Avoiding the Drop

Ross County F.C. v. Airdrie United F.C. (Saturday)

Winning the First Division and being promoted to the SPL is probably out of reach at this point, but this has already been- thanks to making the Scottish Cup Final!!- County’s most successful season ever and things could still improve. Besides winning the Scottish Cup, there are still two very attainable goals that County could achieve. First, their highest ever point total in the First Division- County need only earn 8 points in their last six matches to reach a record 57 points. Second, if the club can move up one position in the table- to third- they will achieve their highest finish ever, and they have two or three games in hand over the teams they are chasing. The Staggies’ opponents, Airdrie, may be in last place, but they have won three of their last five league matches, so they’ll be up for it, that’s for sure.

New England Revolution v. San Jose Clash (Saturday)

Zak Schilawski! Who is this kid?! Not only did he score a hat trick in his third professional match, he did it in the span of 12 minutes, and each goal was a thing of beauty. Schilawski’s performance, Shalrie Joseph’s usual excellence, stellar work by the back line, and an impressive first appearance by new signing Marko Perovic have me thinking that the Revs may actually be a team that can go somewhere this year. Who knew!? Khano Smith made also played and contributed…nothing. As for San Jose, they have a win over Chicago (though I think that says more about Chicago than it does about the Quakes), but I wouldn’t go getting your hopes up about seeing them in the playoffs this year. Fun Fact: Even at age 46, San Jose manager Frank Yallop is probably still the best player in the organization.

D.C. United v. Chicago Fire S.C. (Saturday)

In any other season this would be a marquee match-up and maybe even a preview of the Eastern Conference finals. Unfortunately, this is not the case this year and probably won’t be going forward: in the six total matches these two sides have played this year they have managed one point- one. The Fire- earners of that single point- have at least been competitive. They certainly won’t be as good as they have been over the past few years, but they’ll probably be on the fringes of the playoff picture for most of the season. If Philadelphia are competitive and New England can continue to build on their unexpectedly fast start, D.C. United look like they might be this year’s 2009 New York Red Bulls. Fun Fact: The Fire’s C.J. Brown is the only remaining player from the team’s inaugural 1998 season.

Manchester United F.C. v. Manchester City F.C. (Saturday)

This match either means more than it did a few weeks ago- or less. I’m just not sure. Are United’s title hopes over now that they are four points behind Chelsea? Probably, but not definitely. A win here and a Chelsea loss to Spurs and the gap is back to a single point with three matches left to play. Will City play in Europe next year? Probably, but the question is how- through the Champions League playoff spot they currently hold, or the Europa League spot they may fall into if they lose here and Spurs win. City also, believe it or not, still have to keep an eye on Liverpool and Aston Villa. Perhaps the biggest variable for both teams will be the health of Wayne Rooney’s ankle. He didn’t play in United’s draw with Blackburn last weekend and his status for Saturday is unclear.

Grimsby Town F.C. v. Torquay United F.C. (Saturday)

That’s right, League Two. With Darlington already relegated from league football, I feel confident in saying that Grimsby will be the other team in English football who will suffer the ignominy of dropping into conference football next season. Why am I so confident? First, the Mariners are seven points from safety with only four matches left. Second, the two teams they are chasing- Barnet and Cheltenham Town- hold a game in hand over them. And finally, the team they are playing, Torquay, are close enough to danger- only two points ahead of Cheltenham and Barnet- that they won’t want to give Grimsby any chance to close the gap on them. Fun Fact: Grimsby Town don’t play in…Grimsby Town, they play a mile and a half away at Blundell Park in Cleethorpes.

S.C. Freiburg v. 1. FC Nürnberg (Saturday)

As tightly-packed as things are at the top of the Bundesliga table, the situation is the same at the bottom of the league. Freiburg may be in second-to-last place, but they are only three points behind their opponents this weekend, Nürnberg, who are three places above them in the table. A win for Freiburg and they could move out of the relegation zone. A loss and they could find themselves tied for last with Hertha BSC. A Nürnberg win and they will be within three points of safety with three matches left to play. Of the two sides, Nürnberg have earned two points more than Freiburg over the past five matches. Fun Fact: Nürnberg midfielder Juri Judt was born in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Fun Fact 2: Freiburg’s Daniel Williams is eligible for an American passport through his father (an American soldier)…I’m just sayin’.

F.C. Girondins de Bordeaux v. Olympique Lyonnais (Saturday)

Olympique Marseille and Auxerre have opened up a slight lead on the rest of the league, but the teams in 3^rd through 6^th place (which includes the two sides in this match) are still separated by only three points. Of the two teams in this match Bordeaux are in the tougher spot. Once the form team of Ligue 1, they’ve lost three matches in a row and now find themselves in fifth place and three points out of the league’s Europa League place. Lyon are a bit better off. A win guarantees that they will hold on to their Champions League playoff space for one more week and, if you’re an optimist, it keeps their slim title hopes alive for another weeks as well. Fun Fact: Bordeaux have midfielders with the names Yoan Gouffran and Yoann Gourcuff- I’m sure if you’re French that’s less confusing than I think it is.

C.A. River Plate v. C.D. Godoy Cruz Antonio Tomba (Saturday)

Back in the early 1980s the Argentine Primera Division changed its promotion and relegation rules- no longer were the worst teams of the season relegated, instead, the teams with the worst three year average finish were relegated. This change just happened to save both Boca Juniors and River Plate from being relegated. Fast-forward about two decades and about halfway through the season and we find both River (18^th of 20) and Boca (14^th of 20) are in danger of relegation. I wonder if we’ll see another rule change before the end of the season? Godoy Cruz have no such concerns. They are in first place, holding a +4 goal differential over second place Argentinos Juniors. Fun Fact: River striker Rogelio Funes Mori graduated from Arlington High School in Arlington, Texas.

Dundee United F.C. v. Motherwell F.C. (Sunday)

Given what has to take place for Ross County to play in Europe next year (winning the Scottish Cup or Dundee overtaking Celtic for second place in the SPL…I think) I find myself in the awkward position of having to root against the team- Motherwell- that is supported by those members of my family who decided that moving to the United States during the worst years of the Great Depression was not for them. Stubbornness runs in the family. That being said, it’s not all that hard to pull for a team who still have a chance of splitting the Old Firm this season. Okay, not much of a chance, but still… Motherwell, where do I begin? “Always good, never great,” pretty much sums things up. They haven’t been relegated in almost two decades, but they’ve only won one trophy during that period.

Real Madrid C.F. v. Valencia C.F. (Sunday)

This is the match of the season for Real Madrid. Should they lose they will be six points behind league leaders Barcelona with only six matches remaining. A win and they keep the gap at a much more manageable three points. Valencia, though in third place, are too far back to challenge for the league title. They are not, however, in any danger of losing the Champions League spot they currently hold- they are four points and a game in hand ahead of fourth place Mallorca. Fun Fact: If the persistent rumors are true Valencia could be without midfield playmaker David Silva and leading scorer David Villa next year- both may be plying their trade in the EPL in 2010-2011. Fun Fact 2: Real Madrid’s captain and all-time leading scorer, Raul, is still being leaked with a move to MLS.