's a lot of season left, though, but it's worth keeping an eye on. Kudos, also, to the job Jason Smith has done so far this year.
Montreal fans, what's the lowdown on Charles Gbeke and Leonardo Di Lorenzo? Looks like I may have been sleeping on these two or else this is an unexpected level of contribution from these two so far this season. I'm curious to find out if this has been something that we all should have seen coming or if this is possibly the result of other teams trying to lock down on other guys?
Carolina, goals, you've heard of them. Maybe you should score a few? I know it's very early yet but if this trend of lots of zeroes for the Railhawks continues I imagine there will be a number of the supporters in Cary debating whether or not Schweitzer can coach these guys into lighting things up on the offensive end. He obviously has them playing fairly well on the defensive end but someone's got to step up to get the 'Hawks some wins. Scoring one goal in four matches just isn't going to cut it for a group with as much USL1 experience and talent as this team has got.
The only other team coming close to getting the same kind of almost team-wide contributions as Atlanta right now? Vancouver, who have 5 players who have some points on the scoring charts this season. I know it's very early but I do think it merits some mention. The only question I currently have is where has Jason Jordan been so far this season? I haven't been able to dig up anything specific as of yet but it's possible that the injury plagued 2006 campaign may not be behind him just yet.
I took some time this weekend to get a closer look at the California Victory. Mike Munoz looks like he could turn into a very good player for them. I also like the team they've put together. They managed to knock off one of Mexican club, Necaxa's, reserve sides over the weekend which should be good preparation for their next match this Saturday when the Rhinos come for a visit. It should be intriguing to say the least. As much as I liked some of the names I saw on the roster at the beginning of the season, I wasn't sure how some of the less experienced players or the college guys would mesh with some of the more seasoned pros that are in the squad. Judging from the few results we have, Glen Van Straatum could be onto something in San Francisco.
Speaking of Necaxa, they sent this same reserve side up to Portland for Wednesday's game and lost again 1-0. This starts a fairly brutal early week for the Timbers that, frankly, seems surprising. I don't know why they would schedule this only two days before a pretty critical derby game against Seattle, although, the more 7,000 people that showed could be the reason. If it's an attempt to get the guys' mindset focused on raising their level of play, I think it may be too big of a gamble considering that the Sounders are a) one of your fiercest rivals b) this is a Cascadia Cup match which may not mean much to the owners but it means a heck of a lot to your fanbase and c) to top it all off, Seattle are one of the teams Portland will likely be vying with for one of the last few playoff spots this season. Of course, the Sounders did not get any favors by having a match with Vancouver scheduled to start less than 24 hours after they finish their obligations in Portland. Either way, it's going to be a very interesting weekend in the Pacific Northwest.
Miami's visit to Blackbaud could be just what the team doctor for the Battery ordered. It looks like the boys from Florida are having as tough a time scoring as Charleston so one would think the home team would press early and often to try to get another early lead. If they can do so, I think they may just secure their first win of the season. I still think, however, that it will take no less than two goals to see them secure victory. Whichever team wins could very well start gaining some serious momentum towards playoff contention.
We'll wrap things up with a little bit of your mail.
The Timbers play the Victory 5 times...!!! Who does this favor the most?
Sir Doc,
Cascadia
Doc,
I would normally say the Timbers would be favored here but I'm really warming to the Victory. That said, I expect Portland to take all of the games in front of the Army and the Victory to get some points at Kezar. Thanks for writing in and good luck this season!
One quick note before I go this week. How many of you out there would like to see "the View" take on the task of also covering the USL D2? Any takers? Please write in with your thoughts on that topic and really, any other USL topic you think up. Until then, that's all for me this week. Enjoy the matches and make sure if you're not at the stadium that you tune into FSC and USL Live this weekend!
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