With J Hutcherson -- In another weekend of international exhibitions highlighting the Major League Soccer schedule, we get four games that count. Fortunately, the best of the bunch is available nationally. Seattle hosts Colorado at 10:30pm ET on Fox Soccer Channel, with another opportunity to try to figure out the Rapids.
For those refusing to keep score at home, Colorado is 4th in the Western Conference, trailing Dallas by 2 points and currently tied with 5th-place San Jose with 23 points from 15 games played. It's the Earthquakes getting more of the attention, but it's the Rapids that have spent more time in the top half of the table. Should Dallas lose to Toronto at BMO Field on Saturday afternoon, Colorado has a chance to move back to 3rd.
Part of that is how they got to 23 points. Colorado hasn't won a game since they knocked off the Crew on June 5th. Four ties and a loss, causing their slide down the Western Conference table. There's a version of the Rapids story that has them drifting, with things getting worse. Internally, there are suggestions that the Rapids know this, and are trying to respond. At the same time, it's a very good question for what they're responding too.
Their best month so far was April when they won two, lost one, and drew one. They had two wins and two losses in May, beating DC and Seattle to finish the month and then picking up a third straight win in that June 5th game against Columbus at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. All three of those games ended 1-0. When the other team scores, Colorado has won twice. Back-to-back in April beating Toronto 3-1 and New England 2-1. In recent weeks, they've had back-to-back 2-2 draws.
As indications go, Colorado is a team that hasn't handled the other team actually bothering to score. Last time around on May 29th, they beat Seattle with their preferred 1-0 score line. That was also the last time Seattle has been shutout.
What Sunday night should give us is a clearer indication of what's left to play for among the Western Conference teams chasing Real Salt Lake, who in turn is chasing the LA Galaxy. Colorado could make a serous statement of intent, or they could continue their slide and justify the lack of attention they've been receiving. To put it another way, there's a lot to play for as we head into All-Star week.
Moving on to those two high profile friendlies, on Saturday New York plays Manchester City (3:30pm ET - FSC) and Kansas City gets Manchester United (6pm ET - FSC). If the earlier friendly schedule is an indication, we'll see a competitive first-half before both teams try to see how many players they can use in the second. If you're trying to get anything from these games, think of them as 45 minute scrimmages. Otherwise, it's simply too tough to call.
Yes, last night Spurs left in Robbie Keane and he go their equalizer. But it was against a New York eleven that had already made three substitutes and would make two more just after that goal was scored. Tottenham leaving Keane on for the full 90 and only using four subs is a rarity. They used six against San Jose in their previous game. Manchester United went for five against Philadelphia, Celtic subbed on six in Seattle, and Bolton used their entire bench against Toronto. In fairness, the Earthquakes, Union, Sounders, and Toronto out-subbed the visitors.
Though I'm not one to take that step past discounting friendlies and move right along to discrediting them, leave it to the mainstream media to try to pull points from high profile club friendlies. Unless the two teams resist the urge to see how many players they can give work, it normally says very little about either side. In recent years, resisting the urge to sub has been well past most of the teams on tour in North America. Now we've got our MLS hosts joining in.
Comments, questions, solutions to problems that have yet to present themselves. Please, tell me all about it.
