MLS Week Nine: Apathy in the UK

In their 1994 hit single “I Want You”, Inspiral Carpets vocalist Tom Hingley opens with the line “No one ever said it was going to be easy”. In the dying days of the Madchester music scene, I doubt Hingley was having a premonition about my task of following Major League Soccer while vacationing in the north east of Scotland. His lyrics, however, proved to be rather apt.

Armed with my father’s antiquated desktop computer (which apparently pre-dates that Carpets’ release), a cable television package minus the subscription sports channels and a stack of newspapers, the Hawksport Week Nine review was always going to be a challenge. Looking at the glass as half full, here was an opportunity to gauge the growth of MLS awareness on British shores one year after leaving Blighty. My findings were far from positive.

Despite this prehistoric pc preventing me from accessing internet highlights, the show must go on. If Shaka Hislop, the former Trinidad and Tobago international goalkeeper, can produce weekly postings for the Guardian website when he has not witnessed the action then so can I.

I was heartened upon my arrival at Aberdeen Airport last Wednesday afternoon when my father informed me that D.C. United had sacked their manager. Not pleased because franchise management had moved quickly to remove Tom Soehn from the hotseat, but because the news was travelling across the Atlantic even quicker. My father told me that he “saw it on the Sky Sports News ticker” failing to elaborate that he was paying little attention at the time.

That evening would see Toronto narrowly defeat D.C. United 1-0 with Soehn firmly at the helm. Unsurprisingly, the event was somewhat overshadowed by the small matter of a couple of English teams playing a game in Moscow. On Thursday, San Jose’s 2-1 triumph over Houston Dynamo failed to make an impact in competition against the final night of Scottish Premier League action. At least my presence at the dismantling of Glasgow Rangers’ title hopes at Pittodrie Stadium in Aberdeen compensated for the disappointment of being unable to follow the action back in the US.

Saturday’s MLS fixtures barely received a mention either. The British media were awash with coverage of Rangers stumbling to the consolation of Scottish Cup success against lower league fodder. South of the border, Hull City were writing a new chapter in their history by reaching England’s top flight for the first time in their 104-year existence. So much for David Beckham raising the profile of American soccer!

The Englishman did receive a brief mention during Sunday’s broadcast of the English First Division play-off final between Doncaster Rovers and Leeds United on Talksport radio. Neil Sullivan, the veteran Doncaster goalkeeper, was famously lobbed from the halfway line by Beckham on the opening day of the 1996-1997 season while he was playing for Wimbledon against Manchester United. In the fledgling Cool Britannia era created by Tony Blair’s spin doctors, an artist of hype from the sporting world was born.

The Talksport broadcasters informed listeners that Beckham had scored a similar goal for Los Angeles on Saturday, but details of the Galaxy’s opponents and the final score were not supplied.

Beckham has not dined out solely on that strike for the last dozen years, but he has been living off his reputation since being deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford by Sir Alex Ferguson early in 2003. His insipid decline during the last three international tournaments (the World Cups of 2002 and 2006 plus Euro 2004), matched only inversely by his own personal aggrandisement, have seen his stock plummet in the eyes of his nation’s more astute viewers. Such feelings now render his American shenanigans as little more than an irrelevance, leading to a negative impact upon the image of MLS in the United Kingdom.

Still, Aberdeen’s local Evening Express newspaper carried a brief paragraph in Monday’s early edition under the heading “Becks Screamer”. It read:

“David Beckham scored a 70-yard wonder goal for L.A. Galaxy against Kansas City in the MLS”.

At least now I knew the opposition if not the score. For that I would have to rely on The Times, long considered the benchmark for UK broadsheets – at least until its purchase by Rupert Murdoch. Slightly more than 100 words were devoted to Beckham’s goal in Monday’s football supplement even if the rest of the weekend’s action was ignored.

But what of those Scottish players now plying their trade across the pond? Surely some local coverage would be found? The Daily Record, proudly proclaiming itself to be “Scotland’s Newspaper of the Year”, featured a paragraph headed “Tam Torment”. It read:

“Tam McManus scored for Colorado Rapids in a 2-1 defeat to Chivas USA in the MLS in America”.

Stunningly comprehensive. I assumed that Real Salt Lake’s Kenny Deuchar, christened Doctor Goals on Fox Soccer Channel due to his alternative employment as a medical man while playing part-time in Scotland, had taken ill.

So it was with thanks to that scourge of modern life, the Blackberry, for supplying me with the weekend’s results. Toronto were the big winners, moving up two places to fourth in the Eastern Conference by virtue of Danny Dichio’s solitary goal against D.C. United. In another quirk of the bizarre MLS calendar, the sides met again in the nation’s capital on Saturday. D.C. gained revenge with a 3-2 win but remain bottom of the East.

Chicago Fire moved above Columbus Crew after a thumping 5-1 win at New York. Cuauhtemoc Blanco was the chief tormentor of former Fire head coach Juan Carlos Osorio, now with the Red Bulls, scoring once and creating three goals.

L.A. Galaxy reached the Western Conference summit thanks to their win coupled with that of their Home Depot Center co-tenants, Chivas USA, at Colorado.

With the domestic seasons now over in Scotland and England, it will be interesting to see if the British media pays greater attention to Major League Soccer this coming weekend. I will not be holding my breath.

Week Nine Results

Toronto 1 D.C. United 0
San Jose 2 Houston 1
Dallas 2 Salt Lake 1 (Dallas win without Steve Morrow, the head coach who was actually relieved of his duties this week)
Columbus 0 New England 1
D.C. United 3 Toronto 2
Colorado 1 Chivas 2 (Apparently a wonder goal from McManus - I'll have to wait until I'm back in the US to judge!)
L.A. Galaxy 3 Kansas City 1
New York 1 Chicago 5

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) Chicago 19 points (played 9)
2) Columbus 19 (9)
3) New England 19 (10)
4) Toronto 14 (9)
5) New York 12 (8)
6) Kansas City 11 (9)
7) D.C. United 9 (10)

Western Conference
1) L.A. Galaxy 14 (9)
2) Colorado 12 (9)
3) Dallas 12 (9)
4) Chivas 11 (9)
5) Houston 10 (9)
6) Salt Lake 8 (9)
7) San Jose 7 (8)

MLS Week Eight Review

Entering this weekend, six of the seven Eastern Conference teams had accumulated more points than Western Conference leaders Colorado Rapids. Twenty cross-conference matches had seen 14 Eastern wins, four Western wins and two ties. Talk of Eastern dominance was becoming commonplace.

A glance at the history books should have told those commentators otherwise. Last season’s cross-conference matches signalled great parity (28 Western wins, 30 Eastern wins, 26 ties). Significantly however, Western Conference teams have won six of the last seven MLS Cups showing that they can raise their game when it matters most. Two of the West’s chief protagonists, Houston Dynamo and Chivas USA, set out to silence the detractors this weekend in key cross-conference matches.

Houston registered their first win in defence of the title against Colorado last Saturday, but a trip to rain-soaked Toyota Park on the outskirts of Chicago would provide a staunch examination of their improving form. It was a test that Dominic Kinnear’s men were to pass with flying colours.

The opening minutes belonged to the home side. Justin Mapp, rated among the top three most naturally gifted American players by Dynamo assistant coach John Spencer, showed his qualities early on by releasing the overlapping Gonzalo Segares whose inviting cross eluded Chad Barrett on the six-yard line. With the Dynamo defence struggling to read Mapp’s directions, the Chicago midfielder next cut in from the left wing to test Pat Onstad with a decent shot. The Dynamo goalkeeper was happy to fist clear.

Houston took the lead on 17 minutes from their first meaningful foray into opposition territory. After a typically patient build-up, captain Wade Barrett found Ricardo Clark at the edge of the Chicago penalty area. His shot took two wicked deflections, the latter off team-mate Dwayne De Rosario, before skipping off the greasy surface beyond a befuddled Jon Busch in the Chicago goal.

Dynamo quickly assumed control of the game as De Rosario and Brian Mullan set up further chances for Brian Ching, but Chicago equalised against the run of play on 28 minutes. Cuauhtemoc Blanco enticed Eddie Robinson into a needless challenge near the corner flag and the Mexican’s pinpoint cross was converted by Calen Carr. Kinnear will be disappointed at the way his defence, in particular De Rosario, allowed Carr freedom to head home.

In a fascinating battle, Mapp’s early influence waned as Brian Mullan gained in stature down the Dynamo right. Mullan attracts few headlines, but his tricky play produced a number of dangerous crosses for Ching and strike partner Franco Caraccio. On the other touchline two promising stars of MLS served up an equally intriguing contest but without the production. Chris Rolfe has the ability to score spectacular goals for Chicago, but he was switched to a deeper lying right midfield role in the absence of John Thorrington. Rolfe looked uneasy and was replaced by Wilman Conde after 67 subdued minutes.

Similarly uncomfortable was Houston’s Stuart Holden. The Aberdeen-born midfielder entered this season full of confidence after helping the US Under-23 squad reach the Beijing Olympics. His form during qualifying, and towards the end of last season, saw him earn his first call-up to the full national team for February’s friendly with Mexico, but an injury delayed his start to the new campaign. With Brad Davis still recovering from a thigh strain, Holden has been employed on the left side in recent weeks but he has struggled to make an impact.

Dynamo had to wait until the 82nd minute to secure their first road win. Richard Mulrooney’s set piece was met by a towering Bobby Boswell and his close range header left Busch helpless. Boswell has struggled to settle into the Houston line-up since his trade from D.C. United in the off-season, but this second consecutive commanding display hopefully points to an upturn in fortunes for the 2006 MLS Defender of the Year.

D.C., another Eastern powerhouse, continued their woeful campaign with a sixth defeat at injury-ravaged Chivas USA. Marcelo Gallardo put D.C. ahead on the half hour with a wonderful finish, but three late goals from Jesse Marsch, Sacha Kljestan and Jorge Flores saw United slip further adrift at the foot of the Eastern Conference. Flores was the winner of the 2007 Sueňo MLS (The Dream) reality television show earning him a developmental role with the team’s U-19 squad. He impressed enough to be offered a professional contract towards the end of last season. While his dreams appear to be coming true, the nightmare continues for D.C. head coach Tom Soehn. Only San Jose Earthquakes possess a worse record with over one quarter of the season gone.

Colorado remain top of the Western Conference after a 2-0 win over Rocky Mountain rivals Real Salt Lake. Omar Cummings swept home a low Colin Clark cross to give the hosts a 65th minute lead. Christian Gomez capped another fine individual display with a late penalty to seal the points and leave Salt Lake ruing a host of missed chances. Former Rapids midfielder Kyle Beckerman led the visitors’ charge in the first half, supported by the experienced Jamaican international Andy Williams. Unfortunately neither of the strikers, Kenny Deuchar nor Fabian Espindola, could turn the supply into goals.

L.A. Galaxy won an astounding match at FC Dallas to climb above Steve Morrow’s side into second place. Last season’s Superliga meeting between the sides saw Galaxy take a 4-0 lead within 18 minutes before surviving a Dallas fight-back to emerge as 6-5 winners. This game started in similar fashion – L.A. taking a 4-0 lead by half-time – but there were no heroics from the home side as Galaxy romped to a 5-1 win in spite of another lame performance by The English Tourist. There cannot be many people left who feel that Mr Beckham is genuinely interested in performing. His petulant antics late in this game towards the dismissed Adrian Serioux were frankly embarrassing. One wonders whether Beckham will watch Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, his former Manchester United team-mates, attempt to win a glorious double this coming Wednesday in Moscow and reflect on where it all went wrong in his career. Probably not.

Nonetheless, with Galaxy, Chivas and Houston all seemingly returning to form, it surely takes a brave or foolish observer to discard the Western Conference as the poorer relation.

Week Eight Results

Colorado 2 Salt Lake 0
Toronto 0 Columbus 0 (Crew survive a raucous BMO Field to remain top)
New England 2 San Jose 0 (A "spectacular unbelievable own goal" by James Riley)
New York 1 Kansas City 1 (A minor improvement in Borman's goal celebration)
Chicago 1 Houston 2
Chivas 3 D.C. United 1
Dallas 1 L.A. Galaxy 5

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) Columbus 19 points (played 8)
2) Chicago 16 (8)
3) New England 16 (9)
4) New York 12 (7)
5) Kansas City 11 (8)
6) Toronto 11 (7)
7) D.C. United 6 (8)

Western Conference
1) Colorado 12 (8)
2) L.A. Galaxy 11 (8)
3) Houston 10 (8)
4) Dallas 9 (8)
5) Chivas 8 (8)
6) Salt Lake 8 (8)
7) San Jose 4 (7)

MLS Week Seven Review

Northern Rock must surely lead the pack in terms of jinxed sponsorship deals. Recent advertising campaigns by the beleaguered British bank have featured popular local and international sportsmen from the worlds of football (Michael Owen), rugby (Jonny Wilkinson) and cricket (Steve Harmison), all of whom promptly endured lengthy stretches on the physio’s table. Throw in the effects of the sub-prime mortgage crisis and fortune has not exactly been smiling on the Newcastle-based company.

Dick’s Sporting Goods may not be suffering from plummeting market capitalisation, but two of the four MLS players featured in their currently running commercial also seem to have been afflicted with a curse this season – Brian Ching of Houston Dynamo and Ben Olsen of D.C. United.

For Ching, the spell may finally have been broken this weekend. After a disappointing Hawai’i homecoming in February’s Pan Pacific Championship, his goal drought continued through the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup and the first six weeks of MLS action. After 27 minutes of Saturday’s encounter with Colorado Rapids, the Dynamo striker raced clear of the defence to be confronted by a sprawling Bouna Coundoul. Ching scooped the ball over the Senegalese goalkeeper, but to the amazement of the Robertson Stadium crowd he also cleared the crossbar.

One got the feeling that for his barren run to end Ching would need a gift; an open goal, a defensive howler. Thankfully Coundoul provided both minutes before half-time, sprinting from his area in a race with Ching to reach Stuart Holden’s flick. Coundoul’s fresh air swipe left the goal at Ching’s mercy and allowed the ghosts to be exorcised.

The situation looks rather more worrying for Olsen however. He has seen his club and international career curtailed by a series of ankle injuries, one preventing a possible move to Nottingham Forest in 2001. Olsen is currently on the sidelines again after further ankle surgery and rumours are circulating that the 31-year-old may be forced into premature retirement. It would be a huge blow for the player and his club, D.C. United, who remain in dire need of their talented midfielder.

D.C. remain slumped at the foot of the Eastern Conference after a disappointing 2-0 loss to Chicago Fire, their sixth defeat in eight games. It was Chicago’s first trip back to the capital since last October’s pulsating 2-2 draw which saw the Fire extinguish the Supporters’ Shield winners (presented to the team with the best regular season record) from the play-offs by 3-2 on aggregate. This match proved a more comfortable ride for the visitors. The bouncing Barra Brava at RFK Stadium may consider themselves to be D.C.’s twelfth man, but on this evidence United would struggle to find the net with their entire squad on the pitch.

Luciano Emilio, last season’s golden boot winner and league MVP, has borne the brunt of much criticism so far in this campaign, but he certainly did not lack in application and effort. Most of his good work, however, happened outside the penalty area as D.C., minus the injured former Argentinian international Marcelo Gallardo, lacked the guile to create chances for the predatory striker.

The only surprise in Chicago’s slender lead at the interval was that Cuauhtemoc Blanco had not been involved in the goal. Chris Rolfe’s cross from the right wing was expertly headed down by Chad Barrett into the path of the on-rushing Justin Mapp who finished clinically from the edge of the box with a crisp left foot shot. The mounting frustration in the home side was clear, even before Gonzalo Martinez whacked the ball into the Chicago dugout as the half-time whistle sounded.

Blanco did make his mark on 62 minutes with the decisive second goal. John Thorrington, another former Manchester United trainee plying his trade in MLS, found the Mexican talisman on the halfway line. With space to turn and advance, Blanco carried the ball unchallenged towards the D.C. goal before unleashing a spectacular shot into Zach Wells’ top left corner. So clean was the strike that Chicago’s three substitutes, warming up behind the goal, raised their arms in celebration as the ball left Blanco’s foot.

D.C. fashioned a couple of late chances that saw Jaime Moreno head wide from Franco Niell’s cross before hitting the bar with another header minutes later. Much is expected from Niell, a recent loan capture from Argentinos Juniors, but he was barely noticeable on this occasion. At 5’4”, he may struggle to adapt to the physical nature of MLS.

Houston finally registered their first victory thanks to two lapses from the Colorado defence. The Rapids responded well to conceding Brian Ching’s goal with Christian Gomez, released by D.C. in the close season, dictating much of the possession after the interval. Afforded too much space by Ricardo Clark, Gomez threaded a perfectly weighted through ball between Wade Barrett and Eddie Robinson to release Omar Cummings for a fabulous equaliser on 68 minutes.

Fernando Clavijo, the Rapids’ head coach, appeared to have settled for a point when Ugo Ihemelu inexplicably handled in his own area to concede an 87th minute penalty. Dwayne De Rosario coolly slotted home the winner for Houston; his first league goal of the season. The decision did not meet with approval from Tam McManus, by now substituted out of the action, who was dismissed from the Colorado bench after a verbal blast at the officials.

With Dallas and L.A. Galaxy losing by the same scoreline against Salt Lake and New York respectively, Colorado remain top of the Western Conference. Houston’s victory sees the defending champions climb off the bottom into fifth place, only two points behind the leaders.

Week Seven Results

D.C. United 0 Chicago 2
Houston 2 Colorado 1
Salt Lake 2 Dallas 1 (visiting defence "slightly resembles the Keystone Cops")
San Jose 2 Columbus 3 (great pace on the break from Robbie Rogers)

L.A. Galaxy 1 New York 2 ("that's about the worst goal celebration I ever saw")
Chivas 1 New England 2 (Taylor Twellman on target in his first game back after injury)

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) Columbus 18 points (played 7)
2) Chicago 16 (7)
3) New England 13 (8)
4) New York 11 (6)
5) Kansas City 10 (7)
6) Toronto 10 (6)
7) D.C. United 6 (7)

Western Conference
1) Colorado 9 (7)
2) Dallas 9 (7)
3) L.A. Galaxy 8 (7)
4) Salt Lake 8 (7)
5) Houston 7 (7)
6) Chivas 5 (7)
7) San Jose 4 (6)

MLS Week Six Review

Criticism of Major League Soccer is far from a new phenomenon, but a 13-year-old league obviously includes aspects in need of improvement. Commissioner Don Garber is fully aware of this and developments will naturally take time to bear fruit, but as far as the standard of refereeing is concerned MLS already ranks alongside its more illustrious peers – right up there among the worst of them.

In a fledgling set-up without full-time officials a less-than-exemplary standard of refereeing is somewhat unsurprising, but the performance of Jozef Batko in Saturday evening’s clash between Houston Dynamo and Chivas USA left most of the 20,000 plus crowd utterly perplexed, not to mention both teams and benches.

Batko irked the home fans early on when Dwayne De Rosario, always looking for the spectacular, attempted a bicycle kick on the edge of the Chivas’ penalty area. In stooping to head clear, Lawson Vaughn was accidentally caught by De Rosario’s boot and a free kick was duly awarded. With play set to recommence, it became apparent that the unintentional contact had drawn blood. A dizzy Vaughn required treatment (he was substituted minutes later) and his groggy state seemed to trigger the subsequent booking for the Dynamo playmaker rather than the incident itself.

The Dynamo bench were further riled before half-time by Stuart Holden’s caution for a similar foul to that of De Rosario, minus the cosmetic damage, despite aggressive means being utilised by the visitors’ backline to nullify the presence of Brian Ching and Franco Caraccio, Dynamo’s strike pairing. Batko’s failure to control the players led to frequent scuffles throughout the match, but the caution count was redressed after the break as both sides ended with four bookings apiece, topped off by a deserved red card for Chivas defender Claudio Suarez for a crude hack at Brian Mullan.

Dynamo looked to have a valid second half penalty claim when Jim Curtin appeared to let the ball roll down his arm before clearing but Batko was unmoved. His indifference towards the time-delaying antics of Brad Guzan, the Chivas goalkeeper, also added to the frustrations of Dominic Kinnear, Houston’s head coach, who sought an immediate confrontation with the official at full-time. Indeed, one wondered whether Guzan’s UK work permit would arrive before some of his clearances.

It would be amiss, however, to single out officiating for Houston’s failure to clamber off the foot of the Western Conference. Aside from a late chance for Corey Ashe, thwarted brilliantly by Guzan, Dynamo struggled to create clear goal-scoring opportunities despite bossing the match. De Rosario, their main playmaker and inspiration, gave another good showing despite not hitting top form but the supporting cast remains some way off the pace. Brad Davis, another scheming playmaker, missed out again through injury while Holden, replacing Davis on the left of midfield, struggled to find his bearings after his recent spell on the sidelines.

Though never the most fluent attacking side, Dynamo possess a strong belief in their ability to grind the opposition down. Kinnear had a number of forward options available last season to change the direction of a game, but the departures of Joseph Ngwenya and Nate Jaqua to clubs in Austria has left the reigning champions short of alternatives when Plan A is snuffed out. Acquiring another goalscorer must be high on the organisation’s priority list.

Preki, the Chivas head coach, sacrificed forward Ante Razov late on for added steel in the shape of Justin Braun; seemingly not introduced for his footballing brain. Chivas showed glimpses of the flowing, counter-attacking play which they are capable of but only in brief spurts. They remain a single point above the defending champions and are also some way short of finding their best performances.

The weekend’s highest scoring fixture saw L.A. Galaxy claw their way back from the loss of two early goals to salvage a 2-2 draw at Real Salt Lake. David Beckham’s contribution to date may be slight, but he kept the highlight reel producers happy this week with a stunning first goal which was reminiscent of his effort for Manchester United against Arsenal in the 1999 FA Cup semi-final replay – so often forgotten due to the subsequent heroics of Ryan Giggs. Beckham notched the equaliser with a trademark free kick before half-time, assisted by the poor positioning of Nick Rimando in the Salt Lake goal. Rimando more than redeemed himself after the interval with a fabulous save from Landon Donovan’s close range header.

Colorado Rapids regained top spot in the West after Christian Gomez, their experienced Argentine midfielder, inspired them to a 2-0 victory over his former side, D.C. United. The capital club, like Houston, continue to struggle after an intensive start to the season which included the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup tournament. In common with the reigning MLS champions, D.C. also remain rooted to the bottom of their division

New England Revolution saw their erratic form continue with a 3-0 home defeat at the hands of a Chicago Fire team who beat them 4-0 in Week Two. Stephen King sealed the win with his first MLS goal, but the real horror story was written by the Revolution defence that will be giving head coach Steve Nicol nightmares.

Columbus Crew remain ahead of the rest after a 2-1 win over Kansas City Wizards. Crew took control early on through goals by Adam Moffat and Robbie Rogers and seemed to have the points wrapped up when Roger Espinoza, the Wizards’ Honduran midfielder, was dismissed on 36 minutes. Claudio Lopez pulled a late goal back from the penalty spot, but Columbus held on to record their fourth straight home success of the campaign.

Week Six Results

Toronto 1 New York 1
New England 0 Chicago 3
Columbus 2 Kansas City 1
Houston 0 Chivas 0
Salt Lake 2 L.A. Galaxy 2
San Jose 0 Dallas 0
Colorado 2 D.C. United 0

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) Columbus 15 points (played 6)
2) Chicago 13 (6)
3) Kansas City 10 (7)
4) Toronto 10 (6)
5) New England 10 (7)
6) New York 8 (5)
7) D.C. United 6 (6)

Western Conference
1) Colorado 9 (6)
2) Dallas 9 (6)
3) L.A. Galaxy 8 (6)
4) Chivas 5 (6)
5) Salt Lake 5 (6)
6) San Jose 4 (5)
7) Houston 4 (6)