The MLS Players Union has once again released their league-wide salary data. I always feel a little awkward about this. How many other people have their salaries posted publicly? But hey, it's the union releasing it, so here we go.

The direct link to the PDF is here. You can see a list of the top earners here. It's interesting to note that those top earners have basically been total failures on the pitch this season. Thierry Henry at the top has been great, but 3 of the top 10 are on the 'worst team in the world' Toronto FC. Another 3 are on the LA Galaxy, who are passed out drunk in the basement of the Western Conference. Another is Kris Boyd on the Timbers, who are lying on top of the passed out Galaxy in the basement. And another is Rafa Marquez. That's 8 of the top 10 earners who you could replace with an Academy player and get just as much success. It's all the more gratifying that the Sounders don't involve themselves in that sort of business, despite their healthy revenue.

Speaking of the Sounders, here's our roster:

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Soccer's ratings on TV in the United States are an odd thing. The best teams play at poor times for high ratings, though the Champions League final did pull in 2 Million viewers. MLS struggles and only pops over the 1 Million viewers mark for the MLS Cup Final. Mexican league and playoff matches draw strong numbers (2.3 Million for Fall Final), but only on Spanish language stations and are often afterthoughts within the greater American soccer community. If you total all the club soccer being watched in America on a given weekend it would be a number on par with any sport but football.

But that's not how ratings and popularity work. Fans of Chelsea don't necessarily watch Club America, or PSG, or Toronto, or LA, or Santos. The lack of a league with national scope both on TV and in major markets for a significant period of time probably hurts TV ratings for soccer in America. The diverse number of options in our modern media environment also likely reduces the potential for strong numbers. In English there are soccer games on Fox stations, on NBC Sports Network, on ESPN, on GolTV and soon to be on Al-Jazeera Sports as they launch a global sports network. In Spanish there are nearly a dozen different networks carrying games.

Some would point to great numbers for the last Gold Cup Final (nearly 1 Million in English and nearly 9 Million in Spanish) or the World Cup, or the upcoming Euros and Olympics to point out this sport is popular and that MLS ratings should be higher. But these ratings are strong for two reasons - nationalism and unity. Neither of those exist in club soccer.

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Bumped to get it out of the gameday clutter.

Every day in London, tourists flock to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. From the outside, the event creates a certain pomp and spectacle. Yet, for most guard shifts it represents the only real event and the only complex series of actions the soldiers perform. (Any soldier will tell you, their relief is the only 'event' they want to experience on guard duty.) The rest of a guard shift purrs along in a series of basic routines. All industries have similar changes. For some professions, like medicine, these shift changes occur a few times each day. In other endeavors, the changes may only happen every few years. Each time the guard changes, a certain level of disruption occurs. Watching the Sounders play their past two games I was reminded of this fact.

This offseason was marked by the Sounders changing the guard. This involved four distinct facets. The Sounders handed over the reigns of leadership to their young skilled core. They brought in Michael Gspurning, Adam Johansson, Eddie Johnson and Marc Burch. Four players who should be at the peak of their playing careers relative to the balance of their physical skills and mental understanding of the game. The Sounders also raised the standard of their bench by relying more on players they have been grooming and bringing in a group of skilled rookies. This gives the team a more balanced bench that has seen an improved quality level.

As with any changing of the guard, the Sounders are experiencing a certain level of disruption. Players like Fredy Montero and Osvaldo Alonso will not lead like their predecessor, Kasey Keller. They must learn what works for them. The existing roster must finesse their timing with both the new veterans and the rookies. The final steps of this process must occur during game play. Players like David Estrada must find their place in the mix as the coaches tinker with lineups. The hope would have been for this disruption to shake out over the first two months of the season. But the Sounder's injury woes and devoting preseason to the CCL quarterfinals meant that a portion of the upheaval still lingers. We've seen it over the past two games.

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In a season that seemed to be shaping up almost perfectly, the Seattle Sounders have suddenly made a habit of dropping points. They've now gone three straight without a win and while they are still in fine position, it's not nearly as good as it was a couple weeks ago.

The loss to the Columbus Crew is easily the most frustrating of the bunch. It wasn't for lack of chances or lack of effort. This was not an example of the Sounders "running out of ideas" or being out-managed. This was a simple example of a team just failing to finish the job.

If Alvaro Fernandez hits that header the way he does 90 percent of the time, it's a different game. If Andy Gruenebaum doesn't come up with a massive reflex save while diving to his left on Fredy Montero's shot, it's a different game. If Montero doesn't hit a 1 v. 1 chance right at the goalkeeper ... well, you get the idea. Justifiably lost in an otherwise frustrating game was a nice bounce back game from David Estrada, who easily could have picked up assists on each of those aforementioned chances.

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It's officially a slump. A frustrating, often playing better, but still slumpy stretch. In a match where Seattle Sounders FC dominated the chances created and entertained the crowd it was the Columbus Crew that seized opportunity. The Crew's two opportunities were completed. Small defensive mistakes opened that door and Columbus shut that door with authority.

The Sounders had opportunities too. They never finished. If it was a failure to complete designed plays inside the 18, or a missed header, or a free kick banged into the wall, or a stepover that runs out the endline, the Sounders had opportunities. They made Columbus make defensive mistakes too. Six times they put shots on frame. Six times they had shots blocked by defenders. Nine times the Sounders shot towards the goal.

Seattle should have had a goal or two this evening. It didn't happen. The failures were on the offense. Frustrating opportunities were missed by each of the best players in Rave Green.

Eddie Johnson noted post game, "I thought we got some good service sometimes, that final ball wasn’t there but I thought we were getting some good runs and getting some good crosses on it. Like I said, on another day, those opportunities go in."

For fans, it must be frustrating at this point. Just one earned of the last nine available.

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Some teams are defined by a key player or two, others by a system that lasts between coaches, in the Columbus Crew there is a team that was once a system/player team, but is now defined by its coach. No player sticks our as an anchor, particularly with their injuries. Robert Warzycha takes a little bit of tactics from his time with Sigi Schmid and supplements those with an attitude that is pure Crew - hard working team on a budget. It's a system that worked last year and probably should this, despite early struggles.

The Seattle Sounders have talent advantages, a more experienced coach and a clear statistical lead. The Sounders are better finishers and now have the attacking core together; we may even see an ideal XI for the first time as Brad Evans is likely to return. If that does happen it will almost certainly mean that every sub is used and early. Alvaro, Mauro and Eddie probably can't go 90 today and start this weekend. How Sigi adjusts at half and subs could define the game.

With the Crew having a thrown together lineup on a midweek game traveling from the East Seattle can push the speed of play and attack the enemy's goal. There are opportunities to score against the Crew. That means this year, not history. Columbus allows 36.7% of shots on frame and a strike rate against of 8.6%. While that second number is lower than league average, it is higher than Seattle's last couple of opponents. Push the game to them, wear them down and earn us a haircut.

The game is on KONG 6/16 and 97.3 FM (KOMO2 & 99.3 in Spanish) at 7 PM Pacific.

Pre Match Build-up: Scouting Report | Team Notes (pdf) | Tickets

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A couple weeks ago we started dropping in some of the gamethread tidbits that you miss on home games because you are in the stadium. This is all the below the fold stuff, with some useful links (although less this week, as I failed to get three questions out in a timely fashion). It includes the matchups, statistics and tactics that are likely to influence who wins or loses the match. It also let's you know where I'll be pregame if you want to buy a scarf.

For the matchups this week it's a bit more of a guess than usual. Both teams have injury and fitness concerns and so these are my best guesses. They are a bit different than sidereal's in his scouting report. It is also purely focused on offensive players. The Columbus Crew don't have a singular threat to defend against. This means that if Seattle places enough pressure towards the attacking end that should create a kind of defense.

The game is on KONG 6/16 and 97.3 FM (KOMO2 & 99.3 in Spanish) at 7 PM Pacific.

Pre Match Build-up: Scouting Report | Team Notes (pdf) | Tickets

Team Statistics Matchups

Tactical Keys

· Push The Tempo

· Enemy’s Gate Is Down

· Communicate Counter Defense

· Adjust At Halftime

Player Matchups

· Alvaro Fernandez v Eddie Gaven

· Fredy Montero v Danny O’Rourke

· Eddie Johnson v Josh Williams

How We’re Watching
Beverage: No Equal Amber Lager
Scarf: 2012 Nos Audietis/Sounder at Heart
Kit: Established 2007 T
Where I'm Watching: 214 (pregame at Temple)

Nos Audietis In Somniis | Nos Audietis In Altum