You know, this piece is just in good fun at this point. And quite honestly, it's a thank you to Dan of the Free Beer Movement (the audacious and amazingly creative movement that it is) who emailed and said, "Can you just write an opposing piece to that Grantland piece. I would find it therapeutic.

Is Backe's Main Objective Sliding Out of View?It was Hans Backe's #1 goal coming in to the 2011 campaign. No, not MLS Cup. Our Viking leader wanted the Red Bulls to own the league's best record by season end and take home the Supporters' Shield as the franchise's first ever legitimate piece of silverware.

Today's match-up between the Galaxy and the expansion Portland Timbers is a tale of four teams and the question is which two are going to show up.

On the one hand we have an expansion franchise (though not completely new the Timbers have played quality futbol as part of the old USL-1 and other domestic leagues for years) which got a point out of its first four games and then exploded at home for six points and seven gols.

Reina
Flanagan Carragher Skrtel Aurelio
Kuyt Lucas Spearing Meireles
Carroll Suarez
Goals:
Carroll 13' 35'
Kuyt 34'
Revenge. Bettering City's 0-3 dominance in the reverse fixture, beating City as thoroughly as City beat Sunderland last week. Liverpool strolled for the final 55 minutes after Carroll tallied the third – his second of the match – the opposition, fully demoralized, fumbled aimlessly.