Before I begin, I want to note that the Wild are in the Survey during a time of the month where, well, they usually wouldn't be. First time the National Hockey League has ever played in the month of August, in fact. And it may be the only time a professional hockey team based in Minnesota will ever play in August.
#0: United FC (Last Week: 0). Beyond everyone's wildest dreams? Sure. Games that count during these unprecedented times are so unprecedented that I don't know if we can put any reasoning into why any team plays or doesn't play well, nor do I think we can take away any lesson for a team's season once it's over. Some leagues are playing in a closed, hermetically-sealed environment in Florida. Others are trying to fight off this killer virus while plying their trade in front of nobody. Nobody's playing when they usually play, nor are playing as many Games as they normally do. And there is some future anxiety over how the next season is going to play out, or if it's going to play out. Shit, man, MLB and the NFL still might not finish this season.
So who knows why MNUFC are in the semifinals of the MLS Is Back Tournament? I could downplay the results of the run this side is on, especially if tentative plans to actually finish the season (via an abbreviated schedule that is conference play only but will be played in everyone's home pitches) actually gets off the ground, and I'm still not sure about that. What I do know is that the Loons still have San Jose's number, if the 4-1 Quarterfinal rout of the Earthquakes Saturday night is any indication. I do know that Robin Lod has started to shed his image as a bust with the opening Goal of that Match. I do believe that this franchise currently has the depth that helps Minnesota through the course of a single Game as well as a tournament and/or season.
I also know that when it comes to Games that count, the Loons are now the only team in Major League Soccer that remains undefeated. I also know that, even though you don't play Games on paper, they are a favorite to defeat putative hosts Orlando City SC in Thursday's Semifinal, also known as the Adrian Heath Derby. It would suck to be in a bubble this long only to go home without winning the trophy and the CONCACAF Champions League birth that goes along with it. But shoot, no one though United FC would get this far; why can't they go all the way and win this hastily-arranged tournament?
#-1: Lynx (Last Week: -2). Impressive -- a 2-0 screening week by dint of a grind-it-out 83-81 victory over Chicago and another Second Half comeback to defeat Connecticut a second time already. It's a small sample size, but a team many predicted would be one of the WNBA's worst is a half-Game behind Seattle in the West and one of only four squads that have lost only once so far. The downside to this, however, is that the injury bug that bit the Jynx last season has returned to take another bite this year. Karima Christmas-Kelly, one of the club's captains whose season ended (her third consecutive) with a ruptured right Achilles tendon, was outright cut this past week. Lexie Brown sustained a concussion and is out for the time being. And fellow Guard Shenise Johnson is nursing a strained hamstring. No one thought Minnesota would get to 3-1, but this week's schedule gets busier and more challenging (the Sun is one of two squads that are still winless): New York (the other winless team) tonight/Wednesday night, Indiana Friday, Los Angeles Sunday, Washington (one of the other one-loss teams) Tuesday.
#-2: Twins (Last Week: -1). Record largely dictates the order of each week's WMNSS. Still, it seems unfair to slot into third place a squad that won six Games and lost only once during a screening week. The Twins are playing hella ball right now; their only blemish was a 2-0 loss Thursday to Cleveland, but the club took the other three Games. Plus, they took the back half of the two-Game set against St. Louis to start the week and pipped both ends of a two-Game half-series vs. Pittsburgh to end it. (All of these Games, by the way, were at home.) The bullpen has looked fantastic, but what is sticking out for me is the Starting Pitching. Of all the acquisitions Minnesota made in the offseason, watch out for Kenta Maeda. The SP, traded when Brusdar Graterol was sent to the Dodgers, is that low-key, quiet master who can hold his own while The Bomba Squad carries the Twins to easy victories. We'll see what happens 60+ Games from now, of course, but let's admit that this organization is on the success part of its life cycle. It's just a shame no fans can't attend.
The setting ratchets up in difficulty this week. The Twins head off on a long road trip. They're in Pittsburgh right now to finish a four-Game home-and-home with the Pirates, visit Kansas City for three over the weekend, then play the first two Games of an important three-Game series in Milwaukee versus The Bastard Seattle Pilots.
#-3: Wild (Last, Uh, Time -- OK, March 11: -1). So, for all the teams that were ninth to 12th playing in these Stanley Cup "Qualifiers," is it better to try and make an improbable run of winning five series to win the Cup, or just bitch out, get out of Canada, and take a 12.5% chance of winning the first overall pick in the NHL Draft? Don't know. For the Mild, who seemed to be on the upswing just before the "Pause" (I don't know how the word "pause" was used to describe the interruption to the NHL's season, but I have seen that used frequently for that league and for no other league), well, they're kind of stuck. I doubt they'll win the Cup, and there's little chance they'll get the first pick, so ... what do you do?
With that said, this is hockey, so in a series, even a best-of-five as these Qualies are, all the teams have a chip and a chance. And Minnesota "wrested home-ice advantage" in Edmonton by shutting out Vancouver (in a 7-10 matchup) in Game 1 before the Canucks fought back to take Game 2, 4-3. (That Game 2, BTW, was 4-1 until Kevin Fiala, God bless him, scored twice late in the Third Period.) I think I'll refrain from making conclusions about this series at least until it wraps up this upcoming week.
#0: United FC (Last Week: 0). Beyond everyone's wildest dreams? Sure. Games that count during these unprecedented times are so unprecedented that I don't know if we can put any reasoning into why any team plays or doesn't play well, nor do I think we can take away any lesson for a team's season once it's over. Some leagues are playing in a closed, hermetically-sealed environment in Florida. Others are trying to fight off this killer virus while plying their trade in front of nobody. Nobody's playing when they usually play, nor are playing as many Games as they normally do. And there is some future anxiety over how the next season is going to play out, or if it's going to play out. Shit, man, MLB and the NFL still might not finish this season.
So who knows why MNUFC are in the semifinals of the MLS Is Back Tournament? I could downplay the results of the run this side is on, especially if tentative plans to actually finish the season (via an abbreviated schedule that is conference play only but will be played in everyone's home pitches) actually gets off the ground, and I'm still not sure about that. What I do know is that the Loons still have San Jose's number, if the 4-1 Quarterfinal rout of the Earthquakes Saturday night is any indication. I do know that Robin Lod has started to shed his image as a bust with the opening Goal of that Match. I do believe that this franchise currently has the depth that helps Minnesota through the course of a single Game as well as a tournament and/or season.
I also know that when it comes to Games that count, the Loons are now the only team in Major League Soccer that remains undefeated. I also know that, even though you don't play Games on paper, they are a favorite to defeat putative hosts Orlando City SC in Thursday's Semifinal, also known as the Adrian Heath Derby. It would suck to be in a bubble this long only to go home without winning the trophy and the CONCACAF Champions League birth that goes along with it. But shoot, no one though United FC would get this far; why can't they go all the way and win this hastily-arranged tournament?
#-1: Lynx (Last Week: -2). Impressive -- a 2-0 screening week by dint of a grind-it-out 83-81 victory over Chicago and another Second Half comeback to defeat Connecticut a second time already. It's a small sample size, but a team many predicted would be one of the WNBA's worst is a half-Game behind Seattle in the West and one of only four squads that have lost only once so far. The downside to this, however, is that the injury bug that bit the Jynx last season has returned to take another bite this year. Karima Christmas-Kelly, one of the club's captains whose season ended (her third consecutive) with a ruptured right Achilles tendon, was outright cut this past week. Lexie Brown sustained a concussion and is out for the time being. And fellow Guard Shenise Johnson is nursing a strained hamstring. No one thought Minnesota would get to 3-1, but this week's schedule gets busier and more challenging (the Sun is one of two squads that are still winless): New York (the other winless team) tonight/Wednesday night, Indiana Friday, Los Angeles Sunday, Washington (one of the other one-loss teams) Tuesday.
#-2: Twins (Last Week: -1). Record largely dictates the order of each week's WMNSS. Still, it seems unfair to slot into third place a squad that won six Games and lost only once during a screening week. The Twins are playing hella ball right now; their only blemish was a 2-0 loss Thursday to Cleveland, but the club took the other three Games. Plus, they took the back half of the two-Game set against St. Louis to start the week and pipped both ends of a two-Game half-series vs. Pittsburgh to end it. (All of these Games, by the way, were at home.) The bullpen has looked fantastic, but what is sticking out for me is the Starting Pitching. Of all the acquisitions Minnesota made in the offseason, watch out for Kenta Maeda. The SP, traded when Brusdar Graterol was sent to the Dodgers, is that low-key, quiet master who can hold his own while The Bomba Squad carries the Twins to easy victories. We'll see what happens 60+ Games from now, of course, but let's admit that this organization is on the success part of its life cycle. It's just a shame no fans can't attend.
The setting ratchets up in difficulty this week. The Twins head off on a long road trip. They're in Pittsburgh right now to finish a four-Game home-and-home with the Pirates, visit Kansas City for three over the weekend, then play the first two Games of an important three-Game series in Milwaukee versus The Bastard Seattle Pilots.
#-3: Wild (Last, Uh, Time -- OK, March 11: -1). So, for all the teams that were ninth to 12th playing in these Stanley Cup "Qualifiers," is it better to try and make an improbable run of winning five series to win the Cup, or just bitch out, get out of Canada, and take a 12.5% chance of winning the first overall pick in the NHL Draft? Don't know. For the Mild, who seemed to be on the upswing just before the "Pause" (I don't know how the word "pause" was used to describe the interruption to the NHL's season, but I have seen that used frequently for that league and for no other league), well, they're kind of stuck. I doubt they'll win the Cup, and there's little chance they'll get the first pick, so ... what do you do?
With that said, this is hockey, so in a series, even a best-of-five as these Qualies are, all the teams have a chip and a chance. And Minnesota "wrested home-ice advantage" in Edmonton by shutting out Vancouver (in a 7-10 matchup) in Game 1 before the Canucks fought back to take Game 2, 4-3. (That Game 2, BTW, was 4-1 until Kevin Fiala, God bless him, scored twice late in the Third Period.) I think I'll refrain from making conclusions about this series at least until it wraps up this upcoming week.
No comments:
Post a Comment