It's nearly been a week since our final home match, and I'm buzzing for some gameplay now, as are we all, I'm sure. Would that have been the sole advantage of a wildcard spot? Maybe. We could ruminate on whether going through the East may have been easier, but history doesn't remember the people who went East.
After all, the Village People wrote that song "Go West," not "Go East." Christopher Columbus isn't remembered for finding the East Indies, but the West Indies. Also, some other things involving west. We may have won the MLS Cup by going to the east, but it's time we make a change to our record in that regard. Well, not change — append to. I'd never erase what we've done before.
But, you know, there's something appealing about beating the best to be the best. (Notice that the first letter there is b-t-b-t-b-t-b? I just did. Cute. That's not quite alliteration, but it's pretty alright by me.) We can show the league that our 4-1 win against LA early days was no fluke. We can show the world that we're still one of the best teams in Major League Soccer. What's more, we can do it… in style.
Right, so I know all you want right now is a match preview, so I guess I'll give it to you. I can't promise my predictions will be right, but let's start off with the good news. In no particular order:
One: It looks like we'll have Ned Grabavoy back in the side. He's had a good campaign for me, but it would have been loads better had he not had it interrupted by injury. I know he's not the most popular player, but his safe passing and incredible work rate are exactly what we need from a player in his tactical position. He, Will Johnson, and Kyle Beckerman have formed a very nice understanding, and it'll be wonderful to have them all back together.
Two: Tony Beltran's been in full training and is looking closer to returning. I can't say enough good things about this kid. It's entirely telling that he injured himself by working too hard after a red card — it's unfortunate, of course, that he's out, but he puts everything he has into being a key player for this club, and I really respect that.
Three: Javier Morales and Kyle Beckerman. Two names are all you need here, but as usual, I'll give you a bit more and you (yes, you!) can keep the change. I know it's a much-vaunted fact that they play very well together and that we haven't had their understanding on the pitch in some time, but it bears repeating. They're really. Really. Really. good together. It's interesting, too, because Kyle's had to change his play a bit this season as we adapted to life without Javier. His passing range has improved, his vision's improved, his free kicks have improved — I'm just really impressed with him.
Four: I think, for once, we could be at our 100 percent full strength lineup. Now, that doesn't mean we'll be at full mental strength — that'll be up to the boys to determine, and it better be the case — but it does mean that we stand one hell of a chance against the Sounders. It's up to us to make sure we grab that.
Five: In recent weeks, we've finally been able to see how Espindola plays best, and how we get our width: Runs out wide. Yes, we've seen Espindola do that plenty, but Javi is a wonderful counterbalance in that regard, and he helps to set up those plays with such precision and an ease of thought that would make even the best playmakers a bit jealous.
Right, here's my predicted lineup, then I'm getting on with my day. I've got chili to start tonight!
Rimando
Russell - BORLAAAAAAVEEEEEEE - Wingert
Grabavoy - Beckerman - Johnson
Morales
Saborio - Espindola
Come on you Claret and Cobalt!
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