Two teams heading in opposite directions will meet for the first leg of the Show Me/Missouri Cup, one of the most intense derby's in American soccer. On one side, we have the Cure, unbeaten (and looking unbeatable) and in first place. On the other side, the miserable Aints, a team in turmoil. For Gateway, this matchup gives the team a chance to salvage what has so far been a wreck of a start to the season. The question is: do they have the talent to pull of the upset of the century? Landon Donovan has been playing like he wishes he was back in London. Jeff Cunningham is looking all of his 34 years and Julian de Guzman has been a colossal waste of money. Then there's the Luis Angel Landin experiment. Landin has provided a red card and not much else. Only one Gateway player has not humiliated himself, the gifted Marco Pappa. Still, one must not forget the thugs of Gateway defeated the Cure in a preseason friendly 2-1. The Cure players certainly remember. They had the bruises to remind them. So, the team will be well prepared for the Aints to do whatever it takes to win, lawful or not. The big question the Cure face: will Javier Morales be healthy enough to suit up? If not, the Cure have proved they can win without him. Superman Buddle has been unstoppable, while the rest of the team is in fine form. Roger Torres has been a brilliant addition, Bobby Convey is suddenly looking dangerous again and Patrick Nyarko is playing with outstanding confidence. Even new signing Chad Barrett has shown some spark. Additionally, the Cure have two top notch keepers in Matt Pickens and Jimmy Nielsen. With a roster filled with such firepower, the one thing left to ask: will the Aints even show up to the Show Me Cup? We will see starting on Thursday.
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