All of the recent chatter about the indebtedness of Barcelona and Real Madrid needs a deeper look, and the fine folks at The Swiss Ramble take that look. Thos two clubs are just fine, as long as you don't give them negative marks for loans that only they could get. Now, the rest of La Liga is pretty dire with six clubs in bankruptcy protection. Let's move to the weekly recap of MLS action.
It wouldn't be a week without Mike Fucito not in the 18 and the team that controls his rights losing. OK, that's not fair to the Portland Timbers. They only just acquired Fucito and Montreal demanded that he not play against them. The Impact beat the Oregon club 2-nil in a game that will be noted more for what happened to Troy Perkins than anything else. Perkins left the match early with a lacerated nose from a collision with Sanna Nyassi's cleat.
This week's MLS on NBC game was a demonstration of how much one player can make a difference in quality. While Thierry Henry played the New york Red Bulls were an exciting team to watch. After he went down this game couldn't end soon enough. Red Bull held on to win 1-0, but there was little reason to watch the second half.
Seattle's Saturday opponent lost 1-2 to the San Jose Earthquakes. The Philadelphia Union fell victim to Steven Lenhart. Do teams actually scout him, or is he so good at his magic that it doesn't matter? Don't look now, but the best team in the West is from the Bay Area, because what the West really needed was a surprise good team to compete at a level wh Seattle, Salt Lake and LA. With the Union getting zero cards that means only two dozen players and coaches are out against Seattle (not really).
A battle of Eastern clubs desperate to declare "pay attention to us" saw D.C. United beat the Houston Dynamo 3-2. For two clubs not the Sporks those points for DC could be the difference at the end of the year. Don't look now, but Maicon Santos keeps converting. He's the key to United's hot start which includes back-to-back wins for the first time in forever (forever is actually just a couple years). Santos is 4th in MLS with 6 goals on the season.
Are the Vancouver Whitecaps the best defensive team with 27 forwards on the roster? Their 1-0 win over the Columbus Crew is another feather in their cap. For the Crew there are signs of hope, but no points.
Toronto FC found a new way to lose. This time it was on a late goal as Real Salt Lake wins 3-2. It's easy to feel bad for Toronto fans, but it's also fun to watch historical suck as TFC ties the MLS record for most losses to start a season.
The Colorado Rapids play sexy football, by what ever formation (caveat: It seems to only be true when not playing Seattle, or watched by anyone in Seattle). They crushed Chivas USA 4-0 and belong on the long list of Western teams that don't suck.
Remember when everyone thought that an LA Galaxy v FC Dallas match would be an exciting preview of a playoff match? So much for that. Instead their 1-1 draw was a match of endurance and wasted opportunity. Nothing says high powered offense like a Pat Noonan game tying goal.
Outside of MLS, former left back trialist Ever Alvarado scored a vital goal for Real Espana as they advance in the Honduran Playoffs.