It was an ugly game that no one will want to keep on his or her PVR. But, there will be nights like this, when the opponent plays a tight, compact midfield that’s designed more to disrupt than create.

"I know Teal very well, we played together in the U-20s," Attakora said. "I know Teal's strengths, I know his weaknesses, and he's just a regular striker to me."

It’s become obligatory for every sports journalist to provide season previews for the league he or she covers. It’s automatic, and a great space killer! In that vein, The 11 presents its “waited until the last possible second before the regular season” season preview! Why the wait? Because it’s hard to figure out the East. The West? Wow, a lot of power and depth there. As for the East? Last season, New York and Columbus and six other mediocre to bad to awful clubs were in the conference. New York and Columbus left them all in the dust.