one that appears to have many good years ahead of him in RB colors.
6.What if Amado Guevara returns to MLS next year? I loved this bit of news that came out this week, that El Lobo regrets leaving MLS and wants to find his way back to N.Y.? MetroBull fans may say today that they don't want him back, because of his many tirades and untimely temper fits, but if they jog their memories a bit more they'll recall a guy who scored many huge goals during his three-plus seasons with the club. If the price is right, Guevara would be worth a second look in N.Y.
5.What if D.C. United plays in the MLS Cup Final at RFK? Would it be a mercy killing for the opposition? You've got to believe that, as good as this United team is, and as crazy as their fans can be at RFK, an MLS Cup Final in the nation's capital is going to be one tough game for the opposition. Here's hoping the final is D.C. United-Chivas USA, because I have a feeling a lot of red-and-white stripes would find their way to the match.
4.What if the Revolution win the Open Cup? That would leave the Colorado Rapids and, you guessed it, the Red Bulls as the only remaining MLS Originals who have not put a trophy into the case. New England, in case you haven't noticed, has not been the best team in finals, so this one's going to be tough, as usual (not to mention yet another trip to Pizza Hut Park).
3.What if the Crew can't make the playoffs? Today, Columbus is on the outside looking in, and that means that, unless they can make a push, it will be three consecutive seasons of missing the playoffs for the Black & Gold. That would mean next year they'd be trying to avoid matching the San Jose ClashQuakes as the only team in MLS history to miss the playoffs four consecutive years. Of course, the Crew will be joined in that dubious race by Real Salt Lake, who stand to sit out the postseason party for a third year running. I'm giving K.C. the benefit of the doubt here. I think they'll get off the schneid this year.
2.What if Maykel Galindo pushes his way into the top three goalscorers? If Galindo (12 goals), who scored two on Sunday, can push his way past Eddie Johnson (14 goals), and hold off Taylor Twellman (12 goals), the top three scorers in the race for the Budweiser Golden Boot would all be eligible for the new Newcomer of the Year award. Aside from 1996, when everyone was a Newcomer, that's never happened before.
1.What if Ante Razov had taken more penalty kicks since he missed that one in MLS Cup 2003? If he was even decent at them, he'd be the all-time leading scorer in league history. Consider that since Ante missed that PK, he's taken only three more, converting two. In that same time, Jaime Moreno has gone 17 for 18 from the spot. Moreno now has 110 career goals to Razov's 106. The race is far from over.
Jeff Bradley is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. Send your comments and complaints (200 words or less, please) to Jeff at jbradleyespn2003@yahoo.com and he promises to read (but not respond to) all of them. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
