Avoiding the Drop

Philadelphia Union v. New England Revolution (Saturday)

The is really only one piece of big news to report surrounding this match- I’ll be there! That’s right, I’ll be joining commenter “Sculptor?!” and our own TY (we hope!) at PPL Park to support my side and to soak in the urban blight that is Chester, PA! Seriously, though, it’s got to be better than the last time I was there in c. 1989…right? Where the footie is concerned, this could be a great match! Philadelphia are a fiesty and well-coached bunch whose spirit I’ve come to admire and my own Revs appear to have overcome their persistent injuries to string together a series of impressive results in both the league and in SuperLiga play. Fun Fact: This match will mark the public debut of my new Ross County home shirt. The debut of my new Scotland home shirt will have to wait for much cooler weather!

New York Red Bulls v. Houston Dynamo (Saturday)

He’s already taken the field twice for his new club, but this weekend will mark the official MLS debut of Thierry “Titi” Henry! Scoff if you will, but Henry is confident enough in this move that he signed up for the rest of this season and four more to follow. This probably means he’ll partner with Juan Pablo Ángel (he of the 54 goals in 88 MLS matches) for the rest of this year and possibly two more after that. Their can’t be any team in MLS- particularly in the Eastern Conference- that can be happy about that. Fun Fact: Irish and Irish-American supporters of the Red Bulls may not be that excited by Henry’s debut for their club. Fun Fact 2: Henry, if the unrelenting rumors are to believed, will soon be joined by Mexican international and Barcelona stalwart Rafael “Rafa” Marquez.

Real Salt Lake v. D.C. United (Saturday)

This may be the best chance that RSL will get to narrow the gap between themselves and Western Conference leaders L.A.. First, they are playing D.C., the worst team in the league. Second, the Galaxy have faltered a bit lately and are playing better competition (Chicago) this weekend. Should RSL be able to take advantage of the situation they will gain three points on L.A.- putting themselves within six points of the conference leaders and with a game in hand. Fun Fact: European sides have already begun the “shark circle” around United midfielder Andy Najar- who doesn’t turn 18 until next March and who still hasn’t committed to playing internationally for Honduras or the U.S.A.. Fun Fact 2: RSL’s Ned Grabavoy is the David Eckstein of MLS. Gritty, gutty, and whatnot.

R.S.C. Anderlecht v. K.A.S. Eupen (Saturday)

I told you last week we were going to have to pay more regular attention to Belgium’s Jupiler League in general and to Anderlecht specifically- and Sacha Kljestan gave us a reason to at midweek! That’s right, the American export/expat scored in his first match for his new club in a 3-1 victory over Welsh side The New Saints in a Champions League third round qualifier on Tuesday. Kljestan will likely see action in Anderlecht’s league opener against Eupen this weekend. Relegation and promotion in Belgium is beyond convoluted, so I’ll keep it simple: Eupen finished fourth in the Second Division last year, but won promotion through the playoff system…and some other stuff. A quick look at Eupen’s roster makes it clear that one of its main roles is to act as Fiorentina’s “farm team.”

F.C. Zürich v. F.C. Sion (Saturday)

Speaking of reclamation projects, our next one brings us to Switzerland’s Super League where former phenom Freddy Adu is on trial at F.C. Sion. That’s right, for the fourth season in a row, Benfica are looking to send him out on loan. Obviously, this could be Adu’s last step before coming back to MLS with his proverbial tail between his legs, but I don’t think it will be. A club like this- mid-table in a small European league- is where he should have been all along. If Sion decide to sign him I think he will play on a regular basis and, given their humble position in a humble league, Adu could actually make a difference for this club and begin to rejuvenate his career. If he fails to thrive at Sion, you may see him back in the States before the end of the current MLS season. I wish him well. Seriously.

F.C. Twente v. A.F.C. Ajax (Saturday)

The Dutch season kicks of this weekend with the playing of the Dutch Super Cup (also known as the Johann Cruijff Schaal) between last year’s Eredivisie champions Twente and Ajax, winners of the KNVB Cup (the Dutch equivalent of England’s F.A. Cup). This will also be one of Twente’s first competitive matches since coach Steve McLaren moved on to the Bundesliga and VfL Wolfsburg. His replacement is Belgian goalkeeping legend Michel Preud’homme. For Ajax, they will be looking for a big win in this match to get some momentum going- they have not won the Eredivisie since the 2003-2004 season, a shocking fact for a club that has 29 championships to its credit. Fun Fact: Founded in 1900, Ajax have only been relegated once in their history, in 1914, and it only lasted one season.

Ross County F.C. v. Livingston F.C. (Sunday)

From a Staggie-centric position I don’t like anything about this opening round match in the Scottish League Cup. Despite their presence in the Second Division, Livingston are essentially a First Division side. At the end of the 2008-2009 season they were relegated from the First to the Third Division for financial problems and promptly won the division by 15 points last season to gain promotion to the Second Division. All of that being said, this will be a home match for County and County have not lost since the beginning of their preseason, so one must hope for the best! Fun Fact: Livingston’s goalkeeper Tony Bullock played for Ross County (2001-2003 and 2007-2009)- he has also played for ten other teams in England and Scotland including both sides of the Dundee Derby.

Los Angeles Galaxy v. Chicago Fire S.C. (Sunday)

Are the cracks finally starting to show in La La Land? The Galaxy, who stormed out to one of the best starts in MLS history have begun to come back down to earth recently. In their last five matches the Galaxy have lost to Seattle in US Open Cup play, to New England in the league (and the score line flattered L.A.), beat D.C. United (the worst team in MLS), drawn with San Jose, and most recently, lost to the Puerto Rico Islanders- a club two divisions below them- in CONCACAF Champions League play. This last match, which they lost 4-1 (and their only goal was an own goal), is either going to be the wake-up call they need to get themselves back on track for the rest of the MLS season or the opportunity the rest of the league has been waiting for as they try to bring the club back to the pack.