Turning the corner

The streak is alive! Going 5-4, I have now posted two consecutive weeks over .500, allowing me to inch ever closer up on the season at 21-33, good for a .389 mark. Overall, I think that's not bad since pure chance would have a mark of .333. (I decided early on that if a result is a tie, that's a loss for me since I could easily have predicted a tie.)

So, as you can see, like my Orange and those Celtic Bhoys, I am now feeling my oats. I've been around long enough to know, though, that is the exact, precise moment that reality comes crashing. So armed with the certain knowledge of crushing defeat, I am wading into the treacherous waters of MLS Week 9.

FIRE at TORONTO FC. 1-1 Draw. You know, I continue to be a nonbeliever in the Reds. DeRo did indeed wake up last week (and did you see that second goal of his at Dc? Wow. now THAT was a bittersweet thing to see.), and awake and playing well, he's easily TFC's best player. But this week we will all see this association (courtesy of my son's TAKS test): Kryptonite is to Superman as artificial turf is to Dwayne De Rosario. He will not score. He will not assist. All of his passes will be too heavily weighted. He'll be frustrated and Blanco will get in his head. Chicago escapes with the away draw and the early optimism will begin to wane in Toronto.

RAPIDS at REVOLUTION. 1-0 New England. What's the precise blogging term for "I have no f'ing idea"? The Crapids are in the road and have a winning all-time mark against the Revs. New England still have half the team out with injury, but Steve Ralston's back. I'm going with the old tried and true on this one. When you don't know, go with the home team to hold on for a win. Matt Reis can handle anything the Rapids dish out.

DYNAMO at RBNY. 2-0 Orange Did anyone happen to catch Red Bull's 4-1 win last week? Amazing. Shocking. Total rubbish. THAT was the San Jose back line. New York, they of the almost laughable ineptitude, went through those guys like a hot knife through butter. I think NY has been thinking all week, though, that it was a result they got because they're just that good. Hubris is the companion of the loser who loses after a win and hubris will have its home on the NYRB bench this week. I think that will more than make up for the fact that Dynamo are again playing on a green-painted tarmac. Perhaps the terrible condition of the Robinson Stadium field earlier this season has helped Dynamo play better on the fake stuff. We'll see. Shutout streak continues.

SOUNDERS at FC FRISCO. 3-0 Seattle. This is just not a team that can score on Kasey Keller, while the other one really is a team that can score on Ray Burse Jr. Early. And often.

WIZARDS at REAL SALT LAKE. 2-1 RSL. OK RSL, this is your last chance. If you screw me around blow a game against a winnable opponent again, I will not pick you for the rest of the year, whatever it does to my record! (Though seeing how RSL has played so far, that will probably be not much.)

DC UNITED at las chivitas 2-1 DCU I firmly believe that these are two teams that have played above their skill level so far this season, but none so much as the Amerigoats. I mean, Paolo Nagamura has scored two game-winning goals so far this season while Kljestan has scored none? Zach Thornton playing like Pat Onstad? You can not tell me with a straight face that this is a team winning on its merits. DC, on the other hand, has had three games scoring either winners or ties with goals in extra time. That is three more than I think they'll get the rest of the year. But I still don't think they'll need it this time as Chivas will be exposed here. The fall will be long and steep.

CREW at GALAXY. 2-2 Draw. I know and we all know for a fact that Columbus is a better team than the Gals, and that this in all rights should be a complete and utter blowout at the site of Columbus' greatest triumph last November. LA seems to be adept at tie-making this season, and Columbus has been equally adept at surrendering tie-making goals. The Crew is playing better, but they'll still leave the HDC shaking their heads.