With J Hutcherson -- Big night for the American clubs in the CONCACAF Champions League, with DC and Columbus facing Mexican League competition. Bigger night for Columbus, since they're the ones trying for three points in Mexico City. Estadio Azul awaits, with the lack of buildup only a tournament running on general disinterest can provide.
What the Crew will be looking for is to push against what could be anything from a B list squad like the one Cruz Azul used to beat Saprissa to a first choice eleven. Not exactly comforting from a coaching perspective.
"We want to represent ourselves, represent the Crew and MLS the best we can," defender Frankie Hejduk told the club's official site. "That's means going down there and fighting for each other. We want to win cups. That's what we're all about now."
If that holds, Columbus has a chance to take three points off a club in Mexico City. Regardless of the type of squad Cruz Azul fields, that not only counts, it matters. Blatantly obvious sentence, but Major League Soccer needs results in Mexico to help on a lot of fronts. SuperLiga becomes at least slightly more meaningful if the host can point to results in Mexico. Drawing Mexican clubs in the Champions League moves away from the 'go ahead and cross that one out and hope for better things against that club we've never heard of' category.
Simply put, it makes a statement about competition. MLS needs that on behalf of all their clubs. Otherwise, it's that familiar issue. No matter what you do at home, it never works in Mexico.
Moving on, give it a couple of days and we're likely to hear the "isolated incident" rationale to describe yesterday's violence in and around the West Ham United - Millwall League Cup game at Upton Park. That as much as anything else has become the contemporary treatment for hooliganism. Make it look like a one-off, regardless of how many times it actually happens.
For the most part, it works. The English authorities push the minor incidents to the periphery and the unavoidable problems get dismissed through a show of limited force.
Lifetime bans all around, and please no talk of larger issues. Maybe they're right. Maybe what we've seen is the English equivalent of the National Football League refusing to show fans running onto their fields and playing down the fights and alcohol related issues happening in and around their stadiums.
If it's bad enough, it gets play. Otherwise, the game moves on. It might not be the best strategy, but it is a strategy. Shocking events and the associated headlines aside.
Comments, questions, solutions to problems that have yet to present themselves. Please, tell me all about it.
