Avoiding the Drop

With the most recent round of World Cup qualifying over, we return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Seattle Sounders v. Toronto FC (Saturday)

Toronto, off to a much better start than I thought they would be, find themselves facing the surging Seattle Sounders this weekend.  Most likely this match will be decided by which team is able to shut down the other’s sniper- Toronto’s Amado Guevara and Seattle’s Fredy Montero.  Seattle is not going win every game, and Montero is not going to score or set one up a goal every week, but this isn’t going to be the week that it happens.  Fun fact:  I’m starting to think that there are more than a few “bad eggs” among the Toronto supporters, and that makes me sad.

F.C. Dallas v. New England Revolution (Saturday)

Where to even begin?  New England will have Sainey Nyassi back, and will probably have Chris Albright and Steve Ralston available on Saturday (if only on the bench) but they will still be without  Taylor Twellman,  Mauricio Castro, and Gabriel Badilla who have yet to play this year.  Joining them will be the newly injured Kevin Alston and Matt Reis.  Once again this weekend, it won’t matter.  F.C. Dallas have shown just about nothing despite Kenny Cooper carrying the club on his shoulders like he did last year.  Fun fact:  Dallas goalkeeper Dario Sala- not…that…good.

Houston Dynamo v. D.C. United (Saturday)

Of the four total matches these two sides have played, three have ended in draws- expect another one here.  In the past, this might have been the game of the weekend- a recent two time champion against a four time champion looking to return to glory.  Instead, Houston is struggling mightily without Dwayne de Rosario and D.C. United, despite having their all-time leading scorer Jaime Moreno back on the team, is sputtering as well.  Fun fact:  D.C. United’s GK Louis Crayton is from Bongmines, Liberia-  supply your own joke.

Colorado Rapids v. L.A. Galaxy (Saturday)

Hmm…the Galaxy have signed long-time European club player and American international Gregg Berhalter.  He’s a defender- a good one.  L.A. needs good defenders- they need any defenders.  They’re still going to lose a lot.  And their going to keep losing after Beckham returns.  And Landon Donovan is going to score a lot of goals.  Dema Kovalenko will get many ill-advised yellow cards.  And their still going to lose a lot.  Colorado, on the other hand, always seems to win more games than I expect them to.  Fun fact:  the Rapids roster has more strange name than any other team- Burpo, Palguta, Holody, Schunk, Colaluca, Ihemelu and Ballouchy.  Say that last one slowly.

San Jose Earthquakes v. Kansas City Wizards (Sunday)

I can’t explain why, but I’d rather sit and stare into my microwave with the door open than watch either of these two teams play.  There are worse teams in MLS- Dallas comes to mind- but none that bore me more than these two.  I think it’s because the two teams have the worst names in the league and that bothers my football-loving soul.  That being said, San Jose’s Cam Weaver looks like he might be a player to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

Other Sunday MLS Matches:

New York Red Bulls v. Chicago Fire S.C.
Columbus Crew v. Chivas USA

VfL Wolfsburg v. Bayern München (Saturday)

In the first of two top of the table battles in the Bundesliga this weekend 2nd place Bayern meet 3rd place Wolfsburg- winners of seven league matches on the trot.  At present the clubs are tied in every way imaginable: record, goal differential, goals scored, and goals conceded.  Additionally, they only sit only one point behind league leaders Hertha BSC and only ahead of Hamburger SV on goal differential.  What’s at stake?  A lot.  A shot at the league title, the difference between an automatic Champions League spot and a Champions League play-off spot, and the difference between a Champions League playoff spot and possibly a UEFA Cup spot.

Hamburger SV v. Hoffenheim (Saturday)

Our second Bundesliga match of the weekend is very similar- only with a gap between the teams and the possibility of one of the teams losing out on a place in a European conversation, or conversely, moving up to a better one.  Hoffenheim has only won one match in their last nine- but they’ve only lost one as well.  Hamburg are doing a little better, winning seven of their last ten.  So, a win for Hamburg and they could overtake Wolfsburg and gain their Champions League playoff spot.  A win for Hoffenheim and they could move within a point of Wolfsburg.  A whole lot going on in Deutschland!

Ross County v. Queen of South (Saturday)

Five points in their last three games have put County more or less in charge of their own fate.  A win this weekend against Queen of South- and a few favorable results in other matches- could not only move them into the top half of the First Division, but it could move them ten points clear of the relegation zone with only four matches remaining.  Needless to say this weekend’s match, like everyone in the last month is a crucial one.  Of course, I’ll probably say that for the remainder of the season.

Karlsruher SC v. Borussia Mönchengladbach (Sunday)

The Foals of Borussia Mönchengladbach return to the weekend preview once again as they battle fellow strugglers KSC this weekend.  However, Borussia finds itself in a very different position that it did only a few weeks ago.  Winners of three of their last four matches a win this week will move them- at least temporarily out of the relegation zone and the quick return to the Bundesliga 2 that goes along with it.  Karlsruher, on the other hand, are in trouble…big trouble.  They’ve lost five in a row and eight of their last ten matches.  A loss on Sunday will pretty much doom them as they will remain at least seven points away from safety.

Reggina v. Genoa (Sunday)

Our featured Serie A match of the week sees Reggina hoping against hope to pick up three points against fourth place Genoa.  Without these three points- and perhaps even with them- Reggina and its Versace boutiques will be relegated to Serie B.  Genoa, and its famous cure meats, will be looking to close the gap on AC Milan for the last automatic Champions League spot in Seria A.  Fun fact:  there are players other than David Beckham on AC Milan- most of whom are better players.

Saint Étienne v. Olympique Marseille (Sunday)

A win for Saint Étienne this Sunday would be HUGE.  Not only would it likely remove them from the danger of relegation, if some other results go their way, Les Verts could move up four positions from their current 18th.  Marseille may have even MORE to play for in this match- they trail Lyon by only a point and they have a better goal differential.  So, were Lyon to lose or draw with Le Mans, Marseille could find themselves in first place.  Incidentally, Marseille have been in better form lately, so the final few weeks of the Ligue 1 season could be very interesting.

Real Betis v. Numancia (Sunday)

Nothing says pressure like the number 16 (Real Betis) and number 19 (Numancia) teams in a 20 team league facing off against each other with only four points separating them!  With Espanyol already dead and gone, Betis, Numancia, Osasuna and Recreativo Huevla are battling to avoid filling the other two relegation spots in La Liga.  Numancia has been the better team of late, but a win this week only puts them within sight of safety.  However, given that the lower half of the table is very tight, a win for Betis could see them move from 16th to 10th depending on other results.

Espanyol v. Deportivo La Coruña (Sunday)

As stated above, the Parakeets of RCD Espanyol are well on their way to joining Eibar and Girona in the Segunda División next year, making this match all the more important to their opponents.  The Galician side are looking to grab one of the last UEFA Cup spots in La Liga, at at present only trail 6th place Valencia and 5th place Atlético Madrid on goal differential.  Fun fact:  I would very much like to visit Galicia in the future and if I do, I would like to attend a match at Estadio Riazor.