Rocky Mountain Fever - Catch It! Can't you just see MLS marketing sending out that press release? Ranks right up there with Metro Playoff Fever and that asinine commercial Chicago had with the whiny Communist Block announcer/propagandist barking about a return to glory and whatnot. So the Rapids and RSL square off for the 2nd Annual Edition of their long standing (of about 12 months) tradition of squaring off over a pawnshop quality trophy in a competition that makes the Atlantic Cup that DC and CFKA now Red Bull square off over. Really is there anything that needs to be discussed other than how many Colorado are going to score on the gridironed turf of Rice-Eccles stadium. Reposting my previous prediction: With Andy Williams out for 5-6 weeks and who knows what Seitz is going to do if Ellinger puts him in, this could get bad in a hurry. We do know that if Butterfingers Rimando convinces Ellinger to put him in, Roberto Brown and Herculez Gomez will hang 4 or 5 on him. He's done in MLS, and if Ellinger doesn't fix it, he's probably going to to be done too. I can't see a way that RSL wins unless it's a fluke or they blow off the game. They should come in with the advantage in every third of the field. Pope should have hung the boots up before this season because he's not doing anything to help the cause, nor is Jack Stewart. Kreis probably extended his career by at least a year by moving back into midfield, but there isn't a whole lot he can do by himself. Cunningham is still Cunningham, but Bouna, Petke and crew should be more than adequate to hold him to less goals than Butterfingers or the rookie Seitz stand to give up. Rapids 3 - 1 RSL (Brown X2, Gomez, Cunningham)Yeah, I'm still sticking with 3-1 to the Rapids, maybe more if the Rapids want the game bad enough, double digits if Ellinger puts Rimando in. Eastern Conference Dominance So we've essentially reached the end of the first month of the MLS season with RBNY and Chicago tied for the coveted Champions of April Cup on points with Red Bull taking their second meaningless trophy ever on goal differential. That kind of stuff happens when you get the chance to play Total Football against FC Dallas twice. Every team in MLS should watch the game footage of RBNY v. Dallas if they want to know how to stop Dallas. Choke out the midfield and Ruiz/Nunez/Frankercooper spend the game running around like headless chickens. The only success that any of the Western teams have had against the East is against FC (Toronto) Punching Bag and DC, who both remain without points after this weekend's action *snicker*. Deep Analysis: The West Sucks and should settle into a puddle of mediocrity with only Toronto helping an undeserving Western Conference team get into the playoffs. Toronto 0 - 1 Kansas City Wizards If CBC is going to be the broadcast crew for the remainder of the TFC games, can we get an SAP feed of something tolerable to listen to, like Julie Foudy and Marcelo Balboa swapping spit. TFC Fans did bring it I guess, though, they have had like a year or so to get amped up for the game plus the Leafs aren't in the NHL playoffs so there really isn't anything else to do except go look at some screwed up art or spending the evening adding the odd unnecessary "U" in words that don't need them. But kudos to you all and you seem to have charmed a few of the people who wonder why MLS isn't as well attended as the NFL. Hope you guys are still showing as well when the Revs storm into town on the 20th of October. Not that you'll be needing points to make the playoffs. Your off season schedule planning can start being done in ink sometime late in August. Watching this game, I got the feeling that while TFC was putting everything they had on the line for their fans, the Onalfo never sent orders down to the engine room to go beyond all ahead half, and it didn't matter anyway. I'm sure Greg Sutton is going to claim the deflection on Johnson's goal, but c'mon, the slow roller that beat you was moving at a pace where you usually only get comment on it from the USGS. And while EJ only got the one goal, that was all KC needed with TFC not being able muster a shot on goal in the 2nd half. Let me preface this, TFCFan, this isn't smack, it's just an statement of the obvious. Your team sucks and has a shot to go down as one of the worst MLS teams ever, especially given the start RBNY is off to, the firepower that the Revs and Chicago have on the field, the Crew's improvement and KC already owning you. I don't see you getting a goal until DC comes to town and even then, it's almost beyond the realm of Saganesque possibility that you'll be able to get more than a draw. DC United 0 - 1 Columbus Crew I've always liked Ezra Hendrickson, even though he never played for my team. When he was with LA, he could always be counted on to deliver a late goal to either draw or a win for the Galaxy. He delivered the game winner for Columbus in the 28th minute after a goalmouth flurry that saw Perkins save EZ's first shot, only to have it fall to him after DC failed to clear the rebound on the initial shot. I think I echo the fans of every other team in the league when we all snicker about mighty mighty DC's freefall from Supporter's Shield winner to picking out a duplex in the Marianas Trench of the Eastern Conference with Toronto FC as neighbors. So much for all that bargain South American talent helping them dominate MLS. Wangs. Chivas USA 1 - 3 Galaxy WOW, MM10S blew this pic. I should have referred to the most important stat in this series which is Landon Donovan vs. Teams where the players have a high percentage of Spanish surnames. God why can't we ever draw Spain, Mexico and Costa Rica in the World Cup. Chivas didn't help heir cause any by gifting Donovan an open goal on the collision between Guzan and Suarez, then Harmse splitting the Goats defense on a pass from Donovan who not only brought his passing boots, but his running shoes as well as he hurdled a Chivas tackler and blazed to the box before setting up Cobi for the 3rd goal. The 87 year old Suarez picked up his first goal of the season for Chivas, but it was never going to be enough with LA locking down Galindo and Razov. The win was nice for LA, but still didn't answer any questions as to what they're going to do while Landon is away with Copa America/Gold Cup. Revolution 1 - 0 FC Elsie The only saving grace for FC Dallas playing 6 games in April is that they don't have to play Shaka Hislop anymore this season unless Dario Sala gets another suspension or gets injured. Man, who the hell in the Dallas FO or at MLS HQ thought that this would be a good signing? Does North Texas have an enclave of T & T immigrants that they're trying to attract? Still though, Dallas is somehow managing to lead the Western Conference with the 7 points from 6 games. Not impressive at all, for Dallas, or the conference as a whole. Twellman scored a very nice goal off of a feed from Ralston and that's all the Revs needed to spoil the day for Dallas in front of 34 parents and friends of the Dallas players. Chicago Fire 1 - 0 Dynamo Houston The absence of Mapp, out with a sore hamstring, allowed Dave Sarachan to start with as many defensive minded players as he potentially could. Luckily for him, Houston decided to try and bull everything through the middle for the first half, playing right into Sarachan's crafty plan... . . . . Yeah, I can't believe that I typed that either. But with the absence of Mapp, Barrett and Rolfe were pretty much starved for service while Houston earned corner kick after corner kick as well as about 5 shots off of crossbars. Early in the second half, Chicago started finding space down the wings which provided several opportunities, including a Segares cross that found Rolfe who made a couple of creative cuts before beating Jimm Carre...rrrrr Pat Onstad on a low shot for what was the game winner, which keeps the Fire tied with the RBNY for the league lead. Houston probably had the better of play for the majority of the game, but Matt Pickens and his trusty Crossbar of Doom combined for his 2nd shutout of the season and Chicago probably played it's best half of soccer to date this year, figuring out that the best defense is sometimes a good offense.
It seems to me that most people haven't been watching Eddie Pope play this year, or at least not really pay attention when he is on the field. He has played very well, and is one of the only bright spots so far this year for RSL.
3rd year of the competition, not 2nd, and the "pawnshop" the trophy came from is in Scotland, but other than that you were right on in your Rocky Mountain Cup description.
WOW, that really cheapens it. Reminds me of the old "Scotch Buy" brand that Safeway used to have. Apparently it's so old that it's not on the interweb anywhere, but it was a 1/4 step above the "BEER" letters painted on a stark white generic can, in that it had a cheezy, cheap green & white tartan logo with a obviously sauced Scotsman on it. EDIT: Success...
Glad you have an eye for detail on beer, but the trophy deserves better than "pawnshop." Otherwise, good reporting.
Cup info: http://www.rockymountaincup.com/thecup.asp And knowing what was spent on the Cup, it does deserve more than "pawnshop", but then I don't expect any more from most BigSoccer posters.