MLS Week 17 Review

Major League Soccer parity was further illustrated this week as every league match ended in a draw. The four teams involved in Superliga (New England, D.C. United, Houston and Chivas) are grateful beneficiaries having lost no ground, but the five fixtures played were anything but nauseating stalemates.

Los Angeles Galaxy’s visit to Giants Stadium in New Jersey marked a high point of last season’s campaign. Billed around the newly arrived David Beckham, a crowd of 66,237 witnessed New York Red Bulls clinch a memorable 5-4 victory. This weekend’s figure of 46,754 was the highest MLS attendance this season. As was the case in Washington D.C. three weeks ago though, thousands of customers appear to have been unimpressed by the hype.

If the additional 30,000 added to New York’s usual gate were focused on the Englishman they will have been disappointed by another marginal contribution, but there was much to admire elsewhere. Most notably, a master class in attacking midfield play provided by Galaxy’s Landon Donovan and Jorge Rojas, the Red Bulls’ debutant Venezuelan international.

Donovan dropped into a left sided role to accommodate Carlos Ruiz after his return from injury. Ruiz lined up in attack with Edson Buddle, but it was Donovan’s ability to run at New York’s three man defence which proved to be a staple feature.

The first exhibit came on 20 minutes. Donovan stretched the Red Bulls’ rearguard before sending Ruiz clear on Jon Conway’s goal with a precise pass. The goalkeeper reacted smartly to avert the danger. Five minutes later Donovan provided another example of his dribbling ability, drifting across the edge of the penalty area looking for an opening before eventually being crowded out.

After trading goals, Donovan almost restored a deserved lead for the visitors on 39 minutes. He arrived at the back post to meet Chris Klein’s deep cross with a thumping left foot volley that narrowly cleared the crossbar. At times it was difficult to remember Donovan is a naturally right-footed player, such was his quality on his weaker side.

Despite dominating for large spells, Galaxy needed to thank defender Troy Roberts for maintaining parity at the interval with an outstanding block to prevent Oscar Echeverry’s goal-bound shot from six yards. Roberts’ heroics were reminiscent of the last ditch challenges so often seen from the legendary Franco Baresi, team mate of Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit during Milan’s era of dominance.

Ruiz had nodded Galaxy into a deserved lead on 29 minutes when poor defending by Jeff Parke allowed Buddle to skip to the by-line and cross for the Guatemalan to head into an empty net. Six minutes later, Dave van den Bergh drilled an excellent 25 yard shot into Steve Cronin’s bottom corner with his weaker right foot. The goal owed much to the craft of Rojas who released the Dutch international with a cute backheel flick.

Rojas grew in influence after the break as he displayed an uncanny awareness of the players around him that compares to Chicago’s Mexican superstar Cuauhtemoc Blanco. He had two glorious chances to mark his debut with a goal. On both occasions, van den Bergh was allowed the freedom of the left touchline to provide crosses, but Rojas somehow contrived to scoop his first attempt over the bar from seven yards with an exposed Cronin helpless. His second effort was on target, but there was insufficient power in his header to trouble the goalkeeper.

It was no surprise that New York took the lead on 71 minutes, and no surprise that the move developed down the left. Galaxy right back Chris Klein joined a promising attack that ended on the edge of New York’s penalty area. Klein could reasonably have expected some defensive cover, but with Beckham marooned on the touchline as a spectator and lacking any inclination to give chase, Rojas and Juan Pablo Angel sprung to life with the former Aston Villa striker racing past Greg Vanney before clipping a delightful finish over Cronin.

New York should have finished the game, but Ante Jazic cleared another Angel effort from his goal-line after more ingenuity from Rojas. Substitute John Wolyniec then had the goal at his mercy, but could not react quickly enough to steer Cronin’s palmed save from van den Bergh’s drive onto the open target.

The decisive contribution was left for Donovan as he provided a fortuitous equaliser two minutes into stoppage time. His inswinging cross from the left was too high for Buddle, but the ball sneaked inside Conway’s far post as the goalkeeper prepared for a headed attempt. The late excitement proved too much for the sanity of Fox Soccer Channel commentator and Galaxy cheerleader Max Bretos as he hailed Donovan’s “wonder goal”.

Galaxy could have stolen a dramatic win in the game’s final attack. Beckham’s cross eluded Alan Gordon but found its way to the far edge of the box where the onrushing Donovan lashed another perfectly executed left footed volley that smacked the base of Conway’s post.

A winner would have been harsh on New York after their second half display; a fact that was acknowledged by Ruud Gullit in his accurate post-match assessment. Galaxy dominated the first half, New York gained the ascendency in the second and should have sealed the victory before Donovan’s late goal earned a deserved share of the points.

Week 17 Results

Columbus 3 Kansas City 3 (Josh Wolff marks MLS return with late KC leveller)
Toronto 0 San Jose 0 (Cannon penalty saves frustrates home fans)
New York 2 L.A. Galaxy 2
Dallas 2 Colorado 2 (Kenny Cooper demonstrates how to take a stutter-step penalty)
Chicago 0 Salt Lake 0 (RSL stays top of the West)

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) New England 33 points (played 17)
2) Columbus 28 (17)
3) Chicago 25 (16)
4) D.C. United 22 (15)
5) Toronto 22 (16)
6) Kansas City 21 (16)
7) New York 21 (17)

Western Conference
1) Salt Lake 24 (18)
2) L.A. Galaxy 23 (17)
3) Chivas 22 (16)
4) Colorado 21 (17)
5) Houston 20 (16)
6) Dallas 19 (17)
7) San Jose 14 (17)

Superliga Returns

The second annual Superliga kicked off last weekend with the top four teams from last season’s MLS campaign taking a break from domestic action to face Mexican opposition. Clashes between US and Mexican sides often produce passionate battles characterised by flair versus physicality. From the opening night it was clear that the intensity of this tournament has already stepped up from its inaugural year.

With the start of the Mexican season still a fortnight away, the timing of Superliga presents MLS teams with a glorious opportunity to prevail against their southern neighbours. Whereas the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup sees MLS clubs still in pre-season, Superliga is scheduled when the Mexicans are still in warm-up mode. The playing field is levelled by the wealth of talent at their disposal compared to the salary-capped rosters of MLS.

Pachuca, Mexico’s oldest team, claimed last year’s trophy after edging Houston Dynamo and L.A. Galaxy on penalties. The Tuzos have enjoyed remarkable success since being promoted to Mexico’s top flight in 1998 with five Championships, three CONCACAF Champions’ Cups and a Copa Sudamerica added to their burgeoning collection. They began their defence back at Home Depot Center, the site of last year’s final, against Chivas USA in Group B.

Any signs of rustiness from the visitors quickly subsided after a turbulent opening period. Claudio Suarez missed an early penalty for Chivas before Ante Razov gave them a 16th minute lead. Suarez’ night worsened as his own goal levelled the scores before Gabriel Caballero gave Pachuca a 2-1 lead shortly before the interval. It was an advantage they would not relinquish.

New England Revolution, currently sitting top of MLS, brushed aside Santos 1-0 in their opening match in Foxborough. The Revs gained a numerical advantage on 40 minutes when Juan Pablo Rodriguez was dismissed for felling Gambian teenager Sainey Nyassi with an elbow. Nyassi has been in scintillating form on the right side of New England’s midfield this season. He provided the cross for Zimbabwean striker Kheli Dube to score the game’s only goal on 70 minutes.

New Mexico manager Sven Goran Eriksson was present to evaluate some of his potential players and he remained in the Boston area for New England’s midweek meeting with Pachuca. No doubt if Steve McClaren, his successor in the role of failed England manager, had recently been hired by El Tri, he would have chosen the sunnier climes of Southern California and the chance to hang out with Becks.

The Revs triumphed by a single goal again which owed much to the incompetence of officiating in the CONCACAF region. Five minutes of injury time had elapsed when Nyassi drove his cross into the midsection of Pachuca defender Julio Manzur. The ball accidentally struck Manzur’s arm as he shielded his body but referee Walter Quesada saw fit to award the softest of penalties. Khano Smith remained calm and stroked home the spot kick to clinch a fortuitous win.

Group A opened with a pulsating encounter at RFK Stadium between D.C. United and C.D. Guadalajara. The visitors, better known as the original Chivas, have won more Mexican championships than anyone else, have never suffered relegation and are renowned for their policy of fielding only Mexican nationals. Their popularity among the Hispanic community north of the border led to the formation of sister club Chivas USA in 2004.

D.C. United are in the process of making their own history. The most successful franchise in MLS contain their fair share of talented individuals with Brazilian striker Luciano Emilio benefiting from the wily creativity of Jaime Moreno. Despite missing the experienced Argentine international Marcelo Gallardo, D.C. produced an impressive display and were unfortunate not to claim a point in a narrow 2-1 loss.

Trailing to goals from Omar Arellano and Gonzalo Pineda, D.C. fought back with a wonderful individual effort by Emilio on 72 minutes. The Brazilian was hauled down in the penalty area minutes later to present Moreno with a chance to convert his 21st consecutive penalty. The law of averages finally caught up with the little Bolivian as Luis Michel produced an excellent save to secure victory for his team. It was Moreno’s first miss in over four years.

Houston Dynamo turned in the most impressive display from the opening round, scoring four unanswered goals to easily see off Atlante. The men in orange led 3-0 within 29 minutes after Dwayne De Rosario’s close range header and a brace from midfielder Stuart Holden. Brian Mullan’s second half strike completed the procession.

Most orange marches taking place on the 12th of July involve some form of scuffling and this was no different. A momentarily lapse in discipline by De Rosario shortly before half-time saw the Canadian playmaker react to growing provocation. The Canadian playmaker was dismissed along with Javier Mustafa after a bout of mild jostling.

De Rosario’s suspension was compounded by injuries to Holden and US international duo Brian Ching and Eddie Robinson for the visit of Chivas three days later. Nonetheless, head coach Dominic Kinnear’s makeshift line-up more than held their own in a gripping contest watched by nearly 29,000 fans at Robertson Stadium. The large Latino community in Houston guaranteed a raucous following for the visitors with those wearing the famed red and white stripes at least matching those dressed in orange.

After a scoreless first half, Houston created a number of opportunities early in the second period that were thwarted by Michel in the Chivas goal. Having survived two attempts cleared from their goal-line, Chivas took an unexpected lead on 71 minutes after a Brad Davis tackle inadvertently sent Arellano clear on Pat Onstad’s goal. The baby-faced striker, on one of the rare occasions he managed to remain upright, beat the goalkeeper at his exposed near post to score the game’s only goal.

Second defeats for D.C. United and Santos leave their semi-final hopes looking precarious, but with no team assured of qualification or elimination going into the final round this weekend’s action is sure to provide further excitement.

Superliga Results and Standings (after two matches)

Group A
D.C. United 1 Chivas 2
Houston 4 Atlante 0
D.C. United 2 Atlante 3 (Shock win for visitors sealed by magnificent Bermudez strike)
Houston 0 Chivas 1

After two rounds:
1) Chivas – 6 points, 2) Houston – 3 pts, 3) Atlante – 3 pts, 4) D.C. United – 0 pts

Group B
New England 1 Santos 0
Chivas USA 1 Pachuca 2
New England 1 Pachuca 0
Chivas USA 1 Santos 0 (In-form Razov scores for fifth consecutive game)

After two rounds:
1) New England – 6 points, 2) Pachuca – 3 pts, 3) Chivas USA – 3 pts, 4) Santos – 0 pts

MLS Week 16 - El Superclasico

So much has been happening for Major League Soccer clubs over the course of the last week. The US Open Cup reached its final four participants with more shocks along the way, Thursday saw the unveiling of the MLS All-Star team to face West Ham United on July 24th, and the second year of Superliga began with four American teams pitting their talents against their Mexican counterparts. It was easy to forget that five league matches also took place.

The most attractive fixture saw L.A. Galaxy face Chivas USA, their Home Depot Center co-tenants, in this season’s second instalment of El Superclasico. In Week Five, Landon Donovan netted a hat-trick to inspire Galaxy to a 5-2 win. Since then, Donovan’s strike rate has slowed and Chivas have vastly improved. Indeed, this fixture saw the teams fighting for the outright lead in the Western Conference.

Three participants had earlier been named in the All-Star team: Donovan and David Beckham from L.A. Galaxy, Sacha Kljestan of Chivas. The Chivas midfielder did most to justify his selection with an impressive display in an unfamiliar advanced role behind lone forward Ante Razov. By contrast, Donovan was kept at arms length this time around.

Kljestan drifted out to an exposed left flank to provide the pass for Razov’s stunning 15th minute opener. The veteran striker clinched all three points against San Jose last weekend with a spectacular late free kick and this finish was equally impressive. From 25 yards, he struck a first-time, curling left-foot shot high into the net leaving Galaxy goalkeeper Steve Cronin helpless.

Chivas retained control throughout the first half without creating many chances. A reshuffled Galaxy team looked disorganised for large spells as their midfield failed to provide service to Donovan and Edson Buddle, the prolific partnership with 21 goals between them going into the weekend – more than seven of the other 13 MLS teams had managed in total.

Despite Chivas’ dominance, Galaxy fashioned the best chance before the interval. Ely Allen was sent clear by a through ball from Pete Vagenas, but Chivas goalkeeper Brad Guzan raced from his line to block Allen’s attempt. Beckham’s subsequent corner was headed towards goal by Buddle, but Francisco Mendoza was in position at the back post to clear.

It was to be Mendoza’s only positive contribution to the match in one of the few passages of play where he remained vertical. At a slight 5ft 5ins and 135lbs, the little Mexican acquaints himself with the turf with shameful regularity.

On the half hour, referee Kevin Stott provided further ammunition for the many critics of officiating standards in MLS. Beckham charged down Jesse Marsch’s attempted clearance on the edge of the Chivas’ penalty area with the ball clearly striking the Englishman’s raised arm as he pirouetted to shield himself. As Beckham landed he tripped over the prone Marsch. Desperate ESPN highlight reel editors were undoubtedly salivating at Stott’s farcical award of a Galaxy free kick, but Beckham tamely drove his effort into the wall.

Chivas remained in the ascendency after the break with Shavar Thomas in commanding form in central defence. They wasted good chances to add to their lead by selecting the wrong option or being caught offside when their attack held a numerical advantage over an increasingly exposed Galaxy backline.

The Goats were duly punished for not finishing off their opponents on 72 minutes with a wonderful, if totally unexpected, goal by Buddle. The in-form striker’s threatening diagonal run across Thomas into the penalty area was majestically found by a perfectly weighted Vagenas pass. Buddle finished from an acute angle by drilling low under the legs of the onrushing Guzan.

Both sides had chances to snatch a late winner. Chivas thought they had done so after Kljestan skipped a couple of challenges down the right wing and squared for Mendoza to bundle the ball home. The assistant referee correctly flagged that the ball had crossed the by-line before Kljestan pulled it back. The American U-23 star was booked for his protests.

Kljestan had further misfortune two minutes before the end when his back post header from Jonathan Bornstein’s deep cross thudded against Cronin’s near post.

Guzan displayed his qualities in stoppage time when substitute Carlos Ruiz was sent clean through by Donovan after a lung-bursting breakaway. The Guatemalan looked certain to score, but again the impressive goalkeeper raced from his line and spread his body to block the shot.

It remains to be seen whether this was Guzan’s last act in Major League Soccer. The transfer window re-opens next Tuesday with a resurrected move to Aston Villa heavily rumoured. Previous attempts to seal a switch to Celtic and Villa have been thwarted by visa issues, but recent call-ups to the US national team are likely to smooth Guzan’s departure this time around.

MLS’s loss will certainly be Martin O’Neill’s gain.

Week 16 Results

Kansas City 2 New York 1 (Red Bulls’ slide sees them hit rock bottom in the East)
L.A. Galaxy 1 Chivas 1
San Jose 1 Colorado 1 (Earthquakes fail to hang on for much needed win)
Chicago 2 Toronto 1 (Late Thorrington winner reignites Fire)
Salt Lake 2 Columbus 0 (RSL claim the West’s top spot for first time in history)

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) New England 33 points (played 17)
2) Columbus 27 (16)
3) Chicago 24 (15)
4) D.C. United 22 (15)
5) Toronto 21 (15)
6) Kansas City 20 (15)
7) New York 20 (16)

Western Conference
1) Salt Lake 23 (17)
2) L.A. Galaxy 22 (16)
3) Chivas 22 (16)
4) Colorado 20 (16)
5) Houston 20 (16)
6) Dallas 18 (16)
7) San Jose 13 (16)

MLS All-Star First XI Unveiled

A meaningless friendly cluttering the middle of a competitive league season when four top clubs also face Mexican opposition in Superliga – that is the view of many towards this year’s All-Star Game between the MLS XI and West Ham United. Select teams throw up another problem: too often they become a popularity contest instead of a merit-based system recognising the best performers in any given campaign, as is the original intention.

In any popularity contest, it helps to have the support of Simon Fuller. The British pop svengali catapulted the Spice Girls to global fame in the mid-1990’s despite their obvious shortcomings as performers. With Mr Posh also under his wing, it is unsurprising to see David Beckham selected with the highest number of votes for a midfielder.

Beckham’s performances this season can be described as average at best. Viewers have been hard-pressed to notice his contributions in recent televised games at San Jose and D.C. United, but still the favourable media bombardment continues. I would challenge anyone to provide a sound argument, commercial reasons aside, for picking Beckham on the right side of midfield ahead of New England’s Steve Ralston for one. Steve Nicol, Ralston’s head coach at Revolution and the man who will assume coaching duties for the All-Star team, may still select his player as one of five additional roster choices.

Another right-sided midfielder who has eclipsed Beckham is Sacha Kljestan of Chivas. As if to prove that point, Kljestan produced an excellent performance last night in the second Superclasico of the season as the Los Angeles rivals drew 1-1 at Home Depot Center. He will be in Toronto having been picked fourth in midfield.

The five-man midfield is rounded off by Chicago’s Mexican superstar Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Columbus’ impressive youngster Robbie Rogers, and the seemingly ever-present Shalrie Joseph. The New England player makes his fifth consecutive appearance in this fixture.

Overall, the top-voted player was not Beckham but Landon Donovan, his L.A. Galaxy team-mate. Donovan received 68% of votes cast for forwards after an explosive start to the season which sees him share the leadership in the scoring charts with 11 goals in 13 games. Joint top scorer and a notable omission from the voting is his Galaxy strike partner Edson Buddle.

Buddle’s clinical finish in Thursday’s Superclasico saw him tie Donovan with 11 in 13 games, but the second automatic striking berth has been handed to Kenny Cooper of Dallas. Although Buddle may feel aggrieved, Cooper also deserves his place. The former Manchester United trainee stands 6ft 3in, possesses great strength and aerial ability but also pace and quick feet. He has found the net eight times for Dallas this season.

At first glance, the inclusion of defender Jimmy Conrad looks surprising. His Kansas City side sit bottom of the Eastern Conference and have been suffering a terrible run of form. Such are the anomalies of MLS though that despite this lowly position only Chicago Fire has a better defensive record. Kansas leads the league in shut-outs as Conrad has successfully marshalled the young squad around him. New England’s Michael Parkhurst and Columbus’ Frankie Hejduk complete a three-man defense which appears light in stature. No doubt coach Nicol will have plans to provide some physical bolstering of the backline.

Matt Reis, the third player from league-leading New England, gets the nod in goals ahead of Chicago’s Jon Busch. Goalkeeping is the one position where the US has excelled in producing top quality players like Tim Howard, Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller. Brad Guzan, last season’s Goalkeeper of the Year, is another surprising omission as the Chivas player has been in sensational form in the last couple of months.

Guzan probably will not mind the omission if the approaching transfer window results in him finally securing a move to Europe. Visa problems prevented a previous transfer to Aston Villa and talks suggest that this will be resurrected after the July 15th opening. His recent performances for the national team, including the second half of the USA’s 2-0 defeat at Wembley Stadium, put him in a stronger position this time around.

MLS Week 15 Review

The Hawksport team jaunted off to New York City over the holiday weekend to enjoy sights such as the Imagine Circle at Strawberry Fields in Central Park. Meanwhile, the week’s MLS events could easily have taken their cue from the title of another song penned by John Lennon – “Helter Skelter”.

The season’s midway point sees all but one team, the debuting San Jose Earthquakes, still firmly in contention for a place in October’s play-offs. There is no doubt that the parity and competitiveness sought by instruments like the salary cap are producing an unpredictable and therefore intriguing product, even if concerns remain over the lack of genuine quality sides imposing themselves upon the campaign.

New England Revolution continue to come closest to excelling. They proved their title credentials again on the Fourth of July with a 2-1 victory at Western Conference leading Los Angeles Galaxy. Adam Cristman provided the fireworks with both goals, the second a towering back post header from Steve Ralston’s corner, to give the Revs a commanding half-time lead. The game should have been over as a contest at that point, but Mauricio Castro contrived to thump his shot against a post in stoppage time when confronted with a gaping goal after he was set up by the unselfish Cristman.

David Beckham had an early chance after the break to haul Galaxy back into the match, but he scuffed a volley harmlessly wide with the target beckoning. He did get on the scoreboard on 66 minutes after latching on to a poor headed clearance by Shalrie Joseph. Beckham arrived in the penalty area to mishit another volley into the ground, but a fortuitous deflection off Jay Heaps left Revs’ goalkeeper Matt Reis stranded. It was far from reminiscent of the finishing of Paul Scholes, Beckham’s illustrious former team-mate at Manchester United.

Edson Buddle has been enjoying a rich vein of goalscoring form for Los Angeles in recent weeks. He should have brought Galaxy level on 77 minutes but instead blazed a Beckham cutback against the crossbar as the visitors held on for three points.

Despite his goal, this was another uninspiring return on Beckham’s $50m annual salary. Even the MLS website proclaimed his evening to be “fairly quiet” – a bold admission from an outlet usually dealing in hyperbole when it comes to analysing the contributions of The English Tourist.

Chivas took full advantage of their neighbours’ demise, and the scoreless draw between Real Salt Lake and Houston Dynamo, to assume joint first place with a slender 1-0 win against San Jose. The two first placed Los Angeles sides will battle for the lead outright in this Thursday’s second Superclasico of the season.

Any Southern Californians hoping to see spectacular 25 yard free kicks bent around defensive walls and past despairing goalkeepers should have been at Home Depot Center on Saturday to witness a fantastic strike from Ante Razov. The stubborn resistance of the Earthquakes was finally broken with only two minutes remaining.

A lengthy injury list has curtailed the ambitions of Preki, the Chivas head coach, in the opening half of the season. While those around them falter, seven points in their last three games has seen Chivas reach their highest position of the season.

After promising so much during the 2007 regular season, a depleted Chivas were disappointingly dumped out of the play-offs by Kansas City. With Cuban striker Maykel Galindo and experienced Swiss midfielder Raphael Wicky still to return to his starting line-up, Preki will be hopeful that the worst of his selection worries are behind him.

Colorado Rapids were the biggest winners of the weekend with a 4-0 trouncing of New York. The Red Bulls defence decided to commemorate Independence Day by granting the freedom of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park to Colorado’s attack. The trio of Tom McManus, Colin Clark and Omar Cummings proved to be grateful recipients. Local product Clark displayed his developing talents with a fine solo goal.

For Juan Carlos Osorio, who served as an assistant coach to Kevin Keegan and Stuart Pearce at Manchester City, this year is not turning out as he would have hoped. His excellent revival of Chicago Fire in the latter half of last season saw his stock rise. The opportunity to return to the East Coast, having started his coaching career at Staten Island Vipers, arose following New York’s dismissal of Bruce Arena in the close season. Much like Manchester City, the Red Bulls seem to be a club rooted in permanent discontent. Having seen Jozy Altidore depart for La Liga and Juan Pablo Angel struggle for fitness, Osorio will be relieved that his side are only two points adrift of an automatic play-off spot. Given the improved form of third placed D.C. United, this gap is likely to grow wider as the weeks go by.

With New England, D.C. United and Chivas all starting out at the bottom before climbing back to the top, while the likes of Colorado, Dallas and Kansas City slide from their lofty positions of the opening weeks, the question of who will reach this year’s play-offs remains a mystery.

Not even a trusted soothsayer could tell me, tell me, tell me the answer.

Week 15 Results

Salt Lake 0 Houston 0
Dallas 1 Kansas City 1 (Wizards denied by Thompson's injury time header)
Colorado 4 New York 0
L.A. Galaxy 1 New England 2
Columbus 2 Chicago 2 (Struggling Fire fail to hold early two goal advantage)
Chivas 1 San Jose 0

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) New England 33 points (played 17)
2) Columbus 27 (15)
3) D.C. United 22 (15)
4) Chicago 21 (14)
5) Toronto 21 (14)
6) New York 20 (15)
7) Kansas City 17 (14)

Western Conference
1) L.A. Galaxy 21 (15)
2) Chivas 21 (15)
3) Salt Lake 20 (16)
4) Houston 20 (16)
5) Colorado 19 (15)
6) Dallas 18 (16)
7) San Jose 12 (15)