Avoiding the Drop

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

It seems like it’s taken forever to get to this match and now that it’s here I feel sort of like I do on Christmas Eve- tomorrow is going to be great, but just how great? On the one hand, for a First Division club to make the final is a huge accomplishment- even bigger when one considers that Dingwall, where the Staggies are located, is more than seven times smaller than the next smallest municipality (Airdrie) which is represented by a First Division side. On the other hand, while it’s “an honor just to be nominated…,” County could actually win this match! Seriously. On the way to making the finals County put nine past Stirling Albion and defeated the two teams that bracketed Dundee United in the final SPL table- Hibernian and Celtic- so there’s no reason to think that the club doesn’t have a chance to pull off what would easily be the biggest upset in the history of the cup.

Ross County’s cup run has not only galvanized its existing supporters, but it has also garnered interest from neutrals who both love football and an underdog. How else does one explain how County sold every ticket that the S.F.A. originally allocated to the club and that the club has had to ask for more tickets to be released on a further two occasions? The lowest estimate at present is that there have been 17,000+ tickets sold and that number is expected to climb to almost 20,000 by match day. Should that happen, County supporters will have purchased approximately 42% of the tickets made available to the two clubs for the final- despite being based in a town 25 times smaller than their opponents Dundee.  After the jump, a few other ways that the build-up has been felt in the Highlands.

In addition to all of those Staggies who will be traveling to Hampden Park from the various corners of Scotland and, indeed, all over Great Britain, I know of supporters who are flying in for the final from the United States (Tennessee, Texas, Florida, and New York to name just a few of the places), Australia, Canada, Ireland, Germany, Dubai, Libya, Italy, and the Netherlands, but of all of these, my hat is off to two supporters in particular, the first has an itinerary that looks like this-

-Brisbane to Singapore to Abu Dhabi to London to Glasgow.

And the second, who is fitting the match into the middle of a preexisting businesses trip to South Korea-

-Toronto to Manchester to Glasgow to Dubai to Seoul to Vancouver to Toronto

These intrepid world travelers will be joined by an estimated 50+ coaches leaving from Dingwall proper on the morning of the match and another 25+ buses leaving from other outposts in the Highlands and Islands. The bus carrying the team will leave Dingwall the previous afternoon, but not before being led down the High Street by a pipe band! This procession and the County supporters coming out for it will have the run of the town as most businesses in Dingwall will be closing early on Friday and not reopening until Monday morning.

Also, in a tradition as old as the game itself, there are at least two musical groups who have released songs to celebrate the occasion. The first is a group called Torridon, who have rerecorded the Proclaimer’s song “I’m On My Way” and retitled it “We’re On Our Way.” It has new lyrics specific to Ross County and the Cup Final. This single can be downloaded at iTunes by searching for the group’s name. The second is a group called The Side who have recorded an original song called, “The County’s Going to Hampden.” This song can be heard- and I assume downloaded as well- at the group’s MySpace page. Are the songs good? Well, they are no worse than the “Superbowl Shuffle” for those in the audience old enough to remember it.

The Ross County Club Shop has been so overwhelmed by demand- each new shipment of merchandise has sold out with in a few days of arriving- that they have had to bring in an outside company to provide additional commemorative shirts, scarfs, caps, etc.  If you’re interested, you can have a look here- I’ve already made my purchase, and if County win the Cup I’m sure I’ll be making another one!  It goes without saying that the influx of cash into the club from the sale of merchandise and County’s share of the gate receipts from the Semifinal and Final are going to have quite an impact on the club going forward.

So, there we have it. I’ll be at work on Saturday frantically concocting excuses to check the score online and, I hope, rushing home to watch the victorious highlights online and on the Fox Soccer Report.

C’mon you Staggies!!!

New England Revolution v. San Jose Earthquakes (Saturday)

I thought last year was the “rebuilding year”- I was wrong. It’s this year. New England’s crop of rookie and second year players are the best in the MLS, but beyond this group is nothing but trouble. Edgaras Jankauskus is aging and can’t stay healthy, Taylor Twellman and Matt Reis are still on the sidelines, and Shalrie is (presumably) in rehab for the immediate future. The remaining “role players” aren’t going to be enough to see New England into the playoffs this year. So, unless there’s an outbreak of “good health” around Gillette Stadium pretty soon, it’s time to think about drafting/signing a goalkeeper for next year- Matt Reis is getting “up there,” Preston Burpo is not the answer, and I don’t have any a lot of faith in Bobby Shuttleworth. Three more wins and San Jose will equal last year’s total of seven.

Los Angeles Galaxy v. Toronto F.C. (Saturday)

The Galaxy are still the only team in MLS not to taste defeat. I wish I could say that their success is a fluke, but it’s not. They’ve scored four more goals than any other team, they’ve only allowed two in eight matches, and they have seven points more than any other team. That’ll work. Given their history I guess one has to say that Toronto has started the season well, but a closer look at the numbers gives cause for concern. First, they have not drawn any of their matches and that tells me that they can’t hold on to a lead or can’t come from behind- neither is a good trait. Second, they are one of only three teams in MLS who are already in double figures for both goals scored and goals allowed. That being said, they’re on pace for 39 points and that will come close to getting them into the playoffs. Such is MLS…

Seattle Sounders F.C. v. D.C. United (Saturday)

What a difference a year makes. Seattle’s inaugural season was highlighted by smashing every conceivable attendance record, advancement to the MLS quarterfinals, and winning the U.S. Open Cup. Seattle’s sophomore season finds them in last place in the Western Conference with only two wins in their first eight matches and with a negative goal differential. Should this trend continue we’ll get to see just how dedicated the Sounders fans really are. How well D.C. United doing? The average score of their first seven matches is D.C. United .5 Opponent 2- that’s not going to cut it, especially for a team where success has been an expectation over the last fifteen years. Then again, D.C. have only won one MLS Cup and on Open Cup in the last 11 years- maybe it’s time to lower the expectations…

A.C. Siena v. F.C. Internazionale Milano (Saturday)

Inter could make things simple by winning on Saturday, but all they really have to do is draw and hope that Roma don’t make up the 15 goal differential- I think the safe money is on them winning the league, but you go ahead and wager as you see fit. Siena have been flirting with relegation from Serie A since they entered it in 2003-2004 and it is frankly quite amazing that they’ve made it this long before finally being relegated back to Serie B. Fun Fact 1: Siena’s main sponsor, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena S.p.A. is the oldest surviving bank in the world, having been founded in 1472. That’s two decades before Christopher Columbus set sail. Fun Fact 2: Inter’s assistant coach Giuseppe Baresi is the brother of Franco Baresi- a legend at rival club A.C. Milan.

A.C. Chievo Verona v. A.S. Roma (Saturday)

Like so many teams around Europe on this final day of the season, Roma must win if they want to have a chance to be champions. The club made a great run at the title, but their loss to Sampdoria on April 25^th is probably going to cost them the Scudetto. Had they won they would hold a one point lead over Inter instead of trailing them by two. Chievo, conversely, don’t have a lot to play for. They can’t qualify for Europe and they cannot be relegated. My guess is that Roma will win this match, but that Inter will do enough in their match against Siena to hold them off. Fun Fact 1: Ten of MLS’ sixteen teams regularly have a higher home attendance than Chievo. Fun Fact 2: Three times in Roma’s history (1950, 1996, and 2004) the club has had four managers within a single calendar year.

Oxford United F.C. v. York City F.C. (Sunday)

That’s right, non-league football makes the Weekend Preview this week. The reason is that the winner of this match- the Blue Square Premier League playoff final- will leave “conference” football to join automatically promoted Stevenage Borough F.C. in League Two. York City were playing league football only six years ago, Oxford United were playing League Football as recently as the 2005-2006 season and were actually in the old First Division for a few years, ending in 1987-1988 season. Fun Fact 1: Oxford United defender Anthony Tonkin was born in Penzance, though at press time it was unclear whether or not he was a pirate. Fun Fact 2: York City back-up goalkeeper and goalkeeping coach Simon Miotto has played for both Gary Megson and Sam Allardyce.

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

Real Madrid has to win this match if they want to have any hope of taking the title from Barcelona on the last day of the season and they have to win by more than three goals. Normally, that might not be that tall of an order against a 16^th place team like Malaga, but the situation is a little more complicated because Malaga aren’t likely to go along with Madrid’s “plan.” Malaga are out of La Liga’s relegation zone only on goal differential, so they too have to win if they want to be sure of avoiding the drop. Should Malaga lose the only thing that will keep them from potentially dropping all the way to the bottom of the table is their superior goal differential over Deportivo Xerez. Given that both teams have so much to play for, and that scoring goals are a necessity for both sides, this should be an open and exciting match.

Barcelona v. Real Valladolid (Sunday)

The math is simple for Barcelona- win the match and they win the league. Anything less than a win and the door is left open for Real Madrid. Unfortunately for Barcelona, they are also facing an opponent that needs to win the match in order to remain in La Liga. Valladolid- like Malaga, Racing Santander, and Tenerife- are all tied on 36 points, with Xerez only a further three points back. Unlike Malaga’s situation, goal differential could come into play if they are tied on points with Santander or Xerez. So again, while Barca just have to “win,” Valladolid have to win and hope to improve their goal differential as well. This match should also be an open one. Fun Fact: The average tenure of a Valladolid manager is about seven years- kind of remarkable when you think about it.

B.S.C. Young Boys v. F.C. Basel 1893 (Sunday)

It’s not likely, but on the last day of the Swiss Super League season there is still a chance that Basel could steal the title from Young Boys. Young Boys have a three point lead over Basel, but trail them by two in the goal differential column. So, it’s convenient that the two clubs are playing each other, is it not? There’s only one thing for Basel to do if they want the title- to win the match by three goals. For Young Boys, all they need to do is to avoid having this happen to them. I’m not sure what happens if Basel wins by two and the teams end even on both points and and goal differential… But it’s Switzerland and they’re neutral, so perhaps they just shake hands and head off to their summer vacations. Fun Fact: 11 different Basel players hold dual citizenship.