Tuesday Turnaround

With Week 26 action coming to close with a bang, we have a new slate of matches to look forward to. Up tonight we have CONCACAF Champions League action. The Galaxy travel to Morelia to take on the feisty Mexican side. I take issue though with a few of Arena's comments though. In particular he suggests that without the success of Seattle and Dallas, Morelia would have fielded a weakened side.

This attitude is in direct contention with the spirit of the game. Coaches make substitutions and decisions about line ups for any number of factors, but Arena's make it seem as though he was expecting to play against reserves. It also belies a hint of fear there. What is frustrating about this is that the Galaxy are the number one team in MLS at the moment and have already knocked of the champions of both Honduras and Costa Rica. To expect the Monarcas to field a weakened group is almost irresponsible. It also seems disrespectful to the spirit of the game.  Additionally, his comments demeaned the victories of the Sounders and Dallas. That perhaps is what bothers me most.


Following the Galaxy/Morelia showdown, the Rapids take on Santos Laguna. Count me as especially excited to see this match. The Rapids are coming of a disapointing loss to the Galaxy in league play and are eager to put it behind them. With Santos flying to Colorado, the Rapids should have the advantage. Colorado has the talent to get the job done, but this will absolutely be a battle.

Later in the week Dallas and Toronto will also take on non-MLS teams in CCL action. Keep your eye's peeled for that.

A one time map of soccer in America- expansion is good. 

Lastly, if you haven't read Mark Abbott's comments on league expansion, he may have dashed the hopes of Atlanta, Carolina and any other team in the Southeast for some time. Abbott says that after MLS hits twenty teams, expansion is likely to slow down. Despite that being a sad thought, it's likely a wise one. Expanding to markets that wont help the league could pose a huge problem.