[Insert Funny Image Here] MLS Week Nine: Columbus Crew vs Portland Timbers Saturday, April 20th Lower.com Field Broadcast: AppleTV - MLS Season Pass | Alt 105.7 | La Grande 102.5 Odds: Never tell me the odds. Kickoff: 7:30pm ET Notes: 90s Night presented by Zenni Discuss. *All win/lose votes include regular and extra time
Columbus have been balancing suspensions and squad rotation in MLS play for a few weeks now. This week, we'll be as close to full strength as we've been in a while. And Portland isn't the consistent performer they've been for most of their existence. Their starting goalie got sent off last time out, and they're playing on the other side of the country. I think the champs bite back this weekend.
Im pretty sure I have this right: Phil Neville is the last coach to walk into the LDC against Wilfred Nancy and leave with a win. From when he was with Miami pre-Messi roughly a year ago. No matter. As KC noted above, the Champs are healthy and at home. Its time to move.
And given where Miami was at that point, that was a downright crappy loss, too. I doubt that there were a lot of Crew fans who would have predicted an MLS Cup win that night.
It was 80 degrees on Monday, it will be close to freezing with 20mph winds on Saturday night. The weather for our home games has been awful all season.
Stop whining. And bullshit. What weather app are you using. I’m seeing temps in the mid-50s for most of the game, with winds dying down from about 10-12 mph to 8 throughout the game. Gonna be 61, dry and partly sunny on Saturday.
This is soccer, for God's sake. It's played outside. I was just reading about Greenland trying to get admitted to CONCACAF, which I think would be a hoot and a half (and apparently it's likely to happen in the next couple of months, but that's another story). The place where their proposed national stadium has been approved and while I cant remember how to spell it, the word apparently translates as "icecubes".
Poll had to be deleted and restarted so votes would be visible for Official Grouchy Point(TM) Scorekeeper @chr1st to tally the votes. Vote early and often!
We may still see some rotation happening on Saturday. We'll probably see a largely full strength starting lineup, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Nancy make subs much earlier than normal. Also, if there's anyone dealing with little nagging injuries, like Matan potentially, I wouldn't be surprised to see them held out. We need everyone to be as fresh and healthy for Wednesday as possible. I still think we'll at least get a result, but I'm not super confident we pick up a W. I think all the focus will be on Monterrey and minutes will be managed based on that as opposed to how the game on Saturday is trending.
Largely agree. But Nancy is on the record saying the first two games if these stretches are not the problem, it is games 3-4-5 where the problems start. There is no game 5 this time. Monterrey is #2. Cucho, Nagbe, Rossi, Moreira, Schulte, and Yeboah all did not start the last game, and we have had a full week before this one. The starting XI has not played together hardly at all this year. I think it happens Wednesday for sure from jump, and maybe Sat as well. Niggling injuries to Matan & Farsi could alter it. Maybe we see Cheberko/Zawadzki somewhere.
Saturday it has a high of 58, so maybe at the end of the game it will dip in the 40s but I wouldn’t call that freezing. We are Ohioans we are use to it. I’ll expect another sellout with most of the seats with butts in them.
Good point; I had somehow convinced myself that the first Monterrey match was the NEXT Wednesday instead of the coming one.
Yep, I recall that quote. I think we'll see a largely first choice starting lineup, but we'll probably see Nancy make earlier subs than he usually makes, and likely use all 5 subs. I doubt Yeboah and Farsi play anywhere near the full 90. Morris and/or Nagbe will probably get pulled. at some point. I doubt Camacho plays the full 90; in fact, I think he'll start on the bench with Cheberko starting. Cucho and Rossi both seem to be insanely fit, so I don't think Nancy will have much issue with both going 90. Next Saturday will be the major rotation game. I'd expect an almost full squad rotation for next Saturday.
I'm seeing a high of 63 for Saturday, with the temps dropping into the 30ies overnight. I'll have a hooded jacket for the game.
Monterrey plays León Saturday they are much deeper and i expect they rest most of the starting XI like Tigres did. Hopefully the end result is Crew advances ! We can definitely trust Nancy it’s just hard to predict exactly what the line ups will be at times.