Everybody Hates Portland

Or at least they should. Our neighbor to the south is the meth capital of the US, and will always be our less successful older brother. Portland was an established US city before Seattle made a name for itself. But Portland rested on its early successes, and Seattle quickly passed it by in both economic and international significance.

So it should come as no surprise that our bitter neighbors to the south hate us. They hate us with a passion that can only be likened to an older brother who is forced to watch a younger sibling become bigger, stronger, faster, better looking, thinner, and more successful. The spite and bitterness generated in Portland could provide enough energy to power Wichita, if only somebody knew how to harness them. Somebody from Seattle will probably figure it out soon.

I think this sibling rivalry is going to play out very well in MLS. Seattle already looks down on Portland the way UW looks down on The University of Oregon (despite Oregon's recent dominance over UW, we UW fans remain well aware of Oregon's proper place in the world - underneath it). Already there were crowd issues at the Portland-Seattle US Open Cup match last year, with a Seattle supporter apparently being escorted out of the stadium (and apparently being hog-tied? Dan, Kelly, you were there, can you confirm that?). And we'll get an early chance to revisit this rivalry in early March, when Seattle hosts Portland in a Community Shield match with all proceeds going to charity.

So what can we expect from this game? I hear that the seating will be entirely GA, so a $10 ticket can buy you a front row seat if you get there early enough. But this also means (potentially) no enforced separation of Portland and Seattle fans. Could this lead to violence in the stands? Personally, I don't think so, but who knows. People may be very drunk by kick off, increasing the odds of violence quite a bit.

This all leads me to wonder - is Portland the better rival for Seattle? Should it be Vancouver? Personally, I think Portland is the better rival, mostly because I've learned to hate Oregon for it's ugly college football uniforms, stupid speed limits, and an unreasonable desire to declare itself the official capital of ____ in the US (Soccer Town USA, Microbrew Capital of the USA, you name it). Vancouver is way too concerned with breaking into people's cars to name itself much of anything. So that's my vote. Let's all join together and hate Portland. Who's with me?

The 2010 Schedule - Sort of In Depth Review

The schedule is out. I looked at it more closely.

First, I am overjoyed that most of the home games have start times in the late afternoon or evening. Only 4 of 15 home games start at 1pm or 12pm. The rest kick off at 4pm at the earliest. This means lots of time to tailgate. I don't have to get up at 7am to set up by 8am, in order to have food ready to eat by 10am, and time to consume the proper amount of alcohol. Assuming the weather cooperates, we are going to have a lot of fun, long, leisurely tailgates this summer. Love it.

Second, toss in the two week break in June to make space for the World Cup. Perfect. I don't have to split my allegiances or viewing time. I can do both. I love that MLS now takes a break, instead of the stupid approach they took before of playing right through the World Cup. Maybe the soccer specific stadiums have a lot to do with that, but I don't care. They have it right now, so I'm happy.

Third, I'm not sure how I feel about the gaps between home games. The biggest gap between home games is June 10th to July 11th (btw, SSFC plays on the Fourth of July this year, but it's away from home). That's a full month between home games. The only other break that approaches this is from September 9th to October 2nd. Those are long gaps, but I think they might be welcome respites from all the "supporting" I do during the summer.

Fourth, and this is related to Third, I love that the SSFC schedule is front-loaded for home games. The last 8 games of the year are played in September and October, and 5 of them are on the road. That means more games in the summer, when the weather is nice and tailgating/being at the stadium is much more pleasant.

Fifth, the schedule is balanced this year. Finally. That means we play everybody twice, home and away. I think this is helpful, although SSFC will still probably travel more than any other team in the league because of our location in the country.

2010 Schedule is Out

The biggest thing I like, just glancing, is that there are lots of home games that start in the evening. That means great tail gating during the summer.

Here's the link:
2010 SSFC MLS Schedule

Season 2 Getting Underway

Freddie Ljungberg reported to camp today. To me that means we can finally start talking about the 2010 MLS season.

Expectations 

Making the playoffs. That's what I feel I can EXPECT from this team. However, based on last year's performance, I think it's reasonable to believe that the Sounders can win a playoff series and maybe even advance to a conference final.

Additions and Subtractions 

Count me as one of the few Seattle fans that is happy to see Le Toux go. I don't think he really added anything to the table beyond hustle. Dogs hustle. Soccer players should be smarter than just chasing a ball around a park. Unfortunately, this is MLS, and it's hard to find serviceable replacements. David Estrada and some of the other draft picks may step in and contribute as much if not more than Le Toux did. But as of right now, the biggest improvement this team is going to see in 2010 will come from continuity and the increased familiarity that comes with it.

Off-Season Disappointments

To date, Seattle hasn't picked up any players of significance. I saw a rumor months ago that Seattle had signed a Moroccan player, but that hasn't come to pass. If I'm being an impatient fan, I want to see Seattle sign a central midfielder with some serious talent. Somebody who can play 360 degrees, hold and distribute the ball, and also be a strong tackler. That may be a lot to ask, but I think we can find somebody abroad that can be a playmaker. Somebody with the technical and tactical ability to make a big impact on the offense. That we haven't picked up anybody like this, or for that matter, anybody at all, is disappointing.

The pre-season lasts for a long time, nearly 7 weeks, so we still have a long way to go before the season starts. In that time, Seattle could easily sign one or two foreign players.