Avoiding the Drop

Ross County F.C. v. Clyde F.C. (Saturday)

This match will mark the Staggies’ fourth preseason friendly and their first against SFL competition. Thus far County have faced three Highland League sides, winning all three matches and doing so without conceding a goal. As is always the case with preseason matches this meeting with Clyde will give manager Derek Adams another chance to look at the youth players who may be offered contracts with the senior side as well as Darren Smith who remains on trial with the club. There is also some talk that Adams might have his eye on Englishman Jason Talbot, most recently of Livingston and Port Vale. Third Division Clyde, as I mentioned in an earlier update on Ross County are now managed by Stuart Millar, who was the Staggies chief scout from 2007-2010, and this is likely the reason for this match.

New England Revolution v. Chicago Fire S.C. (Saturday)

At this time last week I was as distraught over the state of the Revs. They had just taken a hiding from Real Salt Lake, the injury situation was not getting better, Director of Soccer Mike Burns was making a fool of himself in his weekly blog, and the rampaging L.A. Galaxy were looming on the horizon. Then things started to get weird. After playing him in his first match back from the World Cup, Sourpuss Arena left Landon back at the Home Depot Center and the Revs went on to a dominating 2-0 win over the league leaders. That was followed up with a well-deserved 1-0 victory over Mexico’s Pumas in SuperLiga action and now I don’t know what to think? One can only hope that the team that has shown up on the last two match days shows up for this SuperLiga tilt against the Fire…

Western Mass Pioneers v. Brooklyn Knights (Saturday)

When you choose to “self-relegate” (as the Pioneers did in the midst of the whole USL/NASL kerfuffle a while back) I would think that there might be a plan to be successful at your new, less-competitive, level. This does not seem to have been the case with the Pioneers. The Pioneers, now toiling away in the Northeast Division of the PDL- fifth in the nine team league and much closer on points to the teams behind them than to the teams above them. I suppose that the silver lining in this case is that on Saturday they play last place Brooklyn. Brooklyn have two wins in their first twelve matches. Fun Fact: The Brooklyn Knights play at the Metropolitan Oval in Queens. The Oval, one of the most historic soccer venues in the U.S., hosted four different U.S. Open Cup finals.

Columbus Crew v. New York Red Bulls (Saturday)

It’s bad enough that I have to live with the fact that the Red Bulls are in second place, but now they- officially- have Thierry Henry?! Don’t be shocked when he starts to score bags of goals- okay? Just because he’s been stuck on the bench with Barcelona doesn’t mean he’s done. Even in limited minutes for the blaugrana he scored 35 times in 80 matches, and in MLS he won’t be facing Real Madrid, Valencia, or Sevilla any more. Henry and Juan Pablo Ángel will form the most potent striking partnership this league has seen in its fifteen year history and as much as it pains me to say this, the an L.A.-N.Y. MLS Cup would be great for the league. I have no doubt that if Henry is healthy in 2011 he will pass Roy Lassiter’s long-standing single season goal total of 27.

F.C. Spartak Moskva v. F.C. Rubin Kazan (Saturday)

This is a big match for Rubin Kazan, the league’s two-time defending champions. With a win they could move past CSKA Moskva and into second place in the Russian Premier League, putting themselves into contention for Champions League football. Rubin Kazan have done this despite having only one player with more than two goals. Spartak, though stuck in the middle of the table, are only three points away from a Europa League spot and a position more representative of their storied history in Russian (and Soviet) soccer history. Fun Fact: Rubin Kazan have five designated captains. Fun Fact 2: Rubin Kazan are a truly international side with players from Russia, Nigeria, Moldova, Spain, Argentina, Israel, South Africa, Georgia, Uzbekistan, and Turkey.

I.F.K. Göteborg v. Halmstads B.K. (Saturday)

If you’re been a fan of European soccer you know about IFK Göteborg- historically the best team in Sweden in the mid-1980s one of the best teams in all of Europe- they won the UEFA Cup twice. This makes it all the more surprising that they are only three points and one place above the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Halmstads BK- a club with a much more “modest” history- sit comfortably in the middle of the Allsvenskan table. Halmstads are also the club of American defender Ryan Miller. Miller apparently “wasn’t good enough” to stick with D.C. United or the Columbus Crew, but is good enough to have played in every league and cup match for Halmstads this season. I’ll let you decide if MLS is that much (if any?) better than the Allsvenskan or if D.C. and Columbus might have made a mistake.

D.C. United v. Los Angeles Galaxy (Sunday)

I’d hate to be D.C. in this match. They probably weren’t going to win under any circumstances, but now they have to face a Galaxy side that was, let’s face it, humiliated in their recent match against the New England Revolution, and a side that will have a well-rested Landon Donovan back in the line-up. On the D.C. side of the ball, I’m going to use this preview- and any other one featuring United from now on- to beg somebody, anybody, at the USSF to do whatever it takes to get Honduran-born Andy Najar eligible to play for the U.S. if he isn’t already. If he is already eligible, force Bob Bradley to give him a USMNT cap- just in case. Who knows, he could turn out to be the next Freddy Adu, but just in case he doesn’t, I don’t want to see him on the “other team” during CONCACAF qaulifying.

Binh Duong F.C. v. Song Lam Nghe An F.C. (Sunday)

I can distinctly remember watching Lee Nguyen play for Indiana University in the 2005 College Cup. He had a high “work-rate,” plenty of toughness, and more than a little flair. I thought that what I saw and his very successful background with the various U.S. youth sides were going to be the beginning of a distinguished career at the club and full international level. I wasn’t surprised when he skipped MLS and went right to PSV Eindhoven- and three caps for the USMNT. Unfortunately, a coaching change led to him playing only one match for the first team and he was off to Randers in Denmark- where he played regularly for a season, before moving on…to Vietnam. By all accounts Ngyuen has been among the best players in the V-League where he is about to begin his second season. Really, that’s it for him?

S.K. Brann v. Stabæk Fotball

It’s just past the halfway point of Norway’s Eliteserien (or Tippeligaen, if you prefer) and neither of these teams is looking to hot. Stabæk are seventh place, but that still puts them eight points adrift of any chance at playing in Europe. The good news- from the American perspective- is that Mikkel “Mix” Diskerud is playing a lot and playing well. He’s only 19, but given the choice between playing for Norway (his father is Norwegian) or the U.S.A. (his mother is from Arizona), he chose us- er, the U.S.. Brann, meanwhile, are looking over their shoulders already as they are only four points and two places above the league’s relegation zone. Fun Fact: Despite being a full-time professional player, Brann’s Cato Guntveit still owns and runs his own toy shop.