MLS Week 27 Review

The last rites remain undelivered, but Chicago Fire striker Chris Rolfe may have dealt a fatal blow to Los Angeles Galaxy’s slim post-season hopes this past weekend.

In a dazzling performance, Rolfe netted two goals and set up another for Cuauhtemoc Blanco as Chicago overcame the supposed Galacticos 3-1 at Toyota Park. San Jose aside, all of Galaxy’s Western Conference play-off rivals recorded vital wins as the battle took a new twist – as it now stands, four teams from each conference will progress.

Rolfe’s impact during his debut season in 2005 saw him earn his first international cap that November in a friendly against Scotland. His progression has been slowed by injuries, but on his day there are few better forwards in MLS.

John Thorrington and Blanco combined to engineer Rolfe’s first chance on nine minutes. His curling left-foot shot from the right of the penalty box was smartly tipped around the far post by Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Wicks. Four minutes later, Rolfe worked his way into a similar position after a couple of attempted tackles ricocheted in his favour. This time his composed effort curled around Wicks to give Chicago the lead.

Galaxy worked their way back into the game in the latter stages of the first half. Eddie Lewis equalised on 34 minutes, his first goal for Los Angeles, brilliantly adjusting his body under pressure to flick home a cross by right-back Chris Klein. Thereafter, it was largely one-way traffic as Chicago dominated after the interval.

An electrifying turn by Rolfe created space for him to thread a through-ball for Blanco on 57 minutes. The veteran Mexican may not be the world’s fastest sprinter, but he covered enough ground to be in position to take advantage of a defensive mix-up. Blanco stepped in to slot the ball into an empty net as Galaxy defender Troy Roberts and the advancing Wicks left the clearance to each other.

The contest was over two minutes later as Chicago treated the buoyant home crowd to an example of their finest play. Blanco’s instinctive back-heel released Gonzalo Segares down the left and his cross-field pass found Rolfe racing clear. He advanced on goal before steering his finish just beyond Wicks’ reach to seal the win.

While Blanco continues to inspire Chicago, an increasing number of Galaxy fans are wondering what their superstar brings to their team. David Beckham still has many apologists defending his lack of defensive application by incorrectly branding him as a creative winger. Others shrug off his lack of offensive threat by citing his play as that of a deep-lying defensive midfielder. At his best Beckham was neither, but he worked diligently to perform both sides of the wide-midfield role extremely effectively. Today, Beckham is still neither but he chooses to do neither. It looks like Galaxy fans will have an extra month during the off-season to contemplate this third reason.

Dallas entered the weekend one point above L.A. but extended that lead with a 3-0 trouncing of D.C. United. The capital side are enduring a terrible run of form at the worst possible moment with two points gained from the last 15 as well as two disappointing losses in the CONCACAF Champions’ League in recent weeks. This defeat sees them slip out of the play-off places as Real Salt Lake, fourth in the West, eclipse their points total.

Salt Lake achieved that feat courtesy of a surprising 3-2 win at San Jose which ended the Earthquakes’ nine-game unbeaten run. That streak coincided with the arrival of Darren Huckerby. He scored twice to bring his tally to six so far for San Jose, but his exploits were matched by Yura Movsisyan before Javier Morales earned the visitors the win with a textbook free-kick. RSL move into the Rio Tinto Stadium on October 9. They have given themselves a great opportunity to christen their new home with the team’s first ever trip to the play-offs.

Colorado picked up an unlikely road win at Giants Stadium, overcoming the dreadful artificial surface to beat New York in a goal fest. Conor Casey’s perfectly executed volley in the final minute sealed his hat-trick and a 5-4 win for the Rapids to keep them in third place in the West.

With so much excitement surrounding the race for play-off places – only Toronto now look out of the picture – Saturday evening’s clash between the league’s two top sides was somewhat overshadowed. New England Revolution were looking to reduce the five-point advantage established by Columbus Crew, but Sigi Schmid’s side continued their impressive season with a 1-0 win at a rainy Gillette Stadium. Even the 65th minute dismissal of captain Frankie Hejduk could not derail the visitors as Chad Marshall’s first half header proved decisive.

Houston Dynamo retain an outside chance of overhauling Columbus for the Supporters’ Shield, but their CONCACAF Champions’ League involvement leads to an intensive October schedule which will test the depth of Dominic Kinnear’s squad. Marvell Wynne’s late equaliser for Toronto earned a 1-1 draw against the defending champions at BMO Field after teammate Hunter Freeman had gifted the visitors a first half lead with a bizarre own goal.

The Dynamo organisation would love to add the Supporters’ Shield to the list of accomplishments achieved during their brief tenure, but few connected with the club will have too much cause for complaint if their third season ends in similar fashion to the first two – by lifting MLS Cup.

Week 27 Results

Chicago 3 L.A. Galaxy 1
Toronto 1 Houston 1
Chivas 2 Kansas City 1 (Injuries begin to clear at the right time for Preki's team)
New England 0 Columbus 1
New York 4 Colorado 5
San Jose 2 Salt Lake 3
Dallas 3 D.C. United 0

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) Columbus 50 points (played 26)
2) New England 42 (26)
3) Chicago 41 (26)
4) *New York 35 (26)
5) D.C. United 33 (26)
6) Kansas City 32 (26)
7) Toronto 28 (26)

Western Conference
1) Houston 40 (25)
2) Chivas 36 (26)
3) Colorado 34 (26)
4) *Salt Lake 34 (26)
5) Dallas 33 (26)
6) L.A. Galaxy 29 (26)
7) San Jose 29 (25)

*Lines show teams occupying play-off positions.

MLS Week 26 - Ike Leaves Stern Examination for Houston

Extreme weather remains an inherent factor for Major League Soccer clubs despite it being a “summer league”. Harsh northern winters provide one reason why the ruling body continues to avoid adopting the conventional FIFA calendar, but soaring temperatures across southern States often leads to insufferable conditions for players and fans alike.

Houston Dynamo are affected more than most when it comes to dealing with the elements. With temperatures constantly approaching the hundreds from June through September, when high humidity is also the norm, reaching optimal fitness in pre-season is essential ahead of those months when it is simply too hot to go overboard on the training field.

The reigning back-to-back MLS Champions do take advantage of their home climate to the detriment of many a visitor to Robertson Stadium. During their three-year tenure, Dynamo have lost only once in 27 home league matches during the summer months. But the devastating effects of Hurricane Ike presents an even greater challenge for the Men In Orange as they seek an unprecedented third successive crown.

Apart from anything else, the regular travel across the continent places huge demands on top MLS players. In light of the impending strike by Ike, Dynamo departed for last weekend’s visit to San Jose Earthquakes a day early. This in itself caused problems for goalkeeper Pat Onstad and playmaker Dwayne De Rosario. The duo represented Canada less than 24 hours earlier in their 2-1 loss to Mexico in the distant provincial town of Tuxtla Gutierrez.

No sooner had they made the long trek back to Bush International Airport than they were on the four-hour flight to Northern California. American internationals Brian Ching and Ricardo Clark featured in the USA’s 3-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago in Chicago and met up with their teammates in San Jose.

After securing a hard-earned point at Buck Shaw Stadium, Dynamo remained stranded in the Bay Area as Houston’s airports stayed closed. Fortunately they were able to return on the Monday, but such disruption to the schedule obviously impacts upon training and preparation for the next match.

As it was, Dynamo’s two home games this week fell victim to the storm’s aftermath. Firstly, the midweek CONCACAF Champions’ League tie with Luis Angel Firpo of El Salvador was postponed indefinitely. Secondly, Saturday’s return fixture with San Jose was rescheduled for mid-October as much of Houston remains without power and traffic signals fail to operate. Concerns for the safety of the public triumphed easily.

With further disruption affecting plans, Dynamo squad members took it upon themselves to assist FEMA efforts to distribute supplies to those in need. Such acts help to foster the close bond between the players and the local community in an era where so many of their millionaire counterparts in other high-profile leagues around the world appear to have lost touch with the reality of everyday life.

The city will hope that Dynamo’s return to action in Toronto next weekend does not mirror that of the local baseball team. The Astros pulled themselves into contention for an unlikely play-off spot with 14 wins in 15 games prior to Hurricane Ike, only to slip out of the picture with five straight defeats after the interruption.

Dynamo cannot afford to let their form slide. The team’s momentum has continued to build in recent weeks and they retain a commanding six-point lead in the Western Conference despite their inactivity. With the CONCACAF Champions’ League group matches also being played before the end of October, Dynamo face 17 fixtures between now and the season’s end if they are to successfully defend their title in Los Angeles on November 23.

Head coach Dominic Kinnear and assistant John Spencer have built a formidable roster with arguably greater depth than any other MLS side. That depth will undergo a stern examination over the next two months.

The biggest news on the field this weekend came, as usual, from L.A. Galaxy as Bruce Arena’s side earned their first victory since June 14 with a 5-2 mauling of D.C. United. It was a win inspired by their true superstar, Landon Donovan, who brought his goals tally for the season to 19 in 20 games with three clinical finishes. Galaxy remain two points outside of a play-off spot with five games left. They face three difficult road trips to Chicago, Columbus, and Houston, but at least hope has been restored after last week’s debacle in Kansas City.

Week 26 Results

Columbus 3 New York 1 (Angel, Hejduk and Rogers hold their own Goal of the Season competition)
Kansas City 2 Toronto 0 (Wizards within a point of play-off positions after dropping Claudio Lopez)
Salt Lake 0 Chivas 1 (Defensive mix-up gifts the win to the Goats)
Colorado 1 New England 1 (Controversial final whistle denies Rapids a glorious last chance)
L.A. Galaxy 5 D.C. United 2
Chicago 1 Dallas 4 (League's best defense has a seriously bad day)

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) Columbus 47 points (played 25)
2) New England 42 (25)
3) Chicago 38 (25)
4) New York 35 (25)
5) *D.C. United 33 (25)
6) Kansas City 32 (25)
7) Toronto 27 (25)

Western Conference
1) Houston 39 (24)
2) Chivas 33 (25)
3) *Colorado 31 (25)
4) Salt Lake 31 (25)
5) Dallas 30 (25)
6) L.A. Galaxy 29 (25)
7) San Jose 29 (24)

*Lines show teams occupying play-off positions.

MLS Week 25 - The Disruption of Ike

Hawksport travelled to the Bay Area last weekend to watch the visiting Houston Dynamo battle to a 1-1 draw at San Jose Earthquakes, the site of their former incarnation.

Unfortunately, the arrival of Hurricane Ike cancelled all flights to and from Houston area airports over the weekend and caused a four-day delay to my return.

Many in the Houston area remain without power a full week after the storm. As a result, a timely report on the action from Week 25 was not possible.

Hawksport will return to normal service for the coming weekend’s fixtures.

Week 25 Results

New England 4 Chivas 0 (The sign says "Ralston Rules" - it's hard to disagree)
Toronto 1 Columbus 1 (Crew continues to lead the way)
Kansas City 2 L.A. Galaxy 0 (Beckham gives another lesson in how not to close down opponents)
D.C. United 2 Dallas 2 (Kenny Cooper gives another example why he should play for USA)
New York 2 Salt Lake 1 (Angel benefits from horrendous refereeing blunder)
San Jose 1 Houston 1 (Fair result between West's two form teams)
Colorado 2 Chicago 0 (Second consecutive win puts Rapids firmly back in play-off picture)

MLS Week 24 Review

European leagues were idle this weekend as the first round of World Cup qualifiers took precedence. The US secured their second 1-0 road win in CONCACAF qualifying, this time against Cuba, but such is life in Major League Soccer that the domestic show goes on. A full schedule of fixtures took place despite squad depletions across the board.

Toronto, with many Canadian internationals, were hardest hit as nine regulars missed the visit of Chivas. Head coach John Carver fielded three defenders signed during the week; a 39-year-old from the obscure Canadian Soccer League, a former MLS player now employed as a team scout, and a one-game loan signing from Vancouver Whitecaps. They gave a fabulous account of themselves, but ultimately Chivas took three points with a 3-1 win.

The MLS schedule is riddled with frustrating anomalies. In a 30-game regular season, these teams met twice in eight days. The same fete awaits San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamo over the next fortnight. A Dynamo front office employee told me on Friday that MLS insists the fixtures are randomly generated. It would seem there are a few bugs in the software. How else to explain this week’s farcical 2pm kick-off for Kansas City’s trip to the searing summer heat of South-East Texas?

As fans sought refuge in what little shade Robertson Stadium affords, Dynamo revelled in bullying the Wizards into submission. Their comfortable 3-1 win sees the two-time defending champions pull seven points clear at the top of the Western Conference. Much is made of the restrictive nature of coaching in MLS but Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear has built an impressively deep roster that barely flinched at losing four key starters to international duty. In Houston, designated players need not apply.

Kansas had their DP on show – former Argentine international Claudio Lopez. Little fanfare has surrounded a player who once attracted the world’s highest transfer fee when moving from Valencia to Lazio in 2000. This performance showed why. After an initial spurt of effort, Lopez slid into obscurity as Dynamo seized control of midfield. El Piojo (The Louse) may no longer have the passing guile of Gaizka Mendieta or Dejan Stankovic available to provide him with service, but his frequent gesticulations when teammates fail to find him must adversely affect team morale. Four goals and a string of mediocre performances marks a poor return for his $720,000 salary.

Any hopes New England harboured of a quick return to the league’s summit were crushed by Columbus Crew as The Revs clocked their third 4-0 reverse in seven games. After being humiliated by Trinidad’s Joe Public in the CONCACAF Champions League preliminary stage, head coach Steve Nicol will be aghast at the manner in which his team were dismantled in Ohio. Columbus registered 27 shots on goal, 13 on target. In response, only Taylor Twellman mustered one single attempt requiring a save from Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer.

This loss is more galling as New England were virtually at full strength. Only the Costa Rican defender Gabriel Badilla was on international duty. Guillermo Barros Schelotto continued his canvassing for Player of the Year votes with the opening goal and two assists as the Crew moved five points clear in the East.

After vacating the basement last week, San Jose’s charge up the table continues unabated with a 2-1 victory over D.C. United. The Earthquakes climb into fourth in the West. D.C. clinched their second US Open Cup title in midweek with a narrow 2-1 win over Charleston Battery of the United Soccer League First Division, the second tier of football in America, but a lengthy injury list meant they were no match for Frank Yallop’s rampant side. Recent signings Arturo Alvarez and “English legend” Darren Huckerby gave the Californians an unassailable lead despite Santino Quaranta’s late consolation.

The Earthquakes’ resurgence coupled with Colorado Rapids’ 1-0 win at Dallas piles further pressure on Los Angeles Galaxy. They could only draw 2-2 at home with Real Salt Lake. Galaxy has not won since June 14th, amassing only six points from a possible 33 in that period. Still, there was a night of high drama in Carson as Bruce Arena soldiered on without the brilliance of Landon Donovan.

Fabian Espindola appeared to give Salt Lake an early lead and the former Boca Juniors youngster wheeled away in celebration with his trademark backflip. Unfortunately, he injured himself upon landing and limped to the touchline for treatment. Worse was to follow; Espindola was judged to be offside, the goal was disallowed, and Brian Jordan scored minutes later for Galaxy as RSL head coach Jason Kreis waited to replace his prostrate striker.

Jordan must have missed Espindola’s botched gymnastics as he collapsed to the turf after somersaulting. Thankfully he got to his feet and continued – diagnosis later revealed that Espindola had broken his leg. Salt Lake battled back to take the lead before Edson Buddle rescued a point for Galaxy with his 13th goal of the season.

With seven games remaining, Galaxy face trips to the league’s current top three (Columbus, Chicago and Houston). Chivas remain in the final play-off place, but they also have a difficult run-in. Should San Jose avoid a meltdown in their double-meeting with Houston, they look to have the easiest path through October.

How Galaxy management must rue relieving Frank Yallop from his coaching duties last year in favour of building a faltering sideshow. The great list of footballing ironies could soon have another entrant.

Week 24 Results

Dallas 0 Colorado 1
Toronto 1 Chivas 3
Columbus 4 New England 0
Chicago 1 New York 0 (Stephen King capitalises on NY defensive horror story)
San Jose 2 D.C. United 1
L.A. Galaxy 2 Salt Lake 2
Houston 3 Kansas City 1 (Click here for game pictures from Robertson Stadium)

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) Columbus 43 points (played 23)
2) Chicago 38 (23)
3) New England 38 (23)
4) D.C. United 32 (23)
5) *New York 32 (23)
6) Toronto 26 (23)
7) Kansas City 26 (23)

Western Conference
1) Houston 38 (23)
2) Salt Lake 31 (23)
3) *Chivas 30 (23)
4) San Jose 28 (23)
5) Colorado 27 (23)
6) Dallas 26 (23)
7) L.A. Galaxy 26 (23)

*Lines show teams occupying play-off positions.

MLS Week 23 Review

Ruud Gullit’s appointment as head coach of Los Angeles Galaxy brought a rash of excitement – sexy football was coming to MLS. History already shows that events did not turn out that way. Entertainers are sparse on US soil but they do exist. Landon Donovan remains Galaxy’s sole shining light with his rich vein of outstanding form, the impressive high energy pressing and attacking of Houston Dynamo continues, Chivas and D.C. United are capable of exhibiting delightfully fluid play, and Cuauhtemoc Blano continues to thrill Chicago. Columbus Crew do not spring to mind, but that may soon change.

Sigi Schmid’s team reclaimed overall top spot this weekend with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Dallas repeating the result from their clash two weeks earlier in Ohio. Ironically, Schmid was dismissed as Galaxy head coach in 2004 despite topping the table at the time. He also brought the MLS Cup, US Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions’ Cup to Southern California during his five-year reign. How fortunes have changed.

While Galaxy’s management pursue their misfiring galactico path, a route which has increased merchandise sales but anchored the team firmly in the lower echelons, Columbus are thriving after three barren seasons. Schmid is an intelligent, shrewd coach who has benefitted immensely from the evergreen form of Argentine veteran Guillermo Barros Schelotto.

The Boca Juniors legend has been in sensational form this season. Assists may be a dubious statistic designed to appease the American sports fan, but for what it is worth Schelotto leads the league by some distance – 16 goals created in 22 games (twice the amount generously attributed to David Beckham) adding to five goals of his own. Entering the season, Schelotto ranked 20th in the MLS 2008 guaranteed earnings list on $250,000. The return on that investment has been staggering.

Venezuelan striker Alejandro Moreno leads the team in scoring with eight goals, but the other headline grabber has been Robbie Rogers. The young winger was selected for the MLS All-Star First XI but missed the chance to face West Ham United due to his involvement with the US Olympics squad. Rogers was plucked from a scholarship at University of Maryland by Heerenveen in 2006. While his compatriot Michael Bradley excelled for the provincial Dutch team, Rogers quickly chose to return to America whereupon he was swiftly acquired by the Crew via a draft lottery. At 21, he looks to have a bright future and one that could see him earn another shot at Europe before long.

Columbus are near certainties to reach the post-season, but they will be keen to fend off New England Revolution in the race for the Supporters’ Shield – presented to the team finishing the regular season with the highest points total. The Revs have stuttered since lifting the Superliga title last month. Saturday’s 2-2 draw with the Donovan-inspired Galaxy meant only one win in August for Steve Nicol’s men. Much will depend on the teams’ two eagerly anticipated September meetings.

Houston also pushed themselves firmly into the Supporters’ Shield race with a battling 2-1 win over Chicago Fire that leaves both teams five points behind Columbus. Brian McBride took five minutes to notch his first goal since returning from English football. Blanco gained possession at the edge of Houston’s penalty area after a stumble by Dynamo defender Bobby Boswell. His measured cross found McBride in space at the back post and the former Fulham man blasted past an exposed Pat Onstad from close range.

Dynamo levelled within 60 seconds – Brad Davis setting Dwayne De Rosario free to slide past Jon Busch’s sprawling frame. The Chicago goalkeeper was busy throughout the first half as Houston laid siege to his goal. Davis tested him with a couple of efforts before Brian Mullan pulled his shot wide from a glorious position on the right of the penalty area. Davis then sent a header off target with the goal at his mercy before Mullan atoned for his earlier miss by finishing a sweeping move from a similar position on 39 minutes.

Real Salt Lake remain second in the West following their comfortable 2-0 win over the freefalling Colorado Rapids, but San Jose Earthquakes look like they could provide the biggest success story of the season. The expansion side started from a defensive base and looked utterly toothless during the first half of the season. At the end of July, they sat six points adrift at the bottom of the table and eight points outside of a play-off spot with three wins in 18 games and a measly 12 goals scored. Head coach Frank Yallop bolstered his attack during the transfer window by adding Arturo Alvarez (Dallas), Scott Sealy (Kansas City), and most significantly Darren Huckerby (Norwich).

The Quakes won their three August home games and drew at Chivas to extend their unbeaten run to seven matches. Huckerby’s late winner on Saturday, his third in six games, clinched a vital 2-1 win over Kansas City which moves San Jose off the bottom for the first time in nearly four months. They are now level with L.A. Galaxy and only two points behind Chivas in the battle for the final play-off place.

Yallop, of course, was also cast aside by a Galaxy front office suffering from delusions of grandeur. Since Beckham’s debut in D.C. last August, Galaxy have amassed 26 points from a possible 75 when he has played. In 14 games without him, Galaxy have 19 points from 42. He was brought in for a quarter of a billion dollars to sell the jerseys, but it seems that nobody in Hollywood noticed the double entendre.

Week 23 Results

Salt Lake 2 Colorado 0
New England 2 L.A. Galaxy 2
D.C. United 0 New York 0 (Not the best choice for Fox's live game!)
Dallas 1 Columbus 2
San Jose 2 Kansas City 1
Chivas 2 Toronto 1 (Late goalkeeping blunder puts Chivas into play-off spot)
Houston 2 Chicago 1

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) Columbus 40 points (played 22)
2) New England 38 (22)
3) Chicago 35 (22)
4) D.C. United 32 (22)
5) *New York 32 (22)
6) Toronto 26 (22)
7) Kansas City 26 (22)

Western Conference
1) Houston 35 (22)
2) Salt Lake 30 (22)
3) *Chivas 27 (22)
4) Dallas 26 (22)
5) L.A. Galaxy 25 (22)
6) San Jose 25 (22)
7) Colorado 24 (22)

*Lines show teams occupying play-off positions.