Pre-SSX: The Schedule

 

The rolling start of the MLS season is upon us with the release of the 2013 season schedule. But you don’t care about the other teams, do you? You come here for the Sounders, and the Sounders are what you are going to get. Follow the link to the Sounders Schedule.

Let’s get the stupid out of the way. Rivalry Week. This is now a thing. Garber and his cronies are trying to capitalize on something that has genuine meaning to the Northwest area. By applying it to the other teams throughout the league, it feels forced. Nobody has the hype that the Sounders bring to Centurylink. Nothing can raise the hackles of a Sounders, Portland, or Vancouver fan more then a match against each other. Nobody has our history. So pardon me for thinking that this little stunt is just that. When Portland comes to town (and vice versa) it will always be “Rivalry Week.” When we visit Vancouver (and them to us), it will be always be “Rivalry Week.” Get out of here with that marketing crap, you disingenuous snots.

Besides the introduction of Rivalry Week, what makes this schedule different from the past? I will kindly let the MLS explain that:

“Each of the League’s 19 clubs will play 34 matches, 17 at home and 17 away, over 35 weeks during the 2013 season, which officially kicks off on March 2, the earliest start date in league history. Within each conference, each club will play the same number of in-conference and out-of-conference games, following the same competition format as 2012, with inter-conference matches switching venues.

More than 90 percent of this year’s regular-season games are on weekends or holidays, and none will overlap directly with FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. During the summer months, most games will kick off no earlier than 4 pm local time in an effort to reduce the impact of hot weather.”

The schedule is a bit unbalanced but it could be a lot worse (last year’s seemed absolutely horrible). I am excited about this coming season. With rumors swirling left and right about the state of the Sounders, there is one thing that will forever endure. The Faithful won’t stop chanting and the Sounders will keep on winning and getting better.

ON YOU SOUNDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!