In case you haven't heard, the USL collected a fifth scalp last night when the Seattle Sounders dumped Chivas USA out of the U.S. Open Cup - and by a lopsided score. For those interested in a closer look at this freeway pile-up, I recommend Luis Bueno's near-rant.
Well, thank god the third round is over. The embarrassment was becoming too much. Wait, hold the phone. The Sounders get the Colorado Rapids in the next round. Dang. Looks like Major League Soccer (MLS) - that's America's top-flight, by the way - better practice concealing the blushes.
I think I've already hammered my disappointment with MLS's run in this year's Open Cup into the ground, so I'll leave it to Dan Loney to look ahead and MLS's less-than-ideal chances in the coming rounds. For a discussion of a related subject, Bill Urban took a wider view at a subject I've already examined narrowly (should be the second link in this paragraph), by wondering whether the current reserve set-up will ever produce an MLS-bench side capable of beating a USL side.
Good question. And I'm afraid we have our answer.
(#########)
Showing posts with label Seattle Sounders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seattle Sounders. Show all posts
Open Cup: It's Worse...but not that bad...
The Chicago Tribune's reporting staff almost prompted me to write a "holy-shit-the-sky-is-falling-and-it's-on-fire" kind of post, courtesy of a passage that appeared in their report on the Chicago Fire crashing out of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (LHUSOC) on Sunday.
It takes only a quick look at the competition bracket, usefully posted on the U.S. Open Cup's official site, to know this isn't the case. For one, Chivas USA hasn't played their Round of 16 game - that's on "June 16, 2007" against the Seattle Sounders. And that's in Seattle, by the way, the significance of which will be made clear later. There's also the fact that the Colorado Rapids is still in the tournament.
Getting back to that "significance" flag I planted earlier, maybe the Tribune's staff is stupid like a fox. For starters, they can't be blamed for forgetting Colorado is not an MLS team; I do it all the time, at least when I don't forget the Rapids' existence entirely. As for Chivas, maybe the Trib's staff knew all about Chivas' road record and figured that, combined with the Seattle Sounders' current hot-streak, would, in fact, leave New England and Dallas as the only two teams that one can say without smirking belong in MLS.
In reality, though, there are a minimum of three MLS teams remaining in this year's tourney. And the way the brackets break down means that at least one lower-division team will make the semifinals - and given how MLS teams are faring in LHUSOC play this year, why would one bet against them? If a USL-1 - or, god forbid, USL-2 - team wins the tourney this season, what the hell, y'know? For all the interest MLS teams and schedulers show in the tournament, it would be justice, wouldn't it?
That returns, rather nicely, to the post I was going to write. And if you read the report on Chicago's loss in Windy City Soccer, you'll read this priceless line:
It shouldn't be this goddamn hard to tell which team on the field is top-flight.
(########)
"The Fire became the fourth MLS team eliminated in the third round, joining Los Angeles, D.C. United and Houston on the sidelines. Only FC Dallas and New England remain."
It takes only a quick look at the competition bracket, usefully posted on the U.S. Open Cup's official site, to know this isn't the case. For one, Chivas USA hasn't played their Round of 16 game - that's on "June 16, 2007" against the Seattle Sounders. And that's in Seattle, by the way, the significance of which will be made clear later. There's also the fact that the Colorado Rapids is still in the tournament.
Getting back to that "significance" flag I planted earlier, maybe the Tribune's staff is stupid like a fox. For starters, they can't be blamed for forgetting Colorado is not an MLS team; I do it all the time, at least when I don't forget the Rapids' existence entirely. As for Chivas, maybe the Trib's staff knew all about Chivas' road record and figured that, combined with the Seattle Sounders' current hot-streak, would, in fact, leave New England and Dallas as the only two teams that one can say without smirking belong in MLS.
In reality, though, there are a minimum of three MLS teams remaining in this year's tourney. And the way the brackets break down means that at least one lower-division team will make the semifinals - and given how MLS teams are faring in LHUSOC play this year, why would one bet against them? If a USL-1 - or, god forbid, USL-2 - team wins the tourney this season, what the hell, y'know? For all the interest MLS teams and schedulers show in the tournament, it would be justice, wouldn't it?
That returns, rather nicely, to the post I was going to write. And if you read the report on Chicago's loss in Windy City Soccer, you'll read this priceless line:
"This was a night where the Fire was clearly second best in every aspect of the night except goalkeeping where Jon Busch kept the match close."
It shouldn't be this goddamn hard to tell which team on the field is top-flight.
(########)
U.S. Open Cup: The Skinny Is Fat
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup resumes with the Second Round today (scoreboard), but that's not the good news - especially given that seeing these games anywhere "normal" isn't an option (the "abnormal" avenues are, however, improving).
The heartening thing comes with evidence that various local media across the country have taken the time to churn out reports on their local teams. These aren't blow-out/fold-out special sections or anything - typically, they're back-page "blurbicles" (not quite articles, not quite blurbs) - but the existing coverage at least beats the echoing silence of yesteryear. No less significantly, the reporters writing these stories appear to have some sense of what they're writing about - e.g. they're hep to the teams involved (the report below* for the Richmond Kickers v. Cleveland City Stars is particularly solid in that regard) and they know that big, potentially more lucrative games (HA!) against Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs loom in the next round. Actually, the way the majority of these articles talk up those potential ties speaks to a growing cache for this country's first division.
But the nicest thing about all this is the fact I found every article linked to below through Our Sports Central - e.g. this stuff is easy to find if you know where to look. That's right: even the genuinely lazy can now keep up with this stuff, so let's have no more excuses, people.
So, without further ado, enjoy the partial primer for the U.S. Open Cup Second Round:
General
The U.S. Open Cup official site did fairly well with their all-in-one preview of tonight's action.
Regional Coverage (starting locally)
Seattle Sounders v. Portland Timbers
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Oregonian
On a personal note, I'm pissed this one's not in Portland. I finally have the time and money to go tonight and they're in Seattle (and, yeah, I know about this Saturday's game...can't make it...I've got critters). Dang it. Judging by the USL Division 1 standings and the one-eye-on-'em attention I've paid to the Timbers this year, this ought to be a decent game. And go Timbers.
Rochester Raging Rhinos v. Western Mass Pioneers
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
Charleston Battery v. El Paso Patriots
Charleston Post and Courier
Richmond Kickers v. Cleveland City Stars
Richmond Times-Dispatch (*I liked this one)
Cleveland Plain Dealer (One of my favorite paper names)
Ocean City Barons v. Harrisburg City Islanders
The Harrisburg(?) Patriot-News
Well, that's it for the Our Sports Central stuff - and I still count that a decent haul (must be feeling a little glass half-full today). Now, for shits and giggles, let's see what I can find on the games not found on that site...and I'm not going to cheat by searching blogs...at least not yet.
Carolina Railhawks v. Bavarian SC (viva los amateurs!)
Oh well. I went back to Our Sports for this one...feels like cheating somehow. Still, a Chicago paper (presumably; it looks at this from the Chicago Fire's perspective), The Daily Herald, at least mentions this game since the winner will play the Chicago Fire in the third round....lucky bastards. (OK, yeah, the actual article is about the U.S. Men's problems with finishing.)
Atlanta Silverbacks v. Charlotte Eagles
Mmm...I'm not going to say I didn't find anything (see?), but it all feels a little outdated.
Minnesota Thunder v. California Victory
Dang it! Glass is draining...I will not rely entirely on Our Sports...
I'd like to think it's getting better anyway. In any case, hope anyone who lives near any of the above teams has the time and money to get to a game. I've seen my share of Open Cup games and they're fun little things.
The heartening thing comes with evidence that various local media across the country have taken the time to churn out reports on their local teams. These aren't blow-out/fold-out special sections or anything - typically, they're back-page "blurbicles" (not quite articles, not quite blurbs) - but the existing coverage at least beats the echoing silence of yesteryear. No less significantly, the reporters writing these stories appear to have some sense of what they're writing about - e.g. they're hep to the teams involved (the report below* for the Richmond Kickers v. Cleveland City Stars is particularly solid in that regard) and they know that big, potentially more lucrative games (HA!) against Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs loom in the next round. Actually, the way the majority of these articles talk up those potential ties speaks to a growing cache for this country's first division.
But the nicest thing about all this is the fact I found every article linked to below through Our Sports Central - e.g. this stuff is easy to find if you know where to look. That's right: even the genuinely lazy can now keep up with this stuff, so let's have no more excuses, people.
So, without further ado, enjoy the partial primer for the U.S. Open Cup Second Round:
General
The U.S. Open Cup official site did fairly well with their all-in-one preview of tonight's action.
Regional Coverage (starting locally)
Seattle Sounders v. Portland Timbers
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Oregonian
On a personal note, I'm pissed this one's not in Portland. I finally have the time and money to go tonight and they're in Seattle (and, yeah, I know about this Saturday's game...can't make it...I've got critters). Dang it. Judging by the USL Division 1 standings and the one-eye-on-'em attention I've paid to the Timbers this year, this ought to be a decent game. And go Timbers.
Rochester Raging Rhinos v. Western Mass Pioneers
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
Charleston Battery v. El Paso Patriots
Charleston Post and Courier
Richmond Kickers v. Cleveland City Stars
Richmond Times-Dispatch (*I liked this one)
Cleveland Plain Dealer (One of my favorite paper names)
Ocean City Barons v. Harrisburg City Islanders
The Harrisburg(?) Patriot-News
Well, that's it for the Our Sports Central stuff - and I still count that a decent haul (must be feeling a little glass half-full today). Now, for shits and giggles, let's see what I can find on the games not found on that site...and I'm not going to cheat by searching blogs...at least not yet.
Carolina Railhawks v. Bavarian SC (viva los amateurs!)
Oh well. I went back to Our Sports for this one...feels like cheating somehow. Still, a Chicago paper (presumably; it looks at this from the Chicago Fire's perspective), The Daily Herald, at least mentions this game since the winner will play the Chicago Fire in the third round....lucky bastards. (OK, yeah, the actual article is about the U.S. Men's problems with finishing.)
Atlanta Silverbacks v. Charlotte Eagles
Mmm...I'm not going to say I didn't find anything (see?), but it all feels a little outdated.
Minnesota Thunder v. California Victory
Dang it! Glass is draining...I will not rely entirely on Our Sports...
I'd like to think it's getting better anyway. In any case, hope anyone who lives near any of the above teams has the time and money to get to a game. I've seen my share of Open Cup games and they're fun little things.
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