Once again, the rankings are on point. The Rampage have been up and down but are winning games now. They might get away with poor 2nd half effort against a team like Saint Louis, but it won't work against better teams like the Wave. The Ambush are better than last season but still appear to be several or more players away from being competitive. Hewerton has the arrow pointed in a positive direction but it will be a long season. Their road game at Harrisburg on Friday is their last winnable game for a while.
They need to make some roster acquisitions soon. They have clearly better coaching, and are far more competitive than last season. They just don't have the talent right now.
Totally agree - I think their goalkeepers are OK right now but the Ambush need to sign more veteran talent at forward, midfielder and defender. They just re-signed Duarte, a guy who played for the Ambush a couple years ago but he's just a guy on the roster. The Ambush didn't sign any 'difference makers' in the off-season can truly push a team to wins. I don't know if the Ambush survive after another almost-winless season. If they can add more talent by mid-December, maybe they start winning some games and building up our fading fan base. I think Cedar Rapids has enough talent to win right now, they just need more consistent performance from opening whistle to end of the game. I think they are good enough to finish 2nd in the Central behind the Wave. The Comets have some talent but it is tough to lose your top 7 players. They did well just to field a team after their ownership drama in the off-season.
The Ambush acquisitions will provide some much needed defensive skill and better ball handling and passing. The defense has been bad at times so this trade makes sense for Saint Louis, and those guys score sometimes as well. France can score, that is about it. He can get really hot with his scoring touch. Cedar Rapids added strength to strength. Their power plays will be a sight to behold.