MLS Week 22 Review

The Western Conference winners may have lifted the MLS title in each of the last three years, every time at the expense of New England Revolution, but the regular season dominance of the East continued this weekend. In five cross-conference ties, four resulted in comfortable wins for Eastern sides with only Dallas claiming a point for the West at Kansas City. However, don’t expect Houston Dynamo, back-to-back reigning champions, to be overly concerned at this stage.

Houston and New England seized midweek opportunities to strengthen their positions at the top of their respective conferences. Dynamo moved five points clear of Real Salt Lake after continuing their devastating goal-scoring form, something RSL could vouch for in Week 21, with a 4-0 thrashing of Chivas. Despite missing Pat Onstad, Dwayne De Rosario (both Canada) and Brian Ching (USA) to the opening round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers, Houston exploded from the blocks to finish the contest within 35 minutes.

Stuart Holden, himself back from national duty with the American Olympic squad, capped a fine flowing move down the left flank with a cute chip to put the home side ahead after 11 minutes. Kei Kamara doubled the advantage with a wonderfully executed turn and finish from the edge of the penalty area to double the lead. Next up was strike partner Nate Jaqua forcing a loose ball over the line after Ricardo Clark’s header rebounded from the crossbar. Kamara completed the scoring with a near post header from Jaqua’s cross to finish another fine Dynamo move.

While Houston head coach Dominic Kinnear has managed to restore quality and depth to his squad, the same cannot be said for Chivas. An unmanageable injury list hampered Preki’s line up yet again as he was without the services of either of his preferred strikers, Maykel Galindo and Ante Razov. Swiss international Raphael Wicky has only started one game all season and remains unavailable after ankle surgery. To add to Preki’s woes, Jesse Marsch fractured his jaw in the recent Superclasico and Sacha Kljestan was called up to the senior national team days after returning from the Olympics. It was no contest.

Much of Houston’s success last season originated from the ability of head coach Dominic Kinnear to freshen his attack at vital moments. Ching and Jaqua posed a strong physical challenge to opposing defences while Joseph Ngwenya caused problems with his speed and willingness to run with the ball. Those options evaporated when Jaqua and Ngwenya pursued offers from the Austrian league during the close season. With Jaqua back and Kamara being added from San Jose, Kinnear now has healthy competition for places again as we enter the final stretch. The rest of the league should take note.

New England claimed top spot in the East with a narrow 2-1 win over D.C. United last Wednesday before earning another point in a 1-1 draw at Toronto. They share the lead with Columbus Crew. Sigi Schmidt’s side have refused to wilt this season and fully deserve their place after humbling Salt Lake 3-0. Like Dynamo, the Revs’ attack is beginning to find its form at the right time. Star striker Taylor Twellman has missed most of the season with injury, but he was on target in both games as he returns to full match sharpness.

Houston’s seven-game unbeaten run came to a shuddering halt at Giants Stadium on Sunday thanks to another returning striker. Juan Pablo Angel notched his sixth goal in six games as New York ran out convincing 3-0 winners. The Red Bulls’ recent revival after an abject start and the loss of Jozy Altidore can be attributed to the form of Angel and recent capture Jorge Rojas. The Venezuelan missed this game in bizarre circumstances. Visa problems delayed his return from Caracas following the midweek international, but he is expected to return for this weekend’s clash with D.C. United.

As things stand, Houston would face an unwanted return to New Jersey in the post season – New York, currently occupying fifth place with a better record than the West’s fourth place team, would slide across to the two-legged Western semi-finals. Given the horrendous artificial surface and confusing NFL lines obscuring the pitch, it will be a tie that no opposing team will relish.

The first game of Bruce Arena’s L.A. Galaxy tenure was marked by the absence of further high-profile internationals as the MLS fixture list continues to clash with key FIFA dates. Landon Donovan was on duty for the US in their gutsy 1-0 win in Guatemala, but his absence was compensated by the loss of talisman Mexican Cuauhtemoc Blanco for the visiting Chicago Fire. John Thorrington, a Southern California native, kept up his knack of scoring against L.A. with the only goal to dampen Arena’s spirits.

Galaxy received unfortunate news the day prior to the game when new signing Eddie Lewis left the pitch in Guatemala on a stretcher after a violent aerial collision. Gustavo Cabrera was rightfully dismissed for a sickening act, jumping into Lewis’ blind side with his elbow leading. It was arguably a worse challenge than that by German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher in the 1982 World Cup semi-final that left Frenchman Patrick Battiston unconscious. Thankfully Lewis will not require the same recovery time.

So the play-off picture still looks blurred with nine games remaining. A seven point gap between fifth in the East and fourth in the West suggests five and three to qualify respectively. New England, Columbus and Chicago look to have done enough, while D.C. United and New York should be able to hold off any late challenges from Toronto and Kansas City.

Dallas are showing signs of improvement in the West and Kenny Cooper remains a huge threat, but they are by no means a certainty. Houston look good. Thereafter, pick any two from six.

Week 22 Results

Houston 4 Chivas 0
New England 2 D.C. United 1
L.A. Galaxy 0 Chicago 1
Chivas 0 San Jose 0 (Six undefeated for Quakes)
Kansas City 1 Dallas 1 (Probably the worst camera work in the world)
Toronto 1 New England 1
D.C. United 3 Colorado 0 (Quaranta bullet seals Emilio-inspired win)
Columbus 3 Salt Lake 0 (blah)
New York 3 Houston 0 (blah)

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) New England 37 points (played 21)
2) Columbus 37 (21)
3) Chicago 35 (21)
4) D.C. United 31 (21)
5) *New York 31 (21)
6) Toronto 26 (21)
7) Kansas City 26 (21)

Western Conference
1) Houston 32 (21)
2) Salt Lake 27 (21)
3) *Dallas 26 (21)
4) Colorado 24 (21)
5) L.A. Galaxy 24 (21)
6) Chivas 24 (21)
7) San Jose 22 (21)

*Lines show teams occupying play-off positions.

MLS Week 21 Review

After the turbulent departures of Ruud Gullit and Alexi Lalas, what better way for Los Angeles Galaxy to refocus on their play-off battle than the regular season’s third and final Superclasico clash with neighbours Chivas USA.

Cobi Jones took charge of Galaxy for this vital fixture that captain David Beckham described as a “must win game”. It could be Jones’ sole match in the interim role. Former US National Team coach Bruce Arena attended Home Depot Center to survey events from the comfort of Tim Leiweke’s private box. Leiweke, CEO of the Galaxy’s owners Anschutz Entertainment Group, is keen to fill the void quickly in light of another unsettling year for the team.

Chivas too have endured struggles recently. Injuries to star forwards Ante Razov and Maykel Galindo blunted their title assault after topping the Western Conference last year. Continuing losses to key personnel saw them enter the final third of this season one point behind Galaxy in fifth place in the West (12th overall). Razov and Galindo were absent again for this derby, but perhaps a more significant loss was that of midfielder Sacha Kljestan. The native Californian arrived back from Beijing merely hours before kick-off after three impressive displays for the US Olympic team.

MLS viewers can be thankful for the Olympics. The absence of televised domestic women’s basketball enabled complete soccer coverage from the advertised start time for once, though ESPN would rather have avoided broadcasting simultaneously with the exploits of two extraordinary talented American gymnasts, Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, in the all-round women’s competition.

A change of manager often sparks an unlikely performance boost and so it proved for Galaxy in the opening exchanges. An excellent Beckham pass released overlapping full-back Chris Klein on 7 minutes, but he shot wide of the far post from a narrow angle. A minute later Klein started a similar move with a pass for Landon Donovan. The league’s top marksman made no mistake firing low beyond Zach Thornton to give Galaxy an early lead.

Chivas’ dire injury situation saw head coach Preki employ the skilful but lightweight Francisco Mendoza at left-back rather than his preferred midfield slot. With the inexperienced developmental player Bobby Burling standing in at centre back, Galaxy exposed their opponents’ lack of defensive cohesion and awareness during the first half hour. Klein found Edson Buddle with a third ball over Chivas’ left side, but Donovan could not steer his strike partner’s cross on target. Donovan then burst through that same gap having taken possession on the halfway line, but blazed his effort high of Thornton’s goal.

Chivas retaliated towards the end of the first half. Forwards Atiba Harris and Roberto Nurse fashioned a trio of chances but could not find the target before Carey Talley forced Galaxy goalkeeper Steve Cronin’s first save from a free-kick.

The pattern continued after the interval with Cronin making three saves in the first five minutes before Chivas deservedly drew level. Former Arsenal youth player Paulo Nagamura burst down the right flank before sliding a low cross into the penalty area for Nurse. The Mexican’s delightful dummy left Galaxy defender Sean Franklin in need of medication and created space for Harris to finish at the back post. It was world class inventiveness by Nurse, but he receives no recognition under MLS’s ridiculous statistics for assists having never touched the ball.

Galaxy almost reclaimed an unlikely lead on 52 minutes when a second excellent Beckham pass sent Donovan clear. Thornton raced from his line to force the striker wide and prevent a clear shooting chance. From a tight angle Donovan set up Ely Allen but the onrushing midfielder failed to direct his effort on goal.

Chivas took a deserved lead on 63 minutes. After cheaply losing possession at the edge of Chivas’ penalty area, Beckham tried to con referee Alex Prus into awarding a free-kick with a pathetic flop. Prus was rightfully unimpressed, leaving Nagamura to seize the loose ball and mount a swift counter-attack. He released Harris down the left flank and continued his run into the penalty box. Harris timed his return pass to perfection finding Nagamura onside and the Brazilian steered his left-foot strike beyond Cronin. Perhaps Becks should have watched the gold-medal winning Liukin to pick up some tumbling tips.

Nurse saw his 69th minute header rebound off a post as Chivas nearly sealed the win that would propel them above Galaxy. That outcome seemed inevitable until Galaxy were boosted by a late numerical advantage. Chivas’ captain Jesse Marsch was withdrawn from the field after suffering a head knock with all three substitutes already committed.

Despite an otherwise anonymous performance, Beckham produced a third exquisite pass on 88 minutes to find substitute Mike Randolph bursting into the Chivas’ penalty area. Randolph controlled excellently on the run before lashing a right-foot shot off the crossbar with time running out.

Galaxy clinched a fortuitous point two minutes into injury time with a goal that will cause much displeasure for Preki. Ante Jazic’s hopeful punt from deep on the left found Alan Gordon neglected near the penalty spot and he headed home a dramatic equaliser.

Chalk up an assist for Jazic – in the hazy world of MLS statistics, clever space-creating feints do not qualify but Hail Mary’s certainly do.

Week 21 Results

Chivas 2 L.A. Galaxy 2
Columbus 2 Dallas 1 (Crew hang on to reclaim top spot)
Chicago 0 D.C. United 1 (Abysmal marking costs Fire as Brian McBride makes losing debut)
Houston 4 Salt Lake 3 (Dynamo back on top despite defensive mishaps)
Colorado 2 Kansas City 1 (Rapids end barren spell with important win)
San Jose 4 New England 0 (Huckerby and O'Brien inspire Quakes to season's biggest shock)
New York 2 Toronto 0 (Football season returns to Giants Stadium)

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) Columbus 34 points (played 20)
2) New England 33 (19)
3) Chicago 32 (20)
4) D.C. United 28 (19)
5) *New York 28 (20)
6) Toronto 25 (20)
7) Kansas City 25 (20)

Western Conference
1) Houston 29 (19)
2) Salt Lake 27 (20)
3) *Dallas 25 (20)
4) Colorado 24 (20)
5) L.A. Galaxy 24 (20)
6) Chivas 23 (19)
7) San Jose 21 (20)

*Lines show teams occupying play-off positions.

MLS Week 20 - Intergalactic Meltdown

With only four games scheduled, it looked set to be a quiet weekend for Major League Soccer. San Jose’s last minute winner over L.A. Galaxy in Week 19 started rumblings of discontent in Southern California, but all seemed tranquil until this Monday when those minor tremors led to a seismic shift at the league’s most high profile franchise.

Galaxy announced on Monday that Ruud Gullit, the head coach, had resigned from his position citing personal reasons. He was joined through the exit by Alexi Lalas, the general manager, who was relieved of his duties ahead of the expiration of his contract at season’s end.

Having spent most of the year in the play-off spots, Galaxy’s recent slump of three draws from seven games sees the realistic proposition of a third straight year without post-season qualification. Performances in recent weeks have led to growing criticism of Gullit as his defensive tinkering failed to prevent the haemorrhaging of amateurish goals. Galaxy have conceded 40 times in 19 games: easily the worst record in MLS.

The Dutchman has certainly tried. Abel Xavier was released in July after a year of bungling around central defence in retirement mode. Greg Vanney, frequently playing the role of Xavier’s sidekick in Keystone Cop defending, was moved to full-back allowing rookie Sean Franklin to solidify the defensive core while the powerfully athletic Mike Randolph was briefly pushed into midfield to minimise his propensity for defensive blunders. Despite short-term successes, Gullit’s ideas have often been compromised by the lack of quality personnel available to consistently implement them.

But it is not just the back four that cause problems defensively. The popular cliché that defending starts from the front does not apply for this team. As one of the league’s outstanding playmakers and goalscorers, Landon Donovan can be excused for not excelling in this area. Likewise his robust strike partner Edson Buddle helps spearhead an attack which has produced 38 goals: seven more than any other side. The midfield, however, resembles a vacuum.

Many supporting cast members have received cameo appearances but failed to stake claims for a regular starting berth. The revolving door has seen the likes of Ely Allen, Alvaro Pires, Joe Franchino, Brandon McDonald, Josh Tudela and Pete Vagenas tried and retried. The only constant, hiding out as an uninterested bystander on the right touchline, has been David Beckham.

When it comes to neglecting defensive duties, Beckham has no equal. The sight of a beleaguered, bedraggled Chris Klein at right-back has been a staple of this season as any team worth their salt exploits Beckham’s continuing lack of application.

Throughout most of his Manchester United career, the Englishman’s work ethic made him one of the world’s top players. It was this commitment to excellence that paved the way for his second defining characteristic: his ability on set pieces and crosses. The former left the building many years ago. Consequently, the latter has diminished. Practice time is sacrificed when furthering your own personal agenda on the sofa with Ellen DeGeneres.

As on-field struggles continued, rumours of dressing room discontent escalated. A bitter Xavier claimed Gullit was unpopular with all players except Beckham and that the Dutchman had amassed too much power over the club. That theory would certainly substantiate another belief that Gullit and Lalas held an unamiable relationship. Gullit’s appointment was allegedly made by one of Beckham’s advisors and not Lalas.

The recent appearance of Gullit’s home in Hollywood Hills on the property market further prompted stories that the Dutchman was leaving. In response, Gullit claimed his wife was unhappy in the house and that he was not going anywhere.

An April interview with The Times gave some fascinating insights into some of the problems he faced in developing his players, as well as feeling a long way from home. Though elaboration of the personal reasons behind his resignation have not been disclosed, it is understandable that many Europeans would struggle to adapt to the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles. The daily commute to Carson through notoriously suffocating traffic would not be fun either, not to mention the troubles awaiting him at work.

Though Gullit’s departure comes as a shock (many fans sympathised with his plight and appreciated the changes he was endeavouring to embed), the firing of Lalas was expected. In announcing the departures, Galaxy investor/operator Tim Leiweke said: “Because of Ruud’s situation it was an opportunity to look for a fresh start. Alexi’s been with us a long time. I do think we need a fresh start.” Lalas joined the club in April 2006.

Leiweke stressed the need for all parties to share blame by saying: “The players have to look deep inside themselves and understand they have to be responsible for some of this.” On Gullit’s interim successor, former US international Cobi Jones, Leiweke stated: “The one guy’s loyalty and passion over there I don’t question is his.”

His comments are interesting. It is difficult to point the finger at a player who may be earning less than a part-time grocery store worker, but less so when that underperforming player is being rewarded $1m a week for his unspectacular displays. Still, as long as merchandise sales continue to rise Leiweke and his bosses at Anschutz Entertainment Group will be pleased, even if the long-suffering true Galaxy fans feel further disenchantment.

Week 20 Results

Colorado 0 Toronto 1 (Chad Barrett’s first for TFC with a great free-kick)
New England 1 Chicago 2 (Surprise Fire comeback cuts Revs’ lead to one point)
Kansas City 3 Chivas 2 (Wizards remain bottom but draw level with play-off teams)
New York 4 D.C. United 1 (Angel returning to form for play-off push with two goals)

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) New England 33 points (played 18)
2) Chicago 32 (19)
3) Columbus 31 (19)
4) D.C. United 25 (18)
5) *Toronto 25 (19)
6) New York 25 (19)
7) Kansas City 25 (19)

Western Conference
1) Salt Lake 27 (19)
2) Houston 26 (18)
3) *Dallas 25 (19)
4) L.A. Galaxy 23 (19)
5) Chivas 22 (18)
6) Colorado 21 (19)
7) San Jose 18 (19)

*Lines show teams occupying play-off positions.

MLS Week 19

The Hawksport Team are on vacation in the UK for two weeks. A full round-up will return for Week 20 fixtures.

Week 19 Results

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

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) New England 33 points (played 17)
2) Columbus 31 (19)
3) Chicago 29 (18)
4) D.C. United 25 (17)
5) Toronto 22 (18)
6) Kansas City 22 (18)
7) New York 22 (18)

Western Conference
1) Salt Lake 27 (19)
2) Houston 26 (18)
3) Dallas 25 (19)
4) L.A. Galaxy 23 (19)
5) Chivas 22 (17)
6) Colorado 21 (18)
7) San Jose 18 (19)

MLS Week 18 Review

The Hawksport Team spent All-Star weekend in the vibrant city of Toronto, watching the MLS All-Stars seal their fifth consecutive victory over foreign opposition with a 3-2 win over West Ham United. Here are some of the brief highs and lows from the game.

Highs

1) BMO Field – A great facility in a superb location, just a few minutes ride away from Downtown Toronto on one of the many streetcars.

2) Toronto Fans – Much was made of their possible indifference towards the All-Star game given the absence of home team players from the starting line-up. While the atmosphere for much of the first half was far from festive, the locals wasted no time in turning up the noise when Jim Brennan and Dwayne De Rosario entered the fray on 59 minutes.

3) Christian Gomez – Impressive first half performance from the Colorado Rapids midfielder, capped by a fantastic finish for the first goal.

4) Cuauhtemoc Blanco – One advantage of never possessing pace is that there is nothing to lose. In any case, Blanco’s speed has always been inside his head. A typically audacious backheel set Gomez clear for the equaliser before he sealed the MVP award with a beautiful strike minutes before half time.

5) Dwayne De Rosario – So he may only have managed 90 minutes sleep between the conclusion of the D.C. United versus Houston match and his flight across the border, but nothing could deny De Ro from sealing the win in front of his hometown fans – not even the attempted gamesmanship of West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green. Almost returned the favour to Juan Pablo Angel by setting up the Colombian for a fourth goal, but the effort was debatably called offside.

Lows

1) Weather – Toronto has been the wettest city in Canada this summer with rainfall levels reaching double that of the 30-year average. So much for the pre-match festival area and beer tent – a washout!

2) National Anthems – MLS officials botched the opening ceremony by keeping the Maple Leaf flag under wraps until God Save The Queen and The Star Spangled Banner had been performed. Everyone in attendance was wondering if the organisation had forgotten where the match was being played. By the time the situation had been rectified with the appearance of some Mounties and a member of the Queen’s Own Rifles to lead a rendition of O Canada, the American anthem had already been booed out of the building.

3) Media Over-reaction – Okay, so the US anthem got drowned out. Big deal. It was obvious that the more vocal element of Torontonians were protesting against a perceived slight against them as opposed to engaging in widespread anti-American sentiment. Not that this prevented near blanket debate on the issue for the next 48 hours on the local television channels as coverage suggested an international incident had taken place.

Pictures from the game are available here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28745&l=c7ada&id=577188900

Week 18 Results

D.C. United 0 Houston 2
San Jose 1 New York 1
Dallas 4 L.A. Galaxy 0
Kansas City 0 Chicago 0
Colorado 0 Columbus 2

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) New England 33 points (played 17)
2) Columbus 31 (18)
3) Chicago 26 (17)
4) D.C. United 22 (16)
5) Toronto 22 (16)
6) Kansas City 22 (17)
7) New York 22 (17)

Western Conference
1) Salt Lake 24 (18)
2) Houston 23 (17)
3) L.A. Galaxy 23 (18)
4) Dallas 22 (18)
5) Chivas 22 (16)
6) Colorado 21 (18)
7) San Jose 15 (18)