Season Preview: King of the Hill

Be afraid. Be very afraid. When Montgomery County chose Collins John in the BSL draft, a move most BSL teams probably contemplated but didn't act quick enough on, they served notice. Any team wanting to take the BSL title must go through the defending champs. John, a former EPL forward who is still in his prime, is a risk because he is only on trial with Chicago and has not signed a contract, but a risk worth taking. Is it any surprise the champs were the first to jump on this opportunity? As a DP, Omar Cummings must not regress, but the choices of Nate Jaqua and Guillermo Barros Schelotto are fundamentally sound. As is David Ferreira; South Americans normally are slow adjusting to MLS, Ferreira went through his adjustment period last year and should be raring to go. "Senior Citizen" Kasey Keller plays like a 30-year old--even if he suddenly starts to show his age, the Monarchs have it covered with Troy Perkins. While Montgomery has no other "real" stars on its team, they have a group of guys who will add nicely to the Monarchs point totals. Eduardo, Nkufo (another slick pickup made under the radar), Glen, Kandji and Mathis can all be counted on for acceptable, if not jaw-dropping, numbers. The most complete team in BSL first meets the Cure in Game 2.