Week 14 was a hell of a thing, wasn’t it? Considering the crush of games between last Wednesday and yesterday afternoon en masse seems like trying to eat a Big Mac in one bite, something the Surgeon General would recommend against, no doubt. The weight of those games feels almost like a pivot point, a time to take stock of what came before and to study the prospects for the future.
As such, an expanded, context-free edition of this site’s power rankings seems in order. Rather than look back at past week’s rating, what comes below takes a step back for a shot at The Big Picture: impressions from the season’s frenetic, surprising opening games to the wilting pace of the recent, hot weeks, as well as signs of things to come will determine who goes where in this table; expect some personal blind-spots to misshape these standings as well (see: Galaxy, Los Angeles). Moreover, the rankings will bow to the playoff format: the top two teams from each conference will make up the top four, while the four teams that follow from there are the teams I expect to make the post-season.
In other words, an attempt will be made here to be both current and predictive...with the expectation that the distance between my estimation of things and reality should be amusingly vast.
Here goes...
1) Houston Dynamo
The Dynamo is, without question, the best team in Major League Soccer (MLS) right now. With them firing on all cylinders - and on both sides of the ball - I’m to a point where I’ll accept the vilest of food dares about this team making the playoffs (I’m open to drinking dares on them winning the West). Brad Davis’ injury upset the offensive balance a little, but Brian Ching/Joseph Ngwenya looks surprisingly effective and Stuart Holden looks like sufficient cover for DeRosario’s so-far sub-par 2007. With MLS’s (by far) sturdiest defense behind them, the Canadian Wonder only needs to wake up (or stops thinking about what tight bastards league honchos are midway through a dribble), for these guys will romp to a repeat.
What Might Kill ‘Em: Their brick-shithouse defense will carry them to the post-season, but they’ll need their offense to get them out of it smiling. A return of the early-season goals drought seems the likeliest pitfall. This matters because, among the rarefied breed of actual contenders, the question isn’t making the playoffs, but winning the league.
2) New England Revolution
When some people look at New England, they see a glass half-full; when I look at them, I see a glass three-quarters empty. Why am I hardest on the ones I love? That’s a big question with a tough love answer: the Revolution will grab the top spot in the East because they’re one of the rare teams in MLS without significant holes somewhere on the field - e.g. they’ll make it by default. Solid and unspectacular, they’re hard to beat and possess the firepower to punish most teams. New England takes the field with two missions, the second subordinate to the first: Mission 1: Stop the other team from scoring; Mission 2: score as many goals as possible without in any way compromising Mission 1. For what it’s worth, those adjectives - “solid and unspectacular” - get at why they make the finals, but don’t win them. The only question left is, why do I like this team?
What Might Kill ‘Em: Given the thin (certainly cheap, possibly cynical) calculus on which this team operates, they seem one prolonged slip in attentiveness or confidence away from contender, or even meaningful, post-season, status. It’s possible this is happening now, but I’ve waited a while for this slip to come, Steve Nicol to get fired, etc. Even through several series of rookie classes, it never has. What can I say? The man has a system and it works - even if it’s too often uninspiring.
3) DC United
In all honesty, DC is the only team in this mix I can see failing to make the playoffs. But I’ll also admit upfront I don’t know how they do what they do, but the fact remains that they do (got that? Good). Judging by form and appearances, Coach Tom Soehn has figured out how to make the pieces of his mysteriously effective machine work. Christian Gomez doesn’t seem the threat he was in 2006 and both their big-shit new signings still seem to be finding their feet....and, yet, the team from DC keeps making progress; maybe Troy Perkins rediscovering confidence played the key role there. Their middling scores in the significant statistical categories (goals for/against) come from their early season nightmare; the fact they’ve attained respectability speaks up the team’s recovery.
What Might Kill ‘Em: Placing DC so high relies on two suppositions: first, that there’s no shame to losing to Houston on the road and, second, dubbing the loss to Real Salt Lake an anomalous hiccup. The long and the short is that, because DC is a model organization - good fans, plugged-in front office - signs of progress seem reliable. Says here, they’ll make the playoffs.
4) FC Dallas
Call me crazy (cue chorus: “You’re crazy!”), but Dallas’ recent defensive solidity - along with the introduction of some leadership in Adrian Serioux - has me viewing them as 2007’s dark-horse contender; I give tons of credit for that turn-around to Dario Sala, but the rest of the pieces are shaping up as well. Add a return to health for Kenny Cooper into the mix, the likelihood of Carlos Ruiz, at last, slimming down to fighting weight, a great pair of recent additions in Juan Toja and Pablo Ricchetti, and - gasp - useful threats like Arturo Alvarez and Ramon Nunez lurking in the wings, and Dallas looks like a decent candidate for making some noise. There was something curiously inspiring - at least from the point of view of Dallas fans - to that draw with Houston a couple weeks back, ugly as it was. The knock on Dallas has always been fragility, so the sight of them kicking and scrapping walks that one back a bit.
What Might Kill ‘Em: When you’re cursed, you’re cursed. Dallas has to exercise their demons, establish a sense of belief they can win the big ones...whoops, the verb ought to be “exorcise.” It’s Ruiz they need to exercise...
5) Kansas City Wizards
This team can score; assuming Eddie Johnson doesn’t bring his Copa America form home with him, they should score even more. Wayward finishing has hurt them lately, but the chances are coming by, literally, the score. The Wizards are fast, pretty, and fun to watch. The fruits they derive from pressuring teams all over the field showed as recently as this past weekend against LA. The highly relevant question is whether that same pressuring game is what leaves them so vulnerable at the back. If you accept that statement that Dallas sets a Gold Standard (of sorts) for Dodgy Defending, what does the fact that KC has allowed one more goal in the season so far say? (And, it should be noted, in two fewer games.) The hard reality is that KC’s defensive performance ranks with Chicago’s and RSL’s - not good company. Sort out the defense and KC suddenly becomes a contender; but will sorting out the defense take away from the flash offense? That’s the question of KC’s season.
What Might Kill ‘Em: The defense, without question; teams that can shut up shop against these guys will find a way past them eventually.
6) Chivas USA
This constitutes one of my “wacky” pick (OK, the third, perhaps fourth), but I think I’ve got the general picture right, even if I louse up the details: i.e. the post-season will feature a 5-3 split, favoring the Eastern Conference. I’m feel comfortable, though not quite confident, about that call. Where I don’t feel so good is picking Chivas as that team. There’s enough to like about them - beginning with that c-rrazzzy home record (5-0-1, 1 goal conceded) - and, in general, they strike me as a team built essentially right for MLS: solid in terms of shape and equipped with enough lethality to win close ones. On the downside, their 8th in the league for scoring and, at times, it seems like Maykel Galindo is the all the offense they have. Then there’s that road form issue: 1-5-2...ouch. Still, a win or two - or as many ties as possible - in their seven remaining road games and the Goats control their destiny. Not too shabby.
What Might Kill ‘Em: So many different threats: a resurgence from LA; Colorado waking up and realizing they can win, etc. Combine any of these with Chivas’ struggles on the road and they’re one of the three Western Conference teams hitting the links early. For what it’s worth, I count LA getting their shit together the biggest threat.
7) Columbus Crew
I don’t view this as wacky; Columbus, making the playoffs, that is; placing them over New York? Maybe. The thing is, Columbus has as much depth as any team in the league - not quality of depth, but simple depth in the sense of players familiar with and available for familiar with positions. That amounts to guys playing where they’re comfortable, which should spare them the Personnel Hell Red Bull has endured. The Crew’s offense started showing signs of life with the deal that brought in Alejandro Moreno; Guillermo Schelotto has taken care of the running the show. The offense’s stir coincided with another happy event: the up-and-down defense hitting an up in the form of three consecutive clean-sheets and only six goals allowed in their last six games; mixed in all that were seven points of nine against higher-placed Eastern Conference rivals. In general, the trends are good; so long as the Crew keeps guys like Chad Marshall and Schelotto fit and productive they’re a plausible playoff team.
What Might Kill ‘Em: Injuries...or the possibility they'll wake up and remember they're Columbus. I kid, I kid. They’ve got great depth - in midfield in particular, even if it’s a bit green - but not a defense or forward. Take a hit there and this call goes pear-shaped fast.
8) Red Bull New York
Week 4 - y’know, back when no one could score on Red Bull and Dane Richards and Clint Mathis looked like God out there - well, that seems like ten seasons ago with the way Red Bull looks lately. A funny thing about that: it’s not so much that Red Bull simply sucks, but it appears they may just suck on the road - against competent teams, at least. The stretch of June and July games, in which Red Bull allowed 16 and scored only 10, featured six road games out of seven; the two wins they managed came against Colorado and a lucky one against Toronto. Seeing as they stay at home till the middle of August, we should all know a little more about New York by then. In the here and now, the injury-plagued defense draws a lot of commentary - and that is a problem - but there’s plenty more wrong with the Red Bulls, some related to aging Europeans fizzling on the wings. For all that, I get the sense that what’s becoming an annual struggle between Kansas City and New York will recur in 2007, only with a bigger potential prize: whichever team that gets things right soonest could easily bump New England or DC.
What Might Kill ‘Em: The comphrensive funk they’re now in could prove lethal. A lack of depth in defense is the chief structural problem, but they haven’t looked good much of anywhere. Could this be Arena’s first outright, no-safety failure? Will the New York market destroy another reputation? I'd pay to see that (because I'm a horrible, little man).
OK, since I don’t think the rest of these cats will make it, I’ll write shorter pieces for them. And do note the subtle difference in language: it’s no longer “what might kill ‘em,” but “What Might Let ‘Em In.”
9) Los Angeles Galaxy
If there's a fly in the ointment, it lives in LA. I thought they looked pretty good against KC - though that could be down to the Wizards approach buying them crazy amounts of space. Still, the difference between this game and how appallingly horrible they looked in losses to Colorado, Dallas, and the Crew recommends keeping an eye on this bunch. Unlike a number of teams below, LA has made trades to improve - or attempt to improve, anyway. They’re schedule might kill them in the end, but at least the cavalry has arrived.
What Might Let ‘Em In: It won’t take more than “good enough” form, a slip by Chivas, and continued horrible play from Colorado. Way stranger things have happened.
10) Toronto FC
I start the no-hopers list with the team most likely to defy the label. At least Toronto meets losses with determination, even anger; the rest of the remaining teams look flustered and harried. They’ve got the fight, but need to learn to win on the road. And, just to pass on a bit of advice: I don’t think playing both Colin Samuel and Danny Dichio is the answer.
What Might Let ‘Em In: A couple road wins would probably do it - especially if they come against the more vulnerable Eastern teams. Translation: they really needed to beat Chicago this past weekend.
11) Colorado Rapids...
....are in free-fall. Fire Fernando, dudes, your team hasn’t won since May. (Where’s Real Salt Lake when you need them?) On the upside, the main problem looks like offense: the wait for their last two-goal game goes back further still to April. At this point, it’s almost not a question that Clavijo is to blame: the man who excels at getting the most out of human reclamation projects has now built a team of them - and it shows.
What Might Let ‘Em In: The return of that mysterious Rapids/Raiders swagger. When they get in that “us-versus-them” mode, Colorado starts winning - ugly, yes, but winning all the same.
12) Chicago Fire
I don’t know anything about the Fire’s new coach, but I believe one thing to be true: Sir Alex Ferguson couldn’t make winners of this bunch. I kid, I kid. In truth, last weekend’s game against Toronto showed a lot about this Fire team: individual players found ways around the TFC defense, they played in beautiful balls to...to...no one. In one particular memorable (and sad) moment, Chris Armas capped a promising Fire move with a nearly perfect run into the area, but no one followed him, and no one was there to knock in an enticing, yet blind, cross. The thing is, that game was theirs for the taking.
What Might Let ‘Em In: Armas’ run wasn’t the only instance of good play going nowhere. Maybe Osorio will get the Fire’s attackers on the same page. There are useful players, but they’re misfiring to a degree where I want to hide the children.
13) Real Salt Lake
The odds would have to be biblical to make a bet on these guys to make the playoffs worth taking. The smarter bet might be on them beating Chivas’ worst-ever season. Bad, and unlikely to get better.
What Might Let ‘Em In: The Earth opening up and swallowing three teams from each conference. Points deduction for match-fixing among the teams above them. Perhaps a massive bribe to bring Jack Warner into the picture. In other words, it ain’t gonna happen.
Showing posts with label Columbus Crew. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Columbus Crew. Show all posts
MLS Week 13 Power Rankings
I'm pleased to report that all this weekend's results made sense to me on one level or another. I can't say the same for the rankings that follow, which blend inexplicable hostility and fits of indulgent favoritism with some chemicals I found on the shelf.
As always, last week’s ranking appears in parentheses immediately after this week’s ranking. So as to not misrepresent my judgment as entirely first-hand, here’s a key for my viewing: “@” means I watched a given team’s most recent performance in its entirety; “$” means I caught it through Quick Kicks, which provides extended highlights; “%” means I watched only the rump highlights available through MLSnet.com.
Here goes...and after the rankings, you’ll find a current listing of the standings for the permanent record.
1. (2) DC United (%)
They flip-flop with the Dynamo based solely on the fact that they won. Reports didn’t tell of a sterling performance, in spite of the score - and the team they beat (Colorado) doesn’t add to the equation. But a win is a win...
2. (1) Houston Dynamo (@)
...which is why DC tops Houston this week; worse, FC Dallas knocked ‘em around pretty good. This team needs to recover some sass after this weekend’s draw.
3. (5) FC Dallas (@)
Finally, Dallas is showing they can defend. The attack sputtered a bit while that came online, but they have options on the bench (Ramon Nunez; didn’t say it was a great option, but it’s a different look) and will improve more when guys like Kenny Cooper and Adrian Serioux heal. All in all, Morrow keeps bringing in players, so the ambition is very much there.
4. (3) New England Revolution (a good chunk of @)
If I could justify dropping these guys further, I would. I really, really would. Personally, I don’t think these guys are firing on half their cylinders.
5. (6) Kansas City Wizards (nada)
When giving up just one goal is cause for celebration, you know problems lurk. Still, they attack like demons - perhaps spazzy, half-blind demons, but demons all the same.
6. (7) Columbus Crew (a good chunk of @)
I can’t stop inching this team up the table - but so long as they’re winning, especially against Eastern Conference teams above them in the table, I don’t know why I would. I really like the statement of a win without Schelotto.
7. (4) Red Bull New York (a good chunk of @)
Even with defenders returning and one more acquired (Kevin Goldthwaite) they couldn’t keep out Columbus...let's underline that: Columbus. Moreover, they broke down even more. In fact, nothing went well for Red Bull, who haven’t won since June 6 and seemed to have forgotten how.
8. (8) Chivas USA (a good chunk of @)
My earlier over-enthusing over Chivas’ record leaves me a little gun-shy about rating them. Right now, I know two things about this team: they’re superb at home and they have a very special player in Maykel Galindo. I doubt that’s enough to carry them, but it’s probably good enough for the playoffs.
9. (9) Toronto FC (nada)
Sounds like they got lucky. But they’ve got some useful players and a good enough team to sit firmly on the bubble. They can go either way from here.
10. (10) Colorado Rapids (% + thank god - nada)
Does Fernando still have a job? More to the point, will he in one week? Two weeks? FC Rocky said it best with their lament over the Rapids inability to knock off a pitiful, flummoxed Chicago.
11. (11) Los Angeles Galaxy (idle)
Will the week off help? Not nearly as much as getting back Donovan. With Pavon coming and Beckham to follow, these guys look poised to make a move. A failure to do so...well...I think I’d just have to laugh.
12. (12) Real Salt Lake (idle)
Week 14 is your time to shine, little diamond.
13. (13) Chicago Fire (thank god - nada)
Turns out “Chicago” and “chaos” share more than just a couple letters. From what I read about their last performance, it was the worst of the season. This is a team in meltdown.
Now, the standings (official listings):
Eastern Conference
1. New England Revs: 22 pts. (6-3-4: 24 GF, 16 GA, +8; home, 3-1-2; away, 3-2-2)
2. Kansas City Wiz: 21 pts. (6-4-3: 24 GF, 19 GA, +5; home, 3-2-1; away, 3-2-2)
3. Red Bull New York: 21 pts. (6-4-3: 24 GF, 16 GA, +8; home, 4-1-1; away, 2-3-2)
4. DC United: 20 pts. (6-4-2: 22 GF, 17 GA, +5; home, 5-1-1; away, 1-3-1)
5. Columbus Crew: 18 pts. (4-4-6: 18 GF, 21 GA, -3; home, 3-1-4; away, 1-3-2)
6. Chicago Fire: 15 pts. (4-6-3: 12 GF, 19 GA, -7; home, 3-2-2; away, 1-3-1)
7. Toronto FC: 14 pts. (4-7-2: 15 GF, 22 GA, -7; home, 4-3-0; away, 0-4-2)
Western Conference
1. FC Dallas: 26 pts. (8-6-2: 19 GF, 21 GA, -2; home, 3-2-1; away, 5-4-1)
2. Houston Dynamo: 23 pts. (7-5-2: 16 GF, 10 GA, +6; home, 4-2-1; away, 3-3-1)
3. Chivas USA: 20 pts. (6-4-2: 17 GF, 12 GA; +5; home, 5-0-1; away, 1-4-1)
4. Colorado Rapids: 16 pts. (4-7-4: 14 GF, 21 GA, -7; home 2-2-3; away, 2-5-1)
5. Los Angeles Galaxy: 9 pts. (2-5-3: 13 GF, 16 GA, -3; home, 2-3-1; away, 0-2-2)
6. Real Salt Lake: 9 pts. (1-5-6: 11 GF, 19 GA, -8; home, 1-2-3; away, 0-3-3)
As always, last week’s ranking appears in parentheses immediately after this week’s ranking. So as to not misrepresent my judgment as entirely first-hand, here’s a key for my viewing: “@” means I watched a given team’s most recent performance in its entirety; “$” means I caught it through Quick Kicks, which provides extended highlights; “%” means I watched only the rump highlights available through MLSnet.com.
Here goes...and after the rankings, you’ll find a current listing of the standings for the permanent record.
1. (2) DC United (%)
They flip-flop with the Dynamo based solely on the fact that they won. Reports didn’t tell of a sterling performance, in spite of the score - and the team they beat (Colorado) doesn’t add to the equation. But a win is a win...
2. (1) Houston Dynamo (@)
...which is why DC tops Houston this week; worse, FC Dallas knocked ‘em around pretty good. This team needs to recover some sass after this weekend’s draw.
3. (5) FC Dallas (@)
Finally, Dallas is showing they can defend. The attack sputtered a bit while that came online, but they have options on the bench (Ramon Nunez; didn’t say it was a great option, but it’s a different look) and will improve more when guys like Kenny Cooper and Adrian Serioux heal. All in all, Morrow keeps bringing in players, so the ambition is very much there.
4. (3) New England Revolution (a good chunk of @)
If I could justify dropping these guys further, I would. I really, really would. Personally, I don’t think these guys are firing on half their cylinders.
5. (6) Kansas City Wizards (nada)
When giving up just one goal is cause for celebration, you know problems lurk. Still, they attack like demons - perhaps spazzy, half-blind demons, but demons all the same.
6. (7) Columbus Crew (a good chunk of @)
I can’t stop inching this team up the table - but so long as they’re winning, especially against Eastern Conference teams above them in the table, I don’t know why I would. I really like the statement of a win without Schelotto.
7. (4) Red Bull New York (a good chunk of @)
Even with defenders returning and one more acquired (Kevin Goldthwaite) they couldn’t keep out Columbus...let's underline that: Columbus. Moreover, they broke down even more. In fact, nothing went well for Red Bull, who haven’t won since June 6 and seemed to have forgotten how.
8. (8) Chivas USA (a good chunk of @)
My earlier over-enthusing over Chivas’ record leaves me a little gun-shy about rating them. Right now, I know two things about this team: they’re superb at home and they have a very special player in Maykel Galindo. I doubt that’s enough to carry them, but it’s probably good enough for the playoffs.
9. (9) Toronto FC (nada)
Sounds like they got lucky. But they’ve got some useful players and a good enough team to sit firmly on the bubble. They can go either way from here.
10. (10) Colorado Rapids (% + thank god - nada)
Does Fernando still have a job? More to the point, will he in one week? Two weeks? FC Rocky said it best with their lament over the Rapids inability to knock off a pitiful, flummoxed Chicago.
11. (11) Los Angeles Galaxy (idle)
Will the week off help? Not nearly as much as getting back Donovan. With Pavon coming and Beckham to follow, these guys look poised to make a move. A failure to do so...well...I think I’d just have to laugh.
12. (12) Real Salt Lake (idle)
Week 14 is your time to shine, little diamond.
13. (13) Chicago Fire (thank god - nada)
Turns out “Chicago” and “chaos” share more than just a couple letters. From what I read about their last performance, it was the worst of the season. This is a team in meltdown.
Now, the standings (official listings):
Eastern Conference
1. New England Revs: 22 pts. (6-3-4: 24 GF, 16 GA, +8; home, 3-1-2; away, 3-2-2)
2. Kansas City Wiz: 21 pts. (6-4-3: 24 GF, 19 GA, +5; home, 3-2-1; away, 3-2-2)
3. Red Bull New York: 21 pts. (6-4-3: 24 GF, 16 GA, +8; home, 4-1-1; away, 2-3-2)
4. DC United: 20 pts. (6-4-2: 22 GF, 17 GA, +5; home, 5-1-1; away, 1-3-1)
5. Columbus Crew: 18 pts. (4-4-6: 18 GF, 21 GA, -3; home, 3-1-4; away, 1-3-2)
6. Chicago Fire: 15 pts. (4-6-3: 12 GF, 19 GA, -7; home, 3-2-2; away, 1-3-1)
7. Toronto FC: 14 pts. (4-7-2: 15 GF, 22 GA, -7; home, 4-3-0; away, 0-4-2)
Western Conference
1. FC Dallas: 26 pts. (8-6-2: 19 GF, 21 GA, -2; home, 3-2-1; away, 5-4-1)
2. Houston Dynamo: 23 pts. (7-5-2: 16 GF, 10 GA, +6; home, 4-2-1; away, 3-3-1)
3. Chivas USA: 20 pts. (6-4-2: 17 GF, 12 GA; +5; home, 5-0-1; away, 1-4-1)
4. Colorado Rapids: 16 pts. (4-7-4: 14 GF, 21 GA, -7; home 2-2-3; away, 2-5-1)
5. Los Angeles Galaxy: 9 pts. (2-5-3: 13 GF, 16 GA, -3; home, 2-3-1; away, 0-2-2)
6. Real Salt Lake: 9 pts. (1-5-6: 11 GF, 19 GA, -8; home, 1-2-3; away, 0-3-3)
MLS Week 13: What I Learned from...
...watching Houston v. Dallas from start to finish (albeit with powers of attention in inverse proportion to the intake of cheap whiskey), watching both Columbus v. Red Bull and Chivas v. New England in episodes interspersed by warp drive (e.g. I fast-forwarded through chunks of each), and not watching any of the remaining games, but reading a thing or two.
Here goes:
FC Dallas 0 - 0 Houston Dynamo
- I’ll start with 3rd Degree’s fiesta del links. If you don’t like what you read here, you’ll find plenty of options there...you may not like ‘em, but that’s OK.
- Unlike FCD’s Bobby Rhine, I didn’t find this game boring. Quite the contrary, it was one of those classic, tale-of-two-halves affairs, with Houston having the more menacing first half while FC Dallas (though not Carlos Ruiz) threatened more in the second.
- Turning to another talking point, I agree it was a physical game; to borrow from, and add to, another report, this was a "slow [kick-filled] chess match." Houston players throw in the charge (see link) that Dallas put disruption before play. There may be some truth to that; I can say that FC Dallas players quickly swarmed and commenced to kicking any Houston player attempting to hold or dribble the ball. And it looked like a violent version of the magnet ball of my youth.
- The more I see him, the more I like Arturo Alvarez. Great, slashing runs...too bad about the finishing.
- Ruiz is off this year. And, not to be uncharitable, but the “Extra Carlos” he’s bringing to the table isn’t helping his game.
- I keep reading this was Dallas’ third clean-sheet in the past four games. That’s good news - and the cobbled line-up they used to make this last one only adds to the feat.
- Dario Sala is one hell of a ‘keeper.
- Dwayne DeRosario still isn’t the player he was the last two years. The same goes for Brian Mullan.
- Zach Wells might be the best back-up ‘keeper in the league.
- Brad Davis did more for Houston’s offense than any other player; unfortunately, those came on set plays and the opportunities fell to defenders.
- All in all, the interesting piece to this game was Dallas’ new resilience on defense; that’s something to watch. They certainly out-muscled the reigning champs and, I’m guessing, had the better chance at winning. Maybe they do deserve first place?
Columbus Crew 1 - 0 Red Bull New York
- Did Columbus add fluoride to its water? Something changed.
- Ives Galarcep declared this a fizzle for Red Bull as opposed to something impressive for the Crew. I disagree. Columbus genuinely outplayed New York’s finest with better passing and movement and a robust defense. The Crew left deserved winners. The only thing missing was finishing and, oh, about half the final ball - in other words, the Crew played too many almost there final balls.
- People are talking a lot about Guillermo Baros Schelotto (as in this post from WVHooligan - which is worth reading on its own). Schelotto’s absence only makes this win the more remarkable.
- As noted by many, the Crew’s Kei Kamara was man of the match. He ate Hunter Freeman alive.
- Another report on the game did some good work on not only the Kamara/Freeman duel, but also Chad Marshall’s corralling of Juan Pablo Angel.
- And that last one left a few goals-in-consecutive-games streaks alive...which spared us all from another spate of “Angel” puns. (Yeah, knock off those puns, you assholes).
- Raves from me and decent notice from others acknowledged, I count Ned Grabavoy one of the most underrated midfield players in MLS.
- Let the record show that the presence of Rusty Pierce did not hurt the Crew this week. And Will Hesmer didn’t look so bad in goal...not that he had much to do.
- Northjersey.com turned in a solid-drab match report...may as well link to it.
Chivas USA 2 - 0 New England Revolution
- New England seems determined to support my low opinion of them. The most aggravating thing I’ve read so far are comments from New England players talking about how a failure in their "passing game" doomed them. Let them down?! By my count, it has worked only once this season: the win over LA god-knows-how-long ago!
- Now this game was boring, especially in the first half. Some kind of invisible barrier kept the teams confined in the middle half of the field. The Revs never got through - never came close, in fact - but Chivas chucked in two purty-as-a-picture finishes...though, significantly, both came from outside the area (I think - Galindo’s goal-of-the-week strike certainly did).
- Seriously, stop the voting: Galindo’s goal wins or I’ll lose the little faith I have left in democratic processes.
- Chivas’ home record (impressive for the second year running no less...dang it; the MLSnet.com remodel hasn't hit all the archived material yet) says something. Where the balance falls between them stifling teams and teams stinking up their joint I can’t say, but playing Chivas at home looks like one of the toughest draws of 2007. They ain’t much on the road, though...
- That stallion-esque home record certainly owes nothing to that morgue-like atmosphere. Dan Loney does a little dance on the reputation Chivas’ absent fans.
- Both teams fielded something less than their ideal first team, but, looking to the future, Chivas’ absences and suspensions are stacking up.
I’m took the rest of these last two under advisement....
Chicago Fire 0 - 0 Colorado Rapids
- Ah, my must-miss match of the week....so I did.
- Reports speak of a pretty underwhelming evening. Neither hometown paper had anything good to say, but the Chicago Fire Offside and FC Rocky both turned in scathing reports.
- The only controversy I can find, I had to concoct: Windy City Soccer says Roberto Brown’s late near-winner bounced off him, then off the post; the Denver Post only mentions the opportunity without dubbing it a ricochet...gasp!
- Overall, it’s hard to think of two teams I’d rather not watch this year.
Kansas City Wizards 1 - 1 Toronto FC
- This was probably the most eye-catching result this week - for me, anyway. Though, given my impression of KC’s defense, perhaps it shouldn’t have been.
- You want remarkable: check out the imbalance on shots. Down the Byline does a good job of putting those shots in perspective.
- Judging from the Toronto Star’s brief report, unlike KC, TFC did well with the few chances they had then weathered the storm with 10 men. Baby steps...making the road equation work will require some baby steps for TFC.
- I saw Michael Harrington’s name on the score sheet again - Carlos Marinelli’s as well. Gets a body wondering about Rookie of the Year...
Here goes:
FC Dallas 0 - 0 Houston Dynamo
- I’ll start with 3rd Degree’s fiesta del links. If you don’t like what you read here, you’ll find plenty of options there...you may not like ‘em, but that’s OK.
- Unlike FCD’s Bobby Rhine, I didn’t find this game boring. Quite the contrary, it was one of those classic, tale-of-two-halves affairs, with Houston having the more menacing first half while FC Dallas (though not Carlos Ruiz) threatened more in the second.
- Turning to another talking point, I agree it was a physical game; to borrow from, and add to, another report, this was a "slow [kick-filled] chess match." Houston players throw in the charge (see link) that Dallas put disruption before play. There may be some truth to that; I can say that FC Dallas players quickly swarmed and commenced to kicking any Houston player attempting to hold or dribble the ball. And it looked like a violent version of the magnet ball of my youth.
- The more I see him, the more I like Arturo Alvarez. Great, slashing runs...too bad about the finishing.
- Ruiz is off this year. And, not to be uncharitable, but the “Extra Carlos” he’s bringing to the table isn’t helping his game.
- I keep reading this was Dallas’ third clean-sheet in the past four games. That’s good news - and the cobbled line-up they used to make this last one only adds to the feat.
- Dario Sala is one hell of a ‘keeper.
- Dwayne DeRosario still isn’t the player he was the last two years. The same goes for Brian Mullan.
- Zach Wells might be the best back-up ‘keeper in the league.
- Brad Davis did more for Houston’s offense than any other player; unfortunately, those came on set plays and the opportunities fell to defenders.
- All in all, the interesting piece to this game was Dallas’ new resilience on defense; that’s something to watch. They certainly out-muscled the reigning champs and, I’m guessing, had the better chance at winning. Maybe they do deserve first place?
Columbus Crew 1 - 0 Red Bull New York
- Did Columbus add fluoride to its water? Something changed.
- Ives Galarcep declared this a fizzle for Red Bull as opposed to something impressive for the Crew. I disagree. Columbus genuinely outplayed New York’s finest with better passing and movement and a robust defense. The Crew left deserved winners. The only thing missing was finishing and, oh, about half the final ball - in other words, the Crew played too many almost there final balls.
- People are talking a lot about Guillermo Baros Schelotto (as in this post from WVHooligan - which is worth reading on its own). Schelotto’s absence only makes this win the more remarkable.
- As noted by many, the Crew’s Kei Kamara was man of the match. He ate Hunter Freeman alive.
- Another report on the game did some good work on not only the Kamara/Freeman duel, but also Chad Marshall’s corralling of Juan Pablo Angel.
- And that last one left a few goals-in-consecutive-games streaks alive...which spared us all from another spate of “Angel” puns. (Yeah, knock off those puns, you assholes).
- Raves from me and decent notice from others acknowledged, I count Ned Grabavoy one of the most underrated midfield players in MLS.
- Let the record show that the presence of Rusty Pierce did not hurt the Crew this week. And Will Hesmer didn’t look so bad in goal...not that he had much to do.
- Northjersey.com turned in a solid-drab match report...may as well link to it.
Chivas USA 2 - 0 New England Revolution
- New England seems determined to support my low opinion of them. The most aggravating thing I’ve read so far are comments from New England players talking about how a failure in their "passing game" doomed them. Let them down?! By my count, it has worked only once this season: the win over LA god-knows-how-long ago!
- Now this game was boring, especially in the first half. Some kind of invisible barrier kept the teams confined in the middle half of the field. The Revs never got through - never came close, in fact - but Chivas chucked in two purty-as-a-picture finishes...though, significantly, both came from outside the area (I think - Galindo’s goal-of-the-week strike certainly did).
- Seriously, stop the voting: Galindo’s goal wins or I’ll lose the little faith I have left in democratic processes.
- Chivas’ home record (impressive for the second year running no less...dang it; the MLSnet.com remodel hasn't hit all the archived material yet) says something. Where the balance falls between them stifling teams and teams stinking up their joint I can’t say, but playing Chivas at home looks like one of the toughest draws of 2007. They ain’t much on the road, though...
- That stallion-esque home record certainly owes nothing to that morgue-like atmosphere. Dan Loney does a little dance on the reputation Chivas’ absent fans.
- Both teams fielded something less than their ideal first team, but, looking to the future, Chivas’ absences and suspensions are stacking up.
I’m took the rest of these last two under advisement....
Chicago Fire 0 - 0 Colorado Rapids
- Ah, my must-miss match of the week....so I did.
- Reports speak of a pretty underwhelming evening. Neither hometown paper had anything good to say, but the Chicago Fire Offside and FC Rocky both turned in scathing reports.
- The only controversy I can find, I had to concoct: Windy City Soccer says Roberto Brown’s late near-winner bounced off him, then off the post; the Denver Post only mentions the opportunity without dubbing it a ricochet...gasp!
- Overall, it’s hard to think of two teams I’d rather not watch this year.
Kansas City Wizards 1 - 1 Toronto FC
- This was probably the most eye-catching result this week - for me, anyway. Though, given my impression of KC’s defense, perhaps it shouldn’t have been.
- You want remarkable: check out the imbalance on shots. Down the Byline does a good job of putting those shots in perspective.
- Judging from the Toronto Star’s brief report, unlike KC, TFC did well with the few chances they had then weathered the storm with 10 men. Baby steps...making the road equation work will require some baby steps for TFC.
- I saw Michael Harrington’s name on the score sheet again - Carlos Marinelli’s as well. Gets a body wondering about Rookie of the Year...
MLS Week 12 Collective Power Rankings
The Semi-Detached Pundit Collective (SDPC) lost a couple this week; I never saw ranking for The Other Football or Soccer by Ives - the latter is really slipping (though he said, through a spokesman*, that the Gold Cup and the Copa are keeping him too busy) (* I have never corresponded in any way with Mr. Galarcep - unless commenting on his site counts - and don’t believe he even has a spokesman; so, yeah, I made that up.)
Here are the sources for this week’s SPDC rankings:
It’s a Simple Game
Sideline Views (Luis Bueno)
Sideline Views (Andrea Canales)
WVHooligan
My Soccer Blog
MLS Underground
ESPN
SI - Ryan Hunt
Fox Soccer Channel
And, once again, The DCenters Freezer (kinda like reverse rankings) merits honorable mention, as do the conference-based rankings provided by Who Ate All the Cupcakes. Dan Loney’s weekly rankings make the list today (though they weren’t plugged into the numbers below) courtesy of my admiration for his use of educational attainment as the means of ranking. Finally, I lifted the scariness rating for each team from On Soccer and entered that number after their collective ranking...I keep forgetting to check that out as a predictor...maybe he’ll do it one day.
Now, on to the numbers:
1. New England Revolution, 2.3 (4th - 4.3; SR: 2)
2/3. Houston Dynamo, 2.4 (7th - 6.5; SR: 1)
2/3. Red Bull New York, 2.4 (2nd - 2.6; SR: 8)
4. Kansas City Wizards, 4.4 (last week: 1st - 1.1; SR: 5)
5. FC Dallas, 4.9 (6th - 6.4; SR: 6)
6. DC United, 5.1 (3rd - 2.7; SR: 3)
7. Chivas USA, 7.4 (5th - 5.5; SR: 9)
8. Columbus Crew, 8.0 (12th - 11.5; SR: 4)
9. Toronto FC, 8.4 (8th - 7.3; SR: 7)
10. Colorado Rapids, 10.0 (9th - 9.1; SR: 13)
11. Chicago Fire, 11.7 (10th - 10.3; SR: 12)
12. Real Salt Lake, 12.0 (13th - 12.9; SR: 5)
13. Los Angeles Galaxy, 12.3 (11th - 10.8; SR: 11)
Some observations:
- We have a new consensus pick for worst team in MLS. Puke and cry, Alexi Lalas! Puke and cry!!
- The Colorado Rapids are your unanimous #10 pick...that’s not a good thing.
- Things look good for the Crew, on the other hand, whom the SDPC has officially judged to be a playoff team. Obviously, the Crew are also this week’s major climbers; they gained 3.5, which might be the biggest-ever jump in these rankings.
- Whoops. I take it back. The Dynamo rose 4.1. Yikes.
- Going the other way, pundits punished DC severely for the slip against RSL.
- As the season staggers (hey, it’s summer) to its midway point, the league’s teams seem be breaking into three groups: the top 6, the bubble teams of 7-9, and the apparent no-hopers from 11-13. You may have noticed that Colorado doesn’t fit into this scheme - yes, they are special.
- With regard to that top six, their inclusion in that group was universal (only Andrea Canales of Sideline Views plugged a top six team outside that range in their rankings - and it was DC United in Canales list). But look at what’s happening with the top three in the collective rankings: they’re essentially neck-and-neck, which says a lot about what this league knows from dominance as a concept. For the record, the Dynamo’s numbers were most tightly clustered, but New England gathered more #1 rankings than the other two; Red Bull snuck in by balancing their two 4’s against two 1’s. It’ll be interesting to see which team in this group breaks out.
- The Revolution’s climb is interesting. Their homestand kinda sucked, but they still climbed quite a bit (2.0). I’d put that down to them gaining the top spot and the stumbles of their competitors, as opposed to meaningful signs of life from New England. But competition is competition: you don’t always have to win to gain ground in a league set up.
All right. All for this week. There are some interesting times ahead.
(###########)
Here are the sources for this week’s SPDC rankings:
It’s a Simple Game
Sideline Views (Luis Bueno)
Sideline Views (Andrea Canales)
WVHooligan
My Soccer Blog
MLS Underground
ESPN
SI - Ryan Hunt
Fox Soccer Channel
And, once again, The DCenters Freezer (kinda like reverse rankings) merits honorable mention, as do the conference-based rankings provided by Who Ate All the Cupcakes. Dan Loney’s weekly rankings make the list today (though they weren’t plugged into the numbers below) courtesy of my admiration for his use of educational attainment as the means of ranking. Finally, I lifted the scariness rating for each team from On Soccer and entered that number after their collective ranking...I keep forgetting to check that out as a predictor...maybe he’ll do it one day.
Now, on to the numbers:
1. New England Revolution, 2.3 (4th - 4.3; SR: 2)
2/3. Houston Dynamo, 2.4 (7th - 6.5; SR: 1)
2/3. Red Bull New York, 2.4 (2nd - 2.6; SR: 8)
4. Kansas City Wizards, 4.4 (last week: 1st - 1.1; SR: 5)
5. FC Dallas, 4.9 (6th - 6.4; SR: 6)
6. DC United, 5.1 (3rd - 2.7; SR: 3)
7. Chivas USA, 7.4 (5th - 5.5; SR: 9)
8. Columbus Crew, 8.0 (12th - 11.5; SR: 4)
9. Toronto FC, 8.4 (8th - 7.3; SR: 7)
10. Colorado Rapids, 10.0 (9th - 9.1; SR: 13)
11. Chicago Fire, 11.7 (10th - 10.3; SR: 12)
12. Real Salt Lake, 12.0 (13th - 12.9; SR: 5)
13. Los Angeles Galaxy, 12.3 (11th - 10.8; SR: 11)
Some observations:
- We have a new consensus pick for worst team in MLS. Puke and cry, Alexi Lalas! Puke and cry!!
- The Colorado Rapids are your unanimous #10 pick...that’s not a good thing.
- Things look good for the Crew, on the other hand, whom the SDPC has officially judged to be a playoff team. Obviously, the Crew are also this week’s major climbers; they gained 3.5, which might be the biggest-ever jump in these rankings.
- Whoops. I take it back. The Dynamo rose 4.1. Yikes.
- Going the other way, pundits punished DC severely for the slip against RSL.
- As the season staggers (hey, it’s summer) to its midway point, the league’s teams seem be breaking into three groups: the top 6, the bubble teams of 7-9, and the apparent no-hopers from 11-13. You may have noticed that Colorado doesn’t fit into this scheme - yes, they are special.
- With regard to that top six, their inclusion in that group was universal (only Andrea Canales of Sideline Views plugged a top six team outside that range in their rankings - and it was DC United in Canales list). But look at what’s happening with the top three in the collective rankings: they’re essentially neck-and-neck, which says a lot about what this league knows from dominance as a concept. For the record, the Dynamo’s numbers were most tightly clustered, but New England gathered more #1 rankings than the other two; Red Bull snuck in by balancing their two 4’s against two 1’s. It’ll be interesting to see which team in this group breaks out.
- The Revolution’s climb is interesting. Their homestand kinda sucked, but they still climbed quite a bit (2.0). I’d put that down to them gaining the top spot and the stumbles of their competitors, as opposed to meaningful signs of life from New England. But competition is competition: you don’t always have to win to gain ground in a league set up.
All right. All for this week. There are some interesting times ahead.
(###########)
MLS Week 12 Power Rankings (Just Mine)
I give up. Just when you think one - just one - Major League Soccer (MLS) team can hold their shit together and do a decent imitation of consistency, they spend 90 minutes running around with their pants around their ankles. It seems the Annual Mush of Sweaty Mediocrity (your people call it “summer”) has arrived.
For the record, the entire middle portion of these rankings was arrived at by writing each teams name on a piece of paper, scrambling those around my desk, and flipping them over in random order. OK, that’s a lie. But I don’t think that would produce less accurate, or even meaningful, results. In broad terms, some teams have noticeably improved - think Columbus and Houston here - while others revived their fortunes, but not without tripping over some question marks (New England); other teams suffered mysterious slips, thereby stitching big red question marks over those rainbows on their jerseys...the allusion should be obvious here.
As always, last week’s ranking appears in parentheses immediately after this week’s ranking. So as to not misrepresent my judgment as entirely first-hand, here’s a key for my viewing: “@” means I watched a given team’s most recent performance in its entirety; “$” means I caught it through Quick Kicks, which provides extended highlights; “%” means I watched only the rump highlights available through MLSnet.com.
Here goes...and after the rankings, you’ll find a current listing of the standings for the permanent record.
1. (6) Houston Dynamo (% + nada)
They have out-scored the opposition 11-3 over the past five, racking up five wins on the way; that counts two away games as well. That constitutes a roll in my world. To top it all off, they’ve got Dallas next weekend, who they not only generally own, but, given that they won last weekend, should be due a loss this weekend.
2. (1) DC United (%)
In spite of what I read (all over the place), I’ll give DC the benefit of the doubt and call this weekend a brain-fart...but I also couldn’t leave them at #1 after they let RSL break their hot, steamy duck all over them.
3. (5) New England Revolution (@)
Yep, they’re officially top of the league. But it was a graceless win against a Toronto team apparently confused about being away from home. The finishing was there, but not much else. But they’re indisputably doing better than most (and, I just discovered, they’ve tied for scoring lead and have the best goal differential...hmm...).
4. (4) Red Bull New York (idle)
Holding steady...but they’ll drop quickly if they don’t sort out their defense.
5. (8) FC Dallas (far too much of @)
Unconvincing (and harrowingly boring) wins look a lot less impressive when bookended by losses - as this one will be (see above). The reality is, Dallas isn’t as erratic as I think, but the games-played “bubble” on which they’re sitting keeps me from thinking too much of them. Then again, their away record makes up for that. Very confusing team, this one.
6. (2) Kansas City Wizards ($ + nada)
Speaking of teams needing to sort out defense, KC is the real case-study for this. No doubt KC wishes Week 12 never happened. The picture looks a lot less rosy now that the offense has dried up.
7. (9) Columbus Crew ($ + $)
It’s only due to a belief that the “real” Columbus has shown up that I’m able to rank them inside the playoff picture. But the Crew’s two wins in Week 12 justifiably raise eyebrows - that each raises them for different reasons only reinforces the impression this team could be finding their feet.
8. (3) Chivas USA (%)
My previous, ridiculous ranking has more to do with this drop than the four-goal loss. Still, a score of Brad Davis 3 - 0 Chivas USA doesn’t look so hot. I’ll actually have to watch these guys this weekend to figure out what to do with ‘em.
9. (7) Toronto FC (@)
I can only say, the hell was that? If these guys don’t figure out how to avoid blowouts on the road, goal differential alone will keep them out of the post-season.
10. (11) Colorado Rapids (far too much of @)
They may not be the worst team in the league - so many good candidates below - but they’re pushing hard for “Team I’d Least Like to Watch” honors. It’s a shame what’s happening in Colorado; this year promised so much.
11. (10) Los Angeles Galaxy ($)
Ahem...ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, HA!! 60 minutes with a man advantage - and against Columbus! Landon can’t arrive soon enough; neither can Pavon or Beckham. Incredibly, they may not be enough (though I think they will be).
12. (13) Real Salt Lake (%)
Robbie Findley (a good Oregon lad!) finally kicked the winless monkey off this team’s back. Better still, they catch something of a break in hosting Toronto this weekend (dammit! what to watch?!). Can they make it two? Do RSL fans dare to dream?
13. (12) Chicago Fire (idle)
I think I just don’t like Chicago. That the coming cavalry runs “exactly like elderly men run,” and the players sounding unsettled-to-pissed, things aren’t looking everywhere but up.
Please, lord, no more...it’s madness. Let’s do something concrete, like the standings (official edition here):
Eastern Conference
1. New England Revs: 22 pts. (6-2-4: 24 GF, 14 GA, +10; home, 3-1-2; away, 3-1-2)
2. Red Bull New York: 21 pts. (6-3-3: 24 GF, 15 GA, +9; home, 4-1-1; away, 2-2-2)
3. Kansas City Wiz: 20 pts. (6-4-2: 23 GF, 18 GA, +5; home, 3-2-0; away, 3-2-2)
4. DC United: 17 pts. (5-4-2: 18 GF, 16 GA, +2; home, 4-1-1; away, 1-3-1)
5. Columbus Crew: 15 pts. (3-4-6: 17 GF, 21 GA, -4; home, 2-1-4; away, 1-3-2)
6. Chicago Fire: 14 pts. (4-6-2: 12 GF, 19 GA, -7; home, 3-2-1; away, 1-3-1)
7. Toronto FC: 13 pts. (4-7-1: 14 GF, 21 GA, -7; home, 4-3-0; away, 0-4-1)
Western Conference
1. FC Dallas: 25 pts. (8-6-1: 19 GF, 21 GA, -2; home, 3-2-0; away, 5-4-1)
2. Houston Dynamo: 22 pts. (7-5-1: 16 GF, 10 GA, +6; home, 4-2-1; away, 3-3-0)
3. Chivas USA: 17 pts. (5-4-2: 15 GF, 12 GA; +3; home, 4-0-1; away, 1-4-1)
4. Colorado Rapids: 15 pts. (4-6-3: 13 GF, 17 GA, -4; home 2-2-3; away, 2-4-0)
5. Los Angeles Galaxy: 9 pts. (2-5-3: 13 GF, 16 GA, -3; home, 2-3-1; away, 0-2-2)
6. Real Salt Lake: 9 pts. (1-5-6: 11 GF, 19 GA, -8; home, 1-2-3; away, 0-3-3)
For the record, the entire middle portion of these rankings was arrived at by writing each teams name on a piece of paper, scrambling those around my desk, and flipping them over in random order. OK, that’s a lie. But I don’t think that would produce less accurate, or even meaningful, results. In broad terms, some teams have noticeably improved - think Columbus and Houston here - while others revived their fortunes, but not without tripping over some question marks (New England); other teams suffered mysterious slips, thereby stitching big red question marks over those rainbows on their jerseys...the allusion should be obvious here.
As always, last week’s ranking appears in parentheses immediately after this week’s ranking. So as to not misrepresent my judgment as entirely first-hand, here’s a key for my viewing: “@” means I watched a given team’s most recent performance in its entirety; “$” means I caught it through Quick Kicks, which provides extended highlights; “%” means I watched only the rump highlights available through MLSnet.com.
Here goes...and after the rankings, you’ll find a current listing of the standings for the permanent record.
1. (6) Houston Dynamo (% + nada)
They have out-scored the opposition 11-3 over the past five, racking up five wins on the way; that counts two away games as well. That constitutes a roll in my world. To top it all off, they’ve got Dallas next weekend, who they not only generally own, but, given that they won last weekend, should be due a loss this weekend.
2. (1) DC United (%)
In spite of what I read (all over the place), I’ll give DC the benefit of the doubt and call this weekend a brain-fart...but I also couldn’t leave them at #1 after they let RSL break their hot, steamy duck all over them.
3. (5) New England Revolution (@)
Yep, they’re officially top of the league. But it was a graceless win against a Toronto team apparently confused about being away from home. The finishing was there, but not much else. But they’re indisputably doing better than most (and, I just discovered, they’ve tied for scoring lead and have the best goal differential...hmm...).
4. (4) Red Bull New York (idle)
Holding steady...but they’ll drop quickly if they don’t sort out their defense.
5. (8) FC Dallas (far too much of @)
Unconvincing (and harrowingly boring) wins look a lot less impressive when bookended by losses - as this one will be (see above). The reality is, Dallas isn’t as erratic as I think, but the games-played “bubble” on which they’re sitting keeps me from thinking too much of them. Then again, their away record makes up for that. Very confusing team, this one.
6. (2) Kansas City Wizards ($ + nada)
Speaking of teams needing to sort out defense, KC is the real case-study for this. No doubt KC wishes Week 12 never happened. The picture looks a lot less rosy now that the offense has dried up.
7. (9) Columbus Crew ($ + $)
It’s only due to a belief that the “real” Columbus has shown up that I’m able to rank them inside the playoff picture. But the Crew’s two wins in Week 12 justifiably raise eyebrows - that each raises them for different reasons only reinforces the impression this team could be finding their feet.
8. (3) Chivas USA (%)
My previous, ridiculous ranking has more to do with this drop than the four-goal loss. Still, a score of Brad Davis 3 - 0 Chivas USA doesn’t look so hot. I’ll actually have to watch these guys this weekend to figure out what to do with ‘em.
9. (7) Toronto FC (@)
I can only say, the hell was that? If these guys don’t figure out how to avoid blowouts on the road, goal differential alone will keep them out of the post-season.
10. (11) Colorado Rapids (far too much of @)
They may not be the worst team in the league - so many good candidates below - but they’re pushing hard for “Team I’d Least Like to Watch” honors. It’s a shame what’s happening in Colorado; this year promised so much.
11. (10) Los Angeles Galaxy ($)
Ahem...ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, HA!! 60 minutes with a man advantage - and against Columbus! Landon can’t arrive soon enough; neither can Pavon or Beckham. Incredibly, they may not be enough (though I think they will be).
12. (13) Real Salt Lake (%)
Robbie Findley (a good Oregon lad!) finally kicked the winless monkey off this team’s back. Better still, they catch something of a break in hosting Toronto this weekend (dammit! what to watch?!). Can they make it two? Do RSL fans dare to dream?
13. (12) Chicago Fire (idle)
I think I just don’t like Chicago. That the coming cavalry runs “exactly like elderly men run,” and the players sounding unsettled-to-pissed, things aren’t looking everywhere but up.
Please, lord, no more...it’s madness. Let’s do something concrete, like the standings (official edition here):
Eastern Conference
1. New England Revs: 22 pts. (6-2-4: 24 GF, 14 GA, +10; home, 3-1-2; away, 3-1-2)
2. Red Bull New York: 21 pts. (6-3-3: 24 GF, 15 GA, +9; home, 4-1-1; away, 2-2-2)
3. Kansas City Wiz: 20 pts. (6-4-2: 23 GF, 18 GA, +5; home, 3-2-0; away, 3-2-2)
4. DC United: 17 pts. (5-4-2: 18 GF, 16 GA, +2; home, 4-1-1; away, 1-3-1)
5. Columbus Crew: 15 pts. (3-4-6: 17 GF, 21 GA, -4; home, 2-1-4; away, 1-3-2)
6. Chicago Fire: 14 pts. (4-6-2: 12 GF, 19 GA, -7; home, 3-2-1; away, 1-3-1)
7. Toronto FC: 13 pts. (4-7-1: 14 GF, 21 GA, -7; home, 4-3-0; away, 0-4-1)
Western Conference
1. FC Dallas: 25 pts. (8-6-1: 19 GF, 21 GA, -2; home, 3-2-0; away, 5-4-1)
2. Houston Dynamo: 22 pts. (7-5-1: 16 GF, 10 GA, +6; home, 4-2-1; away, 3-3-0)
3. Chivas USA: 17 pts. (5-4-2: 15 GF, 12 GA; +3; home, 4-0-1; away, 1-4-1)
4. Colorado Rapids: 15 pts. (4-6-3: 13 GF, 17 GA, -4; home 2-2-3; away, 2-4-0)
5. Los Angeles Galaxy: 9 pts. (2-5-3: 13 GF, 16 GA, -3; home, 2-3-1; away, 0-2-2)
6. Real Salt Lake: 9 pts. (1-5-6: 11 GF, 19 GA, -8; home, 1-2-3; away, 0-3-3)
MLS Week 11 Power Rankings (the last one posted)
Let it be established that each “Major League Soccer (MLS) Week” shall begin at 12 a.m. each Thursday till the end of the 2007 season...or maybe not. Damn those scheduling interns. The real problem is last night’s game, in which Columbus snuck a win over Kansas City (I told you the Crew would cause problems for some good teams; just didn't think it would match this week's); seeing as I can’t wash that one out of my mind, I’m just going to incorporate it below.
As always, last week’s ranking appears in parentheses immediately after this week’s ranking. So as to not misrepresent my judgment as entirely first-hand, here’s a key for my viewing: “@” means I watched a given team’s most recent performance in its entirety; “$” means I caught it through Quick Kicks, which provides extended highlights; “%” means I watched only the rump highlights available through MLSnet.com.
For the record, I like my top three; or, rather, I think I can justify my thinking on those. #4 - 6 is a bit of a mash-up - and it’s possible #6 may blow up in my face within 12 hours. I like #7. #8-11 are, essentially, inter-changeable. The bottom two, however, are solid.
Here goes...and after the rankings, you’ll find a current listing of the standings for the permanent record.
1. (2) DC United (didn’t see it, didn’t hear it...)
No, I haven’t seen these guys play in weeks. The thing is, DC is about the only team in the league doing well on both sides of the ball.
2. (3) Kansas City Wizards ($ + 1/2 of @)
Five MLS teams have allowed more goals than KC; trouble is, those teams suck (except, arguably, Dallas - but their defense sucks). If the goals dry up - as they did last night - the slipshod defense hurts this team.
3. (5) Chivas USA (%)
Chivas has earned the same number of points as DC - even if a weaker Western Conference has something to do with that - and the same argument for their ranking applies. Count tonight a “statement game” - or a cliché. While they can’t actually take over top spot in the West, a win would say just as much.
4. (1) Red Bull New York ($)
This team’s defensive problems are serious and don’t appear to be going away any time soon. I regret last week’s ranking error.
5. (4) New England Revolution (@)
Nice as it was to see Adam Cristman score two (though his leering come-hither to Pat Noonan must be blacked out to keep the skin from crawling) - hell, nice as it was to see Noonan look like himself - the Revs has issues. The luck that carried them through a few games nearly dried up last week; was the last drop sprinkled on Cristman’s first goal?
6. (6) Houston Dynamo (idle)
Some weeks you don’t have to do anything to hold steady. But, as with Chivas, tonight is statement time. Anyone else see a nice little rivalry blossoming between those two teams?
7. (9) Toronto FC ($)
Re-enacted The Burning Bed over a weary FC Dallas* and they look a safe bet to avoid the whole “worst team in history” tag. It’s time to see if they can make their hard-knock game work on the road. (*Such horrible analogies come to me all day, every day and, I assure you, the original edit was worse. My internal censor took a half-day.)
8. (7) FC Dallas (1/2 hour of @ + %)
Let’s see...they BARELY beat the league’s accidental comedy troupe and then got mauled by Canadians. Canadians! (kidding...I’m just warming up for tonight.) Were it not for the fact they play consistent .500 ball, they’d drop further.
9. (10) Columbus Crew (@ + 1/2 of @)
I stand firmly in the column that assumes this team is better than their record. Again, with the odds of the Crew picking up four points against their past two opponents, I really, REALLY wish I had a sports book nearby.
10. (12) Los Angeles Galaxy (@)
LA hasn’t given teams or fans cause to respect them this season. Yeah, they beat RSL...rah, rah. The best thing you can say about them is they’re trying to improve.
11. (8) Colorado Rapids (%)
These cats haven’t won since May. And, unlike LA, I’m not seeing them doing anything to improve. To make matters worse, Dallas’s on-off pattern augurs a win for the Colorado side this weekend.
12. (11) Chicago Fire (didn’t see it, didn’t hear it...)
Reduced to the quality of a college team by injuries and call-ups, why believe a new coach can turn things around. It took some math to realize just how bad things are in Chicago: they’ve taken 4 POINTS from their last 8 games. For the record, that’s RSL bad - literally. RSL has equaled Chicago for points over the past 8 games.
13. (13) Real Salt Lake (1/2 hour of @ + @)
Setting the standard for sucking in 2007 and building on a proud tradition.
Moving on to the standings (painstakingly recreated by Franklin Mint engravers from the current official ones):
Eastern Conference
1. Red Bull New York: 21 pts. (6-3-3: 24 GF, 15 GA, +9; home, 4-1-1; away, 2-2-2)
2. Kansas City Wiz: 20 pts. (6-3-2: 23 GF, 17 GA, +6; home, 3-1-0; away, 3-2-2)
3. New England Revs: 19 pts. (5-2-4: 21 GF, 14 GA, +7; home, 2-1-2; away, 3-1-2)
4. DC United: 17 pts. (5-3-2: 17 GF, 14 GA, +3; home, 4-1-1; away, 1-2-1)
5. Chicago Fire: 14 pts. (4-6-2: 12 GF, 19 GA, -7; home, 3-2-1; away, 1-3-1)
6. Toronto FC: 13 pts. (4-6-1: 14 GF, 18 GA, -4; home, 4-3-0; away, 0-3-1)
7. Columbus Crew: 12 pts. (2-4-6: 14 GF, 19 GA, -5; home, 2-1-4; away, 0-3-2)
Western Conference
1. FC Dallas: 22 pts. (7-6-1: 18 GF, 21 GA, -3; home, 3-2-0; away, 4-4-1)
2. Chivas USA: 17 pts. (5-3-2: 15 GF, 8 GA; +7; home, 4-0-1; away, 1-3-1)
3. Houston Dynamo: 16 pts. (5-5-1: 11 GF, 10 GA, +1; home, 3-2-1; away, 2-3-0)
4. Colorado Rapids: 15 pts. (4-5-3: 13 GF, 16 GA, -3; home 2-1-3; away, 2-4-0)
5. Los Angeles Galaxy: 9 pts. (2-4-3: 11 GF, 13 GA, -2; home, 2-2-1; away, 0-2-2)
6. Real Salt Lake: 6 pts. (0-5-6: 9 GF, 18 GA, -9; home, 0-2-3; away, 0-3-3)
As always, last week’s ranking appears in parentheses immediately after this week’s ranking. So as to not misrepresent my judgment as entirely first-hand, here’s a key for my viewing: “@” means I watched a given team’s most recent performance in its entirety; “$” means I caught it through Quick Kicks, which provides extended highlights; “%” means I watched only the rump highlights available through MLSnet.com.
For the record, I like my top three; or, rather, I think I can justify my thinking on those. #4 - 6 is a bit of a mash-up - and it’s possible #6 may blow up in my face within 12 hours. I like #7. #8-11 are, essentially, inter-changeable. The bottom two, however, are solid.
Here goes...and after the rankings, you’ll find a current listing of the standings for the permanent record.
1. (2) DC United (didn’t see it, didn’t hear it...)
No, I haven’t seen these guys play in weeks. The thing is, DC is about the only team in the league doing well on both sides of the ball.
2. (3) Kansas City Wizards ($ + 1/2 of @)
Five MLS teams have allowed more goals than KC; trouble is, those teams suck (except, arguably, Dallas - but their defense sucks). If the goals dry up - as they did last night - the slipshod defense hurts this team.
3. (5) Chivas USA (%)
Chivas has earned the same number of points as DC - even if a weaker Western Conference has something to do with that - and the same argument for their ranking applies. Count tonight a “statement game” - or a cliché. While they can’t actually take over top spot in the West, a win would say just as much.
4. (1) Red Bull New York ($)
This team’s defensive problems are serious and don’t appear to be going away any time soon. I regret last week’s ranking error.
5. (4) New England Revolution (@)
Nice as it was to see Adam Cristman score two (though his leering come-hither to Pat Noonan must be blacked out to keep the skin from crawling) - hell, nice as it was to see Noonan look like himself - the Revs has issues. The luck that carried them through a few games nearly dried up last week; was the last drop sprinkled on Cristman’s first goal?
6. (6) Houston Dynamo (idle)
Some weeks you don’t have to do anything to hold steady. But, as with Chivas, tonight is statement time. Anyone else see a nice little rivalry blossoming between those two teams?
7. (9) Toronto FC ($)
Re-enacted The Burning Bed over a weary FC Dallas* and they look a safe bet to avoid the whole “worst team in history” tag. It’s time to see if they can make their hard-knock game work on the road. (*Such horrible analogies come to me all day, every day and, I assure you, the original edit was worse. My internal censor took a half-day.)
8. (7) FC Dallas (1/2 hour of @ + %)
Let’s see...they BARELY beat the league’s accidental comedy troupe and then got mauled by Canadians. Canadians! (kidding...I’m just warming up for tonight.) Were it not for the fact they play consistent .500 ball, they’d drop further.
9. (10) Columbus Crew (@ + 1/2 of @)
I stand firmly in the column that assumes this team is better than their record. Again, with the odds of the Crew picking up four points against their past two opponents, I really, REALLY wish I had a sports book nearby.
10. (12) Los Angeles Galaxy (@)
LA hasn’t given teams or fans cause to respect them this season. Yeah, they beat RSL...rah, rah. The best thing you can say about them is they’re trying to improve.
11. (8) Colorado Rapids (%)
These cats haven’t won since May. And, unlike LA, I’m not seeing them doing anything to improve. To make matters worse, Dallas’s on-off pattern augurs a win for the Colorado side this weekend.
12. (11) Chicago Fire (didn’t see it, didn’t hear it...)
Reduced to the quality of a college team by injuries and call-ups, why believe a new coach can turn things around. It took some math to realize just how bad things are in Chicago: they’ve taken 4 POINTS from their last 8 games. For the record, that’s RSL bad - literally. RSL has equaled Chicago for points over the past 8 games.
13. (13) Real Salt Lake (1/2 hour of @ + @)
Setting the standard for sucking in 2007 and building on a proud tradition.
Moving on to the standings (painstakingly recreated by Franklin Mint engravers from the current official ones):
Eastern Conference
1. Red Bull New York: 21 pts. (6-3-3: 24 GF, 15 GA, +9; home, 4-1-1; away, 2-2-2)
2. Kansas City Wiz: 20 pts. (6-3-2: 23 GF, 17 GA, +6; home, 3-1-0; away, 3-2-2)
3. New England Revs: 19 pts. (5-2-4: 21 GF, 14 GA, +7; home, 2-1-2; away, 3-1-2)
4. DC United: 17 pts. (5-3-2: 17 GF, 14 GA, +3; home, 4-1-1; away, 1-2-1)
5. Chicago Fire: 14 pts. (4-6-2: 12 GF, 19 GA, -7; home, 3-2-1; away, 1-3-1)
6. Toronto FC: 13 pts. (4-6-1: 14 GF, 18 GA, -4; home, 4-3-0; away, 0-3-1)
7. Columbus Crew: 12 pts. (2-4-6: 14 GF, 19 GA, -5; home, 2-1-4; away, 0-3-2)
Western Conference
1. FC Dallas: 22 pts. (7-6-1: 18 GF, 21 GA, -3; home, 3-2-0; away, 4-4-1)
2. Chivas USA: 17 pts. (5-3-2: 15 GF, 8 GA; +7; home, 4-0-1; away, 1-3-1)
3. Houston Dynamo: 16 pts. (5-5-1: 11 GF, 10 GA, +1; home, 3-2-1; away, 2-3-0)
4. Colorado Rapids: 15 pts. (4-5-3: 13 GF, 16 GA, -3; home 2-1-3; away, 2-4-0)
5. Los Angeles Galaxy: 9 pts. (2-4-3: 11 GF, 13 GA, -2; home, 2-2-1; away, 0-2-2)
6. Real Salt Lake: 6 pts. (0-5-6: 9 GF, 18 GA, -9; home, 0-2-3; away, 0-3-3)
Junk Drawer, 06.20; Vergara on Sanchez; KC News
And, to round out my day, here's a quick round-up of other items of interest (now limiting myself to five...yes, I'm growing...)
- Count Jorge Vergara among the Mexican fans taking a dim view of the early days of the Hugo Sanchez era.
- While New England adds a player here, another player there - and two years later...and grudgingly - the Kansas City Wizards can't stop adding 'em...and they're attacking players! Dammit! There's also some interesting chatter in that same Down the Byline post about a soccer-specific stadium in the KC area.
- The Columbus Dispatch ran a little piece (carrying a curious, though applaudable, lead) on Guillermo Schelotto, who sounds happy about his move to Columbus. All I know is I've never seen a less enthusiastic goal celebration than the one he turned in last Saturday. Oh, and it sounds like Gaven will start in place of Robbie Rogers this weekend...should be interesting.
- Bill Urban wrote a good piece on the apparent tension between talent and expansion. For what it's worth, I say roll the dice. God meant for expansion teams to suffer; Toronto has it all wrong. They'll catch up in time.
- Finally, the Las Vegas Sun builds an article on a Big Soccer thread. Suddenly, I don't feel so bad about all those book reports written from Cliff's Notes*.
(* OK, for the record, I've never once used Cliff's Notes; I enjoy reading too much.)
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- Count Jorge Vergara among the Mexican fans taking a dim view of the early days of the Hugo Sanchez era.
- While New England adds a player here, another player there - and two years later...and grudgingly - the Kansas City Wizards can't stop adding 'em...and they're attacking players! Dammit! There's also some interesting chatter in that same Down the Byline post about a soccer-specific stadium in the KC area.
- The Columbus Dispatch ran a little piece (carrying a curious, though applaudable, lead) on Guillermo Schelotto, who sounds happy about his move to Columbus. All I know is I've never seen a less enthusiastic goal celebration than the one he turned in last Saturday. Oh, and it sounds like Gaven will start in place of Robbie Rogers this weekend...should be interesting.
- Bill Urban wrote a good piece on the apparent tension between talent and expansion. For what it's worth, I say roll the dice. God meant for expansion teams to suffer; Toronto has it all wrong. They'll catch up in time.
- Finally, the Las Vegas Sun builds an article on a Big Soccer thread. Suddenly, I don't feel so bad about all those book reports written from Cliff's Notes*.
(* OK, for the record, I've never once used Cliff's Notes; I enjoy reading too much.)
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MLS Week 10 Power Rankings...when I lose my mind...
I’m in a mood today and it’s going to affect what appears below. Yesterday’s mega project - the one in which I wrapped my head around where things are at the 1/3 point of the season - has me thinking a little differently about some Major League Soccer (MLS) teams. It’s mainly a gut thing, but I’m going to be thinking about the future as much as the present in what comes below. Anyway, that should explain some of the weirder calls I make below...
As usual, last week’s ranking appears in parentheses immediately after this week’s ranking. So as to not misrepresent my judgment as entirely first-hand, here’s a key for my viewing: “@” means I watched a given team’s most recent performance in its entirety; “$” means I caught it through Quick Kicks, which provides extended highlights; “%” means I watched only the rump highlights available through MLSnet.com. Later today, I’ll compare what I’ve got below with the other rankings I’ve found - though, as always, I compiled my rankings without reference to anyone else’s. And, wow, was this week’s viewing spotty.
In keeping with my tradition of blaming health/sleep-deprivation for any silly something that appears below, holy shit, are allergies kicking my ass. My eyes looked like fucking glazed donuts last night and I got two nosebleeds from the pressure in my head. I came across some site on the internet that matches your zip code to likely allergens; that’s where I learned that walnut trees are the likely culprit. So, if you live in the Hillsboro, Oregon area and you see a bald, alcohol-crazed dude taking an axe to a walnut tree, well, that’d be me. Motherfuckers must pay!
Ahem...at any rate, this week got a little messy. For the record, I’m thinking #1-4 are essentially interchangeable; the same goes for #5-8...and #10-13 for that matter. I have strong feelings only for #9.
Here goes...and after the rankings, you’ll find a current listing of the standings for the permanent record.
1. (2) Red Bull New York ($ + %)
Yeah, I know, I know. Why does a team still nursing a sore ass from the last weekend actually rise in the standings? It goes back to the project mentioned at the top: I think the Red Bulls are fundamentally sound. With Angel in the mix they’re scoring steadily and they’ve got a good defense when it’s actually on the field...then again, I won’t be surprised if this one goes sideways, though.
2. (3) DC United (%)
Sadly, I couldn’t get a great sense of this game from the highlights. I only know that DC is on a very good run. I expect it will continue - maybe not to the same degree, but I do think this team has rediscovered its rhythm.
3. (1) Kansas City Wizards (idle)
Again, why? And, again, it’s the project. I can’t get the goals their defense is surrendering out of my head. And it’s not like Eddie Johnson is going to score a hat-trick every weekend; that’s low-percentage stuff. Count this another dubious call, but it’s the one I’m making.
4. (5) New England Revolution (idle)
This represents the one time I go against The Project (I think I’ve referred to it enough to capitalize): New England simply has a good balance to its team. I stand by my belief that they’ve been more lucky than good, but a good defense plus a good-enough offense equals a decent team. The only question is whether they come around.
5. (7) Chivas USA (%)
Another hat-tip to The Project: Chivas’ fourth-place looks a whole lot different when you look at the details: two games in hand and the best goal differential and best defensive record in the West suggests to me they’ll creep up the table.
6. (8) Houston Dynamo (%)
It’s not so much the three consecutive wins (against so-far decent teams no less...OK, except Columbus) as it’s the fact the charge is being led by the bench. Kinnear should force the stars to fight to regain their spots. But the controlling factor here was how Houston played even when they were losing: pretty well, overall, and they created chances. If Ching won’t score them, maybe Ngwenya will.
7. (9) FC Dallas (@)
This was one of the harder ones. For one, I think their defense is killing them; for two, one fat, possibly disgruntled, guy plus one (cruelly) injured player leads their forward line. So, why put them so high (OK, kinda high)? I suppose it’s because they’re #1 in the West for a reason. A basically solid May got lost behind two untimely, consecutive losses (5/26 and 6/3).
8. (4) Colorado Rapids (%)
It took a long time, but I’ve finally given up on Colorado - not completely, but just about. I still think they have the players, but, without that ol’ home-field magic - and 2-1-3 at home ain’t “magic” - they’re in for another roller-coaster season. They’ll kick around a team or two, but I can’t think of them as contenders any more (and can’t say why I ever did).
9. (7) Toronto FC ($)
The fact they can still slip, even at home, keeps the question marks handy with this team. They’re one home game away from a long, long road-trip that should go a good distance to pegging this team in the standings. Speaking for myself, I’ve got a feeling it’s not going to go well (I’m guessing between 6 and 10 points out of 24). I’m starting to feel a bit skittish about rating them this high.
10. (13) Columbus Crew ($)
Welcome to my biggest, dumbest longshot. I don’t know why, but I’m thinking Columbus, who only need a little confidence, will blitz a few teams and soon - quite possibly starting with New England this weekend. If I had a friendly, neighborhood sports-book, I’d go drop a wad on that game. My personal theory is that New England somehow cornered some kind of fixed quantity of luck within the Eastern Conference, and Columbus somehow lost their entire portion. They'll turn things around - to the point of respectability, at least.
11. (11) Chicago Fire (%)
I’m perfectly sincere in the view that this team is one Chad Barrett goal away from being widely viewed as worse than Columbus. And, obviously, since I placed ‘em one spot below I think they are worse.
12. (10) Los Angeles Galaxy (@)
Watching these guys over a full game was an eye-opening experience last weekend; their uninterested, disjointed second half was bad as anything I had seen in MLS all year. They’ll improve with the return of several starters (not just Donovan, but Ante Jazic and Kevin Harmse), but the total lack of depth makes me wonder how much...can’t wait to see the Western Conference Toilet Bowl this weekend (in which these hacks will meet the team immediately below).
13. (12) Real Salt Lake (idle - and, boy, did they need it)
Again, they can’t win (neither can Houston...or LA, for that matter; it just feels different). Moreover, I can’t see things improving dramatically. I want to, but I can’t.
Moving on to the standings (current official ones):
Eastern Conference
1. Red Bull New York: 20 pts. (6-3-2: 21 GF, 12 GA, +9; home, 4-1-0; away, 2-2-2)
2. Kansas City Wiz: 19 pts. (6-2-1: 19 GF, 12 GA, +7; home, 3-1-0; away, 3-1-1)
3. New England Revs: 18 pts. (5-2-3: 18 GF, 11 GA, +7; home, 2-1-1; away, 3-1-2)
4. DC United: 14 pts. (4-3-2: 14 GF, 13 GA, +1; home, 3-1-1; away, 1-2-1)
5. Chicago Fire: 14 pts. (4-5-2: 11 GF, 16 GA, -5; home, 3-2-1; away, 1-3-1)
6. Toronto FC: 10 pts. (3-6-1: 9 GF, 16 GA, -8; home, 3-3-0; away, 0-3-1)
7. Columbus Crew: 8 pts. (1-4-5: 9 GF, 15 GA, -6; home, 1-1-4; away, 0-3-1)
Western Conference
1. FC Dallas: 19 pts. (6-5-1: 17 GF, 17 GA, 0; home, 2-2-0; away, 3-3-1)
2. Houston Dynamo: 16 pts. (5-5-1: 11 GF, 10 GA, +1; home, 3-2-1; away, 2-3-0)
3. Colorado Rapids: 15 pts. (4-4-3: 13 GF, 14 GA, -1; home 2-1-3; away, 2-3-0)
4. Chivas USA: 14 pts. (4-3-2: 13 GF, 8 GA; +5; home, 3-0-1; away, 1-3-1)
5. Los Angeles Galaxy: 6 pts. (1-4-3: 8 GF, 11 GA, -3; home, 1-2-1; away, 0-2-2)
6. Real Salt Lake: 6 pts. (0-3-6: 7 GF, 14 GA, -7; home, 0-1-3; away, 0-2-3)
As usual, last week’s ranking appears in parentheses immediately after this week’s ranking. So as to not misrepresent my judgment as entirely first-hand, here’s a key for my viewing: “@” means I watched a given team’s most recent performance in its entirety; “$” means I caught it through Quick Kicks, which provides extended highlights; “%” means I watched only the rump highlights available through MLSnet.com. Later today, I’ll compare what I’ve got below with the other rankings I’ve found - though, as always, I compiled my rankings without reference to anyone else’s. And, wow, was this week’s viewing spotty.
In keeping with my tradition of blaming health/sleep-deprivation for any silly something that appears below, holy shit, are allergies kicking my ass. My eyes looked like fucking glazed donuts last night and I got two nosebleeds from the pressure in my head. I came across some site on the internet that matches your zip code to likely allergens; that’s where I learned that walnut trees are the likely culprit. So, if you live in the Hillsboro, Oregon area and you see a bald, alcohol-crazed dude taking an axe to a walnut tree, well, that’d be me. Motherfuckers must pay!
Ahem...at any rate, this week got a little messy. For the record, I’m thinking #1-4 are essentially interchangeable; the same goes for #5-8...and #10-13 for that matter. I have strong feelings only for #9.
Here goes...and after the rankings, you’ll find a current listing of the standings for the permanent record.
1. (2) Red Bull New York ($ + %)
Yeah, I know, I know. Why does a team still nursing a sore ass from the last weekend actually rise in the standings? It goes back to the project mentioned at the top: I think the Red Bulls are fundamentally sound. With Angel in the mix they’re scoring steadily and they’ve got a good defense when it’s actually on the field...then again, I won’t be surprised if this one goes sideways, though.
2. (3) DC United (%)
Sadly, I couldn’t get a great sense of this game from the highlights. I only know that DC is on a very good run. I expect it will continue - maybe not to the same degree, but I do think this team has rediscovered its rhythm.
3. (1) Kansas City Wizards (idle)
Again, why? And, again, it’s the project. I can’t get the goals their defense is surrendering out of my head. And it’s not like Eddie Johnson is going to score a hat-trick every weekend; that’s low-percentage stuff. Count this another dubious call, but it’s the one I’m making.
4. (5) New England Revolution (idle)
This represents the one time I go against The Project (I think I’ve referred to it enough to capitalize): New England simply has a good balance to its team. I stand by my belief that they’ve been more lucky than good, but a good defense plus a good-enough offense equals a decent team. The only question is whether they come around.
5. (7) Chivas USA (%)
Another hat-tip to The Project: Chivas’ fourth-place looks a whole lot different when you look at the details: two games in hand and the best goal differential and best defensive record in the West suggests to me they’ll creep up the table.
6. (8) Houston Dynamo (%)
It’s not so much the three consecutive wins (against so-far decent teams no less...OK, except Columbus) as it’s the fact the charge is being led by the bench. Kinnear should force the stars to fight to regain their spots. But the controlling factor here was how Houston played even when they were losing: pretty well, overall, and they created chances. If Ching won’t score them, maybe Ngwenya will.
7. (9) FC Dallas (@)
This was one of the harder ones. For one, I think their defense is killing them; for two, one fat, possibly disgruntled, guy plus one (cruelly) injured player leads their forward line. So, why put them so high (OK, kinda high)? I suppose it’s because they’re #1 in the West for a reason. A basically solid May got lost behind two untimely, consecutive losses (5/26 and 6/3).
8. (4) Colorado Rapids (%)
It took a long time, but I’ve finally given up on Colorado - not completely, but just about. I still think they have the players, but, without that ol’ home-field magic - and 2-1-3 at home ain’t “magic” - they’re in for another roller-coaster season. They’ll kick around a team or two, but I can’t think of them as contenders any more (and can’t say why I ever did).
9. (7) Toronto FC ($)
The fact they can still slip, even at home, keeps the question marks handy with this team. They’re one home game away from a long, long road-trip that should go a good distance to pegging this team in the standings. Speaking for myself, I’ve got a feeling it’s not going to go well (I’m guessing between 6 and 10 points out of 24). I’m starting to feel a bit skittish about rating them this high.
10. (13) Columbus Crew ($)
Welcome to my biggest, dumbest longshot. I don’t know why, but I’m thinking Columbus, who only need a little confidence, will blitz a few teams and soon - quite possibly starting with New England this weekend. If I had a friendly, neighborhood sports-book, I’d go drop a wad on that game. My personal theory is that New England somehow cornered some kind of fixed quantity of luck within the Eastern Conference, and Columbus somehow lost their entire portion. They'll turn things around - to the point of respectability, at least.
11. (11) Chicago Fire (%)
I’m perfectly sincere in the view that this team is one Chad Barrett goal away from being widely viewed as worse than Columbus. And, obviously, since I placed ‘em one spot below I think they are worse.
12. (10) Los Angeles Galaxy (@)
Watching these guys over a full game was an eye-opening experience last weekend; their uninterested, disjointed second half was bad as anything I had seen in MLS all year. They’ll improve with the return of several starters (not just Donovan, but Ante Jazic and Kevin Harmse), but the total lack of depth makes me wonder how much...can’t wait to see the Western Conference Toilet Bowl this weekend (in which these hacks will meet the team immediately below).
13. (12) Real Salt Lake (idle - and, boy, did they need it)
Again, they can’t win (neither can Houston...or LA, for that matter; it just feels different). Moreover, I can’t see things improving dramatically. I want to, but I can’t.
Moving on to the standings (current official ones):
Eastern Conference
1. Red Bull New York: 20 pts. (6-3-2: 21 GF, 12 GA, +9; home, 4-1-0; away, 2-2-2)
2. Kansas City Wiz: 19 pts. (6-2-1: 19 GF, 12 GA, +7; home, 3-1-0; away, 3-1-1)
3. New England Revs: 18 pts. (5-2-3: 18 GF, 11 GA, +7; home, 2-1-1; away, 3-1-2)
4. DC United: 14 pts. (4-3-2: 14 GF, 13 GA, +1; home, 3-1-1; away, 1-2-1)
5. Chicago Fire: 14 pts. (4-5-2: 11 GF, 16 GA, -5; home, 3-2-1; away, 1-3-1)
6. Toronto FC: 10 pts. (3-6-1: 9 GF, 16 GA, -8; home, 3-3-0; away, 0-3-1)
7. Columbus Crew: 8 pts. (1-4-5: 9 GF, 15 GA, -6; home, 1-1-4; away, 0-3-1)
Western Conference
1. FC Dallas: 19 pts. (6-5-1: 17 GF, 17 GA, 0; home, 2-2-0; away, 3-3-1)
2. Houston Dynamo: 16 pts. (5-5-1: 11 GF, 10 GA, +1; home, 3-2-1; away, 2-3-0)
3. Colorado Rapids: 15 pts. (4-4-3: 13 GF, 14 GA, -1; home 2-1-3; away, 2-3-0)
4. Chivas USA: 14 pts. (4-3-2: 13 GF, 8 GA; +5; home, 3-0-1; away, 1-3-1)
5. Los Angeles Galaxy: 6 pts. (1-4-3: 8 GF, 11 GA, -3; home, 1-2-1; away, 0-2-2)
6. Real Salt Lake: 6 pts. (0-3-6: 7 GF, 14 GA, -7; home, 0-1-3; away, 0-2-3)
Preliminary Wrap: MLS Week 10
With this being, officially, the one-third point of the season, I've got a grander project in mind in terms of clocking where things are in Major League Soccer. That will come later, though. For now, I want to wrap up the two remaining games from teh weekend. I didn't have time to catch, or even watch an archived version, of either game - though I did watch highlights of both - so I'll treat these only briefly and let others who did see them do the talking.
Red Bull New York 2 - 4 DC United
- Unless I'm mistaken, it's impossible to beat The DCenters debriefing posts in terms of links to the world of reportage and opinion and DC United games. If you go there, you'll find what you need.
- At the same time, any time Ben Olsen notches a hat trick (any time?), the thing that needs to be said is pretty obvious. I've always liked Benny well enough, in spite of the incredible volume of whining he directs at the referee, so this feels like a cause for celebration. Besides, it's not like he's going to "pull an EJ" and get one next weekend; by my count, he's due for the next one sometime in retirement.
- For all that, DC sure sounds like they're feeling jiggy. And with them going 4-0-2 (w-l-t) over the past six - and they're hitting some tough teams - it's hard to blame 'em.
- Red Bull, on the other hand, seems to be slowing a bit. The loss itself wasn't so shocking - well, considering when two of Olsen's goals came (e.g. after Bobby Boswell's ejection) maybe it was - but how badly they were exposed on the weak side on two of those goals simply has to ruin one night's sleep for Bruce Arena.
Columbus Crew 1 - 2 Houston Dynamo
- Here are the reports I bothered digging up: The Columbus Dispatch; The Houston Chronicle; ESPN.
- The anonymous (to me, anyway) Columbus player who kicked a corner flag out of the ground in disgust said plenty as I see it. Based on what I read, Columbus did well enough in this game, but still managed to lose it. Ouch. At a certain point, losing games like this requires a certain kind of magic - which makes the Crew the David Freakin' Copperfields of MLS. An own-goal by Chad Marshall (maybe the effects of that concussion are lingering?) and a beautiful, yet half–wacky headed goal by Joseph Ngwenya erased a plenty nice goal by Alejandro Moreno.
- Given the above, it seems appropriate to single out the pained musings posted on the Crew Offside regarding the state of all things Columbus and Crew. The cold, hard reality is that, after Columbus, only Real Salt Lake and LA Galaxy fans have cause to feel so blue as Crew fans these days (OK, honorable mention to Chicago). Is it time, as Jim suggests, for Sigi Schmid to go? Hard to say. Though it's hard to argue at this point that it will make things any worse.
OK, I'll be working on that "big picture" thing for a bit. Observing radio silence....
(#########)
Red Bull New York 2 - 4 DC United
- Unless I'm mistaken, it's impossible to beat The DCenters debriefing posts in terms of links to the world of reportage and opinion and DC United games. If you go there, you'll find what you need.
- At the same time, any time Ben Olsen notches a hat trick (any time?), the thing that needs to be said is pretty obvious. I've always liked Benny well enough, in spite of the incredible volume of whining he directs at the referee, so this feels like a cause for celebration. Besides, it's not like he's going to "pull an EJ" and get one next weekend; by my count, he's due for the next one sometime in retirement.
- For all that, DC sure sounds like they're feeling jiggy. And with them going 4-0-2 (w-l-t) over the past six - and they're hitting some tough teams - it's hard to blame 'em.
- Red Bull, on the other hand, seems to be slowing a bit. The loss itself wasn't so shocking - well, considering when two of Olsen's goals came (e.g. after Bobby Boswell's ejection) maybe it was - but how badly they were exposed on the weak side on two of those goals simply has to ruin one night's sleep for Bruce Arena.
Columbus Crew 1 - 2 Houston Dynamo
- Here are the reports I bothered digging up: The Columbus Dispatch; The Houston Chronicle; ESPN.
- The anonymous (to me, anyway) Columbus player who kicked a corner flag out of the ground in disgust said plenty as I see it. Based on what I read, Columbus did well enough in this game, but still managed to lose it. Ouch. At a certain point, losing games like this requires a certain kind of magic - which makes the Crew the David Freakin' Copperfields of MLS. An own-goal by Chad Marshall (maybe the effects of that concussion are lingering?) and a beautiful, yet half–wacky headed goal by Joseph Ngwenya erased a plenty nice goal by Alejandro Moreno.
- Given the above, it seems appropriate to single out the pained musings posted on the Crew Offside regarding the state of all things Columbus and Crew. The cold, hard reality is that, after Columbus, only Real Salt Lake and LA Galaxy fans have cause to feel so blue as Crew fans these days (OK, honorable mention to Chicago). Is it time, as Jim suggests, for Sigi Schmid to go? Hard to say. Though it's hard to argue at this point that it will make things any worse.
OK, I'll be working on that "big picture" thing for a bit. Observing radio silence....
(#########)
MLS: Big Week 9 Wrap - Red Cards, Hat Tricks, Injuries!
Major League Soccer: Dispatches from Week 9
Welcome to the second edition of one man’s off-the-cuff impressions of Week 9 of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) regular season. On a big picture level, it is tempting to express varying degrees of surprise at some of this week’s results - see the New England Revolution v. Real Salt Lake below - but when that same statement holds for each successive week, is surprise a rational response?
That’s a bigger question for another day. But one event of very present concern is the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which kicks off this week (yippee!). The United States holds the title at present and calling up the personnel to defend it will certainly hit MLS clubs, though some (say, New England) more than others (FC Dallas). But call-ups from other countries - e.g. Canada and Guatemala to name two - adds some hurt to a team or two.
Now, on to the reports on Week 9. The “hand” at which each game was viewed (e.g. first, second, etc.) appears below the score.
Toronto FC 2 - 1 Colorado Rapids
(Watched all of first half; Quick Kicks highlights for the rest)
- For those who have never visited, Quick Kicks puts a title on each clip of their highlights, typically featuring phrases like “Gomez Rips It,” or “Eskandarian Run,” or “Cunningham fouled.” When it comes to Toronto games, I swear titles containing variations on the word “foul” out number the rest by 2-to-1.
- That said, the ref for this game seemed a bit whistle-happy, especially in the second half.
- And no incident spoke to this so much as the ejection of Toronto defender Kevin Goldthwaite. There was no physical incident I could see, so I’m guessing Goldthwaite said something nasty to the ref. Then again, speculation of this sort is just one of the benefits of writing this without reading anything...
- Turning to the game, the big picture take away is significant: Toronto has advanced to the point where a road draw against them constitutes a decent result. That’s pretty big.
- Marvell Wynne, who may not be the best player in the world, showed - again - what straight-up speed can do; his assist on TFC’s first was top drawer.
- I wonder who many cards Danny Dichio picked up in England; that dude is, um...physical.
- On the other side of the ball, Colorado showed they are a competitive team; they had chances to equalize at the end - even if they tended to the random variety - but they’re good enough to press at the very least.
- Conor Casey still looks a bit lost - a weird transition for a Yank in MLS. But his through-ball that set up Herculez Gomez’ (excellent) goal? Again, top drawer.
New England Revolution 0 - 0 Real Salt Lake
(Quick Kick highlights)
- A surprising result on paper, but the goalless draw makes a lot of sense given two general trends: 1) Real Salt Lake’s new emphasis on tightening their defense; 2) a theory that New England’s place in the standings doesn’t match their on-field performance.
- To rephrase that last point, New England has defended well enough, if only by using ‘keeper Matt Reis as a back-stop time and again, and their strike-force has been precise, opportunist, and not a little lucky. But that’s all the available sunshine: apart from the game against Los Angeles, however, they’ve been sloppy in possession and have generally failed to take the game to anyone.
- For Real, though, picking up a point on the road - and against what is, really, a solid New England team - should be cause for quiet celebration...very quiet, given the team remains winless.
- Perhaps it should be quieter still given the impression from the highlights of New England knocking and knocking on and around the goal-mouth, but failing to score. Forward Taylor Twellman hit the crossbar at least once (twice, I think), but the action generally looked one-way.
- With only six points to their credit, RSL is in genuine trouble.
- The past few weeks without a result haven’t done the Revolution any favors either, especially with three key starters - Twellman, midfielder Steve Ralston, and defender Michael Parkhurst - departing for the Gold Cup. Given that, a turn-around in form, 1) seems unlikely, or, 2) if it does come, the departed players will come back to a different team.
Kansas City Wizards 3 - 2 Red Bull New York
(Viewed 2/3 uninterrupted; the rest TiVo-style)
- Two big talking points for this game of the week: 1) the harsh ejection of Clint Mathis, which left Red Bull down for just shy of 60 minutes; 2) Eddie Johnson’s second, consecutive hat-trick.
- Mathis was ejected for an elbow to KC midfielder Kerry Zavagnin’s throat; after watching that - shoot - six times or so, it looks for the world like Mathis is using his arms to push off. He’s doing so clumsily, but he’s certainly not taking a swing at Zavagnin. Scratch the “harsh” above; this was a flat-out bad call.
- The “good” in this game came with Johnson’s hat-trick, comprised as it was of three great goals: the first, a high-degree-of-difficulty lob over Red Bull ‘keeper Jon Conway; the second a sharp-angel tap-in that came from a smartly-timed run; the third, a cool finish after finding space and meeting a beautiful diagonal pass from Sasha Victorine. Taken together, it was simply magnificent. If Johnson’s lacking in confidence by now, he’s pathological.
- While Red Bull can point to the man down as an excuse for the loss, no similar defense can explain the serial defensive breaks at the beginning of the second half that let one KC player after another in alone on Conway’s goal; count Red Bull damned lucky they kept the score close.
- To give credit where it’s due, not only did Red Bull open the scoring with a beauty of their own, but they fought back pretty well toward the end.
- On the other hand, KC looked very impressive even against a full-sided Red Bull. They move and pass well and show a rare ability to actually breakdown the opposition. In all seriousness: KC looks for real.
- The larger tragedy of this game, though, is what it couldn’t tell us: e.g who is the better team between Red Bull and the now-league leading KC Wizards. That sending off mucked up everything - that it was unjustified only makes thing worse. The ref owes every MLS fan a pint.
Los Angeles Galaxy 0 - 0 DC United
(Brief, as in just over 3 minute, highlights)
- The most remarkable thing in this one was the number of hamstring injuries that occurred; that, in itself, says something about the game.first, Ian Russell for LA, then Tyrone Marshall (LA again), and, finally, Fred for DC United. Don’t know that any of these have been diagnosed or the length of any lay-offs determined.
- The highlights showed a scoreless draw preserved by desperate, yet timely, defending on both ends of the field. Then again, if those highlights are to be trusted, the chances didn’t look like golden.
- - The two injuries to LA mean they're in serious trouble in terms of depth. The list of hobbling players keeps growing while Gold Cup call-ups (Landon Donovan to the U.S., Ante Jazic and Kevin Harmse to Canada; then there's the Copa America...) and makes an already high hurdle for the months of June and July look a lot like a wall.
Houston Dynamo 2 - 1 FC Dallas
(nada; unavailable at time of writing)
- Another result that would surprise someone fixating on the standings - but this one adds up pretty readily. Why?
- FC Dallas has been grimly playing toward .500 record since the beginning of the season; this amounts to them finding their niche.
- Besides, Houston has dominated Dallas historically - brief as said history is.
- Also, in spite of a maddening scoring drought, Houston has been hammering away at opposition defenses over the past two, three games; the problem seemed more one of misfiring on goal than of failing to create the chances.
- Good to see Ricardo Clark’s name in lights; he shined pretty brightly through the Dynamo’s April/May woes.
- On the downside, Clark is another player headed off for Gold Cup duty, as is forward Brian Ching (who, based on current form, will barely be missed); also leaving, but for the Canadian national team, is Dwayne DeRosario (see Ching).
Columbus Crew 2 - 3 Chicago Fire
(Watched game from 22nd minute forward; caught Quick Kicks this morning)
- In spite of its many, many limitations - which begin with the participating teams - this wasn’t a bad game to watch.
- That’s not to say it was a good game; neither team looked sharp, the play seemed labored more often than not, and, with one exception the goals were pure scrap. Goes to show that excitement trumps quality on the right day.
- After noticing another pretty bit of minutiae - in this case, the Crew’s Danny O’Rourke shifting his body just so to throw a defender and complete a simple, yet wholly crucial, possession pass - I took a tipsy little mental journey back through the game’s better points: Chicago’s Willian Oliveira twisting the Crew’s Duncan Oughton this way and that with menacing redirections as he charged toward the Crew goal; the Crew’s Guillermo Schelotto shielding the ball for 25 yards with a Fire player fixed to his side and yanking at his jersey for the distance. They don’t show on any statistics sheet, but such moments of brilliance or simple fighting perseverance define 9 games out of 10; they’re also what make the game worth watching closely.
- I’m pleased to report the Goal of the Week came in this unlikely affair. After a Crew corner, Chicago forward Chad Barrett took the ball just above his penalty area and ran with it the length of the field to score a back-breaking third Chicago goal. More than the speed and composure that made the goal possible, the goal stood out for what it did to the game - the Crew was slowly, but clearly gaining the upper hand in the ten minutes before - and for what it meant to Barrett as a player. Just beautiful. I’m very glad I caught it in the moment.
- The crucial thing this game revealed: Chicago has just a bit more to them than Columbus - and that’s appalling, unnerving news for the Crew. Will the knives hovering over Chicago coach Dave Sarachan come out now for head coach Sigi Schmid?
All for this week - though there’s plenty more to discuss...like Goldthwaite's red card....
Welcome to the second edition of one man’s off-the-cuff impressions of Week 9 of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) regular season. On a big picture level, it is tempting to express varying degrees of surprise at some of this week’s results - see the New England Revolution v. Real Salt Lake below - but when that same statement holds for each successive week, is surprise a rational response?
That’s a bigger question for another day. But one event of very present concern is the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which kicks off this week (yippee!). The United States holds the title at present and calling up the personnel to defend it will certainly hit MLS clubs, though some (say, New England) more than others (FC Dallas). But call-ups from other countries - e.g. Canada and Guatemala to name two - adds some hurt to a team or two.
Now, on to the reports on Week 9. The “hand” at which each game was viewed (e.g. first, second, etc.) appears below the score.
Toronto FC 2 - 1 Colorado Rapids
(Watched all of first half; Quick Kicks highlights for the rest)
- For those who have never visited, Quick Kicks puts a title on each clip of their highlights, typically featuring phrases like “Gomez Rips It,” or “Eskandarian Run,” or “Cunningham fouled.” When it comes to Toronto games, I swear titles containing variations on the word “foul” out number the rest by 2-to-1.
- That said, the ref for this game seemed a bit whistle-happy, especially in the second half.
- And no incident spoke to this so much as the ejection of Toronto defender Kevin Goldthwaite. There was no physical incident I could see, so I’m guessing Goldthwaite said something nasty to the ref. Then again, speculation of this sort is just one of the benefits of writing this without reading anything...
- Turning to the game, the big picture take away is significant: Toronto has advanced to the point where a road draw against them constitutes a decent result. That’s pretty big.
- Marvell Wynne, who may not be the best player in the world, showed - again - what straight-up speed can do; his assist on TFC’s first was top drawer.
- I wonder who many cards Danny Dichio picked up in England; that dude is, um...physical.
- On the other side of the ball, Colorado showed they are a competitive team; they had chances to equalize at the end - even if they tended to the random variety - but they’re good enough to press at the very least.
- Conor Casey still looks a bit lost - a weird transition for a Yank in MLS. But his through-ball that set up Herculez Gomez’ (excellent) goal? Again, top drawer.
New England Revolution 0 - 0 Real Salt Lake
(Quick Kick highlights)
- A surprising result on paper, but the goalless draw makes a lot of sense given two general trends: 1) Real Salt Lake’s new emphasis on tightening their defense; 2) a theory that New England’s place in the standings doesn’t match their on-field performance.
- To rephrase that last point, New England has defended well enough, if only by using ‘keeper Matt Reis as a back-stop time and again, and their strike-force has been precise, opportunist, and not a little lucky. But that’s all the available sunshine: apart from the game against Los Angeles, however, they’ve been sloppy in possession and have generally failed to take the game to anyone.
- For Real, though, picking up a point on the road - and against what is, really, a solid New England team - should be cause for quiet celebration...very quiet, given the team remains winless.
- Perhaps it should be quieter still given the impression from the highlights of New England knocking and knocking on and around the goal-mouth, but failing to score. Forward Taylor Twellman hit the crossbar at least once (twice, I think), but the action generally looked one-way.
- With only six points to their credit, RSL is in genuine trouble.
- The past few weeks without a result haven’t done the Revolution any favors either, especially with three key starters - Twellman, midfielder Steve Ralston, and defender Michael Parkhurst - departing for the Gold Cup. Given that, a turn-around in form, 1) seems unlikely, or, 2) if it does come, the departed players will come back to a different team.
Kansas City Wizards 3 - 2 Red Bull New York
(Viewed 2/3 uninterrupted; the rest TiVo-style)
- Two big talking points for this game of the week: 1) the harsh ejection of Clint Mathis, which left Red Bull down for just shy of 60 minutes; 2) Eddie Johnson’s second, consecutive hat-trick.
- Mathis was ejected for an elbow to KC midfielder Kerry Zavagnin’s throat; after watching that - shoot - six times or so, it looks for the world like Mathis is using his arms to push off. He’s doing so clumsily, but he’s certainly not taking a swing at Zavagnin. Scratch the “harsh” above; this was a flat-out bad call.
- The “good” in this game came with Johnson’s hat-trick, comprised as it was of three great goals: the first, a high-degree-of-difficulty lob over Red Bull ‘keeper Jon Conway; the second a sharp-angel tap-in that came from a smartly-timed run; the third, a cool finish after finding space and meeting a beautiful diagonal pass from Sasha Victorine. Taken together, it was simply magnificent. If Johnson’s lacking in confidence by now, he’s pathological.
- While Red Bull can point to the man down as an excuse for the loss, no similar defense can explain the serial defensive breaks at the beginning of the second half that let one KC player after another in alone on Conway’s goal; count Red Bull damned lucky they kept the score close.
- To give credit where it’s due, not only did Red Bull open the scoring with a beauty of their own, but they fought back pretty well toward the end.
- On the other hand, KC looked very impressive even against a full-sided Red Bull. They move and pass well and show a rare ability to actually breakdown the opposition. In all seriousness: KC looks for real.
- The larger tragedy of this game, though, is what it couldn’t tell us: e.g who is the better team between Red Bull and the now-league leading KC Wizards. That sending off mucked up everything - that it was unjustified only makes thing worse. The ref owes every MLS fan a pint.
Los Angeles Galaxy 0 - 0 DC United
(Brief, as in just over 3 minute, highlights)
- The most remarkable thing in this one was the number of hamstring injuries that occurred; that, in itself, says something about the game.first, Ian Russell for LA, then Tyrone Marshall (LA again), and, finally, Fred for DC United. Don’t know that any of these have been diagnosed or the length of any lay-offs determined.
- The highlights showed a scoreless draw preserved by desperate, yet timely, defending on both ends of the field. Then again, if those highlights are to be trusted, the chances didn’t look like golden.
- - The two injuries to LA mean they're in serious trouble in terms of depth. The list of hobbling players keeps growing while Gold Cup call-ups (Landon Donovan to the U.S., Ante Jazic and Kevin Harmse to Canada; then there's the Copa America...) and makes an already high hurdle for the months of June and July look a lot like a wall.
Houston Dynamo 2 - 1 FC Dallas
(nada; unavailable at time of writing)
- Another result that would surprise someone fixating on the standings - but this one adds up pretty readily. Why?
- FC Dallas has been grimly playing toward .500 record since the beginning of the season; this amounts to them finding their niche.
- Besides, Houston has dominated Dallas historically - brief as said history is.
- Also, in spite of a maddening scoring drought, Houston has been hammering away at opposition defenses over the past two, three games; the problem seemed more one of misfiring on goal than of failing to create the chances.
- Good to see Ricardo Clark’s name in lights; he shined pretty brightly through the Dynamo’s April/May woes.
- On the downside, Clark is another player headed off for Gold Cup duty, as is forward Brian Ching (who, based on current form, will barely be missed); also leaving, but for the Canadian national team, is Dwayne DeRosario (see Ching).
Columbus Crew 2 - 3 Chicago Fire
(Watched game from 22nd minute forward; caught Quick Kicks this morning)
- In spite of its many, many limitations - which begin with the participating teams - this wasn’t a bad game to watch.
- That’s not to say it was a good game; neither team looked sharp, the play seemed labored more often than not, and, with one exception the goals were pure scrap. Goes to show that excitement trumps quality on the right day.
- After noticing another pretty bit of minutiae - in this case, the Crew’s Danny O’Rourke shifting his body just so to throw a defender and complete a simple, yet wholly crucial, possession pass - I took a tipsy little mental journey back through the game’s better points: Chicago’s Willian Oliveira twisting the Crew’s Duncan Oughton this way and that with menacing redirections as he charged toward the Crew goal; the Crew’s Guillermo Schelotto shielding the ball for 25 yards with a Fire player fixed to his side and yanking at his jersey for the distance. They don’t show on any statistics sheet, but such moments of brilliance or simple fighting perseverance define 9 games out of 10; they’re also what make the game worth watching closely.
- I’m pleased to report the Goal of the Week came in this unlikely affair. After a Crew corner, Chicago forward Chad Barrett took the ball just above his penalty area and ran with it the length of the field to score a back-breaking third Chicago goal. More than the speed and composure that made the goal possible, the goal stood out for what it did to the game - the Crew was slowly, but clearly gaining the upper hand in the ten minutes before - and for what it meant to Barrett as a player. Just beautiful. I’m very glad I caught it in the moment.
- The crucial thing this game revealed: Chicago has just a bit more to them than Columbus - and that’s appalling, unnerving news for the Crew. Will the knives hovering over Chicago coach Dave Sarachan come out now for head coach Sigi Schmid?
All for this week - though there’s plenty more to discuss...like Goldthwaite's red card....
MLS Week 8: What I Think About ____
In another installment of my personal favorite parlor game - e.g. talking about the results before reading what anyone else had to say - below are some bulleted thoughts about Week 8 in Major League Soccer play. For the record, I certainly didn’t watch all the games (I’ve got a wife, some kids, and a bitchy cat), but I caught several in whole or pieces; I note below each score/link thingy how closely I observed the proceedings.
So, here goes: what I think about...
Red Bull New York 3 - 0 Chicago Fire
(highlights, mainly of the goals)
...more than anything else, that all the people predicting a good showing from Juan Pablo Angel had it right. What can I say? I take a while to impress.
...that Chicago really is in trouble. Based on reports, it sounds like they fought back fairly well, but fat lot of good that does them after going two goals down in only 3 minutes.
...the extent to which Red Bull had to scramble players to fill positions to cover for injury shows either, 1) that they have useful depth, 2) managerial genius of the “on-the-fly” sort, or 3) the depths of Chicago’s problems.
...all in all, it’s hard to dismiss Red Bull at this point in the season; Chicago, on the other hand...
New England Revolution 3 - 4 Kansas City Wizards
(Quick Kicks, plus a 45-minute view of archived footage)
...confirmed a personal suspicion that New England has been riding its luck; to use an almost dirty word in the sporting (OK, horse-racing), they were due.
...both outside backs - James Riley and Jay Heaps - got burned in this one, Heaps badly so. Riley has long struck me as suspect, which gets me wondering where Avery John is these days. Heaps, though, typically does pretty well.
...those two players’ defensive woes may have something to do with Eddie Johnson’s “superfreak” performance. The man was, simpy put, a force, not just notching his first hat-trick in, oh, forever, but doing so with menacing power.
...sure, New England scored three, but Taylor Twellman’s was lucky and, nice as it was the Shalrie Joseph both forced the penalty and scored on the kick, that’s still a half-lucky goal. Of New England’s three goals, only Ralston’s looked like much.
...simply put, New England got beat at home and the score flattered them. They constructed the pretty passing triangles and moved around quite a bit, but the movement took on this strange eddying quality - e.g. they ran a lot, but most of it in circles. In other words, they weren’t getting much for forward movement.
... Kansas City, meanwhile, looked pretty fluid out there. And that was without Carlos Marinelli pulling the strings till the 60th or so minute; Marinelli did come on, though, to provide the assist to Johnson’s third goal, which featured a perfectly-weighted twenty-yard pass into an incisive run by Johnson.
DC United 2 - 1 Houston Dynamo
(bastards kept this one under lock and key)
...going by the result alone - as I have to do under self-imposed circumstances - I’ll only say DC’s return to form still classes under “apparent.” Victories are indeed victories, but wins over Chivas USA, Toronto FC, and, now, Houston, means they haven’t downed one of the big boys.
...on the other hand, winning often begets winning; who’s to say these seeming warm-ups won’t help down the line?
...Hey! Houston scored! Didn’t think that would happen again. Still, the streak of essential futility so far puts the champs in a dim light.
Columbus Crew 2 - 2 Toronto FC
(Quick Kicks, plus a 40-minute view of archived footage)
...talk about not being able to win for losing: Columbus scores two for a second time this season, only to scrape another tie. Something about being snake-bit goes here.
...a brace sure seems a nice way for Andy Herron to come back from suspension. And both goals looked pretty nice. Shame about his leg taking him out of the game; Lord knows Columbus needs all the help it can get. Before leaving Herron be, is that a stupid way to pick up a yellow or what (goal celebration; yeah, it shouldn’t be bookable, but the rules are what they are till they’re changed).
...Jim Brennan’s free-kick for Toronto was one of those: one gets to wondering how that got past the ‘keeper even after it did. I’m guessing Crew ‘keeper Andy Gruenebaum just didn’t see the ball till it was too late. Great shot from range, though.
...Toronto has managed to become interesting. Not too shabby.
...no sign of Eddie Gaven out there for Columbus; good to see Sigi bench a player for underperforming.
Colorado Rapids 1 - 0 Los Angeles Galaxy
(Quick Kicks)
...once LA went down to ten men, the highlights give a strong impression of one-way traffic. Speaking of the ejection, it’s hard to figure what Kyle Martino was thinking when he lashed out like he did.
...some profligate finishing from Colorado spared LA from a worse loss. Herculez Gomez, who scored the winner, missed several chances before converting - and a few of those were golden.
Chivas USA 2 - 0 FC Dallas
(Start to finish...though my mind wandered plenty by the end)
...neither team looked part of the league “elite.” Not so surprising from Chivas’ perspective, but Dallas didn’t show much.
...Ramon Nunez, especially, doesn’t seem the force he expected to be in the Dallas attack. In general, Dallas lacked a sense of coordination in their offensive approach.
...that said, Chivas’ performance shouldn’t have blown anyone away either. If it weren’t for the fight Maykel Galindo put in to score the first goal, this game had goalless draw written all over it. Chivas certainly wouldn’t have scored their easy second goal, because Dallas ‘keeper Dario Sala wouldn’t have wandered.
...to say it again, Galindo was the difference in this game. When people get to reviewing the top finds of the ’06-’07 off-season, expect him to be in the mix.
...Dallas’ defense has improved - and that’s pretty big. Again, this loss grew from the offense failing to get started.
Real Salt Lake 0 - 0 Chicago Fire
(highlights and not bad ones at that)
...open and up-for-grabs, as this game appeared, neither team can draw much happiness from the final result - not with both needing genuine positives so badly.
...if I had to pick a “winner,” though, it would be Chicago. After four straight losses, any kind of result has to feel better.
...though given the fact the Fire only managed to draw Real Salt Lake, the unquestioned worst in the league, this kind of feeling better likely passes in the time it takes to say, “Oh yeah...”
...on the other hand, Chicago at least shows decent aggression in the attack and with Cuauhtemoc Blanco coming from Mexico in, give or take, a month, they may yet get better.
...still without a win, it’s tempting to think Real Salt Lake might question the ability of new-coach/neophyte Jason Kreis to lead this team forward.
...on a related note, both teams might be well-advised to just suck up what look to be awful years ahead. Chicago has basically bet the house on Blanco; Real Salt Lake, for their part, has some flexibility, but...well, they’re still Real Salt Lake. Both teams should clean MAJOR house in the ’07-’08 off-season.
All for now. I’m off to do some reading to see if any of it changes my mind (trust me; it will).
So, here goes: what I think about...
Red Bull New York 3 - 0 Chicago Fire
(highlights, mainly of the goals)
...more than anything else, that all the people predicting a good showing from Juan Pablo Angel had it right. What can I say? I take a while to impress.
...that Chicago really is in trouble. Based on reports, it sounds like they fought back fairly well, but fat lot of good that does them after going two goals down in only 3 minutes.
...the extent to which Red Bull had to scramble players to fill positions to cover for injury shows either, 1) that they have useful depth, 2) managerial genius of the “on-the-fly” sort, or 3) the depths of Chicago’s problems.
...all in all, it’s hard to dismiss Red Bull at this point in the season; Chicago, on the other hand...
New England Revolution 3 - 4 Kansas City Wizards
(Quick Kicks, plus a 45-minute view of archived footage)
...confirmed a personal suspicion that New England has been riding its luck; to use an almost dirty word in the sporting (OK, horse-racing), they were due.
...both outside backs - James Riley and Jay Heaps - got burned in this one, Heaps badly so. Riley has long struck me as suspect, which gets me wondering where Avery John is these days. Heaps, though, typically does pretty well.
...those two players’ defensive woes may have something to do with Eddie Johnson’s “superfreak” performance. The man was, simpy put, a force, not just notching his first hat-trick in, oh, forever, but doing so with menacing power.
...sure, New England scored three, but Taylor Twellman’s was lucky and, nice as it was the Shalrie Joseph both forced the penalty and scored on the kick, that’s still a half-lucky goal. Of New England’s three goals, only Ralston’s looked like much.
...simply put, New England got beat at home and the score flattered them. They constructed the pretty passing triangles and moved around quite a bit, but the movement took on this strange eddying quality - e.g. they ran a lot, but most of it in circles. In other words, they weren’t getting much for forward movement.
... Kansas City, meanwhile, looked pretty fluid out there. And that was without Carlos Marinelli pulling the strings till the 60th or so minute; Marinelli did come on, though, to provide the assist to Johnson’s third goal, which featured a perfectly-weighted twenty-yard pass into an incisive run by Johnson.
DC United 2 - 1 Houston Dynamo
(bastards kept this one under lock and key)
...going by the result alone - as I have to do under self-imposed circumstances - I’ll only say DC’s return to form still classes under “apparent.” Victories are indeed victories, but wins over Chivas USA, Toronto FC, and, now, Houston, means they haven’t downed one of the big boys.
...on the other hand, winning often begets winning; who’s to say these seeming warm-ups won’t help down the line?
...Hey! Houston scored! Didn’t think that would happen again. Still, the streak of essential futility so far puts the champs in a dim light.
Columbus Crew 2 - 2 Toronto FC
(Quick Kicks, plus a 40-minute view of archived footage)
...talk about not being able to win for losing: Columbus scores two for a second time this season, only to scrape another tie. Something about being snake-bit goes here.
...a brace sure seems a nice way for Andy Herron to come back from suspension. And both goals looked pretty nice. Shame about his leg taking him out of the game; Lord knows Columbus needs all the help it can get. Before leaving Herron be, is that a stupid way to pick up a yellow or what (goal celebration; yeah, it shouldn’t be bookable, but the rules are what they are till they’re changed).
...Jim Brennan’s free-kick for Toronto was one of those: one gets to wondering how that got past the ‘keeper even after it did. I’m guessing Crew ‘keeper Andy Gruenebaum just didn’t see the ball till it was too late. Great shot from range, though.
...Toronto has managed to become interesting. Not too shabby.
...no sign of Eddie Gaven out there for Columbus; good to see Sigi bench a player for underperforming.
Colorado Rapids 1 - 0 Los Angeles Galaxy
(Quick Kicks)
...once LA went down to ten men, the highlights give a strong impression of one-way traffic. Speaking of the ejection, it’s hard to figure what Kyle Martino was thinking when he lashed out like he did.
...some profligate finishing from Colorado spared LA from a worse loss. Herculez Gomez, who scored the winner, missed several chances before converting - and a few of those were golden.
Chivas USA 2 - 0 FC Dallas
(Start to finish...though my mind wandered plenty by the end)
...neither team looked part of the league “elite.” Not so surprising from Chivas’ perspective, but Dallas didn’t show much.
...Ramon Nunez, especially, doesn’t seem the force he expected to be in the Dallas attack. In general, Dallas lacked a sense of coordination in their offensive approach.
...that said, Chivas’ performance shouldn’t have blown anyone away either. If it weren’t for the fight Maykel Galindo put in to score the first goal, this game had goalless draw written all over it. Chivas certainly wouldn’t have scored their easy second goal, because Dallas ‘keeper Dario Sala wouldn’t have wandered.
...to say it again, Galindo was the difference in this game. When people get to reviewing the top finds of the ’06-’07 off-season, expect him to be in the mix.
...Dallas’ defense has improved - and that’s pretty big. Again, this loss grew from the offense failing to get started.
Real Salt Lake 0 - 0 Chicago Fire
(highlights and not bad ones at that)
...open and up-for-grabs, as this game appeared, neither team can draw much happiness from the final result - not with both needing genuine positives so badly.
...if I had to pick a “winner,” though, it would be Chicago. After four straight losses, any kind of result has to feel better.
...though given the fact the Fire only managed to draw Real Salt Lake, the unquestioned worst in the league, this kind of feeling better likely passes in the time it takes to say, “Oh yeah...”
...on the other hand, Chicago at least shows decent aggression in the attack and with Cuauhtemoc Blanco coming from Mexico in, give or take, a month, they may yet get better.
...still without a win, it’s tempting to think Real Salt Lake might question the ability of new-coach/neophyte Jason Kreis to lead this team forward.
...on a related note, both teams might be well-advised to just suck up what look to be awful years ahead. Chicago has basically bet the house on Blanco; Real Salt Lake, for their part, has some flexibility, but...well, they’re still Real Salt Lake. Both teams should clean MAJOR house in the ’07-’08 off-season.
All for now. I’m off to do some reading to see if any of it changes my mind (trust me; it will).
Week 7 Wrap: More Than You Should Want to Read
Well, I've read all I've got time for - espeically on a day when I abandoned my position over on the Columbus Crew Offside (an decision that still prompts deep, deep feelings of guilt). Below you'll find links to articles and posts about all of Week 7's games (unless I forgot one or two...I do this sometimes) that either caught something I didn't mention earlier (plenty, by the way) or missed entirely.
To start with a couple general points:
1) Did anyone else catch Dwayne DeRosario chatting with Shalrie Joseph after the game? Think they talked contract negotiations? (I sure do.)
2) If you're looking for one-stop reading, Steve Davis' big Week 7 Wrap for MLSnet.com contains plenty of good stuff, notably: his comments on FC Dallas' Juan Toja (which I wholly endorsed earlier today), as well as the "bigger picture" section on FC Dallas; Ricardo Clark standing above his peers in Houston's loss to New England; Andy Williams' impact on RSL in their loss to FC Dallas.
Moving on to the rest, I'll assuage my guilt at dropping the Columbus beat by starting with the Crew's meltdown against Red Bull New York...not that they'll thank me for this...
Red Bull New York 4 - 0 Columbus Crew
The perspective from the Crew camp is pretty damned harsh: for instance, the Columbus Dispatch's bullet-point write-up includes this handy mental footnote:
Curiously, an absence of due enthusiasm appears in some Red Bull fan spaces; for instance, Grant from Injury Time dubbed the Bulls' performance "a bit off." Against that, Red Bull Rising put the game in useful context by first noting where Red Bull sits in the standings and then noting who isn't suiting up for them due to injury. Good point.
Finally, I engaged in a little pop-psychology in what I believe will be my final post (sniff!) for the Crew Offside
Chivas USA 1 - 1 Los Angeles Galaxy
I didn't get much on this, though that could have been a function of the fact this wasn't the most exciting game - at least that's the impression I get from the LA Times' report. No disrespect to Grahame Jones (the LAT's guy), but Luis Bueno's report for LA Soccer News not only made for a better read, but it seemed to provide a clearer picture of the game.
Even so, it seems the less we all see of this one, the better.
Toronto FC 1 - 2 DC United
Not only can one not beat The DCenters' debriefing for providing links to reports (saves me the work, if nothing else), they also chucked in some top-notch analysis, not least some commenably non-homer comments on the PK DC used to win the game (for the record, I think he got it right; that looked like a PK to me). Toronto's Globe and Mail digs a little deeper into the penalty controversy by running the call past TFC players, who, not surprisingly, didn't see the call the same way. Finally, the Washington Post's write-up catches something most observers did: the tactical switches DC made to get back into the game - something to watch for on a number of levels.
Colorado Rapids 1 - 1 Kansas City Wizards
With the reports coming out about this one, I'm somewhat sad I missed it. Both the Denver Post and Kansas City Star liked what they saw, even if their emphases differed a bit. For instance, the Post noted the missing persons in Colorado's backline (Greg Vanney, Brandon Prideaux, and, till the 60th minute, Ugo Ihemelu); count me among those who see those absences as a big deal. Meanwhile, the Star noted the Wizards' preparations for The Richard's big, open field, as well as deconstructing the goal - by the way, check out who got the assist and keep praying for more.
The FC Rocky blog, which I believe is part of the Rocky Mountain News (and somewhat excuses that paper's otherwise thin coverage), turned in an interesting post about the Rapids disappointing the respectable crowd that showed up by tying a game they could have won.
FC Dallas 2 - 1 Real Salt Lake
I commented earlier about how much better Dallas' defense appeared yesterday, but neglected to mention something else: good gravy, does Dario Sala look fantastic in goal or who? This actually came to me before the Salt Lake Tribune's report reminded me of the save he made off a screened shot by Freddy Adu (though given the totality of that situation, I'd also argue that straight at Sala was Adu's only option).
Sticking to the Dallas side of things, they've got to be feeling a bit jiggy these days. It's easy, for instance, to forget they've won three in a row - thankfully, the Dallas Soccer News reminds one of this; it's not all sunshine, though, as the same piece looks at Carlos Ruiz's ongoing struggles. The Dallas Morning News covers similar ground, not least with regard to form, but they also turn in some good copy on Arturo Alvarez and that purty goal he added to the proceedings.
On the Salt Lake side of things, it's not so surprising that things look less hot: the Real Salt Lake Offside turned in a glum post that dubbed the loss what is was: well-deserved. On a personal level, I continue to be fascinated by the Jason Kreis Experiment and, with quotes like the one that follows (from the Deseret News) it's a no wonder:
Gets one wondering whether he's building a team or a cult; I'm pulling for the latter...
Chicago Fire 1 - 2 FC Dallas
Turning the clock back a ways now, I'm still catching up on Thursday's game (did I even post on it? Nope). On one level, what I'm reading confirms my suspicion that Chicago had the better of the game generally (especially Windy City Soccer's report, though the theme holds well enough). The Chicago Tribune's report adds an interesting twist on this by quoting Fire midfielder Chris Armas as hinting that the "Brimstone" rivalry ain't what it used to be. Rounding out the Chicago media angle, Chicagoland Soccer puts the Fire's three-game slide in context against the Eastern Conference standings (long story short: it's not panic time, but they're certainly making their job harder) and the Chicago Fire Offside shows how much better local fans can cover the game by posting some photos from the evening.
As for the Dallas media's contribution (as much as I read anyway), I'm only going to try to keep a straight face against the temptation to giggle at this sentence from Dallas Soccer News' report:
And now, a word from our sponsors, KY Jelly...(OK, there's good stuff in there on the "Kenneth" Cooper/Abe Thompson pairing as well; and, to the reporter, sorry, parts of my brain are still 12.)
Houston Dynamo 0 - 1 New England Revolution
Finally, what I'm doing to this game in this space, I'm trying to mimic in my conscious mind: bury it, bury it deep and pray to God it gets forgotten. Fortunately, I'm not the only one who rightly turned up his nose: a fan blog run by the Houston Chronicle begs New England to do the right thing and give the three points they won to a more deserving team - though not, it should be stressed, the Dynamo. And, as reported in the Boston Herald Revolution Steve Nicol didn't think much of his team's performance either. Moving onto the blogoverse, Blue Blooded Journo asked a question very much on my mind: how long can New England keep up their streak turning in stinkers?
Boston's "high-brow" paper picked up on something that had my undies in a bunch as I watched the game: Eddie Robinson is a dirty, dirty son-of-a-bitch. Worse, the man doesn't get called on it. A quote in one article tells me that, if no one else, Shalrie Joseph concurs with my opinion, while another piece records gripes from the Revs players about Dynamo fans throwing crap at them and, again, Robinson - who really, really needs to pick up some cards 'cause he's got no motivation to straighten up otherwise.
Regarding the Houston fans, though, I'll only say this: can you blame someone for throwing crap at a team cursing them with such awful, awful play?
To start with a couple general points:
1) Did anyone else catch Dwayne DeRosario chatting with Shalrie Joseph after the game? Think they talked contract negotiations? (I sure do.)
2) If you're looking for one-stop reading, Steve Davis' big Week 7 Wrap for MLSnet.com contains plenty of good stuff, notably: his comments on FC Dallas' Juan Toja (which I wholly endorsed earlier today), as well as the "bigger picture" section on FC Dallas; Ricardo Clark standing above his peers in Houston's loss to New England; Andy Williams' impact on RSL in their loss to FC Dallas.
Moving on to the rest, I'll assuage my guilt at dropping the Columbus beat by starting with the Crew's meltdown against Red Bull New York...not that they'll thank me for this...
Red Bull New York 4 - 0 Columbus Crew
The perspective from the Crew camp is pretty damned harsh: for instance, the Columbus Dispatch's bullet-point write-up includes this handy mental footnote:
"Turning point: Crew midfielder Stefani Miglioranzi's mis-hit of an attempted clearance in the 13th minute caromed off the crossbar of his own goal. It set the tone for an evening in which the Crew bumbled and stumbled its way to a demoralizing loss."
Curiously, an absence of due enthusiasm appears in some Red Bull fan spaces; for instance, Grant from Injury Time dubbed the Bulls' performance "a bit off." Against that, Red Bull Rising put the game in useful context by first noting where Red Bull sits in the standings and then noting who isn't suiting up for them due to injury. Good point.
Finally, I engaged in a little pop-psychology in what I believe will be my final post (sniff!) for the Crew Offside
Chivas USA 1 - 1 Los Angeles Galaxy
I didn't get much on this, though that could have been a function of the fact this wasn't the most exciting game - at least that's the impression I get from the LA Times' report. No disrespect to Grahame Jones (the LAT's guy), but Luis Bueno's report for LA Soccer News not only made for a better read, but it seemed to provide a clearer picture of the game.
Even so, it seems the less we all see of this one, the better.
Toronto FC 1 - 2 DC United
Not only can one not beat The DCenters' debriefing for providing links to reports (saves me the work, if nothing else), they also chucked in some top-notch analysis, not least some commenably non-homer comments on the PK DC used to win the game (for the record, I think he got it right; that looked like a PK to me). Toronto's Globe and Mail digs a little deeper into the penalty controversy by running the call past TFC players, who, not surprisingly, didn't see the call the same way. Finally, the Washington Post's write-up catches something most observers did: the tactical switches DC made to get back into the game - something to watch for on a number of levels.
Colorado Rapids 1 - 1 Kansas City Wizards
With the reports coming out about this one, I'm somewhat sad I missed it. Both the Denver Post and Kansas City Star liked what they saw, even if their emphases differed a bit. For instance, the Post noted the missing persons in Colorado's backline (Greg Vanney, Brandon Prideaux, and, till the 60th minute, Ugo Ihemelu); count me among those who see those absences as a big deal. Meanwhile, the Star noted the Wizards' preparations for The Richard's big, open field, as well as deconstructing the goal - by the way, check out who got the assist and keep praying for more.
The FC Rocky blog, which I believe is part of the Rocky Mountain News (and somewhat excuses that paper's otherwise thin coverage), turned in an interesting post about the Rapids disappointing the respectable crowd that showed up by tying a game they could have won.
FC Dallas 2 - 1 Real Salt Lake
I commented earlier about how much better Dallas' defense appeared yesterday, but neglected to mention something else: good gravy, does Dario Sala look fantastic in goal or who? This actually came to me before the Salt Lake Tribune's report reminded me of the save he made off a screened shot by Freddy Adu (though given the totality of that situation, I'd also argue that straight at Sala was Adu's only option).
Sticking to the Dallas side of things, they've got to be feeling a bit jiggy these days. It's easy, for instance, to forget they've won three in a row - thankfully, the Dallas Soccer News reminds one of this; it's not all sunshine, though, as the same piece looks at Carlos Ruiz's ongoing struggles. The Dallas Morning News covers similar ground, not least with regard to form, but they also turn in some good copy on Arturo Alvarez and that purty goal he added to the proceedings.
On the Salt Lake side of things, it's not so surprising that things look less hot: the Real Salt Lake Offside turned in a glum post that dubbed the loss what is was: well-deserved. On a personal level, I continue to be fascinated by the Jason Kreis Experiment and, with quotes like the one that follows (from the Deseret News) it's a no wonder:
"'I'm just going to keep looking around the room and find the guys who believe in it as much as I do,' said Kreis. 'If any of them look me in the eye, they will see that I believe. I guess I'm going to have to look around and see who else believes.'"
Gets one wondering whether he's building a team or a cult; I'm pulling for the latter...
Chicago Fire 1 - 2 FC Dallas
Turning the clock back a ways now, I'm still catching up on Thursday's game (did I even post on it? Nope). On one level, what I'm reading confirms my suspicion that Chicago had the better of the game generally (especially Windy City Soccer's report, though the theme holds well enough). The Chicago Tribune's report adds an interesting twist on this by quoting Fire midfielder Chris Armas as hinting that the "Brimstone" rivalry ain't what it used to be. Rounding out the Chicago media angle, Chicagoland Soccer puts the Fire's three-game slide in context against the Eastern Conference standings (long story short: it's not panic time, but they're certainly making their job harder) and the Chicago Fire Offside shows how much better local fans can cover the game by posting some photos from the evening.
As for the Dallas media's contribution (as much as I read anyway), I'm only going to try to keep a straight face against the temptation to giggle at this sentence from Dallas Soccer News' report:
"The Fire was a threat all evening because of the shifty, smooth penetrations by Justin Mapp."
And now, a word from our sponsors, KY Jelly...(OK, there's good stuff in there on the "Kenneth" Cooper/Abe Thompson pairing as well; and, to the reporter, sorry, parts of my brain are still 12.)
Houston Dynamo 0 - 1 New England Revolution
Finally, what I'm doing to this game in this space, I'm trying to mimic in my conscious mind: bury it, bury it deep and pray to God it gets forgotten. Fortunately, I'm not the only one who rightly turned up his nose: a fan blog run by the Houston Chronicle begs New England to do the right thing and give the three points they won to a more deserving team - though not, it should be stressed, the Dynamo. And, as reported in the Boston Herald Revolution Steve Nicol didn't think much of his team's performance either. Moving onto the blogoverse, Blue Blooded Journo asked a question very much on my mind: how long can New England keep up their streak turning in stinkers?
Boston's "high-brow" paper picked up on something that had my undies in a bunch as I watched the game: Eddie Robinson is a dirty, dirty son-of-a-bitch. Worse, the man doesn't get called on it. A quote in one article tells me that, if no one else, Shalrie Joseph concurs with my opinion, while another piece records gripes from the Revs players about Dynamo fans throwing crap at them and, again, Robinson - who really, really needs to pick up some cards 'cause he's got no motivation to straighten up otherwise.
Regarding the Houston fans, though, I'll only say this: can you blame someone for throwing crap at a team cursing them with such awful, awful play?
Week 6: Games Seen and Unseen
I had grand plans about how I’d lay out this review of the past weekend’s super-duper action. Reports and reviews were browsed and bookmarked, commentary and quotes noted.
And then I ran out of time. So here for your (possible) edification and amusement, are some random, unsupported thoughts on Major League Soccer’s Week 6...except for that midweek freak of a game between...ah, I don’t even care. (Settle down with the scheduling, you MLS pogues.) I’ll start with stray thoughts on the two games I didn’t see.
Tomorrow, maybe the next day, I’ll work out that whole power-ranking thing to in the hopes of bringing some kind of coherence to these ramblings.
Kansas City Wizards 1 - 2 FC Dallas
I won’t lie: this result had me practicing my best whoops and hollers for use of mocking people who saw the Wizards as a bona fide contender; yeah, put me in the “but look at who they’ve played column.” But one article, citing as it did the breakdown on shots, etc. - not to mention the now-high probability that Juan Carlos Toja used his hand to control the ball just before scoring - has me thinking it’s wise to let opinions on the Wizards steep for another week or two. And, when you get right to it, the same applies to FC Dallas - though it’s worth noting that Dario Sala had a hell of a game.
I see a lot of Kansas City Wizards labels on my sitemeter, so here’s a personal note to them: I have nothing against your team; my life is simply easier when I don’t have to think about them.*
Red Bull New York 0 - 1 Colorado Rapids
Caught this one (as well as the one above) through highlights only - and not the good ones (Quick Kicks), mind you, but the crappy, truncated little buggers. What can I say? Colorado looks like they’re still unpredictable as a major loon off his/her meds. The more significant thing is what this does to Red Bull’s stellar, early-season rep.
Nice goal by Nico Hernandez, who, for some crazy reason, I really like.
Moving now to the games I did see...
Toronto FC 3 - 1 Chicago Fire
In no particular order...
- Holy crabcakes! Three goals? If the Columbus Crew hadn’t scored, TFC would have hauled them down on the goal count in just one game. Yikes. Speaking of....
- What the hell is wrong with Chicago? Until last week, every mention of the Fire usually included some phrase on their “solidity.” But for the second week straight, these cats got roasted when chasing the game. The first half was what it was, but the second looked a whole hell of a lot like the defensive collapse against the New England Revolution the week before. Toronto scored an appropriately scrappy first, but the second two? Kevin Goldthwaite and Maurice Edu (who played his balls off) could have held a friggin’ seminar in the space they had in the Chicago area.
- Seriously, Chicago’s defense was so bad the thought that the teams had switched uniforms at the half entered my mind.
- I mentioned the status of Maurice Edu’s balls, but would give Kevin Goldthwaite (of all people) man of the match. Ronnie O’Brien deserves honorable mention.
- The shouting match between Matt Pickens and Danny Dichio looked pretty intense - and small wonder with talk of biting (weird).
- Chicago...I dunno. Without “reviewing the tape” - and for both games - I’m not sure I can explain why they’re open to the counter like 7-11 is to stoners. My first guess is an aging midfield. But their defenders are dying under those even-number break-aways.
Columbus Crew 1 - 1 Chivas USA
(* Now, if I could stop thinking about this team...that'd be a relief)
I covered this for my day job - and have the psychic scars to show for it. Why, oh, why did I volunteer to follow the Crew? (No, I remember; I’m “from Ohio and thought they’d be interesting.” HA!). I think I’ve got enough over there to cover here, but want to add one delicious tease: as tentative/ineffectual Eddie Gaven has looked this season, was it just me or did Chivas look more comfortable AFTER he left the game? Sure, he mustered only the one shot - straight at Brad Guzan, but a hard shot all the same - but the paths to the goal dried up when he left just after the 60th minute till that last-minute flurry at the end of the game. Could this be a case of doing good while seeming bad?
Los Angeles Galaxy 2 - 3 New England Revolution
I think the LA Times put it best when they said that anyone who caught this game got their money’s worth. For me, this was the best game of the season and, heart-broken as LA fans and players might be (and pissed off to the point of making trades as their coach may be), LA nearly got a point from a game in which they were fairly roundly outplayed. I may be alone in this, but I think that ain't bad. They can turn this around (then again, I thought the same last year...)
Other notes...
- I intend to elaborate on this elsewhere, but I think New England finally showed as the First Good Team of 2007. I’ll give The DCenters their point - that this doesn’t quite make them the team to beat - and I know they’ll have off games, but they look like the real deal.
- Turning to LA, you know who looked great last night? Kyle Martino. That’s so nuts to me I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see the game myself. But that was a wonderfully taken goal and he was everywhere else besides. LA’s man-of-the-match, hands down.
- Cannon worked very hard and has every right to be pissed at the guys in front of him.
With those awards handed out, I can now indulge my urge to praise the Revs - at length.
- Adam Cristman: It wasn’t so much the goal as it was all the great work that preceded it - in this game and the game against Chicago. If he’s not the strongest player on the team this side of Shalrie Joseph, he’s close. That man wants this career like nobody’s business. And, so far, he’s earning it.
- Steve Ralston: I already posted on him, if only indirectly. He’s doing so friggin’ much for this team.
- Khano Smith: He’s made me a believer, at least in his ability to make one player’s life hell. Just ask Chris Albright, who had to cope with his tireless running.
- Michael Parkhurst: Best...damn...defender in MLS. I think I’m serious about this....wait...yeah, I am. How many pockets did this kid pick last night? How many times did he shield the ball from much, much bigger players? He’s like butter back there.
- Matt Reis: He succeeds when Parkhurst fails; just a hell of a one-two.
- Taylor Twellman: If I need to tell you, I’m guessing you’re not watching. Then again, there’s the whole thing about the gods smiling: how many times does the ball bounce off the crossbar straight back at the same player? When you’re hot you’re lucky (or is it “When you’re lucky, you’re hot”?)
- Shalrie Joseph: Like a gigantic blue-and-black, dreadlocked blur in the middle of the field; he’s more of an entity than a man, a spot on the field that reads “There be monsters here.” What I’m getting at is I don’t even notice the guy any more; I just see attacks breaking down in the center of the field just above the Revs’ defensive third.
- James Riley: I’m still not comfortable with Riley.
And then I ran out of time. So here for your (possible) edification and amusement, are some random, unsupported thoughts on Major League Soccer’s Week 6...except for that midweek freak of a game between...ah, I don’t even care. (Settle down with the scheduling, you MLS pogues.) I’ll start with stray thoughts on the two games I didn’t see.
Tomorrow, maybe the next day, I’ll work out that whole power-ranking thing to in the hopes of bringing some kind of coherence to these ramblings.
Kansas City Wizards 1 - 2 FC Dallas
I won’t lie: this result had me practicing my best whoops and hollers for use of mocking people who saw the Wizards as a bona fide contender; yeah, put me in the “but look at who they’ve played column.” But one article, citing as it did the breakdown on shots, etc. - not to mention the now-high probability that Juan Carlos Toja used his hand to control the ball just before scoring - has me thinking it’s wise to let opinions on the Wizards steep for another week or two. And, when you get right to it, the same applies to FC Dallas - though it’s worth noting that Dario Sala had a hell of a game.
I see a lot of Kansas City Wizards labels on my sitemeter, so here’s a personal note to them: I have nothing against your team; my life is simply easier when I don’t have to think about them.*
Red Bull New York 0 - 1 Colorado Rapids
Caught this one (as well as the one above) through highlights only - and not the good ones (Quick Kicks), mind you, but the crappy, truncated little buggers. What can I say? Colorado looks like they’re still unpredictable as a major loon off his/her meds. The more significant thing is what this does to Red Bull’s stellar, early-season rep.
Nice goal by Nico Hernandez, who, for some crazy reason, I really like.
Moving now to the games I did see...
Toronto FC 3 - 1 Chicago Fire
In no particular order...
- Holy crabcakes! Three goals? If the Columbus Crew hadn’t scored, TFC would have hauled them down on the goal count in just one game. Yikes. Speaking of....
- What the hell is wrong with Chicago? Until last week, every mention of the Fire usually included some phrase on their “solidity.” But for the second week straight, these cats got roasted when chasing the game. The first half was what it was, but the second looked a whole hell of a lot like the defensive collapse against the New England Revolution the week before. Toronto scored an appropriately scrappy first, but the second two? Kevin Goldthwaite and Maurice Edu (who played his balls off) could have held a friggin’ seminar in the space they had in the Chicago area.
- Seriously, Chicago’s defense was so bad the thought that the teams had switched uniforms at the half entered my mind.
- I mentioned the status of Maurice Edu’s balls, but would give Kevin Goldthwaite (of all people) man of the match. Ronnie O’Brien deserves honorable mention.
- The shouting match between Matt Pickens and Danny Dichio looked pretty intense - and small wonder with talk of biting (weird).
- Chicago...I dunno. Without “reviewing the tape” - and for both games - I’m not sure I can explain why they’re open to the counter like 7-11 is to stoners. My first guess is an aging midfield. But their defenders are dying under those even-number break-aways.
Columbus Crew 1 - 1 Chivas USA
(* Now, if I could stop thinking about this team...that'd be a relief)
I covered this for my day job - and have the psychic scars to show for it. Why, oh, why did I volunteer to follow the Crew? (No, I remember; I’m “from Ohio and thought they’d be interesting.” HA!). I think I’ve got enough over there to cover here, but want to add one delicious tease: as tentative/ineffectual Eddie Gaven has looked this season, was it just me or did Chivas look more comfortable AFTER he left the game? Sure, he mustered only the one shot - straight at Brad Guzan, but a hard shot all the same - but the paths to the goal dried up when he left just after the 60th minute till that last-minute flurry at the end of the game. Could this be a case of doing good while seeming bad?
Los Angeles Galaxy 2 - 3 New England Revolution
I think the LA Times put it best when they said that anyone who caught this game got their money’s worth. For me, this was the best game of the season and, heart-broken as LA fans and players might be (and pissed off to the point of making trades as their coach may be), LA nearly got a point from a game in which they were fairly roundly outplayed. I may be alone in this, but I think that ain't bad. They can turn this around (then again, I thought the same last year...)
Other notes...
- I intend to elaborate on this elsewhere, but I think New England finally showed as the First Good Team of 2007. I’ll give The DCenters their point - that this doesn’t quite make them the team to beat - and I know they’ll have off games, but they look like the real deal.
- Turning to LA, you know who looked great last night? Kyle Martino. That’s so nuts to me I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see the game myself. But that was a wonderfully taken goal and he was everywhere else besides. LA’s man-of-the-match, hands down.
- Cannon worked very hard and has every right to be pissed at the guys in front of him.
With those awards handed out, I can now indulge my urge to praise the Revs - at length.
- Adam Cristman: It wasn’t so much the goal as it was all the great work that preceded it - in this game and the game against Chicago. If he’s not the strongest player on the team this side of Shalrie Joseph, he’s close. That man wants this career like nobody’s business. And, so far, he’s earning it.
- Steve Ralston: I already posted on him, if only indirectly. He’s doing so friggin’ much for this team.
- Khano Smith: He’s made me a believer, at least in his ability to make one player’s life hell. Just ask Chris Albright, who had to cope with his tireless running.
- Michael Parkhurst: Best...damn...defender in MLS. I think I’m serious about this....wait...yeah, I am. How many pockets did this kid pick last night? How many times did he shield the ball from much, much bigger players? He’s like butter back there.
- Matt Reis: He succeeds when Parkhurst fails; just a hell of a one-two.
- Taylor Twellman: If I need to tell you, I’m guessing you’re not watching. Then again, there’s the whole thing about the gods smiling: how many times does the ball bounce off the crossbar straight back at the same player? When you’re hot you’re lucky (or is it “When you’re lucky, you’re hot”?)
- Shalrie Joseph: Like a gigantic blue-and-black, dreadlocked blur in the middle of the field; he’s more of an entity than a man, a spot on the field that reads “There be monsters here.” What I’m getting at is I don’t even notice the guy any more; I just see attacks breaking down in the center of the field just above the Revs’ defensive third.
- James Riley: I’m still not comfortable with Riley.
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