My annual notation that this is the last screening week the WMNSS is at its nadir, with only three Twin Cities teams to cover. College sports season begins anew Thursday with, as usual, women's soccer; the University of Minnesota begins its season at Cal-Santa Barbara. Football and volleyball begin the week after, the Vikings the week after that, and it'll swell to, I think, November, when it's at its worst. So I am reminding myself to enjoy this list.
#-1: United FC (Last Week: -1). You know, I've been going back and forth the past couple weeks about my criteria for deciding between teams having good and bad weeks. I have always said that the main factor in ranking Twin Cities teams for the WMNSS is the record for that week. But this week, this screening week? I don't know, maybe I'm a hypocrite, maybe it's the weather that is more humid than my body expected, but I have taken a focus on the playoff prospects for the three squads currently playing right now. Looking through that factor, it appears as though the Loons are once again on top. And so it shall be.
Don't get me wrong, United FC has a good week. On Wednesday they clipped the Colorado Rapids at Allianz 1-0, the lone tally coming courtesy of El Cientifico, Darwin Quintero, who, just minutes before, deked too much and had his Penalty Kick saved by Rapids Goalkeeper Clint Irwin. Then on Saturday, a PK awarded to and deposited by Orlando in the 70th Minute was equalized in the 92nd -- MNUFC is developing a flair for late-Match theatrics -- when Abu Danladi, who is desperately clinging onto a spot with the organization, chipped in a loose ball in traffic off a throw-in. I have always had the adage that in soccer Draws, you win or lose based on whether you or the other team scored the last Goal to tie. Since the Loons did, I consider it a (qualified) victory.
Moreover, that Point helped to preserve the club's spot in second place in the Western Conference. The vast majority of that outcome, however, hinged on a series of good breaks for the team whereby all five teams trailing United FC all played Saturday night and failed to gain three Points with a win. Things remain incredibly tight, however, since FC Dallas sits in eighth (though tied with Portland, who is in seventh) but only five Points behind. Moreover, I checked out FiveThirtyEight's Major League Soccer's predictions page and, according to their metrics, the Loons are only the sixth-best team in the West and the tenth-best in the league. The website believes they have a pedestrian defense and a below-average offense, so the fact that they have the fourth-most Points means (if the website's analytics is anything to go by) that the squad is overachieving. That, plus the luck involved in staying in second in the West, plus the fact that the two other local teams didn't have mind-blowing screening weeks, compels me to top out this survey for these guys at -1.
There was some grousing on Twitter about the field at Allianz Field. Well, after a very active summer at home, the grounds crew can now do something about it, for they play the next four Games that count on the road, including three in a row, starting with a "rivalry" Match Thursday in Kansas City versus an SKC team that could really use a win.
#-2: Twins (Last Week: -3). This was the screening week where the much-ballyhoed favorability of the schedule finally came to pay for this ballclub. It started out with them being in second-place in the American League Central Division for the first time since April 20 (hehe). But a 5-1 week (all on the road, vs. Milwaukee and Texas) combined with The Tribe's 2-4 screening week (at Boston and the Yankees) meant that Minnesota went back on top and finished Sunday leading by 2 1/2 Games ... which was cut down to two tonight (Monday night) as the White Sox came to Target Field and beat scuffling Kyle Gibson and the Twinks, 6-4. They are playing at home this week, have the Tigers and Gardy over the weekend for three, and have days off both on Thursday and Monday. But it's this three-Game set versus the Pale Hose, in particular Wednesday's matinee, that feature opposing Starting Pitchers that have been playing very well. Meanwhile, Cleveland stays in New York City to do three against the Mets before returning home to play Kansas City for three. So no, the ship hasn't been righted, not quite yet.
#-3: Lynx (Last Week: -2). Yeah, we have to face facts that the dynasty is over. A 1-2 screening week, where they marched into White Plains, N.Y. and clubbed the Liberty by 16 Tuesday, only to blow a six-Point lead going into the Fourth Quarter in Washington and lose by seven to the Mystics on Friday, then lose by eight in Seattle Sunday.
This team is not good. They are underwater at 13-14. They got lapped by the equally-underachieving Phoenix Mercury for the seventh spot in the Women's National Basketball Association playoffs. They are only in relatively safe position because the four clubs behind them are appreciably worse; ninth-place Indiana is 3 1/2 Games behind the Jynx.
This raises an interesting question, even if it's only (and probably) theoretical. You can consider the Minnesota Lynx to be the current glamour squad of the WNBA. They have a great recent track record of success. They have made moves in the past to demonstrate they are not going to rebuild, just reload. And yet the roster that gave them the most success is either retired (Lindsay Whalen), taking a sabbatical with a puncher's chance she isn't coming back, at least not to Minnesota (Maya Moore), or on her last legs (Seimone Augustus). If this were a full-fledged, big-time sports team, Cheryl Reeve would be fired -- no? Again, this is just a thought piece, because I cannot envision a scenario where she'd lose her job, especially given the front office roles Owner Glen Taylor has given her on the Timberwolves side. Also, I'm not plugged into the WNBA at all, but who in the hell would you replace her with that might be better? I would honestly like to know, if only there would be a case where she leaves the bench and takes a full front office position with Taylor's clubs. But if you're a more-than-casual Jynx fan, a season like this would precipitate a change like that, wouldn't it?
Seven Games left to go. A third consecutive three-Game screening week: in Los Angeles tonight/Tuesday night, then at Target Center for tilts against Dallas Thursday and Las Vegas Sunday.
#-1: United FC (Last Week: -1). You know, I've been going back and forth the past couple weeks about my criteria for deciding between teams having good and bad weeks. I have always said that the main factor in ranking Twin Cities teams for the WMNSS is the record for that week. But this week, this screening week? I don't know, maybe I'm a hypocrite, maybe it's the weather that is more humid than my body expected, but I have taken a focus on the playoff prospects for the three squads currently playing right now. Looking through that factor, it appears as though the Loons are once again on top. And so it shall be.
Don't get me wrong, United FC has a good week. On Wednesday they clipped the Colorado Rapids at Allianz 1-0, the lone tally coming courtesy of El Cientifico, Darwin Quintero, who, just minutes before, deked too much and had his Penalty Kick saved by Rapids Goalkeeper Clint Irwin. Then on Saturday, a PK awarded to and deposited by Orlando in the 70th Minute was equalized in the 92nd -- MNUFC is developing a flair for late-Match theatrics -- when Abu Danladi, who is desperately clinging onto a spot with the organization, chipped in a loose ball in traffic off a throw-in. I have always had the adage that in soccer Draws, you win or lose based on whether you or the other team scored the last Goal to tie. Since the Loons did, I consider it a (qualified) victory.
Moreover, that Point helped to preserve the club's spot in second place in the Western Conference. The vast majority of that outcome, however, hinged on a series of good breaks for the team whereby all five teams trailing United FC all played Saturday night and failed to gain three Points with a win. Things remain incredibly tight, however, since FC Dallas sits in eighth (though tied with Portland, who is in seventh) but only five Points behind. Moreover, I checked out FiveThirtyEight's Major League Soccer's predictions page and, according to their metrics, the Loons are only the sixth-best team in the West and the tenth-best in the league. The website believes they have a pedestrian defense and a below-average offense, so the fact that they have the fourth-most Points means (if the website's analytics is anything to go by) that the squad is overachieving. That, plus the luck involved in staying in second in the West, plus the fact that the two other local teams didn't have mind-blowing screening weeks, compels me to top out this survey for these guys at -1.
There was some grousing on Twitter about the field at Allianz Field. Well, after a very active summer at home, the grounds crew can now do something about it, for they play the next four Games that count on the road, including three in a row, starting with a "rivalry" Match Thursday in Kansas City versus an SKC team that could really use a win.
#-2: Twins (Last Week: -3). This was the screening week where the much-ballyhoed favorability of the schedule finally came to pay for this ballclub. It started out with them being in second-place in the American League Central Division for the first time since April 20 (hehe). But a 5-1 week (all on the road, vs. Milwaukee and Texas) combined with The Tribe's 2-4 screening week (at Boston and the Yankees) meant that Minnesota went back on top and finished Sunday leading by 2 1/2 Games ... which was cut down to two tonight (Monday night) as the White Sox came to Target Field and beat scuffling Kyle Gibson and the Twinks, 6-4. They are playing at home this week, have the Tigers and Gardy over the weekend for three, and have days off both on Thursday and Monday. But it's this three-Game set versus the Pale Hose, in particular Wednesday's matinee, that feature opposing Starting Pitchers that have been playing very well. Meanwhile, Cleveland stays in New York City to do three against the Mets before returning home to play Kansas City for three. So no, the ship hasn't been righted, not quite yet.
#-3: Lynx (Last Week: -2). Yeah, we have to face facts that the dynasty is over. A 1-2 screening week, where they marched into White Plains, N.Y. and clubbed the Liberty by 16 Tuesday, only to blow a six-Point lead going into the Fourth Quarter in Washington and lose by seven to the Mystics on Friday, then lose by eight in Seattle Sunday.
This team is not good. They are underwater at 13-14. They got lapped by the equally-underachieving Phoenix Mercury for the seventh spot in the Women's National Basketball Association playoffs. They are only in relatively safe position because the four clubs behind them are appreciably worse; ninth-place Indiana is 3 1/2 Games behind the Jynx.
This raises an interesting question, even if it's only (and probably) theoretical. You can consider the Minnesota Lynx to be the current glamour squad of the WNBA. They have a great recent track record of success. They have made moves in the past to demonstrate they are not going to rebuild, just reload. And yet the roster that gave them the most success is either retired (Lindsay Whalen), taking a sabbatical with a puncher's chance she isn't coming back, at least not to Minnesota (Maya Moore), or on her last legs (Seimone Augustus). If this were a full-fledged, big-time sports team, Cheryl Reeve would be fired -- no? Again, this is just a thought piece, because I cannot envision a scenario where she'd lose her job, especially given the front office roles Owner Glen Taylor has given her on the Timberwolves side. Also, I'm not plugged into the WNBA at all, but who in the hell would you replace her with that might be better? I would honestly like to know, if only there would be a case where she leaves the bench and takes a full front office position with Taylor's clubs. But if you're a more-than-casual Jynx fan, a season like this would precipitate a change like that, wouldn't it?
Seven Games left to go. A third consecutive three-Game screening week: in Los Angeles tonight/Tuesday night, then at Target Center for tilts against Dallas Thursday and Las Vegas Sunday.
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