We are all fallen and imperfect. We all yield to the sirens of temptation eventually.
Me? I have a ton of weaknesses. French fries, for instance. I’d have six-pack abs if it weren’t for those crisply, golden little dollops of heaven. I am worthless and weak in this matter.
But I will have courage in another important matter! I will resist temptation to put too much stock preseason Major League Soccer results.
Some of my friends over at MLSSoccer.com, however, were apparently powerless to resist. Power Rankings are now dropping across various media platforms, and the gang at MLSSoccer.com just released theirs.
They have the Vancouver Whitecaps at No. 6 and the San Jose Earthquakes at No. 7.
Those sides had 14 wins between them last year in 68 matches. Yes, just 14. I counted them twice. And yet they are getting quite a helping of “benefit of doubt” here. Much of this dubious BOD is based on good preseason results. It says so right there in the copy.
“Aha!” I say to my fallen friends. “Be not fooled by these enemies of logic and reason! For these are friendlies for sure, and mean not a thing.”
I’m not sure why I speak like Hamlet when I address them; it just happens sometimes.
Vancouver is definitely better. In addition to the wealth of attackers at manager Martin Rennie’s disposal, newly signed defenders Lee Young-Pyo and Martín Bonjour should help solidify the back line. Still, Rennie is a young manager in his first MLS go-round, and mistakes will inevitably be made. And getting his assortment of attackers enough minutes to keep them happy will continue to be a challenge. The soccer will be better around BC Place, I’m just not convinced it can improve to the point where the Whitecaps go from being the very bottom into the top half of 19 MLS sides.
As for San Jose: It’s gotten to the point where management has to prove something to me. After missing the playoffs for three of their four seasons in charge at Buck Shaw Stadium, this is surely the last chance for coach Frank Yallop and GM John Doyle to prove they can do the job. I do like some of the additions; getting underrated midfielder Simon Dawkins for another season in the Bay, for instance, is a great move. Still …
As a former President once rather famously said: “Fool me once, shame on you … but can’t get fooled again.”
