Columbus: Where I See ‘Em (e.g. Power Rankings)
By: Jeff | April 23rd, 2007Sure, this is a bit lazy, but I’m not about to bang out another (disgustingly) long, long examination of anything soccer-related today.
What I am going to do is link to the “power rankings” I cranked out for the league in the wake of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Week 3. If you follow the link, you’ll see I ranked the Columbus Crew 8th of the 13 teams in the league. That may not sound all that swell till one considers two things: first, that’s playoff territory, which only makes, two, namely the fact that this ranking is somewhat better than the Crew’s record, all the more remarkable.
To expand on that briefly, I actually see a lot of good in the Crew this season. And the one thing that jumps out, for me anyway, was the increasingly negative connnotation of the phrase “America’s Hardest Working Team” (or “The Hardest Working Team in America” if that was the phrasing). The thing is, the Crew always struck me as high-energy side - blue-collar and all that. But there was an frenetic, undirected feel to them, as if energy and effort was all the Crew had to offer. As I see it, that has changed - and while I talk about Ned Grabavoy incessantly (see? did it again), I credit coach Sigi Schmid for turning the corner.
In closing, I’m going to repeat what I’ve said a couple times now to the Crew’s front office: do not break up this team and don’t pressure Sigi unless the results start going seriously sideways. The trends are good for this bunch and they’ll get better once the team settles in.
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Comments
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Look at RBNY climbing that ladder! I spent all morning trawling the internets for MLS power rankings just to see the words “Red” and “Bull” so close to the top of so many lists. It’s a very, very odd feeling.
Posted from
United States
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ESPN had the wontons to rate them #1 straight up. Still, congratulations are in order, Martha. Now for the love of God, don’t pinch yourself.
Posted from
United States -
I’ve been knocking on wood every hour on the hour all day, Jeff, and plan to continue doing so as long as necessary. Hopefully my hands will be raw and bleeding come August …
Posted from
United States -
Toronto not last? Why Jeff, you flatterer, you.
Posted from
Canada -
I like to spread around the ass-kissing.
Posted from
United States
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