Hawksport: American Soccer

Soccer Back on the Horizon

2009-01-25T17:43:00.013-06:00

This article first appeared in RedMatchday Magazine, Aberdeen Football Club's award-winning publication, on January 24, 2009.

The countdown to the Major League Soccer kick-off on March 19 began in earnest last week with the 2009 SuperDraft held in St. Louis, Missouri.

Previous first picks have included Brian McBride (Columbus Crew’s choice in the league’s first draft in 1996), the then 14-year-old striker Freddy Adu (2004 – D.C. United), and Rangers midfielder Maurice Edu (2007 – Toronto); three players who crossed over to Europe to further their careers.

This year’s first choice takes the opposing route as Londoner Steve Zakuani joins Seattle Sounders.

As the league’s newest franchise, Seattle were granted first pick to help with their squad expansion. They have already pulled off a major coup by landing last season’s championship-winning head coach Sigi Schmid from Columbus, as well as signing former Premiership duo Kasey Keller and Freddie Ljungberg.

Such additions give kudos to the commitment shown by an ownership group including Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and comedian Drew Carey. The Emerald City has responded enthusiastically with 19,000 season tickets already sold – the highest number of any MLS team.

Zakuani’s journey is one that he thinks will become increasingly popular with youngsters being overlooked by England’s top clubs. Speaking to Fox Soccer Channel after his selection, he said: “I think you will see it (English players enrolling in American soccer scholarships) more and more as MLS gets more exposure and a lot of college kids make it into the league. In England, you can’t play soccer and study at the same time. This is a unique system that still gives you a chance to go professional afterwards.”

The Congo-born striker moved to the UK at an early age whereupon his prodigious talent was spotted by Arsenal scouts. After representing the Gunners at various youth team levels but failing to earn a professional contract, Zakuani accepted a soccer scholarship at University of Akron, Ohio. He terrorised defences during his two years of college play with his threatening combination of height, explosive pace, willingness to run at defences, and coolness in front of goal.

He scored 43 goals in 44 matches in total – a feat which caught the attention of scouts from nearby Columbus, a two-hour drive from Akron, and one that the departed head coach Schmid remembered on draft day. Schmid likens his new protégé’s talents to those of former Rangers player Brian Laudrup.

Zakuani, whose elder sibling Gabriel is currently on loan from Fulham to Peterborough United, is confident that he can make an early impact in MLS. Speaking at the Draft, he said: “I’m ready. I’m going to work hard, catch up to the level of play, and hopefully contribute right away. I think (Seattle) is probably the best team to go to because everyone is new. We’re all going to come in and fight for starting spots.”

Although teams receive four draft picks, one in each of four rounds of selections, those picks are frequently traded away as makeweights in other transfer deals. Mo Johnston, Director of Soccer for Toronto, was the busiest man in the floor during the first round as the Canadians held second, fourth, and thirteenth choices.

Johnston sealed a prime acquisition last month by tempting Dwayne De Rosario back to his hometown after a trophy-laden career with San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamo.

Houston adopted the most sagacious strategy in selecting Marcus Tracy with their lowly 56th pick. The Wake Forest University striker pipped Zakuani to the 2008 college Player of the Year award, but he decided to sign a contract with Danish champions Aalborg rather than join the draft.

By selecting Tracy nonetheless, Houston retain his rights for two years and could land the player if an unsuccessful European stint hastens his return home.

Ladies Get In On The Act

The first draft for the newly-formed Women’s Professional Soccer league (WPS) also took place in St. Louis last week.

Anyone who witnessed the US defeating Brazil in last summer’s Olympic Final will be aware that the quality of women’s football has improved dramatically in recent years. The gold-winning Americans will be joined by a wealth of international talent as star players from the national teams of Australia, Brazil, China, England, France, Germany, Japan, and Sweden have been quick to sign up, much to the chagrin of Europe’s top leagues.

Having seen the Women’s United Soccer Association accumulate $100m losses in its brief three-year existence prior to folding in 2003, WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci advocates a slow and steady growth this time around. Common ownerships with MLS franchises and the use of shared stadia are highly desired to take advantage of economic synergies.

Seven teams will compete in the inaugural competition beginning on March 29 with three further sides joining in 2010. Fox Soccer Channel is on board to carry a weekly live game and the channel has already started its advertising campaign with US internationals Heather Mitts and Hope Solo promoting “The Beautiful Game”.

The league’s biggest attraction will undoubtedly be Marta, the outrageously talented Brazilian forward who has monopolised the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award since 2006. Marta leaves behind the Swedish league to join Los Angeles Sol; one franchise already sharing ownership and a stadium with an MLS team (L.A. Galaxy).

Antonucci hopes for initial attendances in the range of 4,000 to 6,000, but regardless of the improved quality on offer it is difficult to envisage figures rising above that level.

The continued gentrification of the sport makes stadia increasingly family-friendly and elevated numbers of women and families in attendance at men’s games can only serve to reduce the consumer base for WPS.

Given the choice between watching the men’s or women’s game, it is hard to imagine too many fans shelling out for the latter.

MLS Cup Final

2009-01-18T21:47:00.006-06:00

This article first appeared in RedMatchday Magazine, Aberdeen Football Club's award-winning publication, on November 29, 2008.

Columbus Crew ensured that their first MLS Championship Final appearance last Sunday was a celebratory occasion as they prevailed 3-1 over New York Red Bulls at Home Depot Centre in Los Angeles. In doing so, Head Coach of the Year Sigi Schmid’s side became the first Supporters’ Shield winners, awarded to the team with the best regular season record, to clinch the title since Los Angeles Galaxy in 2002.

In keeping with the regular season, Guillermo Barros Schelotto was the key to the Crew’s success. The veteran Argentine tormented the Red Bulls throughout and played a telling role in all three goals. It was fitting that the League MVP also received the MLS Final MVP award to add to his imposing collection of trophies. His contribution has been immense in turning around a franchise which missed the play-offs in each of the previous three seasons.

That Columbus were in town to contest the final was never seriously in dispute. Kansas City Wizards were dispatched in the Eastern Conference semi-final with relative ease before a stiff Chicago challenge was overcome by a rousing second half display. By contrast, New York were supposed to have been eliminated long ago. Despite suffering a 5-2 thrashing at Chicago in the last week of regular season fixtures, they were able to hang onto the eighth and final play-off spot thanks to results elsewhere. With one more point than Colorado Rapids, the Western Conference’s fourth-placed team, Red Bulls slid across to the West and survived trips to Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake en route to an unlikely title shot.

With supporters of both finalists facing a cross-continental trip, expectations for the season’s showpiece event were somewhat pessimistic. In fact, an electronic messageboard on the I-405 freeway close to Home Depot Centre still advertised tickets the day before the game. Nor was there any sign of travelling soccer fans in the nearby beach towns of Orange County and South L.A. over the weekend, except for one lone Red Bulls fan pedalling along the Hermosa Beach boardwalk. But fears of a funereal atmosphere were quickly dispelled as soccer-lovers from around the country turned up to provide a kaleidoscope of colour and a carnival atmosphere.

On first impression one would have thought Houston Dynamo were involved given the amount their orange-clad followers in attendance. Jerseys from all of the other twelve MLS clubs were on display with the exception of New England Revolution – no surprise given that only 5,200 of their fans could be bothered attending their home play-off game against Chicago. The real soccer fans of Southern California turned out in their original green-and-gold Galaxy tops; a remnant of a more successful era before club executives revamped their shirt for marketing purposes. There were even a handful of Seattle Sounders shirts on display. Freddie Ljungberg’s new team will become the league’s fifteenth franchise when they debut next season.

As kick-off approached, the supporters groups of Columbus and New York marched to their designated areas at opposite corners behind the north goal. Pockets of Crew fans could be found scattered around the stands as around 1,000 followers made the trek from Ohio. Though outnumbered, the few hundred Red Bulls fans were certainly not out-sung.

New York’s path through the play-offs was characterised by resolute defending, effective counter-attacking, and colossal amounts of good fortune, but the first half against Columbus proved to be different. Juan Carlos Osorio’s side may have finished 18 points behind their opponents in the regular season, but they enjoyed the bulk of play with wide-midfielders Dane Richards and Dave Van den Bergh providing a regular supply into the penalty box for Juan Pablo Angel and John Wolyniec.

Schelotto’s first major contribution came on 31 minutes when Columbus took the lead against the run of play. The former Boca Juniors man robbed a hesitant Van den Bergh near the touchline before setting Alejandro Moreno free down the right with an instant pass. The Venezuelan international raced clear before firing his shot beyond New York goalkeeper Danny Cepero into the far corner.

Richards hauled New York back into the match on 51 minutes. The Jamaican winger’s direct running created space on the right for Wolyniec and the veteran striker gratefully received possession before netting a deserved equaliser. Sadly for the Red Bulls, the game’s pivotal moment was to turn the match against them while they still celebrated. A minute later, Schelotto floated a needlessly conceded corner onto the head of Chad Marshall and the towering defender found the net for the seventh time this season.

Columbus were now in complete control. Schelotto rifled one long range effort off Cepero’s crossbar before creating the clinching goal on 82 minutes. His delightfully weighted chip allowed overlapping full-back Frankie Hejduk to complete the scoring. Hejduk, the team captain, returned to the spotlight soon afterwards to take possession of the newly created Philip Anschutz Trophy from MLS Commissioner Don Garber.

Schelotto may have won six league titles during a trophy-laden spell at La Bombonera, but he was still exuberant to receive his championship medal. He said: “Today is just as important as the first.” Fans of Columbus Crew will hope that this is not the last.

Pictures from Home Depot Center are available here.

MLS Conference Finals

2008-11-17T18:11:00.002-06:00

New York Red Bulls stand on the verge of winning the most improbable championship in MLS history after a weekend of high drama in the Conference Finals.

Three weeks ago, New York’s play-off hopes were in jeopardy after a 5-2 humbling in Chicago left them relying on Columbus Crew to defeat D.C. United. Columbus emerged victorious, leaving the Red Bulls clutching the eighth and final qualification spot. Now the two teams will do battle for the ultimate prize in Sunday’s season finale in Carson, California.

After a turbulent season which saw teenage prodigy Jozy Altidore depart for Villareal, captain Claudio Reyna forced into premature retirement, and two players (goalkeeper Jon Conway and defender Jeff Parke) receive ten-match season-ending suspensions after testing positive for illegal performance enhancers, head coach Juan Carlos Osorio has somehow engineered back-to-back road wins – double the amount achieved in 15 regular season games.

The Red Bulls travelled to Utah buoyed after stripping Houston of their crown, and by the fact that they had never lost to Real Salt Lake. The teams drew 1-1 on October 9 to mark the opening of Real’s new Rio Tinto Stadium. As was the case that night, a capacity crowd witnessed Dave van den Bergh give the visitors an early lead. But on this occasion, Salt Lake fell short in their attempts to hit back as New York held on to win 1-0.

Real defender Jamison Olave misjudged an attempted interception on 28 minutes, allowing veteran forward John Wolyniec the freedom of the left flank. His low cutback for Juan Pablo Angel was thwarted by Nick Rimando, but the sprawling goalkeeper could only palm the ball into the Dutchman’s path leaving the former Utrecht man to find the empty net from six yards.

The hosts almost restored parity ten minutes later. Javier Morales supplied an inswinging free-kick which narrowly eluded Clint Mathis and Kyle Beckerman before smacking the left post as New York goalkeeper Danny Cepero looked on helplessly.

Cepero’s goal led a charmed existence in the second leg against Houston and he was to enjoy further good fortune after the break. On 66 minutes, Olave spurned a golden opportunity to atone for his error by slicing high and wide from eight yards. Five minutes later, Yura Movsisyan looked set to equalise but Cepero narrowed the angle sufficiently to deflect the Armenian’s attempt wide.

The goalkeeper was beaten on 81 minutes although Robbie Findley’s effort was sliding agonisingly wide of the far post. Will Johnson gave chase to try to hook the ball back into the empty net, but he could only re-direct it against the post from a tight angle.

Nat Borchers joined the attack in the closing minutes and twice headed narrowly wide before the goal frame came to New York’s rescue one last time. With four minutes of injury time almost over, Morales latched onto a loose ball and watched in disbelief as his shot rebounded off the post with Cepero a mere bystander. New York had survived, somehow, despite Real’s 24 attempts on goal.

The Red Bulls’ fairytale run is epitomised by Cepero, the young goalkeeper brought in to replace Jon Conway last month. The 23-year-old marked his MLS debut against Columbus in spectacular fashion – he became the first goalkeeper to score in the league when his 80-yard free kick found the net after a customary random bounce on the artificial turf of Giants Stadium.

As well as enjoying a large share of luck, Cepero has displayed phenomenal agility in conceding only one goal in three play-off games.

Columbus, who topped the regular season table overall, remain favourites to end New York’s unlikely run in this Sunday’s final after they prevailed by 2-1 in a thrilling contest with Chicago Fire at Crew Stadium.

Initially, it appeared that Brian McBride would return to haunt his former team in his first game back in Ohio. But the Crew staged a successful second half comeback inspired by veteran Argentine playmaker Guillermo Barros Schelotto.

Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Chicago’s equally skilled creator, was the architect behind the first half’s highlights. His vast repertoire of tricks troubled the hosts as Chicago seized the initiative.

Blanco’s quick thinking led to the opener on 29 minutes. His instant throw-in released Justin Mapp down the left and his early cross found McBride in space on the six yard line. The former Fulham striker rose unchallenged to beat Will Hesmer with a routine header.

Columbus retaliated in style early in the second half. On 49 minutes, Schelotto provided a perfect set-piece delivery into the penalty area for Chad Marshall to attack. The recently named MLS Defender of the Year towered above McBride to power his header in off the crossbar.

Schelotto was involved again on 55 minutes as the Crew edged in front. His persistence prevented Chicago’s defense from clearing a long ball and eventually Alejandro Moreno found Eddie Gaven bursting into the box. The young midfielder kept his composure to steer an angled drive into Busch’s far corner.

For Crew head coach Sigi Schmid, recently named as Head Coach of the Year, the final at Home Depot Centre offers him the chance of a triumphant return to his former home. Schmid was famously dismissed by Los Angeles Galaxy in August 2004, despite the team sitting atop the standings, for failing to produce an entertaining style of play.

While Schmid has diligently continued with the job of producing a winning team, the decision-makers behind the league’s self-appointed flagship franchise still have much to learn about building a successful product on the pitch.

Conference Final Results

Eastern Conference
Columbus 2 Chicago 1

Western Conference
Salt Lake 0 New York 1

MLS Conference Semi-Finals - 2nd Legs

2008-11-10T18:47:00.003-06:00

Houston Dynamo’s reign as MLS champions is over. The 2006 and 2007 winners, seeking an unprecedented third consecutive title, were eliminated from the play-offs on Sunday after a sensational performance by New York Red Bulls, or more precisely by goalkeeper Danny Cepero and winger Dane Richards.

After drawing 1-1 draw on the lamentable FieldTurf of Giants Stadium, Houston were overwhelming favourites to progress to the Western Conference Final in front of a near-capacity 30,053 crowd at Robertson Stadium. Houston had suffered only one home loss during the regular season while New York managed one solitary road victory.

Richards ignited the flames ahead of the first leg by suggesting that he would “run that left back into the ground”, a tasteless jibe directed at Dynamo captain Wade Barrett in the wake of Red Bulls’ 3-0 win over Houston in August. The Jamaican international proved to be a man of his word as two of Houston’s early season frailties returned: an ageing defence and the lack of a top-class finisher.

Dynamo started on the front foot, pinning New York deep within their half, but the visitors emerged to take a shock lead on 25 minutes. Bosnian midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic’s pass exposed Barrett’s poor positioning and allowed Richards to burst inside the Dynamo veteran before finishing high past goalkeeper Pat Onstad.

Richards left Barrett in his wake again on 36 minutes before trying to pick out Juan Pablo Angel. His cross struck the arm of Dynamo midfielder Ricardo Clark inside the penalty area and referee Baldomero Toledo had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. It was a harsh decision and one that swung the tie firmly in New York’s favour as Angel calmly doubled the visitors’ advantage.

Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear withdrew his embattled captain at half-time and switched to a 3-5-2 formation in an effort to turn the game around. Winger Corey Ashe was employed wide on the left with the dual responsibility of carrying the fight to the Red Bulls’ rearguard while remaining cognisant of Richards’ pace on the break. Nate Jaqua replaced Kei Kamara shortly afterwards as Kinnear looked for more presence in New York’s crowded penalty area, but try as they might Houston could not beat a defiant Cepero.

Jaqua came closest, rattling the crossbar with a header before Brian Ching sent the rebound wide. Time and again, Houston sent in inviting crosses that slipped agonisingly past outstretched legs. When they did create shooting opportunities, their efforts either narrowly missed the target or were repelled by an inspired Cepero.

Richards confirmed Houston’s demise with one final act of brilliance on 81 minutes. He skipped clear of Bobby Boswell and the chasing Ashe before squaring for John Wolyniec to complete an unlikely 3-0 win. Still Dynamo failed to submit, but even in the fifth and final minute of injury time Jaqua could only watch one last effort evade the target.

Houston’s exit comes as a huge boost to the remaining sides, none more so than Real Salt Lake who now host this Saturday’s Western Conference Final against New York. Similar to the first leg, Salt Lake dominated against Chivas without being able to demonstrate their superiority on the scoreboard.

Chivas adopted an aggressive approach to prevent Salt Lake from settling into their now-customary passing style. Atiba Harris was lucky to escape punishment after his late follow-through on Real defender Robbie Russell went unnoticed and the visitors were further incensed when referee Michael Kennedy awarded Chivas a penalty on 30 minutes after Javier Morales collided with Ante Razov. Sacha Kljestan dispatched the kick impeccably to tie the aggregate score.

The visitors refused to be rattled and drew level on 39 minutes. Morales atoned for his error by curling in a superb cross for a determined Dema Kovalenko to glance beyond Chivas goalkeeper Zach Thornton. Real created a handful of great opportunities to wrap up the tie after the interval: Yura Movsisyan forced a brilliant low save from Thornton before firing another effort into the side netting, while Morales raced clear before botching an attempted chip over Thornton.

Morales finally gave Salt Lake the lead on the night with 13 minutes remaining. Robbie Findley retained possession after being forced wide by Thornton and found Morales at the corner of the penalty area. The Argentine skipped past Kljestan’s poor challenge before side-footing into the far corner. Justin Braun kept Chivas’ slim hopes alive with a late goal on 83 minutes, but Salt Lake survived to record a 2-2 draw which carries them into the next round.

Supporters’ Shield winners Columbus Crew will host Chicago Fire in the Eastern Conference Final this Thursday. Columbus easily overcame the challenge of Kansas City with a 2-0 win watched by 11,153 at Crew Stadium. Brad Evans raced clear to beat Wizards’ goalkeeper Kevin Hartman after only 7 minutes before Robbie Rogers sealed the win on 58 minutes. He steered Alejandro Moreno’s cross inside Hartman’s near post before the goalkeeper could get across his line to cover.

Columbus have yet to appear in an MLS Championship Final having previously lost out in each of their four Conference Final matches. If they are to reverse the trend they will have to overcome Chicago Fire who arguably enter the match in better form. Chicago finally progressed beyond New England Revolution after falling to Steve Nicol’s side in each of the last three post-seasons.

Blunted by the loss of their top three regular season scorers (Taylor Twellman, Adam Cristman and Steve Ralston), New England received better news when All-Star midfielder Shalrie Joseph passed a late fitness test. Unfortunately, his fellow midfielder Jeff Larentowicz was forced out of the game on 39 minutes after a late challenge by John Thorrington. Nicol’s deeply-depleted squad finally yielded in first half stoppage time when Chris Rolfe pounced to convert a rebound after Matt Reis could only parry Cuauhtemoc Blanco’s curling effort.

Defender William Conde all but sealed Chicago’s victory four minutes into the second half when he jumped unchallenged to convert Justin Mapp’s free kick. Another defender, Gonzalo Segares, completed the scoring on 74 minutes by converting an easy chance created by Rolfe’s trickery on the right wing. It was a fitting reward for the left back who provided a constant attacking threat throughout the match.

Conference Semi-Final Results (Second Leg)

Eastern Conference
Chicago 3 New England 0 (Agg. 3-0)
Columbus 2 Kansas City 0 (3-1)

Western Conference
Chivas 2 Salt Lake 2 (2-3)
Houston 0 New York 3 (1-4)

MLS Conference Semi-Finals - 1st Legs

2008-11-03T20:41:00.003-06:00

The MLS play-offs commenced last weekend with four largely disappointing first leg encounters displaying much in the way of brawn, but little brilliance. With the return matches taking place this weekend, each of the eight combatants remains in firm contention for a spot in the Conference Finals.

New England Revolution and Chicago Fire got the action off to a dismal start with an insomnia-curing 0-0 stalemate. The game highlighted a major obstacle which the league must fully overcome: the use of cavernous NFL stadia containing unsuitable playing surfaces. On the plus side, the Gillette Stadium ground staff removed the grid iron lines for a match of such magnitude. Not that the game’s importance registered in the Boston area. A paltry 5,221 crowd disturbed the otherwise tranquil environs of the 69,000 seat stadium. In hindsight, the deserters made a smart choice.

The Revs must negotiate this post-season without Taylor Twellman, their talismanic striker, who suffered a concussion while scoring against L.A. Galaxy on August 30. Although Twellman returned to action, concerns remain about his health. He has been ruled out indefinitely due to continuing symptoms and his absence is a massive blow for head coach Steve Nicol. Twellman was the only Revs player to find the net during their run to last year’s MLS Cup Final, including a spectacular game-winning overhead kick against Chicago. Despite enduring an injury-hit campaign this year, he still finished as the team’s joint-top scorer with eight goals from only 12 starts.

Chicago’s lack of cutting edge emanated from their unusual defensive approach, perhaps adopted in mind of their elimination by New England in each of the last three post-seasons. Chris Rolfe tormented New York Red Bulls with a hat-trick and two assists in the final regular season game, but he was dropped into midfield as head coach Dennis Hamlett succeeded in earning a draw to take back to the Windy City.

Entertainment was provided for the capacity 10,385 crowd at Kansas City’s CommunityAmerica Ballpark as the Wizards came within seconds of securing a first-leg lead over Supporters’ Shield winners Columbus Crew. Claudio Lopez, the former Valencia and Lazio forward, continued his revival after an ignominious stretch on the substitutes’ bench. His perfect cross on 53 minutes allowed Davy Arnaud to head the hosts in front.

Hercules Gomez undermined the Wizards’ efforts when he was sent off on 75 minutes for a two-footed tackle on Crew’s Gino Padula. Further punishment followed two minutes into injury time when Steven Lenhart beat Wizards’ goalkeeper Kevin Hartman with a low drive from the edge of the penalty box. Columbus, the league’s best side during the regular season, are now heavily favoured to progress.

New York Red Bulls, eighth overall in the final standings, slid across to the Western Conference to face back-to-back defending champions Houston Dynamo on the appalling artificial turf of Giants Stadium. Houston entered the play-offs having lost only once in their last 17 league games: a crushing 3-0 defeat at New York which bolstered home hopes of a repeat. New York’s marketing department must have been on vacation last week though as only 11,578 fans turned up – nearly 7,000 fewer than the Reds Bulls’ previous home game against Columbus.

An abysmal first half was littered with minor scuffles as frustrated forwards fruitlessly chased long punts over opposition defences. Red Bulls made an early breakthrough after the interval when Juan Pablo Angel took advantage of hesitant Dynamo defending to score on 48 minutes. Now 33, the former Aston Villa man may be lacking pace, but he retains the predatory instincts to make him one of the league’s most potent strikers. While the normally solid Eddie Robinson dallied to judge the bounce on John Wolyniec’s cross, Angel stooped in at the near post to steer his header beyond Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad.

Houston could have settled for the chance to overhaul a slim deficit back at Robertson Stadium, as they have done in each of the past two seasons, but their Glasgow-born head coach Dominic Kinnear instead opted to freshen his attack. His bold move paid off five minutes from full time when two of his substitutes combined to level the match. Another Anglo-Scot, Aberdeen-born midfielder Stuart Holden, seized upon a loose ball as New York failed to clear a cross. He set up Kei Kamara to score an equaliser which swings this tie firmly in Houston’s favour. Dynamo lost once at home all season; New York won once on the road.

The play-offs finally came to life thanks to an exhilarating display of open, attacking football by Real Salt Lake. They take a 1-0 lead back to Los Angeles against Chivas USA which does little to reward their domination. Yura Movsisyan clinched Salt Lake’s first ever play-off berth with a last minute equaliser against Colorado Rapids last week. The young Armenian repeated the trick with a deft finish just as Chivas thought they would escape from Utah with an undeserved draw.

Salt Lake peppered the visitors’ goal, out-shooting their opponents by 21-3, but too often their final efforts were straight at Chivas’ goalkeeper Zach Thornton. The hosts refused to become disheartened and Argentine playmaker Javier Morales continued to orchestrate attack after attack. Morales has evolved into one of the league’s outstanding players and it was his continuing verve and determination that eventually led to the late game-winner. After working his way through a congested penalty area to the touchline, Morales pulled his cut-back low to the edge of the six-yard box. Movsisyan instinctively redirected the ball into the far corner with an instep flick more commonly associated with Alessandro Del Piero.

Chivas’ head coach Preki, the former Everton and Portsmouth winger, can be thankful that his depleted side remains in close contact for the return game. Disappointingly again, only 14,719 fans witnessed an exciting match. The attendance is unfathomable considering this was only the third game played at Real’s new Rio Tinto Stadium. A sell-out crowd of 20,000 greeted the stadium’s opening as recently as October 9.

With the outcomes of all four Conference Semi-Finals still finely balanced, the league’s marketing gurus can hopefully erode some of the public’s apathy and boost crowds for this weekend’s decisive second leg fixtures.

Conference Semi-Final Results (First Leg)

Western Conference
New York 1 Houston 1
Salt Lake 1 Chivas 0

Eastern Conference
New England 0 Chicago 0
Kansas City 1 Columbus 1

MLS Week 31 - The Regular Season Concludes

2008-10-28T10:51:00.004-05:00

Given the excitement of recent weeks, it was no surprise that the MLS play-off picture remained undecided until the closing minutes of the final weekend’s action. Ultimately, Real Salt Lake triumphed over Colorado Rapids in the Western Conference, while Kansas City Wizards and New York Red Bulls held off D.C. United in the East.

Thursday’s ESPN game provided New York with the first opportunity to clinch their post-season place as they faced Chicago Fire at Toyota Park. For Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio, it ended up being a miserable return to the city where he managed last year as Chicago wrapped up all nine points from the teams’ three encounters this season.

The brilliance of Chris Rolfe destroyed the visitors. The Fire forward notched a first half hat-trick before turning provider as Chicago ran out commanding 5-2 winners.

The hosts took an 11th minute lead with a fine passing move initiated, as always, by Cuauhtemoc Blanco. The Mexican’s intricate back-heel released Justin Mapp who in turn found Stephen King breaking on the right wing. King’s early cross was finished at the near post by a determined Rolfe.

Juan Pablo Angel converted Dave van den Bergh’s perfect delivery on 32 minutes to level the score before Rolfe took control. Firstly on 38 minutes, the American international controlled Gabriel Cichero’s headed clearance on his chest at the edge of the penalty area before firing an unstoppable volley beyond Danny Cepero. One minute before half-time, another extravagant Blanco back-heel sent Rolfe clear on Cepero and he slotted coolly beyond the advancing goalkeeper.

Rolfe is not the most prolific forward in the league but his contribution is exceptional. His sharp turn on 53 minutes created space for him to find the overlapping Diego Gutierrez. The left-back’s early cross was swept home by Brian McBride as the Fire continued to rage at New York’s beleaguered defence. Rolfe’s final contribution was to find Daniel Woolard for the fifth goal before Macoumba Kandji netted a late consolation for New York.

After the Red Bulls failed dismally to seal their own fate, there was to be no repeat by Kansas City. The Wizards travelled to Foxborough to face New England Revolution and emerged with a 3-1 win to wrap up the East’s fourth seed.

The Revs were already assured of their play-off spot but head coach Steve Nicol must have serious concerns over their form ahead of their two-legged tie with Chicago. Since winning Superliga on August 5, New England gathered only 10 points from 13 league games and suffered a humiliating 6-1 aggregate defeat to Trinidad’s Joe Public FC in the CONCACAF Champions’ League qualifying round.

New England’s early implosion handed victory to the grateful Wizards. A defensive error released Claudio Lopez on 26 minutes before the Argentine was hauled down in the penalty area by Gabriel Badilla. Lopez remained cool to slot home the resultant kick after the Costa Rican defender had been dismissed. Khano Smith’s mindless lunge at Herculez Gomez minutes before the break saw him join Badilla in the dressing room, allowing Kansas to easily secure the win with a two-man advantage.

Lopez’ unexpected returned to form signals an end to his recent fall from grace. The former Valencia and Lazio striker was ignominiously dropped from Curt Onalfo’s starting eleven recently after a series of undistinguished displays: a bold move by the youthful head coach but one that resulted in an unlikely turnaround. Lopez returned for last week’s vital win against San Jose with a goal and two assists and he played a part in Davy Arnaud’s decisive second goal on 53 minutes.

Onalfo will need Lopez to be at his best as the Wizards progress to meet Supporters’ Shield winners Columbus Crew.

D.C. United, Supporters’ Shield winners for the last two years, were left with the final challenge: win in Columbus or go home. The visitors dominated, twice hitting the post in the first half before substitute Thabiso Khumalo thumped an effort against the bar from six yards. That proved to be United’s final chance as Brad Evans scored the game’s only goal on 77 minutes for Columbus. Play-off elimination married with the capital side’s dismal Champions’ League form may cost head coach Tom Soehn his position during the extended off-season.

New York, by virtue of finishing eighth overall, now slide over to the Western Conference and will play Houston Dynamo, the back-to-back defending champions.

The West housed the weekend’s most dramatic events as Colorado Rapids needed to beat Real Salt Lake to overtake their Rocky Mountain rivals for the conference's third automatic place. Rapids’ striker Conor Casey gave the home side a 19th minute lead as the action swung from end to end before Salt Lake began a late push to save their campaign. With time almost expired, Yura Movsisyan pounced on a rebound after Rapids’ goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul denied Andy Williams and steered the loose ball over the line to spark wild celebrations among the visitors’ bench and small band of travelling fans.

Salt Lake reach the play-offs for the first time in their four-year existence and will be guaranteed a sell-out crowd at their new Rio Tinto stadium for the visit of Chivas on Saturday.

Week 31 Results

Chicago 5 New York 2
New England 1 Kansas City 3
Colorado 1 Salt Lake 1
San Jose 2 Toronto 0 (Quakes end a respectable first season on a high note)
Chivas 1 Houston 1 (Late Curtin goal earns share of points for ten-man Chivas)
L.A. Galaxy 2 Dallas 2 (Donovan penalty ensures Galaxy avoid finishing dead last)
Columbus 1 D.C. United 0

Final Standings (30 matches)

Eastern Conference
1) Columbus 57 points
2) Chicago 46
3) New England 43
4) Kansas City 42
5) *New York 39 (join Western Conference as 4th seed)
6) D.C. United 37
7) Toronto 35

Western Conference
1) Houston 51
2) Chivas 43
3) *Salt Lake 40
4) Colorado 38
5) Dallas 36
6) L.A. Galaxy 33
7) San Jose 33

*Lines show teams occupying play-off positions.

MLS Week 30 Review

2008-10-22T09:18:00.006-05:00

The first shots of the Texas Revolution were fired in October 1835 when Mexican soldiers demanded that a small cannon held by colonists be relinquished. Six months later, Sam Houston led his Texian Army to victory and independence for the Lone Star State at San Jacinto. Flags honouring the brief 18 minute battle depicted the cannon with the words “Come and Get It”. Houston Dynamo’s Texian Army supporters’ organisation unveiled a new banner last weekend taunting their rivals with a cute twist to that celebrated flag, replacing the cannon with MLS Cup.

The penultimate weekend’s action saw the back-to-back champions eliminate two Western Conference opponents from play-off contention in four days while securing home advantage in the process. The signs look ominous for the rest of the league.

San Jose travelled to Robertson Stadium in midweek for a fixture initially postponed by the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Houston’s dramatic 2-1 win boasted all the fighting qualities that have set them apart during the last two seasons.

Stuart Holden put Dynamo ahead on six minutes with a goal illustrating the valuable commodity of timing runs from midfield. Kei Kamara steered Geoff Cameron’s cross against a post, but goalkeeper Joe Cannon was left helpless as Holden arrived to pounce on the loose ball and finish coolly.

Kamara’s involvement against his former team was brief as he was dismissed following a seemingly innocuous collision five minutes later. Quakes defender Nick Garcia pressurised the Sierra Leone striker near the touchline before collapsing to the turf holding his throat. Kamara appeared to raise an arm to fend off Garcia’s challenge as he controlled a long ball from defence, but any contact seemed purely accidental. Not so in the eyes of referee Jair Marrufo, who brandished his red card to the disbelief of the home fans.

Nonetheless, Houston continued to dominate despite their numerical disadvantage. Stand-in wide players Cameron and Corey Ashe menaced the visiting full-backs while striker Brian Ching turned in one of his best performances this year with a bullish display to keep San Jose’s back line occupied. Ashe danced around Jason Hernandez on 30 minutes to create another chance for Holden but his attempt trundled agonisingly wide.

Containment was Houston’s aim after the interval as they strived to conserve energy and force San Jose to break them down. It was a task they seemed likely to complete until defender Eddie Robinson blindly passed the ball back to Pat Onstad on 68 minutes. The goalkeeper raced to the edge of his penalty area to prevent Darren Huckerby from taking advantage, but his tackle landed at the feet of Scott Sealy who stroked home into an empty net to resuscitate the Earthquakes’ post-season hopes. Robinson’s error was an unfortunate black mark on an otherwise excellent performance.

With Chivas breathing down their necks for the West’s top seeding, Houston were forced back onto the offense in the latter stages. Head coach Dominic Kinnear reinvigorated his attack by introducing Brad Davis, Brian Mullan and Nate Jaqua for Ashe, Cameron and Ching. Ninety minutes had elapsed when Mullan sent Jaqua clean through on Cannon’s goal, but the towering frontman stumbled at the vital moment.

With San Jose also going for a late winner, Mullan carved out one final chance as his cross again found Jaqua unmarked in the penalty box with mere seconds remaining. Jaqua controlled on his chest before firing his close-range effort off Cannon’s right post. It looked like another chance had been wasted until Holden popped up again to knock the rebound over the line and save his team-mate’s blushes.

L.A. Galaxy hoped to take advantage of Houston’s punishing exertions on Saturday despite the absence of the suspended David Beckham. In truth, they have performed far better without the Englishman since he made his debut last August. Entering the weekend, Galaxy had claimed 33% of points available from 29 matches featuring their extortionate passenger. That figure rises significantly to 48% in 16 games without him.

As it turned out, Galaxy provided as much resistance as General Santa Anna’s Mexican troops at San Jacinto.

Beckham’s replacement Bryan Jordan contrived to back-heel Jaqua’s cross into his own net on 14 minutes, before the striker supplied another ball into the box on 20 minutes that was bundled into the net by Dwayne De Rosario. As Galaxy’s porous defence continued to be dominated by Houston’s aerial threat, Jaqua flicked Bobby Boswell’s clearance into the path of strike partner Ching on 23 minutes. The Hawaiian native raced clear before drilling his shot beyond goalkeeper Josh Saunders to complete a 3-0 rout.

Dynamo could easily have been six ahead by half-time before they eased off before this week’s CONCACAF Champions’ League tie with Mexico City’s UNAM Pumas.

Elsewhere in the West, Real Salt Lake eliminated Dallas from contention with a 3-1 win at Rio Tinto Stadium. Marcelo Saragosa gave Dallas an early lead before his 30th minute dismissal for a second caution allowed the hosts to take charge.

Conor Casey’s late penalty in Colorado’s 2-1 win at Chivas leaves the Rapids needing to beat RSL in Denver this Saturday to overtake their Rocky Mountain rivals in the race for what looks to be the final play-off place for the Western Conference.

Toronto’s brave efforts in defeating Chicago 3-2 at BMO Field proved to be in vain as wins for D.C. United, New York and Kansas City knocked The Reds from contention. All three remaining hopefuls face tough road trips in their final games against Columbus, Chicago and New England respectively.

With three teams level on 39 points and two others on 37, the chance of head-to-head match-ups deciding who will progress to the play-offs looks likely as this dramatic regular season reaches its nail-biting finale.

Week 30 Results

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

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) Columbus 54 points (played 29)
2) Chicago 43 (29)
3) New England 43 (29)
4) Kansas City 39 (29)
5) *New York 39 (29)
6) D.C. United 37 (29)
7) Toronto 35 (29)

Western Conference
1) Houston 50 (29)
2) Chivas 42 (29)
3) *Salt Lake 39 (29)
4) Colorado 37 (29)
5) Dallas 35 (29)
6) L.A. Galaxy 32 (29)
7) San Jose 30 (29)

*Lines show teams occupying play-off positions.

MLS Week 29 Review

2008-10-13T21:56:00.004-05:00

Still nobody wants to leave the party. Five of the eight MLS play-off teams are now known, but with only two weeks remaining the other nine clubs are still competing for the final three spots.

Real Salt Lake and New York Red Bulls kicked off the weekend’s action at the Utah side’s new Rio Tinto Stadium, the seventh soccer-specific venue to be constructed in MLS. The sell-out crowd of 20,008, complete with rally towels, created a fantastic atmosphere as they tried to spur their team on to a vital three points. Ultimately, they had to settle for one.

Red Bulls left midfielder Dave van den Bergh silenced the home fans on 31 minutes when he blasted the visitors ahead following a corner kick. Seth Stammler’s goal-bound header was nodded off the line by Kyle Beckerman but his clearance fell invitingly into the path of the on-rushing Dutchman. Van den Bergh, best remembered in Holland for his successful years with Utrecht, drilled his precise shot beyond the reach of RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando.

The carnival did not subside for long. Ten minutes later, Jamison Olave bundled Javier Morales’ corner into the net to bring Salt Lake back on level terms. The score remained tied at 1-1 as the hosts failed to convert their second half chances and could not capitalise on the late dismissal of Red Bulls’ Juan Pietravallo by referee Terry Vaughn.

Referees worldwide are criticised for not properly interpreting player motives because they have never played the game themselves. In America, that notion can be taken a step further. Most officials have gained little exposure to top-flight football. This shortcoming appeared to be behind Vaughn’s harsh decision to eject the Argentine midfielder.

Pietravallo looked to be making a genuine attempt to control a high pass when Clint Mathis stooped in from his blind side to win the ball. The resultant collision left the former US international with a badly gashed head. Vaughn seemed to act only when Mathis, realising he was bleeding, angrily confronted his opponent. The Salt Lake man escaped without punishment for his act of petulance while a bemused Pietravallo was sent off, much to the chagrin of the New York bench.

While the Bulls, Toronto and D.C. United all gained potentially valuable draws on the road, Kansas City made an unexpected move into the final play-off spot with a 1-0 win over New England Revolution. Captain Jimmy Conrad headed his sixth goal of the season as the Wizards’ recent good run continues.

Since surrendering with a whimper at Houston in Week 24, Kansas City have taken ten points from five matches. Their upturn coincides with the relegation of Argentine superstar Claudio Lopez to the substitutes’ bench as the team rallies together in an attempt to achieve what was unthinkable five weeks ago. The Wizards host San Jose next weekend and they will be confident of securing another win, even more so should the Quakes be eliminated from contention after their game in hand at Houston on Wednesday night.

Lopez’ performance this season can be likened to that of David Beckham, albeit without the ludicrous levels of largesse. It was no surprise that L.A. Galaxy kept their slim post-season hopes alive with a 3-2 win over Colorado Rapids while the Englishman was out of the country. The win improves their record to 23 points from 48 in games where Beckham has been absent since he made his debut last August. By contrast, the team has taken only 29 points from 99 when Beckham brings his unique presence and contribution to the field.

Chivas clinched their play-off spot with a narrow 1-0 win at San Jose. Justin Braun scored the only goal on seven minutes as the Goats won for the sixth time in seven games. Houston’s failure to break down D.C. United at Robertson Stadium leaves Chivas only two points behind the defending champions with the teams meeting in Los Angeles on the final weekend. Home field advantage for the post-season could well be at stake should the Dynamo slip up this week against San Jose or L.A. Galaxy.

Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew both had reason to celebrate after their 2-2 draw at Toyota Park. Brian McBride’s late equaliser, his second of the afternoon in his first game against his former team, was enough to secure a play-off spot for Chicago. The point also confirms Columbus as the MLS Supporters’ Shield winners by virtue of their unmatchable points tally.

Head coach Sigi Schmid must now keep the momentum going for the last two fixtures and into the play-offs if his side are to become the first Shield winners since L.A. Galaxy in 2002 to go on to lift MLS Cup.

Week 29 Results

Salt Lake 1 New York 1
Kansas City 1 New England 0
Dallas 2 Toronto 2 (Contentious Cooper penalty rescues Dallas for second week running)
San Jose 0 Chivas 1
Chicago 2 Columbus 2
Houston 0 D.C. United 0
L.A. Galaxy 3 Colorado 2 (Brandon McDonald nets his first MLS goal in spectacular fashion)

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) Columbus 54 points (played 28)
2) Chicago 43 (28)
3) New England 43 (28)
4) New York 36 (28)
5) *Kansas City 36 (28)
6) D.C. United 34 (28)
7) Toronto 32 (28)

Western Conference
1) Houston 44 (27)
2) Chivas 42 (28)
3) *Salt Lake 36 (28)
4) Dallas 35 (28)
5) Colorado 34 (28)
6) L.A. Galaxy 32 (28)
7) San Jose 30 (27)

*Lines show teams occupying play-off positions.

MLS Week 28 Review

2008-10-05T15:20:00.005-05:00

Another weekend passes, the play-offs loom closer, but the qualification picture becomes murkier. Just when it looked as though Toronto had disappeared over the precipice and L.A. Galaxy were set to join them, all fourteen teams are back in the race with only three rounds of fixtures remaining.

Despite registering only one victory since June 14, The Reds’ 3-1 win at New York’s Giants Stadium hauls them back into unlikely contention thanks to the inconsistencies of so many contenders. Red Bulls owned the league’s best home record a fortnight ago, but two successive losses in East Rutherford seriously jeopardises their chances of progression.

After conceding five goals to Colorado Rapids last week, Red Bulls gifted Toronto the lead when defender Gabriel Cichero was woefully short with his attempted back-header to Jon Conway. Chad Barrett seized on the error to lob the stranded goalkeeper. The Toronto striker restored his side’s advantage following an equaliser by Dane Richards with a goal that owed everything to the frightening pace of Marvell Wynne. He raced clear from inside his own half before squaring for Barrett to tap into an empty net.

Wynne comes from a sporting pedigree – his father, Marvell, is a former Major League Baseball player – and he continues to improve his playing abilities to complement his obvious athletic prowess. Whether he gets the chance to show his qualities in November is another matter. Toronto face tough away trips to Dallas and San Jose Earthquakes in their remaining three games and are heavily reliant on results elsewhere falling in their favour.

Galaxy did little to aid their cause by falling 1-0 at Columbus but their Western rivals remain in distant sight with Real Salt Lake, Dallas and San Jose only collecting one point while Colorado lost to Houston Dynamo. Crew Stadium’s first sell-out crowd of the year saw David Beckham take a few corner kicks as Alejandro Moreno’s 43rd minute header split the teams.

Bruce Arena's side will enter next week’s do-or-die match at home to Colorado without Beckham, whose suspension for yellow-card accumulation will be served on the England substitutes’ bench, but since his arrival the team possesses a better record in his absence. His loss, like so many of his performances, will be inconsequential. Of far greater significance is the unavailability of Landon Donovan, the league’s top scorer, due to the US national team’s match with Cuba on October 11.

San Jose will feel aggrieved not to have taken three points after a win at Dallas was snatched away in the final minutes by a horrendous refereeing error. Francisco Lima’s right arm was raised away from his body as he attempted to repel a late Dallas attack. Referee Abiodun Okulaja had no hesitation in pointing to the spot when Eric Avila’s driven cross made contact with the Earthquakes’ midfielder. Unfortunately, the ball appeared to strike Lima on the side of his chest. Kenny Cooper stepped up to score for the 16th time this season to cancel out Ryan Johnson’s opener. The decision was as scandalous as the paltry 7,173 crowd that showed up for a game of this magnitude.

Salt Lake missed the chance to solidify their position in the West’s three automatic play-off places when they surrendered a 2-0 lead at New England Revolution. A sublime lob by Argentine midfielder Javier Morales gave RSL a first-half lead, before his 73rd minute pass was thundered home on the half-volley by Andy Williams to seemingly secure the win. Within six minutes, Steve Ralston and Taylor Twellman had struck for New England to earn a 2-2 draw as The Revs fell short in their attempts to clinch their play-off spot.

Chivas took advantage of Salt Lake’s carelessness to move four points clear in the West’s second place as they destroyed D.C. United by 3-0 at RFK Stadium, aided by the generosity of United goalkeeper Louis Crayton. After recovering from an inconsistent start to the campaign, D.C. have collapsed since lifting the US Open Cup on September 3. They have picked up one point from five league matches since then and suffered three spineless defeats in the CONCACAF Champions’ League. Visits to Houston and Columbus in their final three matches suggest a fourth season outside the play-offs in 13 years for one of the league’s powerhouses.

Houston sealed their place in the post-season and moved a step closer to earning home advantage with a 3-1 win at Colorado. Dynamo were involved in their own goal-fest in midweek, a 4-4 draw in Mexico City against U.N.A.M. Pumas in the Champions’ League, and another looked to be on the cards early on. Only 19 minutes had elapsed when Ricardo Clark gave the visitors the two-goal cushion which ultimately proved to be the final goalscoring act of the night.

Dynamo striker Brian Ching was presented with a chance to complete a hat-trick from the penalty spot early in the second half, but his effort was easily stopped by Rapids’ goalkeeper Preston Burpo. His nomination was surprising given that Dwayne De Rosario and Brad Davis, both far superior dead-ball exponents, were on the field. By contrast, Ching has missed vital kicks in recent Superliga shootouts against Pachuca and New England Revolution. On this instance his poor effort was free of reprisals on the field, although head coach Dominic Kinnear may not have been best pleased.

Rapids’ striker Conor Casey received a harsh red card two minutes after Ching’s miss following an aerial collision with Dynamo defender Eddie Robinson. The numerical advantage allowed Kinnear’s men to comfortably control the closing stages. Terry Cooke had an opportunity to reduce the deficit in injury-time, but he hooked his disappointing effort from the penalty spot wide of Pat Onstad’s post.

The drama continues to build. Will Week 29 finally see some of the contestants waving goodbye to the MLS Play-Off House?

Week 28 Results

Dallas 1 San Jose 1
D.C. United 0 Chivas 3
Columbus 1 L.A. Galaxy 0
New England 2 Salt Lake 2
New York 1 Toronto 3
Colorado 1 Houston 3
Kansas City 1 Chicago 1 (Harrington equaliser ends Fire's slim Supporters' Shield hopes)

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) Columbus 53 points (played 27)
2) New England 43 (27)
3) Chicago 42 (27)
4) *New York 35 (27)
5) Kansas City 33 (27)
6) D.C. United 33 (27)
7) Toronto 31 (27)

Western Conference
1) Houston 43 (26)
2) Chivas 39 (27)
3) Salt Lake 35 (27)
4) *Colorado 34 (27)
5) Dallas 34 (27)
6) San Jose 30 (26)
7) L.A. Galaxy 29 (27)

*Lines show teams occupying play-off positions.

MLS Week 27 Review

2008-09-30T13:05:00.002-05:00

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

2008-09-21T19:25:00.002-05:00

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

2008-09-20T14:23:00.004-05:00

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

2008-09-07T20:45:00.005-05:00

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

2008-09-03T17:29:00.002-05:00

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.

MLS Week 22 Review

2008-08-25T19:36:00.002-05:00

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

2008-08-17T18:41:00.002-05:00

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

2008-08-11T20:58:00.004-05:00

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

2008-08-04T11:57:00.004-05:00

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

2008-08-02T15:33:00.002-05:00

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)

MLS Week 17 Review

2008-07-20T20:02:00.004-05:00

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

2008-07-17T20:52:00.002-05:00

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

2008-07-11T22:10:00.008-05:00

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

2008-07-11T15:56:00.002-05:00

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

2008-07-08T21:36:00.003-05:00

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)

MLS Week 14 Review

2008-06-30T10:57:00.003-05:00

America’s version of Super Sunday took place this weekend with national television network ABC broadcasting the final of Euro 2008 live from Vienna. Before that, a chance to showcase Major League Soccer was tagged on as D.C. United faced Los Angeles Galaxy in the capital.

A crowd of 35,979 showed up at RFK Stadium for D.C.’s “Beckham Match” showing that there is still some pulling power in MLS’s chief marketing asset. D.C.’s average attendance to date this season was 18,651. The great hope is that many of those additional customers lured by the hype will become regular attendees. Worrying though, at the height of the media blitz when Beckham arrived last summer this same fixture attracted 46,686 fans for the Englishman’s MLS debut. It seems 11,000 people left unimpressed.

There was much in the performance of D.C. United yesterday to entice those floating fans back through the turnstiles. If it was Beckham they showed up to watch it is unlikely they will return. Yet again he produced an insipid display fit for a pre-season testimonial as his Galaxy team were torn apart 4-1 by a vastly-improved United. The score could have reached double figures but for an outstanding display by Galaxy goalkeeper Steve Cronin.

Galaxy fell behind as early as the fifth minute. Midfielder Ante Jazic clumsily conceded a penalty for a challenge on D.C. winger Santino Quaranta and former Middlesbrough player Jaime Moreno, one of the best penalty takers in the game, coolly slotted his side in front.

Much of Beckham’s early touches came from just inside his own half on the right touchline. Too often though his speculative 50 yard punts in the direction of Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle were soaked up by D.C.’s well prepared back line. The Englishman was literally dragged kicking and screaming into action in the 15th minute after losing possession to a tough Moreno challenge in midfield. His retaliatory hack at Moreno went unpunished by the referee, though the Bolivian swiftly took revenge by unceremoniously dumping Beckham to the turf.

Beckham’s finest moment came in the 21st minute when he was allowed space on the right wing to pick out Donovan in the penalty area. The USA’s leading goalscorer finished in style at the near post but was correctly judged to be offside by the assistant referee.

Galaxy equalised five minutes later. Buddle again came up with the goods after good play between Chris Klien and Donovan created the chance. He still required strength and perseverance to work the opening before maintaining his poise to beat Zach Wells. Buddle has scored ten goal in the last seven games as he continues to grow in influence on Ruud Gullit’s side.

Buddle turned provider minutes later as he set Donovan through on goal, but his difficult looped header failed to beat Wells. This proved to be Galaxy’s last meaningful attack of the match as D.C. took complete control.

United’s lead was restored on 37 minutes and it was no surprise that it came down their left side. Marc Burch, on as an early replacement for the injured Quaranta, latched on to an overhit pass in acres of space and shaped to cross. As Beckham lazily trotted over before stopping five yards short of Burch to jump with his back turned, the substitute picked out Luciano Emilio who looped a brilliant header back across Cronin into the far corner.

Defending of that nature would be castigated at schoolboy level, but it seems you get a free pass if you are an iconic celebrity. Posters on L.A. Galaxy fan messageboards inconceivably blamed Cronin for the goal although John Harkes, the former Sheffield Wednesday and US international midfielder, almost broke media protocol from the commentators’ booth by suggesting that Beckham’s token effort was “something you don’t want to do”.

Marcelo Gallardo, D.C.’s designated player, was fortunate to remain on the pitch after an ugly clash minutes before the interval. As the veteran Argentine shielded the ball from a hustling Donovan, he threw his arms up to appeal for a foul. Knowing his opponent was on his shoulder, it also looked as though he had intended to catch the Galaxy man with his motion. He succeeded, and an irate Donovan was restrained by his team-mates as he left the field for treatment to stem his bloody nose.

The opening stages of the second half saw Gallardo badly off-target with two clear chances. In between, Brazilian forward Fred squandered another opportunity by shooting straight at Cronin when sent free on the left. Gallardo was presented with a third chance on 59 minutes when a lucky ricochet sent him clear of the beleaguered Galaxy defender Sean Franklin. This time he made no mistake.

Burch rattled the crossbar with a thunderous free kick on 63 minutes before Emilio wrapped up the scoring five minutes later with his second goal after Gallardo and Fred had sliced through Galaxy’s exposed rearguard. Last season’s MVP did not complete his hat-trick due to the heroics of Cronin. The Galaxy goalkeeper made a number of great saves in the final 20 minutes as D.C.’s attack rained down on him. Rod Dyachenko and Burch also had their efforts foiled.

The biggest cheer of the day, however, was reserved for the returning Ben Olsen. After further ankle surgery in the off-season which prompted fears of an early retirement, the popular midfielder took to the field for the first time this season with the game wrapped up.

By that stage, The English Tourist could not even muster the effort to cross the field to take corners from the left side.

Week 14 Results

Houston 1 Dallas 1 (Hoops win "El Capitan" series trophy for 1st time on away goals)
Columbus 2 Colorado 1 (Impressive first goal from young Nigerian Ekpo wins game)
New England 2 Toronto 1 (Revs hang on to remain four points clear)
Kansas City 1 Salt Lake 0 (Late own goal gives Wizards first win in over two months)
Chicago 0 San Jose 0 (Fire's stuttering form continues)
Chivas 1 New York 1 (Goldthwaite error gifts Chivas an equaliser)
D.C. United 4 L.A. Galaxy 1

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) New England 30 points (played 16)
2) Columbus 26 (14)
3) D.C. United 22 (15)
4) Toronto 21 (14)
5) Chicago 20 (13)
6) New York 20 (14)
7) Kansas City 16 (13)

Western Conference
1) L.A. Galaxy 21 (14)
2) Salt Lake 19 (15)
3) Houston 19 (15)
4) Chivas 18 (14)
5) Dallas 17 (15)
6) Colorado 16 (14)
7) San Jose 12 (14)

MLS Week 13 Review

2008-06-23T21:01:00.003-05:00

The global game has taken a fascinating turn in the last couple of years with the apparent death of the traditional centre forward, but the US national team and many MLS sides are still in pursuit of that ideal old school striker.

Manchester United achieved a sensational double success last season made all the more remarkable by the absence of a classic front man. Gone are the days of a Denis Law, Mark Hughes or Ruud van Nistelrooy leading the Red Devils’ attack. Sir Alex Ferguson has developed a modern free-flowing, interchangeable style with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez combining to provide 79 goals.

In Italy, Roma also utilise an intriguing striker-less system where Francesco Totti conducts the play for the willing runs of Ludovic Giuly and Mancini from deeper positions. Many commentators have speculated that the role of the traditional goal poacher is redundant in today’s age of supreme athletes where space in and around the penalty area is increasingly unavailable.

This pattern has yet to reach MLS. Not surprisingly for a fledgling league, familiar systems prevail and there remains a need for reliable, if unspectacular, goal scorers. Juan Pablo Angel provides the perfect example of this model at New York Red Bull, at least when he is fit to do so. At D.C. United, Brazilian striker Luciano Emilio picked up last season’s top scorer award despite very little plaudits for his all-round play. The likes of Taylor Twellman (New England), Brian Ching (Houston) and Kenny Cooper (Dallas) evidence a continuing fondness for the tall, powerful target man, as did the capture of Kenny Deuchar by Real Salt Lake.

No matter what the league, goals are the hardest commodity to obtain in football. The problem has hampered Bob Bradley’s USA side since the international retirement of Brian McBride after the 2006 World Cup. Three goalless games against England, Spain and Argentina in recent weeks followed on from seven goals in three friendlies earlier this year. Five of those strikes came from defenders.

Los Angeles Galaxy are fortunate that, in Landon Donovan, they possess the services of America’s all-time record goalscorer. Donovan started this campaign in impressive form leading the scoring chart with nine goals coming into the weekend’s action. Having been restored to Ruud Gullit’s starting line-up after grabbing his 36th international goal in last week’s 8-0 mauling of Barbados, Donovan quickly picked up where he had left off with two goals in a 3-3 draw with Columbus Crew.

Edson Buddle remains closely behind his strike partner in the goals tally after adding his ninth of the season with an excellent finish. He continues his push for recognition in Bradley’s upcoming US squads.

That the Crew’s three counters originated from Galaxy’s right side was wholly unsurprising given that The English Tourist can scarcely raise a jog to help out in defence. Expending energy isn’t part of his $250 million contract; looking pretty and selling jerseys is. He did, however, contribute by earning a dubious penalty with the worst flop seen since Andrei Kirilenko’s Utah Jazz were knocked out of the NBA play-offs by Beckham’s new buddy Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers.

Over on the East Coast, Angel missed both of New York’s matches this week with a strained hamstring. Only San Jose and Kansas City have scored fewer goals than the Red Bulls this season; a worrying statistic for head coach Juan Carlos Osorio in light of the recent departure of teenage sensation Jozy Altidore to Villarreal in Spain. Osorio will be delighted to have obtained four valuable points from two tough fixtures.

On Wednesday night his team travelled up the I-95 to earn an unexpected 1-1 draw at New England Revolution. Saturday brought a hard fought 1-0 win over Dallas. Defender Kevin Goldthwaite scored the only goal on 16 minutes before limping off shortly afterwards with a similar injury to that of Angel. The field turf of Giants Stadium continues to wreak havoc for Osorio’s squad.

New England’s recent run of 16 points from six games had seen them take command of the Eastern Conference, but a miserable week for Steve Nicol’s men was completed by a 2-1 defeat at Salt Lake on the worst pitch in MLS. The opening of the new soccer-specific Real Salt Lake Stadium cannot arrive early enough.

Emilio notched his eighth goal of the season as D.C. United swept past San Jose Earthquakes by 3-1 in Sunday’s fixture. Nowhere is the absence of a quality striker more acutely felt than in Northern California where head coach Frank Yallop has wisely opted to build the expansion side from the back. San Jose continue to compete admirably but fall short in the attacking third, while United’s early season woes seem ever distant after their fourth win in five matches.

Elsewhere, the lack of reliable sources of goals makes for great unpredictability. Chicago Fire have netted only once in the month of June as their challenge begins to stutter. Houston’s shortage of in-form attackers sees head coach Dominic Kinnear persevere with midfielder Brian Mullan in an advanced role, but another blank at Colorado sees only San Jose with less goals than the defending champions in the West.

Week 13 Results

New England 1 New York 1
Salt Lake 0 San Jose 0 (Ten man 'Quakes sneak a point)
Chivas 2 Chicago 0 (Early Barrett miss sets poor tone for Fire)
Toronto 0 Kansas City 0 (Ten games unbeaten at BMO Field for Reds)
New York 1 Dallas 0
Colorado 0 Houston 0 (Both teams miss late chances to seal the win)
Salt Lake 2 New England 1
L.A. Galaxy 3 Columbus 3
D.C. United 3 San Jose 1

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) New England 27 points (played 15)
2) Columbus 23 (13)
3) Toronto 21 (13)
4) Chicago 19 (12)
5) D.C. United 19 (14)
6) New York 19 (13)
7) Kansas City 13 (12)

Western Conference
1) L.A. Galaxy 21 (13)
2) Salt Lake 19 (14)
3) Houston 18 (14)
4) Chivas 17 (13)
5) Colorado 16 (13)
6) Dallas 16 (14)
7) San Jose 11 (13)

MLS Week 12 Review

2008-06-17T16:14:00.003-05:00

Week 12 kicked off with a repeat of the last two MLS Cup Finals – Houston Dynamo versus New England Revolution. Despite the heartache of losing out on both occasions after dominating for long stretches, New England entered this match holding a superior regular season record over Houston with two wins and three draws in their five clashes. On a stifling Texan evening, they comfortably notched a third win.

Houston had been on a roll in recent weeks, picking up 13 points in six games after an indifferent start. A recall to the US international team for striker Brian Ching along with the loss of Canadian playmaker Dwayne De Rosario severely blunted the attacking options available to head coach Dominic Kinnear for this encounter.

Steve Nicol, the New England head coach, was not without his problems. Call-ups for Kenny Mansally (Gambia), Shalrie Joseph (Grenada) and Khano Smith (Bermuda) added to the continuing absence of the injured Taylor Twellman.

Even in those Cup Final defeats, Nicol has held the tactical upper hand with his five-man midfield tending to suffocate Houston’s creative players. Kinnear, a staunch proponent of 4-4-2 with the squad at his disposal, has been forced into bolstering his midfield numbers mid-game before it was too late. It didn’t help him on the opening day of this season though as New England ran out comfortable 3-0 winners in Massachusetts. Nor did it help here.

Kinnear broke rank to employ a five-man midfield from the start with Brad Davis, normally so productive on the left, adopting a central role flanked by Ricardo Clark and Stuart Holden. The inclusion of Brian Mullan, another midfielder, in the lone forward position gave further indication of how far the young Argentine striker Franco Caraccio has fallen from favour since his close season signing.

Far from allowing Davis to dictate, the early moments saw him swamped on the narrow Robertson Stadium pitch. Worse was quickly to follow for the home side as they gifted New England an eighth minute lead. Patrick Ianni’s blunder allowed Kheli Dube to reach the six yard box unchallenged before squaring for Steve Ralston to tap home.

Ianni and his centre-back partner Bobby Boswell had been responsible for their fair share of defensive errors in the season’s early weeks. It was surprising to see them reunited despite the availability of Eddie Robinson after his suspension.

Kinnear’s response was an immediate change back to 4-4-2 with rookie midfielder Geoff Cameron pushed forward to accompany Mullan. As Dynamo’s players struggled to adapt to their unfamiliar line-up, New England took advantage to score a second goal with the home defence again sealing their downfall.

Tony Caig, standing in for Canadian international goalkeeper Pat Onstad, has done little to endear himself to the Houston support this season thanks to costly errors against Dallas and Saprissa in April. His stock plummeted even further on 35 minutes. Mauricio Castro’s corner kick found Dube strangely unmarked ten yards out, but his mishit volley appeared to be bouncing harmlessly into the goalkeeper’s grasp. Bizarrely though, Caig’s arms remained static at his side as he jumped to chest the ball over his own goal line. It was a simply terrible piece of goalkeeping.

Dynamo battled back valiantly to create a number of decent opportunities before the break but they were thwarted each time by the impressive Matt Reis in New England’s goal. Kinnear finally introduced a natural forward, Chris Wondolowski, after 60 minutes in place of the ineffectual Davis before Caraccio joined the action shortly after.

Houston were given a lifeline with ten minutes remaining after the referee deemed Michael Parkhurst’s tackle on Caraccio to be worthy of a penalty kick. It seemed neither a foul or inside the box. Nonetheless, Reis got on with the job of thwarting Stuart Holden with a diving save to his right to complete a miserable night for the home side.

Saturday’s live Fox Soccer Channel clash gave viewers a chance to check on the form of David Beckham, the overwhelming leader in fan votes for July’s All-Star game against West Ham. Though FSC’s commentators appear contractually obligated to spout hyperbolic rhetoric at his every touch, it remains perfectly obvious to anyone with a pulse, a set of eyes and an iota of footballing nous that Beckham is a man going through the motions in a league for which he shows scant interest or enthusiasm.

So what to make then of L.A. Galaxy’s convincing 3-0 win at San Jose Earthquakes which sends them three points clear at the top of the Western Conference?

Ruud Gullit, the Galaxy head coach, deserves great credit for the way he has organised a ramshackle bunch of talented individuals into an effective unit. Defender Sean Franklin, Gullit’s first pick in this year’s Superdraft, continues to grow in confidence and the consistency of full backs Mike Randolph and veteran Chris Klein has led to a settling of the back four.

Ante Jazic, formerly of Hadjuk Split and Rapid Vienna, returned from injury to produce an impressive display on the left of midfield where his link-up play with Randolph regularly troubled San Jose. Brazilian newcomer Alvaro Pires is beginning to find his feet in centre-midfield after his move from Russia whilst striker Edson Buddle continues his hot goalscoring streak.

Beckham’s lame contribution was coloured by a generous assist on L.A. Galaxy’s first goal in six minutes. His clipped cross was wonderfully cushioned by Josh Tudela into the path of the onrushing Buddle who volleyed home immaculately from the edge of the penalty box. Buddle added two thumping second half headers from Jazic and Randolph crosses to complete a memorable hat-trick.

Beckham, meanwhile, jogged along the right touchline in familiar warm-up mode clutching his hamstrings for effect before disrobing at the final whistle to present one young female fan with his unsullied shirt.

Surely someone in MLS can see that they are being short-changed? Three and a half more years of this routine is a sickening proposition.

Week 12 Results

Houston 0 New England 2
D.C. United 4 New York 1 (Emilio hat-trick drives the D.C. revival)
Kansas City 0 Columbus 3 (Crew's goal drought finally ends)
Toronto 3 Colorado 1 (Reds' dominant home form continues)
San Jose 0 L.A. Galaxy 3
Chivas 0 Salt Lake 1 (more disappointment for Preki)
Dallas 1 Chicago 0 (Kenny Cooper seals Dallas win)

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) New England 26 points (played 13)
2) Columbus 22 (12)
3) Toronto 20 (12)
4) Chicago 19 (11)
5) D.C. United 16 (13)
6) New York 15 (11)
7) Kansas City 12 (11)

Western Conference
1) L.A. Galaxy 20 (12)
2) Houston 17 (13)
3) Dallas 16 (13)
4) Colorado 15 (12)
5) Salt Lake 15 (12)
6) Chivas 14 (12)
7) San Jose 10 (11)

MLS Week 11 Review

2008-06-11T21:08:00.002-05:00

As humans, the majority of us are willing to learn from our mistakes. Experience makes us all the wiser the next time we are confronted with an adverse or testing situation. One hopes that the officials of Major League Soccer fall into this majority after farcical circumstances surrounded last Wednesday’s match between D.C. United and Houston Dynamo.

With thunderstorms battering most of America’s north-east – I had first hand experience having spent ten hours in Chicago’s O’Hare airport on Tuesday awaiting a rescheduled flight – concerns for the safety of the players and spectators needed to be paramount. However, with torrential rain still pouring from the Washington skies close to kick-off the match was merely delayed by 31 minutes to let the storm clouds pass. It was an exercise in futility as only 16 goalless minutes had passed when another downpour, accompanied by lightning strikes, brought the teams back to the sanctuary of the RFK Stadium dressing rooms.

That this game commenced at all was inconceivable. Players splashed around on a surface seemingly more akin to filming a sequel to Kevin Costner’s Waterworld than a professional sporting contest. At least the MLS salary cap ensured a far more meagre budget.

Even then the continuing driving rain did not force the game’s complete abandonment until 9.40pm local time; one hour and 23 minutes after the referee had brought the players inside. Whether the skies had cleared or not, the pitch was never in a suitable condition at any point. Summarising for Houston’s Channel 55 broadcast, Glenn Davis estimated that around a third of the pitch lay under puddles when the action got under way. Thankfully no injuries were sustained by the time play finally came to a halt.

A word of praise must go to the passionate D.C. fans who, despite their state of saturation, continued to sing and chant defiantly in the face of Mother Nature. Those Screaming Eagles finally had something to cheer on Saturday as Luciano Emilio’s injury time winner in Chicago hauled D.C. off the bottom of the Eastern Conference for the first time since Week Three. Chicago have impressed on the road this year, but this 2-1 defeat was their third loss in five home games.

Despite the presence of Mexican superstar Cuauhtemoc Blanco and former Argentine international Marcelo Gallardo, it was referee Baldomero Toledo who attracted much of the attention with his whimsical display. Six players had already been cautioned when he ejected Gallardo and Fire’s Brandon Prideaux in the 55th minute for an off-the-ball incident which seemed to have been brought to his notice by the fourth official, possibly with the aid of televised replays.

In the dying moments, with the score tied at 1-1, D.C. defender Bryan Namoff received two rapid bookings to leave his side hanging on for one point. That they were to receive the full compliment owed much to the improved form of Emilio and poor goalkeeping from Chicago’s Jon Busch.

With Chicago camped in the D.C. half in search of an injury time winner, Emilio countered down the left side on a breakaway before cutting in to fire past Busch from the edge of the penalty box. Busch left his near post exposed and was punished for the error. It was a great pity as he had performed magnificently all evening, notably with a fine double-save from Fred and Emilio in the first half.

New England Revolution took advantage of Chicago’s slip to extend their lead at the top of the East after a 2-1 win over Dallas. Adam Cristman, standing in for the injured Taylor Twellman, set Steve Nicol’s side on their way with his third goal of the season. Twellman has only managed 45 minutes of action so far in this campaign, scoring in the 2-1 win at Chivas, but the team has performed admirably without the presence of their talisman.

Columbus Crew will be disappointed not to have remained within a point of New England as they fell to a surprising 2-0 loss at home to San Jose. The Crew have now gone four league matches without scoring following on from five straight wins and will be hoping to halt their slide this Saturday at bottom of the table Kansas City.

Houston Dynamo turned in their most impressive display of the season to win 3-1 over Toronto at Robertson Stadium. Much was made in the opening weeks of Houston’s inability to find the net, but with Dwayne De Rosario pushed into an attacking role alongside Brian Ching there was an ever present threat to Toronto’s defence.

Ching released De Rosario for the opener in first half stoppage time before netting two in the second half as he regains the confidence that has made him a regular goalscorer in recent years. Unfortunately for Dominic Kinnear, the Dynamo head coach, upcoming international fixtures for Canada and USA will deny him the services of his new front pairing in the coming weeks at a time when his side are finally beginning to look like back-to-back champions.

Los Angeles Galaxy beat Colorado 3-2 at Home Depot Center to replace the Rapids at the top of the Western Conference and banish memories of their opening day humiliation in Denver.

Week 11 Results

D.C. United vs Houston – match abandoned after 16 minutes
New York 1 Chivas 0 (Juan Pablo Angel seals a much needed win)
New England 2 Dallas 1
Columbus 0 San Jose 2 (shockingly bad celebration on the second goal)
Chicago 1 D.C. United 2
Salt Lake 0 Kansas City 0 (26 shots, no goals)
L.A. Galaxy 3 Colorado 2
Houston 3 Toronto 1

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) New England 23 points (played 12)
2) Chicago 19 (10)
3) Columbus 19 (11)
4) Toronto 17 (11)
5) New York 15 (10)
6) D.C. United 13 (12)
7) Kansas City 12 (10)

Western Conference
1) L.A. Galaxy 17 (11)
2) Houston 17 (12)
3) Colorado 15 (11)
4) Chivas 14 (11)
5) Dallas 13 (12)
6) Salt Lake 12 (11)
7) San Jose 10 (10)

MLS Week Ten: The MLS Exile Continues

2008-06-01T16:13:00.003-05:00

There are many barriers standing in the path of Major League Soccer as the league’s decision-makers seek to make inroads into a domestic sports landscape dominated by America’s Big Three of football, basketball and baseball. But for MLS to gain increased recognition in Western Europe an insurmountable opponent requires befriending – time.

In this age of globalisation where modern technology allows instant communication across continents, British football connoisseurs can keep abreast of action from Scotland, England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Holland before the sun sets. Even the most xenophobic of followers are now capable of holding informed conversations about happenings in La Liga or Serie A.

However, there is only so much that ardent football junkies can consume to satisfy their cravings. Sadly for MLS that fix has been devoured well before the day’s results filter across the Atlantic Ocean. It is an inherent hurdle that the league is saddled with, even should the quality of play continue to improve over the coming years.

Perceptions were not helped this week by the tepid performance of Team America at Wembley Stadium in a friendly match shown live across the United Kingdom by the BBC. Confronted with the biggest of stages, at least in terms of venue if not significance, the USA disappointed. Negative reaction toward MLS formed on this game is grossly unfair given that Ricardo Clark of Houston Dynamo was the only home-based player to start the match.

Clark, a combative holding midfielder for the two-time defending MLS champions, is highly rated by Houston’s coaching staff of Dominic Kinnear and John Spencer, but his performance did little to enthuse the British press – 4 out of 10 was the mark attributed by The Times newspaper.

Brad Guzan fared better after his second half introduction. He produced some decent saves which will maintain his high-standing with scouts of Celtic, Arsenal and Aston Villa – all of whom have expressed an interest in signing the Chivas USA goalkeeper. Work permit issues have prevented any move from being completed.

I finally enjoyed some success in tracking down MLS action on Day Nine of my current jaunt to Scotland. In scanning the television guide I noticed that Five, the UK’s fifth and final national terrestrial analogue channel, were screening a 40-minute show called “Major League Soccer” albeit at 4.30am. It was time for my father to look out the long-lost video recorder instructions and set the timer.

Since Five’s 1997 launch, the channel has specialised in showing live late night sporting action from the US (as well as energetic late night action of another kind). Their coverage of Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League has been admirable if largely inconvenient for the majority of the working population.

David Beckham’s arrival in Los Angeles last season heralded the dawning of a new Wednesday evening show on Five – David Beckham’s Soccer USA – featuring highlights of the previous weekend’s matches. The programme could have been more appealingly titled and structured for a British audience tiring of the central character’s fading charades. It lasted less than three months before being pulled.

Nonetheless, credit goes to Five for their continuing efforts. At least I was able to digest highlights of the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 victory over Houston Dynamo even if it was fully one week after the final whistle had sounded. In fairness, the trimmed-down version taken from ESPN’s full live coverage in the US did make for an enjoyable watch and would be worthy of contemplation for American broadcasters looking to attract more viewers to the sport. On many occasions, live televised matches can become too tedious for the impartial spectator no matter which league is involved.

And so to this week’s league action. Despite missing Ricardo Clark on Wednesday night, Houston battled to a 2-2 draw at FC Dallas before dispatching New York Red Bulls by a single Brian Ching goal on Saturday evening. The latter result was achieved without Pat Onstad and Dwayne De Rosario, both of whom were called up to the Canada squad that narrowly lost 3-2 to Brazil in Seattle.

Such conflicts between the domestic league and international fixtures will continue while MLS adopts a summer schedule. Harsh winters in the north and competition from the NFL and basketball seasons at this time of year suggests that a calendar switch will be unlikely in the foreseeable future.

Colorado Rapids reclaimed top spot in the Western Conference thanks to a late Tam McManus winner in a 2-1 win over Dallas. Only four points separate six teams after L.A. Galaxy lost out 2-0 at Toronto while Real Salt Lake battled back into contention with a 3-1 win over San Jose Earthquakes.

New England edged to the top of the Eastern Conference despite being held to a 2-2 draw at home against D.C. United. Chicago Fire were inactive and Columbus Crew were defeated 2-0 at Chivas USA. Steve Nicol will be pleased with a point having witnessed his side falling two goals adrift shortly after half-time.

Normal service for Hawksport resumes next weekend.

Week Ten Results

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

Standings

Eastern Conference
1) New England 20 points (played 11)
2) Chicago 19 (9)
3) Columbus 19 (10)
4) Toronto 17 (10)
5) New York 12 (9)
6) Kansas City 11 (9)
7) D.C. United 10 (11)

Western Conference
1) Colorado 15 (10)
2) L.A. Galaxy 14 (10)
3) Chivas 14 (10)
4) Houston 14 (11)
5) Dallas 13 (11)
6) Salt Lake 11 (10)
7) San Jose 7 (9)

MLS Week Nine: Apathy in the UK

2008-05-26T17:45:00.002-05:00

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

2008-05-18T20:35:00.010-05:00

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

2008-05-11T19:13:00.006-05:00

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

2008-05-05T23:36:00.003-05:00

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)

MLS Week Five Review

2008-04-27T22:01:00.011-05:00

For the second successive week, Landon Donovan provided evidence of his good and bad sides. Thankfully the former prevailed with Donovan netting a hat-trick as Los Angeles Galaxy romped to a 5-2 win in the year’s first Superclasico against Chivas USA.

Donovan made his first impact on the game in the eighth minute, seizing upon Chris Klein’s long pass and sidestepping Brad Guzan, the onrushing Chivas goalkeeper, to find himself facing an empty net. The referee, however, picked up Donovan’s sly use of his arm to punch the ball around Guzan. Donovan may have escaped punishment for his petulant goading of Houston’s Patrick Ianni last week, but this time he was rightly booked for his conniving act.

Chivas have struggled defensively this season and their failure to clear a David Beckham free-kick on 18 minutes saw them punished by Donovan’s first positive contribution. His neat first touch to control a loose ball shifted it to his left side and he lashed an instant half-volley beyond Guzan from 20 yards. Sacha Kljestan, the impressive Chivas midfielder, ensured parity at the interval with a wonderfully curled equaliser which will further enhance his burgeoning reputation, but Donovan scrambled Galaxy back in front on 58 minutes after good work down the left flank by Mike Randolph.

Donovan completed his feat on 77 minutes. Alan Gordon displayed excellent control and strength to set him up for another crisp left-foot finish from 20 yards – his eighth goal in four games. Gordon had only entered the field minutes earlier, and had already nudged Galaxy 3-2 ahead after Ante Razov had capitalised on typically slapstick defending by Abel Xavier. He finished the scoring on 84 minutes, pouncing on Donovan’s scuffed attempt at the end of a break from the halfway line.

Ruud Gullit, the Galaxy head coach, has made some key tactical moves since the opening day humiliation at Colorado to limit his team’s regularly self-inflicted wounds. Randolph has been pushed forward from full back into a left midfield role which suits his athleticism and skill and does not punish his occasional lapses to the same degree. Likewise Greg Vanney, culpable in the 3-2 defeat to Toronto in Week Three, has been pushed out to left-back as Gullit seeks to shore up the centre of defence. Xavier, however, continues to bungle around looking like a peroxide Jules Winnfield, the character portrayed by Samuel Jackson in Pulp Fiction. Despite the former Portuguese international inadvertently laying his vengeance upon his own team all too frequently, Gullit must be delighted with the contributions he is now receiving from his unheralded squad members.

By contrast, this defeat was the third in five games for Chivas who overtake their neighbours to lead the league in goals conceded. The highly rated Guzan, who saw a proposed move to Aston Villa in January collapse due to work permit issues, was badly at fault for two goals in their 4-3 loss at Columbus a fortnight ago. Another brace of errors on the third and fifth goals ultimately cost his side yesterday.

But what of The English Tourist? Beckham produced another largely anonymous performance, notable only for the compulsive hamstring feeling and ankle touching. At least the watching teenagers still seem amused. He was generously credited with an assist on the last goal which the match commentators were only too willing to hype up. I assume it is part of the mandate. Beckham was, as always, centre-stage in the post-match interviews where he declared that “every one of our players tonight was fighting”. Not quite every one, David.

In other action, the league’s final unbeaten record was lost as New England Revolution recorded a slender 1-0 win at FC Dallas. Steve Morrow, the Dallas head coach, will be unimpressed with the soft goal gifted to Khano Smith, but his team remains top of the Western Conference thanks to Chicago Fire’s 2-1 win over Colorado. John Thorrington, another former Manchester United trainee plying his trade in America, scored twice to give Chicago an unassailable lead. Tam McManus grabbed a late consolation, his first goal since arriving from Scotland.

Toronto caused the weekend’s biggest surprise, beating Eastern Conference leaders Kansas City 2-0 to win their third straight match for the first time in franchise history. Amado Guevara netted both goals, the second an exquisite free kick, as the Wizards tumbled to fourth place. Kansas are replaced as division leaders by Columbus Crew who edged out Houston Dynamo through Alejandro Moreno’s scrambled goal. The defending champions remain winless and their form must now be starting to concern the coaching team of Dominic Kinnear and John Spencer. Never the most expansive attacking side, Houston’s recent successes have been built upon a solid defensive foundation, the individual brilliance of midfielders Brad Davis and Dwayne De Rosario and the battering ram presence of Brian Ching up front. Ching has yet to get off the mark this season, the midfield duo is yet to find top form and uncharacteristic defensive frailties have blighted Dynamo’s first month. With home games against Chivas and Colorado up next, it is imperative that they get that elusive first win under their belt.

D.C. United have also struggled of late, none more so than in losing 4-0 at Real Salt Lake two weeks ago. Two contentious Jaime Moreno penalties put them on their way to a morale-boosting 4-1 win over the same opponents in front of over 23,000 in Washington, with Marcelo Gallardo sealing the win with a stunning volley which evoked memories of Marco Van Basten in his prime.

D.C. climbed briefly off the foot of the Eastern Conference until New York Red Bulls clambered back above them. Mike Magee and Jozy Altidore scored late goals in a 2-0 win over San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday to complete the Week Five fixtures.

Week Five Results

Dallas 0 New England 1
Toronto 2 Kansas City 0
Columbus 1 Houston 0
D.C. United 4 Salt Lake 1
Chicago 2 Colorado 1
L.A. Galaxy 5 Chivas 2
New York 2 San Jose 0

Standings

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

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

MLS Week Four Review

2008-04-21T11:38:00.009-05:00

Three weeks in and the only predictable element of this season’s Major League Soccer campaign has been its sheer unpredictability. Week Four did nothing to buck the trend, both from a results perspective and from the behaviour of one of the league’s supposed leading lights, Landon Donovan.

The weekend action started on Thursday night with D.C. United, surprisingly alongside Toronto at the foot of the Eastern Conference, seeking to kick-start their season at home to Columbus Crew. Sadly for the home fans, their side’s stuttering start continues as Columbus ran out deserved 2-1 winners. Luciano Emilio, D.C.’s Brazilian striker who picked up last year’s Golden Boot and MVP awards, has still to rediscover his sharpness and accuracy in front of goal as United toiled to convert their numerous chances. The result sent Columbus, without a play-off appearance since 2004, to the Eastern Conference summit for at least 48 hours.

New England Revolution missed their opportunity to topple Columbus by drawing 1-1 at New York Red Bulls. Steve Nicol will be pleased with a battling away point for his team after Mauricio Castro, the Honduran international midfielder, was dismissed for a foolishly petulant kick at Red Bulls defender Kevin Goldthwaite. Thankfully for Nicol, Revolution benefitted from a soft foul shortly afterwards when Adam Cristman, still standing in for the injured Taylor Twellman, appeared to lose his footing at the edge of the penalty area. Charitable defending aided Jeff Larentowicz who drilled a low shot under the wall and into the bottom corner which looked to be covered by Jon Conway, the Red Bulls goalkeeper.

With Canada’s harsh winter drawing to a close, Toronto finally got their home opener out of the way with a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake in front of a boisterous sell-out crowd at BMO Field. These two teams finished bottom of their conferences last season, but have thus far shown renewed spirit and ability which should see both camps at least competing for this year’s play-offs. Laurent Robert, newly arrived from Derby County, scored the only goal with a deflected free kick. Rohan Ricketts, the former Tottenham midfielder, made his debut to add to Toronto’s growing contingent of ex-Premiership players.

Chicago Fire entered the weekend as arguably the most impressive team to date, topping the table with two wins and a draw. Kansas City travelled to the Windy City for their first away fixture level on points with the Fire, but having played an additional game. The visitors took a fourth minute lead when Jack Jewsbury seized upon an inviting pass from Claudio Lopez to round Jon Busch, the Chicago goalkeeper, and finish smartly. Despite the ensuing Fire pressure, orchestrated as always by Cuauhtemoc Blanco, the Wizards held out to finish the weekend ahead of Columbus at the top of the Eastern Conference.

The surprises continued out West with San Jose Earthquakes gaining their first points by beating Colorado Rapids, leaders before the match, 2-0 in Denver. Ronnie O’Brien gave the Earthquakes a deserved advantage shortly before half-time before Kei Kamara sealed the win on the hour mark after fine work by Ned Grabavoy. The goal was fitting for Kamara, the towering Sierra Leone-born forward, who suffered the passing of his brother during the week.

FC Dallas remain the only unbeaten team after a 2-0 win on the road at misfiring Chivas USA. Kenny Cooper, a former Manchester United trainee, gave them a fifth minute lead which they held until substitute Abe Thompson netted the decisive goal ten minutes from the end.

So finally to Home Depot Center and the antics of Mr Donovan, a man held in seemingly equal regard as the most talented American player of his generation and the most over-rated. Despite dominating the first half, Houston Dynamo had only a solitary Brad Davis goal to show for their efforts. Ruud Gullit, the Galaxy head coach, spruced his team up at the interval and the changes brought immediate dividends with some early pressure in the second period.

On 61 minutes, Donovan made his first unsavoury contribution to the evening’s events. Chasing a long pass which was sailing harmlessly into the hands of Tony Caig, the Dynamo goalkeeper, defender Patrick Ianni made certain that Donovan would not reach the ball by blocking the forward’s run with a shoulder challenge. Donovan, supposedly a professional athlete weighing some 160lbs, crashed to the turf and required a few minutes of treatment for what seemed little more than an innocuous bump. It appeared to be little more than a crass attempt to win a free kick and earn a booking for a fellow professional to which the referee took no notice.

Minutes later, Donovan dived in front of Ianni to head home an equaliser from David Beckham’s cross. Not content with the goal, Donovan stooped over the prostrate Ianni to goad him. It was a classless, disgusting act which should have earned the Los Angeles forward a yellow card. Indeed, he would have garnered little sympathy if Ianni had responded with a right hook.

Dynamo retook the lead through Franco Caraccio on 78 minutes and will feel extremely disappointed not to have held on for three points. Donovan netted a scarcely deserved second equaliser on 84 minutes from another Beckham cross after the Englishman had eluded Wade Barrett, the Dynamo captain, far too easily.

The 2-2 draw sees Houston, the back-to-back defending champions, as the only side without a win after four rounds: another scenario which would have seemed improbable a few short weeks ago.

Week Four Results

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

Standings

Eastern Conference

Kansas City 10 points (5 games)
Columbus 9 (4)
Chicago 7 (4)
New England 7 (5)
Toronto 6 (4)
New York 4 (3)
D.C. United 3 (4)

Western Conference

Dallas 8 (4)
Colorado 6 (4)
Salt Lake 4 (4)
Chivas 4 (4)
L.A. Galaxy 4 (4)
San Jose 3 (3)
Houston 3 (4)

MLS Week Three Review

2008-04-13T22:02:00.005-05:00

On Fox Sports’ Football Fone-In show at the start of the week, Alexi Lalas, the Los Angeles Galaxy general manager, claimed that Major League Soccer is “the most competitive league in the world”. With a number of instruments in place to retain parity, such as salary caps and draft picks, it is difficult to disagree.

A glance at the league table after three rounds of fixtures backs up his claim. Picking a winner for November’s MLS Cup Final at this early stage seemingly requires a large degree of luck rather than any skilled judgement. Only two teams, Chicago Fire and FC Dallas, remain unbeaten whilst Houston Dynamo and San Jose Earthquakes are the only sides awaiting their first victory.

Chicago lead the way after a narrow 1-0 triumph in the Bay Area. The original San Jose franchise relocated to Houston for the 2006 season after their owners, Anschutz Entertainment Group, failed to secure a commitment from local businessmen and councillors to build a soccer-specific stadium. With agreed plans now in the pipeline, the returning Earthquakes will share Santa Clara University’s 11,500 capacity Buck Shaw Stadium in the short term. Their home opener, however, was switched to the Oakland Coliseum, home of Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics, to accommodate over 20,000 enthusiastic fans.

As in their first match at L.A. Galaxy, the Earthquakes conjured a decent performance for an expansion side and were unfortunate not to take an eighteenth minute lead when Gavin Glinton’s effort was brilliantly tipped wide by the flying Jon Busch, the Chicago goalkeeper. One minute later, Cuauhtemoc Blanco made his only significant contribution in the stifling afternoon heat; retaining possession under pressure before threading a through ball for Tomasz Frankowski. The Polish striker saw his attempt palmed away by Joe Cannon, the Quakes goalkeeper, but team-mate Chad Barrett was quickest to the rebound to score the game’s only goal.

Shea Salinas, San Jose’s rookie forward, will be the only person who knows how his side did not gain a share of the points in injury time. After Ramiro Corrales hit the bar with a misguided cross, Kei Kamara saw his header from the continuing attack deflected on to the foot of the post. From four yards out, and with Busch stranded on his knees, Salinas contrived to fire the rebound high over the bar with the net gaping. Another defeat, but head coach Frank Yallop can take heart from the early endeavours of his fledgling squad.

In a week that saw the MLS Players Union reveal 2008 player salaries, a move which is commonplace in America’s major sports, the paucity of riches afforded to the Los Angeles Galaxy rearguard was matched only by their lack of defensive abilities. In a battle between two of last season’s three worst teams, Toronto left Home Depot Center with maximum points after a 3-2 win courtesy of a late strike from substitute Jeff Cunningham.

It has become increasingly obvious that showering fortunes on the Beckham-Donovan connection (combined annual base salary of $6.4 million) is futile when their typically half-hearted efforts are so easily undermined by errors from the likes of Greg Vanney and goalkeeper Steve Cronin (combined annual base salary of $166,800). As if to magnify the team’s shortcomings, half of the 26 man roster earns less than $40,000 per year. Galaxy’s defence are not so much the supporting cast as background extras. It was also interesting to note the announced crowd of 20,426 given that 27,000 sell-outs are routinely proclaimed by Brand Beckham’s promoters. Huge spaces in the stands suggested that the revised figure may too have been subject to inflation, but there was little doubt about the feelings of true Galaxy fans as they subjected their team to a chorus of cat calls at full time.

By stark contrast, Real Salt Lake, the third side in last season’s inglorious bottom trio, has reshaped their team around a collection of hard-working if unspectacular players, allowing them to improve the overall quality and depth of the squad. In further comparison with Los Angeles, only a quarter of their roster falls below the $40,000 mark in base salary. After finishing the previous two campaigns in last place in the Western Conference, head coach Jason Kreis is aiming for definite improvement ahead of the team’s move to their impressive new home later this year. Salt Lake made a real statement of intent on Saturday night with a 4-0 thrashing of D.C. United, many analysts’ favourites for this year’s title.

Finally, in the weekend’s most action-packed fixture, Columbus Crew withstood a late rally by visiting Chivas USA to scrape a 4-3 win. The points looked secure when Robbie Rogers put the Crew 3-1 ahead with nineteen minutes remaining, but goals from midfielders Jesse Marsch and Paulo Nagamura hauled Chivas level before Rogers completed the scoring on 82 minutes. Hopes of a further Chivas comeback were extinguished by uncharacteristic dismissals for Francisco Mendoza and Sacha Kljestan, though the latter can feel extremely unfortunate to have received a straight red card for a clumsy late challenge.

If any Arsenal scouts were watching Brad Guzan, the highly rated goalkeeper for Chivas, they will not have been impressed. His positioning looked suspect throughout the match and can be blamed for the third goal. Rogers’ winner came as a result of poor setting and catastrophic handling. On a day that saw the Gunners’ fans witness lingering hopes of silverware extinguished at the hands of Sir Alex Ferguson’s exhilarating Manchester United side, they will not sleep any easier in the knowledge that, for the time being at least, they are better off with Jens Lehmann.

Midweek Result
Kansas City 1 New England 3 (one apiece for the Rev's Gambian teenagers)

Complete Weekend Results
San Jose 0 Chicago 1
Columbus 4 Chivas 3
New England 0 Colorado 1 (Rev's inconsistent start continues)
Kansas City 0 Houston 0 (valuable clean sheet for the struggling defending champs)
Dallas 2 New York 0 (Kenny Cooper - "tremendous touch for a big man")
Salt Lake 4 D.C. United 0
L.A. Galaxy 2 Toronto 3

Standings

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

Western Conference
1) Colorado 6 (3)
2) Dallas 5 (3)
3) Chivas 4 (3)
4) Real Salt Lake 4 (3)
5) L.A. Galaxy 3 (3)
6) Houston 2 (3)
7) San Jose 0 (2)

CONCACAF Champions' Cup Semi-Finals

2008-04-10T00:29:00.011-05:00

Europe was not alone in feasting upon continental competition this midweek. Following Barcelona and Manchester United’s confirmation of their much-anticipated Champions’ League semi-final meeting, the teams from CONCACAF battled it out to establish who will meet in the region’s Champions’ Cup Final at the end of April, with a chance to represent the region in the FIFA Club World Championships also at stake.

Despite providing two winners in the early years of MLS (D.C. United in 1998 and Los Angeles Galaxy in 2000), no American team has reached the final since Galaxy’s success. The timing of the eight-team tournament does not favour MLS clubs whose league season only commences at the end of March. Nonetheless this year’s representatives, D.C. United and Houston Dynamo, safely negotiated the quarter finals (against Jamaica’s Harbour View and Guatemala’s CSD Municipal respectively) to progress to testing semi-final match-ups.

With a place in the final a mere 90 or 120 minutes away, it’s time for Fox Soccer Channel to guide us through the evening’s action.

D.C. United vs Pachuca

First up, it's over to RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. where United were endeavouring to overhaul a 2-0 deficit from their first leg visit to Pachuca, last year's Champions' Cup winners. The Mexicans are currently one of the Western Hemisphere's most decorated sides, with five national championships in the last decade as well as two Champions’ Cups, a Copa Sudamericana and last year’s inaugural SuperLiga trophy. Not content with that impressive haul of medals, many of their squad are thought to be in training for this August’s Olympic diving competition, so long as the Mexican Government refrains from boycotting the event.

D.C. suffered in the latter stages of the first leg as altitude became a factor, and their suffering continued throughout the first half here with Luciano Emilio, their Brazilian striker, coming closest to hauling them back into the tie. As the home side began to commit more players forward in the second half, they were eventually outdone by Pachuca’s counter-attacking when Damian Alvarez pounced on a loose ball to give the Mexicans a seemingly unassailable 3-0 lead overall with only 14 minutes remaining.

Much to their credit, United continued to bring the fight to their opponents and got on the scoresheet through Rod Dyachenko with five minutes left. Franco Niell coolly slotted a second as the fourth official indicated two additional minutes of stoppage time to be added, but despite a last ditch assault on Pachuca’s goal, “Los Tuzos” held out for a 3-2 aggregate victory to set up a possible third instalment in their growing rivalry with Houston Dynamo (whom they narrowly beat in last year’s semi-final before ousting the Texans from SuperLiga via penalties).

Deportivo Saprissa vs Houston Dynamo

Through the wonders of satellite television we were transported live to San Jose, Costa Rica, as the reigning MLS champions were now saddled with the burden of breaking America’s drought in this tournament. In truth, Houston should already have had one foot safely in the Final after dominating the first game at Robertson Stadium, but Saprissa stayed alive thanks to the wastefulness of Brian Ching, Dynamo's US international striker.

The "Purple Monster" stadium was full to its 23,000 capacity with blood definitely pumping through its veins as the locals created an intimidating atmosphere for the visitors. None of the four previous MLS guests had registered a victory on this ground, and the artificial surface would undoubtedly hinder Dynamo's ambitions.

Tony Caig, Houston’s back-up goalkeeper, endured a tortuous debut in Sunday's 3-3 draw with Dallas after replacing the injured Pat Onstad on 28 minutes. Fox Soccer Channel's Christian Miles rather misleadingly informed us that "the England goalkeeper" continues in Onstad’s continuing absense. He's English, yes, but this description screamed at being wildly aspirational! Then again, given Caig's bungled attempt on Kenny Cooper's second goal for Dallas, he might be in with a shout of impressing Fabio Capello. Constant howlers don't seem to have caused David "Calamity" James any enduring damage.

Dynamo entered the match minus the central defensive partnership of Bobby Boswell (suspended) and Eddie Robinson (injured). A number of other key players were also missing from the line-up, such as the skilful midfield duo of Brad Davis and Stuart Holden. As if the situation could not be more testing for Dominic Kinnear, the Dynamo head coach, his makeshift centre-back, Craig Waibel, limped off with an apparent hamstring strain within three minutes.

Ronald Gomez, the Saprissa forward, had the first chance of the night - a glaring opportunity from five yards that he contrived to head over the crossbar. The miss was eerily reminiscent of Ching's (lack of) finishing in the first leg. On the half hour, Gomez again arrived in the six yard box, but Dynamo captain Wade Barrett mounted enough of a challenge to ensure that Gomez could not make a clean connection with his attempt.

At the other end, Houston were lacking accuracy in the final third with Dwayne De Rosario, their main playmaker, struggling to find his passing range on the lively surface. Poor Franco Caraccio, the young Argentinian striker, simply struggled to stay on his feet and received an earful of derision from the home support after flopping over near the touchline.

Despite being on the back foot throughout the first half hour, Houston managed to prevent any direct shots on goal. Caig, however, was finally called into action on 35 minutes as Armando Alonso's deflected effort rolled tamely towards the diving goalkeeper. He failed to re-adjust, allowing the ball to tamely squirm under his prostrate body into the net. Thankfully it was 3.35am in London - let's hope Mr. Capello was safely tucked up in bed!

A saddening first period, at least for those wanting to see the Americans progress, was brightened before the break when Miles, commentating with authority from his immaculate viewing position in a Los Angeles studio, managed to confuse Wade Barrett (the 5' 8", 155 pound left back) with Geoff Cameron (the 6' 3", 185 pound right midfielder). To be fair, it must be hard to decipher the players through that Southern Californian smog.

Our hero was not finished there though as he coined a new nickname for Houston - Orange Crush! It's not quite the end of the world as I know it, but it could be heading that way.

Saprissa started the second half by hastily regaining the ascendency. After three minutes, the makeshift Dynamo rearguard failed to deal with a long throw and found themselves two goals adrift. A combination of hashed clearances and awkward bobbles allowed the ball to travel along the eighteen yard line to Celso Borges, Saprissa's 19 year old Costa Rican international, who finished in style with a powerful right foot shot on the turn.

Shortly afterwards Michael Barrantes had two good chances to end the tie, but missed the far post with a left footed effort on his first attempt before blazing an even clearer opportunity high over the bar from twelve yards.

Houston fought back momentarily in the final quarter. At one stage it looked as though Keilor Navas, the Saprissa goalkeeper, was trying to emulate his opposite number when flapping at a cross. Ching seized upon the loose ball and fired a decent effort towards goal, but Navas quickly recovered his ground to make a brilliant diving save.

Brad Davis, returning from injury, was thrown on for the final fifteen minutes in the hope of supplying Ching with ammunition from the flanks, but the game was over on 77 minutes before he received his first touch. Houston's defence did not cope with a routine long ball and Jairo Arrieta found himself in possession and racing in on goal. Despite the presence of three chasing defenders in close proximity, Caig decided to stray outside of his penalty area. A delighted Arrieta rounded the goalkeeper with ease before slotting into the empty net.

Let's hope the possibility of a corruption trial keeps Mr. Capello suitably occupied and prevents him from perusing YouTube.

A Bad Night For MLS

Congratulations to Pachuca and Saprissa, who will contest the Final over two legs to be played on April 23rd and 30th. Miles signs off on FSC’s broadcast by proclaiming that Saprissa have put on “a clinic” – appropriate given that my head is pounding so much I feel like I’m in dire need of medical assistance.

Who better than Michael Stipe of REM to provide the evening's final words:

"Everybody hurts, sometimes.........."

MLS Week Two Review

2008-04-06T20:24:00.005-05:00

The second weekend of MLS action saw the goals and excitement continue. After an enjoyable season opening, which brought twenty-one goals in the first eight league matches, this weekend saw a goal glut; twenty-two in the five games played.

Game of the round took place on Sunday afternoon in front of over 20,000 fans at Robertson Stadium, Houston, as the defending champions opened their home campaign in the Texas Derby with F.C. Dallas. The pre-match entertainment saw a “Back-to-Back Champions” hat giveaway, parachutists arriving in the centre circle, the unveiling of the Dynamo Girls’ new cheerleading line-up, fighter planes soaring over the stands at the conclusion of the national anthem and a video message of encouragement from one of the city’s most illustrious residents, former President George H. W. Bush. How the home support must have wished that the slick off-field operations could have been transmitted to Dynamo’s beleaguered back four.

Despite temperatures reaching into the 80’s, the players served up a fast-paced, physical encounter which saw Franco Caraccio, the young Argentinian forward signed during the close season, notch his first MLS goal to edge Houston ahead after 21 minutes. Injury to Pat Onstad, Dynamo’s veteran Canadian goalkeeper, saw another new signing, Tony Caig, making his first appearance on 28 minutes. The former Gretna man could not have envisaged a more turbulent welcoming.

His first task was to pick the ball out of his net on 35 minutes after being lobbed by Kenny Cooper, the imposing Dallas front man who shrugged off a challenge from Wade Barrett before finishing in style. His second task, on the stroke of half-time, was identical as Cooper converted from Juan Toja’s pass. Though Caig may be absolved of any blame on the first goal, his positioning appearing to be correct, he should have done better than let Cooper’s second effort slip under his body although he had been cruelly exposed on both occasions.

Dynamo’s success in recent years has been built upon a solid foundation with their defence proudly boasting the fewest number of goals conceded in four of the last seven regular seasons (dating back to their previous incarnation as the original San Jose Earthquakes). However, the loss of Ryan Cochrane back to San Jose as part of this year’s expansion draft appears to have unsettled their understanding. Bobby Boswell, a native Texan and MLS Defender of the Year in 2006, was acquired from D.C. United, but he has struggled so far to settle into his new surroundings and looked uncomfortable throughout the afternoon.

The same could not be said, however, of midfielder Geoff Cameron, making his first professional start after being acquired in 42nd place during January’s Superdraft. Cameron made an immediate aerial impact, flicking on a few headers from the right flank to set up his forwards in dangerous areas, but he also displayed good ability on the ground. He provided the assist for Houston’s 57th minute equaliser, picking up Dwayne De Rosario’s lay-off to cross for Brian Ching to bundle over the line from inside the six yard box.

Much to the crowd’s disbelief, Dynamo fell behind again within seconds of the restart as Houstonian Arturo Alvarez raced clear with his path to goal unobstructed. He finished with ease, leaving Caig and Boswell to partake in a minor altercation. Dallas should have wrapped up the win with two chances on the counter-attack as Houston committed men forward, but profligate finishing and selfish decision-making kept the home side alive.

As injury time arrived, with tempers becoming frayed on the home bench, Cameron capped his impressive afternoon with a thunderous equaliser to rescue a point for Dynamo. He picked up possession in the middle of the Dallas half and laid the ball into Brian Ching, who did well under pressure to hold off a challenge and set up a return for the advancing Cameron. The rookie did not need a second invitation as he thrashed his right-foot shot high beyond Dario Sala in the Dallas goal to level the score at 3-3.

Saturday’s action saw Kansas City Wizards remain top of the Eastern Conference with a thrilling second half display to see off Colorado Rapids by 3-2; substitute Scott Sealy grabbing a late winner after Colorado had fought back from Jimmy Conrad’s brace. The Wizards’ victims in Week One, D.C. United, experienced further troubles in the midweek loss to Mexican side Pachuca in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions’ Cup Semi-Final, but bounced back to sweep past Toronto F.C. by 4-1. Overturning the 2-0 deficit at RFK Stadium this Wednesday evening will pose a significantly stiffer test.

Elsewhere, New York Red Bulls opened their campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over Colombus Crew; both goals coming in the opening eight minutes.

Chivas USA underlined their potential with a 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake at Home Depot Center. In midfielders Sacha Kljestan and Francisco Mendoza, Chivas possess two of the league’s most attractive and intelligent players, and only the unfortunate timing of injuries to their strike pairing of Maykel Galindo and Ante Razov derailed their campaign last season as the play-offs commenced. Kljestan, who will captain the US U-23 side at this summer’s Olympic Games, opened the scoring on 32 minutes after a fine counter-attacking move, a hallmark of this team, involving Mendoza and Galindo. The midfield duo also played a significant role in setting up Atiba Harris for the second on 55 minutes.

Kenny Deuchar, another former Gretna man now plying his trade in the States, pulled a goal back for Salt Lake before Alecko Eskandarian, whose father played for Iran in the 1978 World Cup, sealed the win in stoppage time.

Complete Weekend Results

Chicago 4 New England 0
LA Galaxy 2 San Jose 0
Kansas City 3 Colorado 2 (great five man pile-up for Rapids' equaliser)
New York 2 Colombus 0 (brilliant penalty save, pity about the first goal!)
D.C. United 4 Toronto 1 (some amazing saves, but Toronto's goalkeeper left helpless)
Chivas 3 Salt Lake 1
Houston 3 Dallas 3

Standings

Eastern Conference

1) Kansas City 6 points (played 2)

2) Chicago 4 (2)

3) New York 3 (1)

4) D.C. United 3 (2)

5) Colombus 3 (2)

6) New England 3 (2)

7) Toronto 0 (2)

Western Conference

1) Chivas 4 (2)

2) Colorado 3 (2)

3) L.A. Galaxy 3 (2)

4) Dallas 2 (2)

5) Salt Lake 1 (2)

6) Houston 1 (2)

7) San Jose 0 (1)

MLS Week Two - Thursday Night Live

2008-04-04T14:31:00.004-05:00

After Fox Soccer Channel’s groundbreaking MLS double-header to open the 2008 season last Saturday, ESPN quickly followed suit by providing another feast on Thursday night with vastly contrasting fortunes for two of the participants; New England Revolution and Los Angeles Galaxy.

As always, Galaxy provided the biggest story in Week One with their insipid performance at Colorado Rapids. The turnaround could not have been more complete as they dispatched San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 in front of a near capacity 27,000 crowd at Home Depot Center. However, further derision looked likely in the opening minutes when San Jose defender Ryan Cochrane, the first player picked by head coach Frank Yallop in selecting his new team from the expansion draft, appeared to head the Quakes in front only for the assistant referee to erroneously flag for offside.

Galaxy responded instantly with some lively attacking play resulting in chances for Alan Gordon and Ely Allen before David Beckham fired them into a ninth minute lead. The unfortunate Cochrane again found himself as the central figure, under-hitting a pass back which Landon Donovan seized upon before feeding Beckham in space at the right of the penalty box. The captain duly remained composed and slotted the ball under the advancing Joe Cannon, the Quakes ‘keeper who played for Galaxy under Yallop last season.

In a lively opening spell, both teams kept up a high tempo and pushed forward in numbers but it didn’t take long for San Jose’s major shortcoming to be exposed. As Maurice Johnston found out last year at Toronto FC, scoring goals can be a problem for a new team. With existing clubs permitted to protect ten players on their rosters, the expansion side is then allowed to select one unprotected player from any ten teams to form their initial pool. As expected, Yallop and John Doyle, the Quakes’ general manager, chose to build from a solid defensive base, adding to the squad through the college draft as well as other acquisitions and trades. Cochrane caused further concerns for Galaxy’s defence from another set-piece in the 22nd minute, but as the first half wore on their lack of potency in the final third allowed the home side to assume control.

What will be pleasing for Ruud Gullit, the Los Angeles manager, are not so much the infinitely improved performances of Beckham and Donovan but the contributions he received from much of the squad’s lesser lights. Gullit was forced into making changes to his starting line-up due to the suspension of Abel Xavier and injury to Carlos Ruiz. Alan Gordon assumed front man’s duties and offered an entirely different proposition in attack. Whereas Ruiz excels as a predatory, instinctive striker, Gordon proved effective in linking up with Beckham and Donovan as Galaxy produced some slick, inventive football. Against Colorado, much of Beckham’s distribution was speculative, launching 40 yard Hollywood passes with little end result. Here, his passing was short, specific, incisive and ultimately effective.

The trio combined to seal the game on 37 minutes. Two beautiful first time passes from Gordon and Beckham released Donovan, the third man running in the move. The American international burst past Cochrane before clipping a delightful chip over Cannon into the net.

Galaxy’s attack was ably assisted by midfielders Alvaro Pires, a 23 year old Brazilian plucked from Spartak Nalchik of the Russian Premier League, and Chris Klein, a veteran of ten MLS seasons. Pires should have added a third goal minutes before the interval, but contrived to head a Beckham free-kick wide from six yards. Mike Randolph (pictured in friendly action against Glasgow Rangers) also provided willing support with frequent raids into attacking positions from left-back.

In many ways, Randolph exemplifies today’s average American footballer. A local product, he enjoyed a successful debut season with Portland Timbers of the unrelated United Soccer League First Division before being signed by Galaxy last year. He possesses stunning speed and athleticism, combined with excellent technical skills and two-footedness which are the equal of many players in the world’s top leagues, but he frequently lets himself down due to his lack of tactical awareness and erratic decision-making. He received a sixth minute caution for a blatant jersey pull and was fortunate that Ronnie O’Brien, the Quakes’ Irish midfielder who so nearly beat Albert Einstein and Martin Luther King in Time Magazine’s “Person of the Century” poll in 1999, escaped his clutches a little over ten minutes later after a similar offense. Having avoided a second booking, Randolph went on to give an assured and impressive display.

San Jose offered little threat in the second half, but coach Yallop can still take some encouragement from his team’s first competitive fixture whereas Ruud Gullit will pleased and relieved in equal measures to have finally seen his team finally play to their potential after a dismal pre-season and opening fixture.

As all turned sweet for the Galaxy, Steve Nicol’s New England Revolution was left feeling sour in Chicago after their opening day destruction of Houston Dynamo, the reigning champions. Already trailing to Chad Barrett’s fourth minute opener, Nicol saw his side reduced to ten men two minutes later when Jeff Larentowicz was dismissed for a two-footed lunge. Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Chicago Fire’s Mexican superstar, took full advantage of the additional space as the Fire obliterated the Revs with a first half onslaught.

Tomasz Frankowski, the Polish international who had a recent spell with Wolverhampton Wanderers, marked his home debut with two goals and looks set to become a firm favourite in a city with a large Polish community. Blanco added to his season opener at Real Salt Lake by emphatically converting from the penalty spot as the Fire registered a 4-0 win. Since arriving in the Windy City last July, Blanco has transformed the fortunes of his team. His array of flicks, heels and dummies are to joy to behold, but his lack of pace emphasises how vital that attribute is in the modern game to truly make an impact at the very highest level.

Weekend Fixtures

Saturday
Kansas City Wizards vs. Colorado Rapids
New York Red Bulls vs. Colombus Crew
D.C. United vs. Toronto FC
Chivas USA vs. Real Salt Lake

Sunday
Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas

MLS Week One Review

2008-03-31T17:42:00.001-05:00

On a day when Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, two graduates of the much heralded Manchester United youth academy from the 1990’s, produced marvellous performances during the Red Devils’ destruction of Aston Villa, another former Carrington midfielder was also turning in a commanding display, captaining his side to a comprehensive victory in the MLS opener between Colorado Rapids and Los Angeles Galaxy.

Terry Cooke, whose early promise at Old Trafford was blighted by injuries, blasted the Rapids into a tenth minute lead, latching on to a rebound after Christian Gomez smacked the post with a long-range drive. From that moment, the home team never looked back and posted a 4-0 win in front of a record crowd at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park near Denver. Cooke turned in a match-of-the-match performance on the right flank, ably assisted by the Argentinian midfielder Gomez, Colorado’s major off-season capture from D.C. United, and the eager front duo of Omar Cummings and Colin Clark.

By the eightieth minute, when Clark became the final member of that quartet to register on the scoreboard, Cooke’s illustrious former team mate, David Beckham, had once again been relegated to the role of bemused bystander as Galaxy got their campaign off to the worst possible start.

Galaxy’s star seemed to be shining brightly in the early stages with Beckham supplying trademark service from an advanced position on the right towards Carlos Ruiz. The striker, re-signed from FC Dallas in the close season, becomes the club’s third designated player after Beckham and Landon Donovan. Under MLS rules, each franchise is only allowed one such player but the authorities seem rather lenient in enforcing their own rules when there is a potential cash cow to be promoted and milked.

The downside of this leniency for Alexi Lalas and Ruud Gullit, the Galaxy general manager and head coach respectively, is that the $1.2 million of salary allocated to this trio (only $400,000 of a DP’s wages contributes towards the $2.3 million annual team salary cap) leaves only $1.1 million to allocate across the rest of the squad. Quite frankly, it shows.

Bouna Coundoul, Colorado’s Senegalese international goalkeeper, snuffed out most of the early danger from Beckham’s deliveries, enabling his side to grow in confidence and begin mounting their own forays at a suspect Galaxy back four. With the early jousting complete and Rapids’ left back Jose Luis Burciaga repelling Beckham’s advances, the English icon was forced into dropping increasingly deeper to find space. His inviting crosses were replaced by speculative 40 yard diagonal hoofs into the penalty box, one of which fell invitingly for Ruiz who could only scuff his left-footed shot wide.

The game was effectively over fifteen minutes into the second half when the hapless Abel Xavier conceded a penalty which Gomez confidently converted. To be fair, the decision looked harsh on L.A., but Xavier does not help his cause by diving into tackles when he would be better advised to stay on his feet.

Cooke’s string-pulling in the Colorado midfield was now in stark contrast to his former colleague. As Cummings and Clark took turns to dance through Galaxy’s schoolboy defending and find the net, Beckham’s demeanour exuded the look of a man completely lost, uninterested and bewildered. He spent most of the last ten minutes behind Galaxy’s ravaged back line, collecting sideways passes and popping the ball off to another defender. If this was an attempt to create an impression of involvement, it failed dismally.

At full time, Beckham and his team-mates sheepishly made their way to the sanctuary of the dressing room as Colorado celebrated with their jubilant fans. He must be thankful that the flow of broadcast matches between Sky Sports and its sister station, Fox Soccer Channel, only travels in one direction, otherwise the ongoing debate about his inclusion within the England international squad would surely be at an end. Make no mistake; this was no one-off, but rather the standard that the American soccer viewer has quickly come to expect.

The good news for Los Angeles is that they have an early chance to redeem themselves with the returning San Jose Earthquakes franchise visiting Home Depot Center this Thursday evening for their first MLS match since 2005. Galaxy’s cause will be further aided by the suspension of Xavier, sent off during the closing minutes for dissent. However, it looks as though Beckham and Donovan will shoulder greater responsibility in galvanising the troops. Ruiz succumbed to a ligament injury late on that also saw Colorado’s Ciaran O’Brien red-carded for his challenge.

In the weekend’s other televised match, New England Revolution extracted some small measure of revenge on Houston Dynamo, the team that has defeated them in the last two MLS Cup Finals. Although Houston has walked off with the Championship on both of those occasions, they actually tend to struggle against the Revs with Steve Nicol sending his team out to stifle the Dynamo midfield and limit the contribution of Dwayne De Rosario, one of the league’s outstanding players.

Though without key players from last season in Pat Noonan and Andy Dorman, the early indications are that this Revolution side will pose greater attacking intent. Their midfield included the skilful Honduran international Mauricio Castro, who turned in an impressive debut alongside the equally exciting Gambian teenage duo of Sainey Nyassi and Kenny Mansally.

Despite the late withdrawal of Taylor Twellman, New England took a 2-0 lead in the first half through goals by the evergreen Steve Ralston and Adam Cristman, Twellman’s replacement. Dominic Kinnear, the Dynamo manager, adjusted his formation to match up with the Revs in the midfield after the break. His side fought back, but could not find the vital breakthrough. Stuart Holden came closest with a firm header which was brilliantly tipped away by a fully stretched Matt Reis, before Nyassi broke from halfway to complete a 3-0 win in injury time with a great solo effort.

Other results from Week 1:

Columbus 2 Toronto 0
Real Salt Lake 1 Chicago Fire 1 (Fabulous equaliser in injury time from Cuauhtemoc Blanco rescues a point for Chicago)
Kansas City 2 D.C. United 0 (Claudio Lopez makes a goalscoring start to his MLS adventure)
Dallas 1 Chivas USA 1