[Insert something in the vein of "ah, match day" here.] What do you mean, we're live? Right, well, let's get on with it. In O'Reillyean (I'm sure I've spelled this made-up word incorrectly,) we're going to do it live. Whatever that means for a blog post like this, I don't know, but… I liked the reference. What can you do?
Seattle. They've somehow become one of our three primary rivals — along with LA Galaxy and Colorado Rapids (the latter obviously enough, and the former, well, also obviously enough) — and that makes me laugh a bit. Let's think back to 2009.
C'mon, think.
Remember the goodwill between Sounders fans and RSL fans? We won the MLS Cup (or am I suppose to write "we won MLS Cup," to avoid the exclusive article?) at their place, and they were supportive of us. Yeah, I know, we weren't playing them — but that goodwill was interesting. Where's that gone? Out the window, I suspect. Why's that?
Well, lots of reasons. After they ended our home unbeaten streak, that was one blow. After we knocked them out of the playoffs, that's another. Oh, and in 2010, we drew late (who scored? Oh, nobody important. Just Alvaro Saborio.) and that was nice.
Is that all it takes to create a rivalry? We're young. It shows. But there's nothing exclusive about rivalries — they can be young, and sometimes, they don't start after decades of history. Sometimes it's as simple as a couple years of results.
Anyway, rivalry aside, we've got a match to play, so let's talk a little about that.
We might have Rimando and Beckerman in the lineup — I'm inclined to suspect we will, even. Jason Kreis has been cagy about the prospect, but I'm inclined to think that's him hedging his bets, as ever. Maybe — just maybe — he didn't think he'd be able to get them, and then somebody stepped up and said, "You know, I've got a private jet — why don't I just go get them?", and maybe that person was one of our owners. And maybe that was reported, so I don't know why I'd be so back and forth about this, but you know how I can be sometimes. I suggest you get over that.
If we do, that leaves our lineup something like this:
Rimando; Beltran, Booooorlaaaaaaveeeee, Wingert; Beckerman, Gil, Steele, Morales; Espindola, Paulo Jr.
And I'd suspect we'll see the following on the bench: Reynish, Schuler, Mansally, Alvarez, Velasquez, Martinez, Braun
Fun. Might we see Sebastian? I'd guess so. Gil and Steele so rarely play 90 minutes when the start. And might we see Enzo Martinez? Well, probably not. But we'll see. And maybe Kyle Beckerman won't start, either. I really haven't the foggiest. Also, I've preferred Braun to Bonfigli on my bench, but just for size. This isn't the sort of match I'd peg Bonfigli to do well in. Still, you never know, right?
Right, then. Let's get on with it.
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