MLS Thursday Night: 2006 World Series of Poker

By: Bob | May 31st, 2007

By now we have grown quite accustomed to watching the MLS game of the week on Thursday evenings on ESPN2. It gives us all an excuse to kick off the weekend early and to yell at Eric Wynalda. Our small little pleasure in life will not take place this Thursday night. There is no MLS Thursday Night game this week. Fear not, the game hasn’t been cancelled because of a world tragedy. It simply isn’t on the schedule.

As everyone’s pal DuNord explains:

For whatever reason there is no Thursday night MLS game on ESPN2 this week. I guess the league thought it would be better to put three games on Saturday night up against the USA game v China. Smart people we got in charge of US Soccer isn’t it. It’s hard enough to get people to watch, so we might as well compete with ourselves. Luckily the league is back on ESPN2 next week to compete directly with the USA Gold Cup game on FSC. Brilliant people in charge. Absolutely brilliant!

Instead of MLS soccer, we can all sit back and enjoy all the thrilling action from the 2006 World Series of Poker. God I remember how excited I was the first time I saw that Australian guy pull an inside draw. Thank the lord that ESPN has been kind enough to show us the same poker tournament about a hundred times already. I can’t wait to see it again this evening!

The week off gives us all a chance to reflect upon the MLS season thus far and to hand out awards that don’t exist.

Most Surprising Team – Red Bull New York. Even when they added the Unibrow and Juan Pablo Angel you had to figure that a team that traditionally stinks would come up with a way to stink some more. They have not. They have been one of the most enjoyable teams to watch.

Most Disappointing Team – LA Galaxy. Houston was also in the running for this one, but with five points from 6 games the Galaxy has hardly played like a team that should tour the world as ambassadors for MLS soccer.

A Good Team you Never Remember – New England Revolution. Maybe it is because they seemingly always finish in second, but for whatever reason, the Revolution don’t seem to get the respect that they deserve. They are off to another fine start this season and are in, you guessed it, second place in the Eastern Conference.

Best MLS Move – Adding Toronto FC. After dancing with any number of possible expansion cities, the league surprised some by choosing Toronto. So far that decision has been a great one. The Toronto fans have brought new life into the league.

A Difference a Year Makes – Houston Dynamo. Last year Houston scored 44 goals in 32 games. So far they have managed just 5 goals in 8 games. A year ago the Dynamo lost three games at home all season. Already this year they have lost twice in Houston.

The Beasts in the East - When you look at the balance of power in MLS you see that the Eastern Conference is the stronger of the two this season. The top five teams in the east are arguably as strong as any team in the west.

A Draw is better than a Loss - With only 15 franchise wins in 72 games, Real Salt Lake has not exactly set the world on fire. At least this season they aren’t losing every game. Instead, they are coming away with a point every time, or at least that is how it feels. RSL has five draws in eight games, only to be matched by the equally sad-to-watch Columbus Crew who have also drawn five times.

How does this team exist? – Kansas City Wizards. They play in the largest stadium in the league and play in front of the smallest crowds. Maybe a new stadium is all they need, but after a few years of meager attendance you have to wonder about their viability.

Your thoughts and awards on this MLS free-Thursday?