It's Been a While

Some Earthquakes News (from this Mercury News article):

• Four Earthquakes players have been called up to U.S. National Team Camp, Ricardo Clark, Danny Califf (why not Eddie Robinson?), Wade Barrett, and Brian Ching (thankfully). If Bruce keeps these players in camp they would miss the home finale against Real Salt Lake.
• One Earthquake player has been called up also, with Venezuela calling-up striker Alejandro Moreno.
• Mark Chung has been given the weekend off for the Earthquakes' much-anticipated match against the New England Revolution. Chung is 35 years old and has played very well since his move from the Colorado Rapids, he deserves a break, even if it means dropping three points in New England this weekend.
• Brad Davis is still out with a strained groin, but he will not need season-ending surgery as feared and could be back running by next week. His absence though means that either Chris Wondolowski or Ian Russell will start on the left this weekend (Russell starting is a scary thought for Quake fans).

In other news, I'm willing to begrudgingly congratulate the Los Angeles Galaxy for winning the U.S. Open Cup with a 1-0 victory over FC Dallas in the Home Depot Center on Wednesday night. Herculez Gomez scored the lone goal for the Gals. (highlights here).

Weekend Preview:

Metrostars v. D.C. United - Historically, United have gotten the better of the Metrostars in this hated rivalry. To keep their playoff hopes alive, the Metrostars will need to win this weekend, and to do so they'll need Djorkaeff and Guevara to take the team on their shoulders. Whether Djorkaeff is up to the task is not in question, but whether Guevara is is another question. Expect United to rebound well from their Sudamerica exit with a big win over the Metros. Prediction: Metrostars 1:2 United

New England Revolution v. San Jose Earthquakes - With San Jose slumping a bit lately (but not dropping serious points) and with winger Mark Chung being given a rest, expect the scoreline to favor New England. However, Brian Ching seems to have returned successfully from injury, notching two goals in his first three starts. If DeRosario and Mullan can get him the ball, San Jose will make things tough on the Revolution's occasionally suspect backline. Prediction: Revolution 1:1 Earthquakes

Columbus Crew v. CD Chivas USA - Word is that Sigi is being brought in and current head coach Robert Warzycha will stay on as assistant coach. It's a clever move that means that the Crew still have something to play for, their jobs. If Warzycha will be around next season, he'll still have his own say over personnel moves. Expect another Chivas loss (after I picked them to win at home against Colorado last week). Prediction: Crew 2:0 Chivas

Kansas City Wizards v. Chicago Fire - Chicago needs to rebound from a tough road loss against San Jose. If they could steal three points in Kansas City they'll have survived the season's second toughest road schedule with a decent number of points. In San Jose, they possessed the ball for the majority of the second half but their attack was toothless. The return of striker Chris Rolfe should help immensely, but it's the Wizard's sinking form that could prove the difference. Prediction: Wizards 2:2 Fire

Colorado Rapids v. Real Salt Lake - Will Colorado catch up with Los Angeles? Probably not. But recent additions Jovan Kirovski and David (Dedi) Ben Dayan have scored critical goals and the team has even been solid defensively in Joe Cannon's absence. Real Salt Lake hasn't won away from home all season, I don't suspect that that will suddenly change. Prediction: Rapids 2:0 Real

Los Angeles Galaxy v. FC Dallas - Revenge? No, probably not, but Dallas might actually score against LA this time. Both teams will probably be tired from mid-week's match, and who knows what that game will ultimately mean for either of these teams. Prediction: Galaxy 1:1 Hoops

Last week: 1-4

Season: 15-17

Power Rankings

MLS Power Rankings

1. New England Revolution - Fickle? Yes, but I never claimed otherwise. The Earthquakes couldn't muster more than a point against a resting FC Dallas squad, while New England shut down the Metrostars defensively, taking three critical points in a 1-0 victory. However, the Galaxy's victory over the Wizards buys the Metrostars more time, still three points back in the East.

2. San Jose Earthquakes - As mentioned above, the Earthquakes could only draw a point against Dallas at home this weekend. Eddie Robinson was sent off, but Brian Ching came through with an absolutely clutch goal to secure the point. San Jose's play has looked tepid lately and unless Dominic Kinnear begins mixing things up, this team might be headed for trouble (read, the 2002 San Jose Earthquakes). A healthy Brad Davis would be a start though.

3. D.C. United - A valiant effort in Sudamerica play in midweek wasn't enough to advance. On the one hand, it might give the club some confidence and focus, but it could also hurt team morale. If United play the game like we all know they can though, there are very few teams in the league that can actually stop them.

4. FC Dallas - A point (nearly three) on the road at hostile Spartan Stadium? Yes, and without their big guns, that's impressive.

5. Chicago Fire - A team whose primary scoring threat is a rookie can't possibly be that good can it? Well, I don't want to draw comparisons to the 2003 Fire because this team isn't nearly as good or cohesive, but Chris Rolfe is integral to this team's success. They looked toothless against San Jose on Wednesday night as San Jose gifted them possession throughout most of the second half, yet the Fire could do little with it. Still unsecure for the playoffs.

6. LA Galaxy - A win is a win, however unconvincing. The big test is the Open Cup Final Wednesday night which it's clear both teams are taking very seriously. How Steve Sampson coaches that one game will determine the Galaxy's future this season.

7. Metrostars - Oh how the mighty have fallen, but this team is still very much in the playoff picture, still only three points behind the Kansas City Wizards.

8. Kansas City Wizards - This is a team that's fading fast. The defense has looked porous (what was all this about Jimmy Conrad for Defender of the Year?) and the offense seems to have shut down (along with Chris Klein and Scott Sealy's offensive production, coincidence?) which bodes ill for not only Kansas City's playoff run but for their hopes of making the playoffs at all.

9. Colorado Rapids - They got a big win over Chivas, with Jovan Kirovski making an immediate impact on the side. However, things have gotten rough between coach Fernando Clavijo and striker Jeff Cuningham. If things get worse, not only will Cunningham be putting his World Cup hopes on the line, but he'll be putting the entire team's postseason hopes on the line as well. On the bright side, they proved that they can win without Joe Cannon.

10. Columbus Crew - Still winning and getting points for their interim head coach when they've been practically eliminated from playoff contention. It's wonderful to see Edson Buddle back scoring goals, which should do wonders for the young man's confidence, on and off the field.

11. Real Salt Lake - From bad to worse.

12. CD Chivas USA - (See above).

Sudamerica Tragedy; the State of the MLS Goalkeeper; Weekend Preview

They fought valiantly, but it wasn't enough, D.C. United was knocked out of the Copa Sudamerica by losing 3-2 to CD Universidad Catolica in Santiago, Chile last night. After the sixtieth minute, a loss seemed almost inevitable even though United had a 2-1 lead at the time. Untimely substitutions, fatigue, and a sketchy defense came back to haunt them. Hopefully, D.C.'s performance in this series impressed enough to ensure MLS' particpation again next season. I won't claim that this was a moral victory, it wasn't, and I'm upset with the way the game was coached down the stretch, but as long as it ensures future participation I'm thrilled.

The State of MLS Goalkeeping

Just a few years ago, many MLS fans were claiming that the league had an incredibly deep pool of goalkeeping talent. I've always been rather skeptical of that claim, and I think the quality of goalkeeping in MLS this season has borne out that skepticism. Let's take a team-by-team look at this seasons' performances and a look to the future as well.

CD Chivas USA

2005: A turbulent year in goal for Chivas, having started three different players in goal just this season. Rookie Brad Guzan, who's started twenty-two of Chivas' twenty-seven games has shown best, with an astonishingly decent GAA of 1.95. While that looks terrible, think for a minute about the defenses that have started in front of him, many of which were anchored by the likes of Douglas Sequiera and Ezra Hendrickson. Sergio Garcia and Martin Zuniga were the other two goalkeepers. Zuniga has since retired, and Garcia, while having shown flashes, hasn't been the answer to Chivas' defensive woes either.

2006: If Antonio Cue is smart, he'll keep Guzan. He can keep Garcia if he wants, but Guzan ought to be the franchise goalkeeper at this point. While still raw, Guzan has amazing athletic ability and a very astute understand of the game and the goalkeeping position, often single-handedly keeping Chivas in games they had no business staying in. The fact that Guzan hasn't started every game for Chivas is a testament to how seriously this franchise has underestimated the strength of MLS.

Colorado Rapids

2005: Joe Cannon. The anchor of the Rapids' defense and for my money the best goalkeeper in MLS. He's recently been sidelined with a nagging abdominal strain. Watch and see how vital Cannon is to this team in coming weeks.

2006: It's Joe Cannon's to lose.

FC Dallas

2005: It looked like head coach Colin Clarke had finally solved his goalkeeper situation early this season. Scott Garlick was starting in goal and the Hoops were winning games with style, flair, and defensive organization. Then Richard Mulrooney got hurt, and slowly, very slowly, the wheels began falling off. Just a few weeks after the All Star game, Garlick was on the bench again and in came Jeff Cassar. Cassar of course didn't stop Dallas' defense from hemorrhagging goals. Cassar separated his shoulder and back game Scott Garlick. Dallas continued to lose but in recent weeks Clarke seems to have righted the ship. Were Dallas' defensive woes the result of bad goalkeeping? No. But a younger, more capable goalkeeper would've helped.

2006: I suspect that one of Cassar or Garlick will be kept around for cover next season, but GM Alper will be mighty foolish to not bring in a younger goalkeeper. Johnny Walker might be available from Columbus as might Dallas Burn alumnus Matt Jordan.

Los Angeles Galaxy

2005: The Galaxy's defense has been piss poor this season through no fault of goalkeeper Kevin Hartman. Two weeks ago, in an important game against the Kansas City Wizards, coach Steve Sampson actually had the audacity to bench Hartman, replacing him with Earthquakes cast-off, and former U-20 goalkeeper, Steve Cronin. Perhaps in spite of and not because of him, the Wizards scored two goals in the last ten minutes to tie the match. Despite that, the benching seemed to really affect Hartman, who played probably the worst game of his career Wednesday night in Dallas. He looked completely out of sorts, misplaying a Troy Roberts back-pass which promptly went into his own goal.

2006: Sampson might not have much love for Hartman, but Hartman has been around too long to be simply cast off. It probably won't matter anyway because Sampson will assuredly be fried at season's end.

Salt Lake

2005: Sketpics laughed when coach John Ellinger proclaimed D.J. Countess his starter before the season. However, early in the season it looked like Countess would prove the doubters wrong, pulling off some incredible saves and looking comfortable in goal. As Salt Lake's defensive woes worsened, so did Ellinger's confidence in Countess. Why he ever benched Countess in favor of mediocre rookie goalkeeper Jay Nolly is beyond me. Perhaps Ellinger wanted a scapegoat for Real Salt Lake's defensive gaps, and Countess was an easy target. But goalkeeping in Salt Lake, while not always brilliant, is the least of its problems. Defensive organization and the lack of a true defensive midfielder are much bigger problems that Ellinger will have to deal with in the offseason.

2006: My advice for John Ellinger, keep Countess and focus your efforts on other positions, like finding an organizer for your defense, a true right back, and a destroyer midfielder to compliment Andy Williams, hold possession, and win balls in the midfield. If GM Steve Pastorino expects Kasey Keller to come calling too, think again. Keller seems to have really settled down in Germany and was recently voted Kicker's Bundesliga player of the week.

San Jose Earthquakes

2005: It looks like Pat Onstad will win yet another Goalkeeper of the Year award. Just two months ago, it looked like Matt Reis' award to lose. Well, since then San Jose has allowed the fewest goals in MLS, thanks in some part to Onstad's command of his goal. Never flashy or spectacular, Onstad makes key saves when called upon (and also made probably the save(s) of the year against the Galaxy in June).

2006: The hitch though is that Pat is not getting any younger (he's 37), and he might not be around again next season. If he's not, the Earthquakes will assuredly have to sign a new goalkeeper, since longtime back-up Jon Conway just hasn't shown much in Reserve matches and secondary back-up Robbie Fulton just is not ready.

Next Week: Eastern Conference Goalkeepers

Weekend Predictions

New England Revolution v. Metrostars - After last week's 5-4 classic, what will this week bring? Ives Galarcep seems to think that suddenly the Metrostars have become a better defensive team and that New England has nothing to play for. Or something. The Revolution are not only seeing the Supporter's Shield slip away (currently 4 points behind leader San Jose) but their lead in the Eastern conference (5 points up on United) as well. There's plenty to play for tomorrow night. Prediciton: Revolution 3:2 Metrostars

Real Salt Lake v. Columbus Crew - For Salt Lake, at least they're playing at home. For Columbus, Wednesday's tie against the Revolution, in which they gave up a stoppage time goal to Taylor Twellman, must've stung. Both teams will be playing for respect, but while Salt Lake looks like a team in complete disarray, Columbus has posted very respectable results against difficult opponents lately. Prediction: Real 1:1 Crew

CD Chivas USA v. Colorado Rapids - Will the Rapids pull out all the stops and attack? Yeah, I didn't think so. They'll also be missing goalkeeper Joe Cannon. Call me crazy, but I actually think Chivas can do this. Prediction: Chivas 2:1 Rapids

San Jose Earthquakes v. FC Dallas - Don't be fooled, the Hoops' 4-1 Wednesday night victory over the Galaxy does not mean they're returning to early season form. However, they are beginning to turn their season around when it looked certain that Clarke's team was going to crash out of the playoffs. On Saturday, they'll be revisiting the home of nightmares where it all began where Richard Mulrooney tore his ACL, Spartan Stadium. The Earthquakes took their foot off the gas Wednesday night, no doubt to rest for Saturday's match-up. A win guarantees the Earthquakes home field acvantage for the Western Conference final. Prediction: Earthquakes 2:1 Hoops

Los Angeles Galaxy v. Kansas City Wizards - The Galaxy looked awful Wednesday night, and it'll be interesting to see if Sampson rests key players in preparation for the U.S. Open Cup final next Wednesday. If he does, it'll be another long night for the Galaxy. If he doesn't, it'll still be tough, even at home, against a Wizards team that needs points to keep the Metrostars off their backs. Prediction: Galaxy 1:2 Wizards

Last week: 3-3
Season: 14-13

Note: Beginning next week, it'll be much more difficult for me to update this blog daily. I'll do my best for you loyal readers, but don't be surprised if I'm not able to post a new entry every day.

Oh To Be a Fly On the Wall...

With a comfortable fourteen point cushion over their nearest conference competitor, and a four point cushion over the New England Revolution in the race for the MLS Supporter's Shield, the San Jose Earthquakes are now riding in cruise control. Last night's 2-0 victory over the Chicago Fire was not very flashy, as the Earthquakes conceded possession to the Fire in the second half (perhaps to avoid fatigue going into Saturday's match against FC Dallas), but a typically organized San Jose performance. A brace from midfield engine Dwayne De Rosario should also give momentum to the "DeRo for MVP" crowd.

However, there is possible bad news for the Earthquakes, as an MRI revealed that midfielder Brad Davis has a severely strained groin. Team trainer Bruce Morgan says that if the condition does not improve in 7-10 days, Davis will have to undergo season-ending surgery. Davis gives the Earthquakes an added element, not only providing much-needed midfield depth, but he can deliver a wicked left-footed cross, and makes the Earthquakes a much more dangerous team on set-pieces. Without him, the Earthquakes are still a very dangerous team, but they do lack occasional width as left midfielder Mark Chung loves to pinch into the center. With the transfer window now closed, there's not much left the Earthquakes can do but hope that rookie Chris Wondolowski can step up and contribute in first-team matches.

*****

If you didn't see the highlights, the Los Angeles Galaxy lost to FC Dallas 4-1 last night. No, Dallas wasn't that good, the Galaxy were just that bad. What was Kevin Hartman doing when Troy Roberts played that back-pass? It reminded me of an own-goal former Aston Villa goalkeeper Peter Enckelman scored in a derby with Birmingham City a few years ago. Just horrendous, as was the rest of the Galaxy's performance. What's clear from this game is that Steve Sampson has lost this team. They look unmotivated, tired, uninspired, and flat. Their only goal last night was an own-goal by Dallas defender Bobby Rhine.

Galaxy fans love to point out that this team has MLS Cup quality talent that Steve Sampson is squandering. While Los Angeles is a talented squad, it's certainly not without its flaws, lacking defensive bite, a true offensive midfielder, and real midfield width. But it is Sampson's job to find players to plug these holes. He did try to do that, signing several defenders in the off-season (Umana, Ihemelu, Dunivant, Chinchilla, etc.), and an offensive midfielder (Pando Ramirez). Yet these players, with the exception of Dunivant, have never really panned out for Sampson, and his team is now struggling to truly play creative, tactically disciplined soccer. You cannot expect Landon Donovan to lead a team. He was only a very talented, important cog of a well-oiled winnning machine that featured veteran leadership all across the field (Agoos, Dayak, Onstad, Ekelund, Mulrooney, and Lagos in 2003). General Manager Doug Hamilton will have to take a long look at the situation this off-season (that is, if he still has a job).

*****

Is Clint Mathis done in Salt Lake? Rumors have been flying for weeks now that he's been fuming with teammates, skipping practices, and disrupting team morale (what little there is left). He only played 71 minutes in last night's loss to Colorado, and his production has been weak all season. Perhaps he would have been helped by a true defensive midfielder playing behind him (something I wrote about a few weeks ago, something I believe will be key to Real's success next season), but regardless, wasn't he supposed to start producing for friend John Ellinger? Really, if Mathis can't succeed under Ellinger than what haope is really left for the guy? It'll be interesting to see what happens in the next few weeks as the 2005 season nears to a close.

MLS News and Notes - Midweek

News:

Jamie Trecker's back, and this time he discusses attendance with Galaxy GM Doug Hamilton and former Fire GM Peter Wilt.

My take: Yes, I've been very critical of Trecker's column in the past, but this is a good one. Personally, I think the problems with these mid-week cup games is that there is simply a lack of national exposure. Most of these games aren't televised (thank you FSC for broadcasting United v. Catolica), and as one Bigsoccer poster put it, in the U.S., "if you're not televised, you don't exist."

Bad news for United: Quaranta and Walker questionable for tomorrow's away-leg against Universidad Catolica.

My take: Bad news for a team that will need to score goals on Thursday. United could survive without Jamil Walker, who's a competent bench player at best, but the loss of Quaranta may hurt. This will be a huge opportunity for Freddy Adu to make an impression, but it'll also mean that a number of players will have to go the full ninety minutes, including Christian Gomez. A very difficult game just got a whole lot more difficult for United.

Nagging abdominal injury sidelines Rapids goalkeeper Joe Cannon.

My take: Serioiusly bad news for Colorado, who, with a win tonight, can bury Real Salt Lake's hopes of a playoff spot. But if Cannon's injury proves to be long-term, it could spell serious trouble for Colorado's playoff hopes (that is, their advancing int he playoffs, getting there is a given).

The trials and tribulations of Bobby Rhine's move to right back.

My take: Rhine's actually been quite good on the right wing offensively this season, but he hasn't looked very good defensively. He often has compensated for bad positioning by fouling his opponent. If he can solidify his defensive game, he could become a very serviceable MLS right back, much like Chris Albright has, but he needs to make that effort. Otherwise, he'll be just a decent offensive threat that can't cover defensively for a team that's all too familiar with defensive lapses and mistakes.

Brian Dunseth suspended for tonight's key match against the Colorado Rapids.

My take: It's great to hear that MLS took action for an off-the-ball incident, but what about Ezra Hendrickson? A foot to the face of Danny Califf doesn't warrant action from the front office? How about Kyle Beckerman, who assuredly should have been sent off for a nasty, dangerous, lunging, studs-up tackle against United this weekend? If the league's going to do this, they at least ought to be consistent.

Brian Ching getting the start tonight for the San Jose Earthquakes

My take: Great news for Earthquakes fans, and you've gotta love Ching's perspective on this: "The team was playing so well, I didn't know if I would get a chance. I'm looking at this as a chance. I'm not back in the starting lineup, guaranteed. I have to go out there and prove that I belong.'' Bad news for Quakes fans though: Brad Davis may have a torn groin, pending an MRI today. Davis is essential to midfield depth. Without him, the only player the Quakes have of any use is rookie Chris Wondolowski.

Big games tonight for the Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake, both of whom need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Crew have the tougher of the two matches, playing the New England Revolution, who are no doubt a little angry after their 5-4 loss to the Metrostars last Saturday. Should be a good night of games tonight.

In Limbo Gets Pimped, and Other News

In his latest online article for Sports Illustrated, Grant Wahl lists his "Best Eleven" of American soccer blogs. None other than yours truly made that list. A big thanks to Grant for the positive publicity. Now to soccer. From the same article:

"MLS officials have contacted members of the media to clarify that commissioner Don Garber makes an annual salary of $1.25 million, not the $250,000 that was reported in a New York magazine article this week. (That's great for the commish, but it's hard not to laugh when MLS HQ starts contacting the media with salary information after we spent years trying to crack the single-entity salary list in New York.) "

The article referred to is this one, which has since corrected the mistake (some of the numbers in there are fascinating, but this is a soccer blog, so I'll refrain from the tangent). It's easy to say that Garber is overpaid, so I'll just go ahead and say it, Don Garber is overpaid. A $250,000 salary, as initially reported, makes perfect sense for the commissioner of a league that's still bleeding money. It also makes sense for a league that's currently paying some players as low as $11,000 a year on developmental contracts. But a $1.25 million contract ($1 million more than initially reported) is more money per year than any single player in the league. In fact, that salary is more than the entire San Jose Earthquakes team makes combined. That is disgusting. Yes, Garber has done an excellent job (although he's really bungling the San Jose and Kansas City situations), but until this league begins operating in the black, nobody, neither staff nor players, should be making more than $1 million a year, especially not you Commissioner Garber.

Galarcep: Don't Fire Bob!

Last week's 5-4 victory over the New England Revolution put the Metrostars right back in the playoff picture, currently sitting only three points behind the slumping Kansas City Wziards. However, when the Metrostars squandered a 3-1 lead, falling behind 4-3 after a brilliant Taylor Twellman strike, I thought for sure that Alexi Lalas was already preparing Bradley's pink slip. But lo and behold, the Metros began playing inspired soccer, pulling off one of the most stunning and dramatic victories this season. Bradley's players fought for his job, and they won the first battle.

But the question remains: Will Lalas fire Bradley even if the Metrostars make the playoffs (and presumably lose)? That question doesn't much bother some Metrostars fans, many of whom hope that the answer is "yes". But how much is Bradley to blame for the Metrostars' woes this season (and past seasons) and what are the ramifications if Lalas fires him?

Bradley, for all the trouble that he's had with the Metrostars franchise is still one of America's most talented and intelligent soccer minds. His defensive gambles have hurt the Metros in recent years. First it was the signing of American defender Eddie Pope. Pope, who had a storied career with D.C. United that included three MLS Cup titles, was supposed to bring leadership and stability to a young Metrostars backline. But Pope, who was already on the downslide of his career, was never the player to vocally lead a backline. Bradley realized that this past off-season, shipping Pope to Real Salt Lake, and trading with San Jose for another aging veteran, Jeff Agoos. But Agoos, while a far more vocal leader who has won five MLS Cups (3 with United, 2 with the Earthquaes), is just too slow now to anchor an MLS defense, and Bradley has inexplicably been playing Jeff on the left, a position that requires far more pace than Agoos possesses. This season alone, Bradley has made other confusing defensive decisions, including starting Zach Wells in goal and trading for Ryan Suarez from Chivas USA. Last week's 5-4 victory did nothing to convince doubters about the effectiveness of his defense.

But that offense. Youri Djorkaeff, Amado Guevara, and Ante Razov provide a triple threat that is difficult for MLS defenses to contain. If Eddie Gaven can return to the form that saw him become one of MLS' most promising young players, the Metrostars will have four offensive threats that few MLS teams will want to face should the Metros actually make the playoffs.

However, Bradley has come under heavy criticism, not just for playing favorites, but also for his untimely substitutions and roster moves. If starting his own son in defensive midfield wasn't enough to irritate die-hard Metrostars fans, continuing to stat him there, Bradley has also continued to start players like goalkeeper Zach Wells (before the Meola trade), Mark Lisi, and Mike Magee. These criticisms are apt. Young Bradley, for all his improvement over the course of the season, still is not getting it done as the defensive midfielder. Bob Bradley ought to take serious heat for the trade of Ricardo Clark who has proved to be a revelation with the San Jose Earthquakes. But Wells has since been benched, as has Lisi, and Magee came up big last week scoring two goals. Even Bradley's biggest failure, striker Sergio Galvan-Rey, has only been coming off the bench. Until the young Bradley is benched, most Metrostars fans will remain understandably vocal, especially with the recent signing of Argentinian defensive midfielder Daniel Garipe. However, Bradley need only point to this season's signing of Youri Djorkaeff, who has since become the Metrostars' captain and a huge inspiration to the team, to prove the hard work he's done. And as Galarcep wrote, if Bradley goes, will Djorkaeff, Razov, and Guevara follow? That would be a huge blow to the team's hope next season.

The Birth of the Cool

Last weekend was a good one in MLS, featuring three come-from-behind games, one of which was one of the most entertaining in MLS this season. That game, between the New England Revolution and the Metrostars, promised to be a barn-burner before the game even started. The Metrostars needed three points to keep pace with Kansas City and Chicago in the Eastern Conference. Currently, they're still on the outside looking in on the playoffs, but a win over the Revolution would assuredly secure Bradley's job (at least for another week), motivate the team, and keep them in the playoff picture.

Fortunately, the Revolution are an equally motivated team, finally at full strength again after an entire season filled with international call-ups and untimely injuries. From the outset it was clear that they were not going to roll over and die for the Metrostars. On the contrary, the Revolution still have plenty to play for with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs still not secured, and a tight Supporter's Shield race with the San Jose Earthquakes. Both teams came into the game with the intention of winning and it showed.

The lead changed on three separate occasions, with the Revolution at one point scoring three goals in a span of seventeen minutes. It was after the Metrostars blew their 3-1 lead that I began thinking that Bradley's career with the team had to be over if the Metrostars didn't secure the three points. I was wrong, again. The Metrostars stormed back, tying the play on a Guevara goal and, in the final ten minutes, Yori Djorkaeff (the ageless wonder) scored a wonderful goal by taking advantage of a Matt Reis positioning error. There was end-to-end action, plenty of goals, and a fight, not much more than you can ask for from a soccer game. The win now leaves the Metrostars only three points back of Kansas City in the Eastern Conference playoff race with five games to play. An exciting end of the season for the league's most exciting conference.

Highlights can be found here.

MLS Power Rankings:

1. San Jose Earhquakes - After a not-so-convincing win over Chivas, San Jose finds itself back on top thanks to a Revolution loss. While that win was not convincing, San Jose did whatveer it took to win, sacrificing their bodies (see Califf, Danny) to get two late game goals to snatch victory from a tired, wounded Chivas side.

2. New England Revolution - The fact that the Revolution still battled for three points after going 3-1 down was a sign that the Revolution, for all their defensive lapses on Saturday, is, along with San Jose, the hungriest team in the league. Even when they don't need three points, they went on the road and fought the Metrostars with everything they had. This is a championship team folks.

3. D.C. United - In Saturday's most predictable game, United took it to the Colorado Rapids. Nowak called it D.C.'s best game of the season. Perhaps that Catolica game has given United some much needed confidence going into the stretch run. Regardless, they same to be firing on all cylinders offensively. If they can secure their back-line, they will be serious contenders for MLS Cup in the Eastern Conference.

4. Chicago Fire - A big win on the road moves Chicago into third place in the East before two rough games ahead in San Jose and Kansas City. If Chicago can survive those matches with three or four points, they will have done very well during the league's most unenviable road trip.

5. Metrostars - A huge win over the Revolution means that the Metrostars are now only three points behind Kansas City in the race for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. The defense is still worrisome, but if the offense (the triumvirate of Djorkaeff, Guevara, and Razov) can continue to generate goals, the Metrostars should have no problem winning games. That Djorkaeff signing (and his move to captain) is not looking so dumb now.

6. Kansas City Wizards - While the 2-2 home tie against the Galaxy on Saturday may not look terrible, it's a troubling result for Gansler's boys. Not only where they seriously outplayed at home for the first hour of the match, but they only pulled out a tie in the last ten minutes against a tired and inexperienced Galaxy defense. Until Gansler can get this team back into motion, they'll have serious trouble fending off the Metrostars.

7. LA Galaxy - What was Steve Sampson thinking? If you want to find out why the Galaxy didn't win Saturday's road match against the Wizards, look no further than at the substitutions list. Sampson's poor substitions cost the Galaxy three points, and their second away win outside Los Angeles this season. A troubling and disappointing result for Galaxy fans.

8. FC Dallas - Yesterday's victory over Real Salt Lake means that Dallas and Los Angeles have now qualified for the playoffs. It also means that Los Angeles is now mathematically eliminated from winning first place in the West. A big regular season home win for Dallas at the right part of the season. While not always convincing in victory, Dallas may just be beginning to turn their season back around.

9. Columbus Crew - Ahead of the Rapids because at least they don't play the most negative soccer I've ever seen in MLS.

10. Colorado Rapids - The most digusting, thuggish road tactics in all of MLS. Clavijo's squad takes to the road with the intention of fouling and hurting their opponents until they're completely off their game. It worked against San Jose, but it didn't work against D.C., despite the refs inability to control the match.

11. Real Salt Lake - Still losing.

12. CD Chivas USA - Is this the worst team in MLS history?

All the News That's Fit to Print

Today's biggest MLS news items:

Eddie Johnson out for four-six weeks.

My take: this is bad news for Eddie, bad news for the US National Team, and bad news for FC Dallas. It's going to be a long rest of the season for Hoops fans.

As if United didn't already have a monopoly on Argentinians, they've just completed the signing of a third, currently unnamed, Argentinian player.

My take: Probably a striker or a wing player, this Argentinian, if he's even half as good as Christian Gomez will prove an invaluable signing down the stretch run. The rich just get richer, and their bench just gets deeper.

San Antonio owes MLS a "thank you"?

My take: Thanks to MLS, San Antonio's Alamodome is NFL ready. The most fascinating thing in this article is that San Antonio took out three million dollars in bonds that were spent on repairing the stadium in the hopes of luring an MLS franchise. I guess Garza really was serious after all.

Ives Galarcep examines which MLS coaches are on solid ground and which are "in limbo".

My take: I think he's got it about right, but even by his own admission, it seems like Bob Bradley is more "out the door" than he is "on shaky ground." Nothing short of an MLS Cup or Eastern Conference final appearance will secure Bradley's job. Ellinger will get at least one more year to turn things around in Salt Lake. Also, unless his team makes it to MLS Cup, Clarke is going to get the boot in Dallas.

MLS Weekend Preview:

Metrostars v. New England Revolution - The Revolution looked good last week, but the Metrostars also got a confidence-boosting road victory in Kansas City and are unbeaten in their last ten home matches. The Metrostars have nothing left to lose and will throw everything they've got at New England's stellar defense. This game will be a matter of New England's late season resolve and how the Metrostars react in the face of adversity. Prediction: Metrostars 2:2 Revolution

D.C. United v. Colorado Rapids - Colorado is probably reeling after that miserable road performance in Los Angeles last weekend. United no doubt is looking to bounce back after a mixed match against CD Universidad Catolica on Tuesday night, not to mention a disappointing road loss in Colorado two weeks ago. This will be revenge. Prediction: United 2:0 Rapids

Columbus Crew v. Chicago Fire - Chicago needs the points, not only to keep pace with United and Kansas City, but to keep the Metrostars off their back. Their miserable road schedule is coming to a close in a few weeks, but these are points that Chicago should win with upcoming matches at San Jose and at Kansas City. Columbus had showed some inspired form in past weeks, but suffered a horrible setback in a 3-1 loss in New England last weekend. Look for some inspired play from both teams. Prediction: Crew 1:1 Fire

Kansas City Wizards v. Los Angeles Galaxy - The Galaxy have won one game outside of Los Angeles this season. Yes, they demolished the Rapids last weekend, but let's not forget that that game was played in the Home Depot Center and Nat Borchers was sent off after 20 minutes when the score was only 1-0. This is a big test for LA and a bigger test for Kansas City, who has hit a rough patch of form recently and who needs to win to keep pace with United and the Revolution in the tight Eastern Conference. Prediction: Wizards 2:1 Galaxy

CD Chivas USA v. San Jose Earthquakes - Do I really need to talk about this one? Prediction: Earthquakes 2:0 Chivas

FC Dallas v. Real Salt Lake - The battle of the Euro-poser team names. Even with Eddie Johnson out to injury, Dallas should win this match, having seemingly excised the voodo hex on Pizza Hut Park with a 1-0 Open Cup victory over the Chicago Fire in midweek. Real Salt Lake had a week off to meditate on their transgressions, but I don't think it'll do them much good. Prediction: Hoops 2:0 Real

Last week: 3-3
Season: 11-10

The Transfer Window is Closed!

The MLS transfer window is closed. Here are the last-minute signings made across the league:

Metrostars finally sign defensive midfielder Daniel Garpipe

Wizards sign trialist Antti Sumiala, waive Earthquakes playoff killer Khari Stephenson

Revolution sign New Zealand international defender Tony Lochhead

The biggest of these of course is the Garipe signing. Garipe is yet another Argentine (to go along with United's Erpen and Gomez), who said something that I hope is indicative of MLS' ability to attract international talent from CONCACAF and CONMENBOL:

"I also like the life here and would love to bring my family here to live."

There is security (both physical and financial) that America can provide that other countries' can't. Perhaps MLS and its clubs are finally beginning to capitalize on that.

In the U.S. Open Cup semifinals, the Los Angeles Galaxy knocked out the battling Minnesota Thunder 5-2, while Dallas advanced on the back of a Ronnie O'Brien goal against the Chicago Fire. This sets up an interesting final, pairing two completely under-achieving teams. Jeff Carlisle tries to figure out what's wrong with FC Dallas, and whether the Open Cup victory last night can propel them into a good run of form after a protracted slump.

The more I learn about what Dominic Kinnear has had to deal with in San Jose, the more astonished I am that this team is as good as it is. In Greg Lalas' most recent Cheap Seats article, he quotes Kinnear as saying:

"On the day before the expansion draft," he started, "we were sitting in the locker room and we put up a potential starting lineup for opening day. I don't think we had 11 players contracted. We had a lot of work to do."

Holy cow. He doesn't think the team "had 11 players contracted." Remarkable. Praise for Kinnear continued in an article by Ann Killion in today's San Jose Mercury News. She writes:

"And he's a pretty darn good coach. Coach of the year, in fact, unless the team's operator, the Anschutz Entertainment Group, buys off some voters in an effort to not make the corporation look bad."

Ouch. Way to stick it to AEG, Ann. But her article echoes what I and other Earthquakes fans have felt all season, awe. This team is impossible not to like (unless you're a Galaxy fan) and their passion for the sport, for the team, for each other, and for winning is infectious.

Things Are Happening

Hold the phone everybody, there was a transfer window move in MLS yesterday. Granted, it wasn't a very interesting transfer move, but it was a transfer move nonetheless, as defensive midfielder Marcelo Saragosa returns to the Los Angeles Galaxy. Also yesterday, the Galaxy traded midfielder/forward Jovan Kirovski to the Colorado Rapids, who in turn also signed former Galaxy/Miami Fusion forward Diego Serna. By moving Kirovski, the Galaxy will now likely move forward Herculez Gomez to the senior roster, a nice reward for a player who has contributed considerably to the Galaxy this season. This is what Galaxy coach Steve Sampson had to say about the Kirovski move:

"We're sorry to see him go. Jovan goes to a club that will place a high importance on his play. Not that we haven't or wouldn't, but I could not commit to any consistent starting time for him given the level of competition on the team right now."

The level of competition Steve? What level of competition? Joseph Ngwenya? Are you serious? Not that I don't think Sampson was right to trade Kirovski, but his comments are a bit perplexing, but not nearly as perplexing as the signing of Saragosa. The Galaxy already possess two starting defensive midfielders in Pablo Nagamura and sometimes-team-captain Pete Vagenas. The team could have used a quality central defender or a true left midfielder, but instead they sign Saragosa. One Bigsoccer poster made the best conjecture that I've seen, hypothesizing that Nagamura will be recalled at the end of the season and Saragosa is his long-term replacement. Still, the timing is curious.

In the Copa Sudamerica match last night, D.C. United tied CD Universidad Catolica 1-1 at RFK stadium in Washington. It's a disappointing result, especially since away goals are the aggregate tie-breaker. That said, United played well for long stretches, but their defense let them down. Does this mean that Bobby Boswell will be back in the starting eleven? Probably not. But shifting Erpen to the left and moving Boswell back into central defense would be a very wise move in my opinion. Boswell just is a threat on set pieces and has a presence in the back that without him, D.C. just doesn't possess. The second leg in Santiago will be an interesting one. But regardless of the series outcome, these matches can only be positive for D.C. and for MLS.

The September FIFA rankings came out today, and to some peoples' surprise, the U.S. fell one spot to seventh. To those who it did surprise, you probably need to step away from your computer, and get back into the real world. The only disappointment in all of this is that it'll make it practically impossible for the United States to be seeeded before the next World Cup. Oh well. (Oh, and England fell out of the top ten).

Other tidbits:

Steve Sampson reflects on World Cup 98:

"'One thing I would have changed (in my tenure) was I would not have brought in David Regis,' Sampson told The Star-Ledger. 'It set back the process. Him coming into the team at that late stage was a disruption and I take personal responsibility for that.'"

and (about "captain for life" John Harkes)

"Sampson, now the Galaxy coach, said he made the move because Harkes wouldn't switch from midfield to left back, a position the team was weak in."

There's also U.S. Open Cup action tonight with the USL's Minnesota Thunder facing the Galaxy in Los Angeles, and the Chicago Fire travelling down to so-far cursed Pizza Hut Park to face FC Dallas. Should make for some interesting chatter tomorrow.

"It's a learning process. We just want to make it better for everyone, better for our league and better for our team."

Today features the most important MLS match of the week. This match however, only features one MLS team. Is it another European friendly? No. Today is the first leg of D.C. United's Copa Sudamerica match with Universidad Catolica of Chile. This home and away series may well be the two most important matches in MLS this season. This has nothing to do with winning "respect," but everything to do with making money. According to this article in today's Washington Post, the reward for reaching the finals of the Copa Sudamerica are extraordinary by MLS standards, $795,000 and $695,000 for the two finalists respectively. The CONCACAF Champion's Cup, in which MLS teams have tradtitionally performed poorly, offers a financial reward that pales in comparison.

I don't think that D.C. United will advance that far into the tournament. However, the matches should serve as a lesson to the MLS front office that they ought to take their own domestic competitions, the aforementioned Champion's Cup, and the U.S. Open Cup more seriously by offering serious financial rewards to the winner. MLS and MFL, along with other smaller CONCACAF teams, should pledge some money to the winner and runner-up of the Champion's Cup, and MLS should also make it a priority to offer financial rewards for the winner of the Open Cup. With more and more MLS teams moving into their own soccer specific stadiums, it will become increasingly more viable to host more soccer fixtures, and these events will prove, with the right marketing, to be important sources of revenue.

These games are always valuable to MLS from an actual soccer viewpoint. Not only do they offer a realistic guage of the quality of MLS soccer (unlike the much over-hyped European friendlies), but they provide valuable soccer experiences for younger players and veterans alike by introducing them to hostile environments in century old soccer cultures. It also encourages cooperation between foreign clubs and fans. These games however, are also not without their disadvantages, which mostly include the exhaustion extra games will naturally effect on MLS' small rosters. Hopefully, with the inclusion of the reserve teams, in future years MLS will be more equipped to deal with longer seasons and extra-MLS matches.

Good luck to D.C. United tonight, I hope they do MLS and their fans proud, marking the beginning of what I hope is a future in inter-American club competition.

No Repeats of the 1998 Galaxy or 2001 Fusion Please

I really do hope that New England and San Jose meet in MLS Cup 2005, not just because I'm a selfish Earthquakes fan, nor because it would be a highly entertaining match, but because these two teams deserve to be there. So did the 1998 Galaxy and the 2001 Fusion (RIP), but we know what happened to them. However, the playoff system has changed since then, and since its implementation during the 2003 season, it has yielded positive results:

MLS Cup 2003: Fire v. Earthquakes (#1 seeds in their respective conferences)
MLS Cup 2004: United v. Wizards (#2 and #1 seeds in their conferences respectively)

MLS Power Rankings:

1. New England Revolution - Yes, they're back in first in my power rankings, but not without reason. On Saturday night, they absolutely demolished the Columbus Crew, not only looking as confident as they did in June, but with all of their star players back. Taylor Twellman and Shalrie Joseph are having MVP seasons, with Twellman making his case by scoring a hat-trick Saturday night. The move he made on Chad Marshall was absolutely sick. Matt Reis needs to keep that temper in check though.

2. San Jose Earthquakes - If they hadn't looked so sluggish for big stretches of the first half and parts of the second, San Jose would have easily remained in first place. That said, for a team that was passing so poorly at times, San Jose looked awfully strong on the counter, and they completely punished the Chivas defense for its mistakes. Good teams win these games 1-0, or even tie, but San Jose won 3-0. Oh, and who was that who scored San Jose's third goal? Brian Ching? Scary thought.

3. D.C. United - There's San Jose and New England and then there's everyone else, except when United are on their game. They beat Dallas in Dallas (apparently not as difficult a feat these days), securing vital points in that wild Eastern Conference playoff race, and leaping ahead of Chicago and Kansas City. Erpen has looked solid in the back, and if this team can get rested and healthy (that means not being drained after their Copa Sudamerica match in Chile) before the playoffs, watch out.

4. Kansas City Wizards - Kansas City is beginning to slump at the worst possible juncture in the season. They'll have to turn it around real quick after an ugly 1-0 loss to the Metrostars at home.

5. Chicago Fire - Still in the hunt for playoff positioning in the East, Chicago has to be looking over its shoulder at the Metrostars with their brutal road schedule still in full swing. That win over LA in LA was huge last week, but it's a rough road ahead.

6. Los Angeles Galaxy - Los Angeles absolutely drubbed (used with credit to Jack Edwards) Colorado on Saturday night 4-1. Yes, Colorado was a man down, but the Rapids had been playing considerably better soccer of late. Perhaps LA is beginning to turn things around, or perhaps they're simply continuing Steve Sampson's policy of beating the team's they have to, and blowing points against quality sides. However, the more San Jose wins, the smaller that magic number becomes for them to clinch first place in the West.

7. Metrostars - It's a shame that the Metrostars might miss the playoffs. No, they're by no means a great team, they possess a pretty scary (in a bad way) defense, but they've been getting points lately and have a ten game unbeaten streak at home (although it's more of a 2004 Columbus Crew type unbeaten streak). Can't say the same for teams in the West, like Los Angeles, Dallas, and Colorado, all of whom will make the playoffs.

8. FC Dallas - I was really tempted to put this team on the bottom, but the sad thing is, the teams below them are actually worse. Regardless, Dallas still hasn't won a game in their new home, Pizza Hut Park, and haven't won a league match since June. This team is quickly falling apart at the seams, and Colin Clarke doesn't appear to have the coaching savvy to make this team work. Ruiz looks like he doesn't care. Eddie Johnson still isn't in peak form (and it also doesn't look like he much cares either). Poor Ronnie O'Brien is still trying to do everything, but everything apparently isn't enough. At least Ramon Nunez has started to show flashes this season.

9. Colorado Rapids - What was that? A team that some pundits were beginning to think would be serious challengers in the playoffs sure looked like a total joke on Saturday night.

10. Columbus Crew - Just when the Crew were beginning to look like they were going to make a late season run at the playoffs, they completely bombed against New England. That loss makes such a run look extremely unlikely now.

11. Real Salt Lake - So do you think Real used their week off to gel as team and shore up their defensive problems? And as if things couldn't get any worse, word on the street is that Jason Kreis tore his ACL. Is Gustavo Cabrera the defensive answer? John Ellinger and Real fans better hope so.

12. CD Chivas USA - How can Westerhoff not start Brad Guzan? Seriously. And that defense is nothing short of atrocious. San Jose made Douglas Sequiera, Ezra Hendrickson, and company, look horrendous out there. At least Vergara learned that it ain't gonna be as easy as he thought.

Nostradamus

Grant Wahl recently made his predictions of Bruce Arena's World Cup roster. Several of my fellow American soccer bloggers have weighed in with their lists, while the illustrious posters of BigSoccer weighed in with their own. I figured it's about time that I take a crack at this as well, I only wish that there was some price given out to the winner.

Goalkeeper(s): Kasey Keller, Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann
Possibilities? The only open spot is that third one, which may also go to an MLS keeper like Cannon or Reis, but it's unlikely.

No one will question Kasey Keller's status. Barring injury, he's an absolute lock for the World Cup. While many have questioned Tim Howard's Manchester United status, Bruce Arena still sees a future for Tim with the national team (and why not? Tim is still in his twenties), and bringing him along to Germany would be a great experience for a player who may yet become the United States' No. 1 keeper. As for the third spot, I think it's Hahnemann's to lose at this point. He played well against Guatemala on Wednesday night, and will probably continue to get time with the national team throughout the rest of qualifying.

Defenders: Steve Cherundolo, Frankie Hedjuk, Oguchi Onyewu, Cory Gibbs, Carlos Bocanegra, Greg Berhalter, Eddie Lewis, Albright
Possibilities? There are several. If Jonathan Spector gets considerable playing time with Charlton this season he could be a possibility. Eddie Pope might still be in the mix, as are Chad Marshall, Jimmy Conrad, etc.

Most of the defenders are now locked in. Our first choice backline is made up of Cherundolo on the right, two of Onyewu, Gibbs, or Bocanegra in the middle, and Eddie Lewis on the left. I have a very strong feeling that Hedjuk will be with us in Germany, not only because of his veteran experience and versatility, but also because he fits Bruce's system to the T and has a habit of showing up in big games. Albright backs up Cherundolo on the right. Greg Berhalter has surprisingly played himself back into the picture in the last few months of qualifying. With Pope in the twilight of his international career, it's looking more and more likely that the veteran centerback won't be brought to Germany. As I mentioned above, Spector is still a possibility but that's contingent on several factors, so the jury's still out on him.

Midfielders: Claudio Reyna, Pablo Mastroeni, John O'Brien, Chris Armas, DaMarcus Beasley, Landon Donovan, Bobby Convey, Steve Ralston
Possibilities: Again, several, including Steve Ralston, Santino Quaranta, and Clint Dempsey, not to mention a number of players that could still be capped/called up, including Ricardo Clark, Justin Mapp, Pat Noonan, Eddie Gaven (!) and Chris Klein.

I first put question marks where Steve Ralston is, but I think the question marks are a better approximation of what's going through Bruce Arena's head. Quaranta looked terrible Wednesday night and Ralston has struggled against faster, better competition, and would doubtless be in over his head in the World Cup. Our first choice midfield is probably a box with Reyna and O'Brien sharing the defensive duties, and Landon and Beasley free to attack. However, in a true diamond midfield (Bruce's preferred formation), we have no right midfielder. That's troubling. We'll probably see Chris Klein again, as well as a lot more Quaranta, and maybe other players we haven't even yet thought of. It's still possible that Bruce will start Cherundolo at right midfield and put Albright or Hedjuk behind him defensively. The left side of midfield is secure with Convey and Beasley, and Lewis in a pinch. The one player other than Ralston whose position on the roster isn't secure is Armas. It's still possible that Bruce opts for another winger, or brings along a younger player like Ricardo Clark. We'll find all that out in the next few months as well.

Forwards: Brian McBride, Eddie Johnson, Josh Wolff, Brian Ching
Possibilities: Taylor Twellman, Jeff Cunningham, Conor Casey, Chris Rolfe (!), and Freddy Adu (!)

McBride and Johnson are likely locks for the World Cup. It's after these two that things get a bit fuzzy. Twellman and Cunningham will probably get at least one more chance to prove they belong, but those two are quickly playing themselves out of the picture. Ching is really the only heir apparent to McBride and he has scored in World Cup qualifying. Wolff has had a bad year internationally, but Arena still feels he has something to offer the team, and with our dearth of quality forwards I'm sure that Wolff will be brought along to Germany. Casey's injury hurt in a myriad of ways, but most importantly it seems to have taken him off Bruce's radar, at least for the time being. This leaves a bunch of young guys (Rolfe and Adu were sort of my humorous homage to Bigsoccer), who probably won't get called up in the next year, let alone put on the World Cup roster, but more surprising things have happened.

MLS Weekend Preview:

New England Revolution v. Columbus Crew: New England is coming off a gritty victory over Real Salt Lake while Columbus has been on a torrid winning streak, destroying Chivas last week 3-0. With many of their players returning from national team duty, New England might have its first full roster in months. Prediction - Revolution 2:1 Crew

Kansas City Wizards v. Metrostars: These teams played to a 2-2 tie in the Meadowlands last weekend (I didn't see that one coming or anything), and I would suspect a similar result this time around were it not for the return of Diego Gutierrez and Jimmy Conrad to the starting eleven. Prediction - Wizards 2:1 Metrostars

FC Dallas v. D.C. United: Ah, there's nothing like watching two slumping teams face off against one another. However, Dallas will be as close to full strength (sans Mulrooney) as they've been in months. Will it solve their defensive problems? Probably not, but they need to start getting three points at home, and no better time to start than against a team that lost to Colorado in Colorado last weekend. United might have something to say about the matter though. Prediction - Dallas 2:2 United

Los Angeles Galaxy v. Colorado Rapids: Landon's back, but Landon doesn't play defense. Watching Justin Mapp absolutely shred the Galaxy's defense last week left me pretty giddy, but they won't have to face anyone even close to possessing Mapp's skill on the ball this week. But the Rapids have been playing good soccer lately and have been very tight in defense. Prediction - Galaxy 1:1 Rapids

San Jose Earthquakes v. CD Chivas USA: Chivas, just when you thought they were turning things around, they drop three points at home against Columbus. They could've used those three points, because they'll be travelling to San Jose this weekend. If people think San Jose have become complacent since wrapping up a playoff berth, think again. Prediction - Earthquakes 2:0 Chivas

Last week: 3-3
Season: 8-7

Completely Anorexic, and No, I'm Not Talking About the Olsen Twins

The United States' "C" team really stunk up the field last night in Guatemala City in a 0-0 draw. Arena put together a relatively talented squad, but the tactics his team employed, and the positions Arena put these players in, were seriously detrimental to any type of attacking soccer. The problems, as far as I saw them:

• Greg Vanney on the left: How many times has Bruce Arena played Greg Vanney on the left side of defense, and how many times has Vanney disappointed? I didn't understand this selection. Hasn't Bruce seen enough of Vanney to know he's no longer a serviceable left back? He doesn't even play the position for his club team. Why not go with a younger player like a Todd Dunivant or a Jose Burciaga, Jr. Even if they didn't pan out, Arena can at least say he tried.
• Clint Dempsey, attacking midfielder: I understand why Arena played Clint in central midfield, but Bruce must realize that Clint plays the position far differently than Landon Donovan does. Donovan likes to play the ball forward, Clint likes to play the ball to the wings and then make a run. His role with the Revolution is almost that of a withdrawn forward, spreading the ball out, and then making a run. On New England, he's freed from defensive duties by the league's best two-way midfielder Shalrie Joseph, and is freed from his creative offensive duties by Jose Cancela. That means that Clint's free to do what he likes, which means taking players on the dribble, and making smart runs into the offensive third. The U.S. needs a player who can create and get the ball to the forwards, not a player who can make attacking runs, that's what the forwards are for.
• Long ball: Not to say that I blame the players for resorting to long ball for long stretches of the match, especially when the team can't control much possession, and its attacking midfielder isn't getting touches and spreading the ball around. However, my biggest gripe with the long ball was that it didn't give an opportunity for anyone to demonstrate anything to Bruce Arena. The only player who really took his opponents on the dribble and tried to make the smart pass was Bobby Convey.
• Subbing out Jeff Cunningham: Cunningham is the kind of player who could possibly be useful late in games, taking tired defenders on the dribble, and making quick runs into the box. Last night, Jeff wasn't given an opportunity to do much of everything. Playing in the long ball is not a style of offensive creation well-suited for a smallish, quick forward. Had Landon been in the game to make short passes that a quick player like Cunningham could run onto, Jeff might've been more effective. Yet Bruce subbed out Jeff before he subbed on Landon, a bit of a head-scratching move if you ask me.
• Moving Clint to the right: Clint Dempsey is not a right midfielder, and really isn't much of a winger to begin with. Perhaps it would've been best for Arena to exchange Clint for Landon, but either way, Dempsey was completely ineffective on the right side of midfield. The Clint Dempsey experiment may be over for this cycle.

Player Ratings:

Marcus Hahnemann - 7 (MOTM): Well, the "man" of the match was probably the near post, but Hahnemann made several crucial saves, and looked comfortable in goal the entire match. His distribution was terrible (except for a beatiful goal kick straight to Clint Dempsey), but he was solid enough in goal to make a case for that third goalkeeper spot.

Chris Albright - 6: Chris made a good case for himself last night. He played solid (if unspectacular) defense, rarely was caught out of position, and played decent offense (his cross that Twellman should have finished was a thing of beauty). He definitely earned himself a few more looks, but he's competing with Frankie Hejduk for that back-up right back slot, and given Frankie's versatility and experience it'll be very tough competition.

Jimmy Conrad - 5: It was not a terrible outing for Jimmy but he practically fell asleep near the end of the match, nearly costing the team a point. But given his effort in the Gold Cup and again last night, Jimmy might've earned himself a spot on the alternates roster for the World Cup.

Chad Marshall - 6: Chad is a big boy and last night, he used his height to his advantage, latching onto a great ball (and forcing a nice save from the Guatemalan keeper) in front of goal, and winning most (if not all) of his aerial challenges. He still plays the unfortunate center back position, a position which is one of the United States' deepest. However, he might've also earned himself an alternate spot, and he certainly earned himself more looks from Arena.

Greg Vanney - 4: As the Doors once sang, "This is the end," and if it isn't, it ought to be. Vanney is too slow, doesn't offer nearly enough offensive output for Arena's system, and is simply not talented enough to play that left back spot internationally. It also doesn't help that he's a center back with his club team, FC Dallas. It's time to move on Bruce. Now, do you cap Jose Burciaga? Todd Dunivant?

Santino Quaranta - 5: Santino was given his chance to start and didn't seize the opportunity. This team desperately needs a natural right midfielder (Donovan can play that role in a box midfield), and Steve Ralston is just too slow for the World Cup. Santino will probably be given another chance, but last night his passes weren't crisp, his defense was suspect, and his forays into the attacking third, ineffective. Perhaps it's time to give Chris Klein another shot. Brian Mullan? Eddie Gaven?

Pablo Mastroeni - 6: A solid performance from Pablo, but he didn't combine well with Clint Dempsey, and was often invisible in the attacking third (in his defense, that's not necessarily what Arena wanted him to do). Pablo has nothing to worry about though, as he's clearly the second-choice defensive/holding midfielder, behind John O'Brien, and with O'Brien's health always a question mark, Mastroeni will be an essential part of the United States' World Cup run.

Clint Dempsey - 5: Clint still hasn't found his place with the U.S. squad, and he probably won't this cycle. That's a shame, because Clint is a very talented player with a keen nose for goal. But he does not fit in with Bruce Arena's idea of a central midfielder, he isn't great on the wings, and he's not quite a forward. If the U.S. used a 4-3-3, with Clint as a withdrawn forward, he might actually find a spot, but unfortunately for him, that isn't going to happen. Time to move on until the next cycle.

Bobby Convey - 7: A fine game again for Bobby, but it's obvious he plays at his best with the U.S. "A" team talent. He wasn't able to put the ball in and make a run, and he just didn't seem to gel right with his teammates. However, he's obviously a much-improved player, and has become a force on set pieces. With Lewis moving to left back, Bobby's probably secured his ticket to Germany as DaMarcus Beasley's back-up.

Taylor Twellman - 5: Sorry Taylor, you worked hard, but you didn't finish and that's all we needed you to do. I'm certain that Taylor will get one more look (at least) from Arena, but last night's performance was a bad omen, and no doubt had Arena wishing for the good health and quick return of Brian Ching.

Jeff Cuningham - 5: Jeff is not a player suited for long ball, which was what the United States was playing for long stretches of the first half last night. He was subbed out before he was given a chance to latch onto a through ball. His one chance on goal was deflected off of his teammate, perhaps a sign of things to come, and indicative of Jeff's career with the Nats.

Subs:

Eddie Johnson - 6: Eddie did some very nice things on the ball, worked hard, and showed flashes of the pre-injury Eddie. However, he needed to bury that header, and he tried to get cute. It was great seeing him back with the Nats though.

Landon Donovan - 6: Landon helped the U.S. play more possession-oriented soccer, and put in some nice through (as opposed to long) balls. I would have liked to see what he could have done with Cunningham on the field, but Bruce thought differently.

Steve Ralston - N/A

Oh Shit! England Loses; World Ends.

If you're an England fan, please excuse the following: Thank God England finally lost. I don't know how much longer I could put up with smug arrogance from English fans. Whether it was bemoaning the FIFA World Rankings, belittling CONCACAF (at least we don't lose to the teams we have to beat), or just plain old talkin' smack, I put up with it all, and with surprising restraint. No more. Please excuse me while I have a laugh at England's expense before I post some hillarious nuggets from the BBC boards:

"He is only in the job to line his own pocket and ruin another great nations football team. Catch the first plane from belfast sven, dont stop at england just carry on to sweden. AND DONT COME BACK!"

"FIRE HIM [Sven].........out of a cannon into the sun!"

"iv [sic] always been fairly tollerent [sic] of sven, but i agree SVEN OUT why on earth bring on a defensive midfeilder when 1-0 down with 10 minutes to go what a a**hole"

"Rooney is a disgrace."

"For the first time EVER, I was embarresed to be English. Sack Sven."

"I'm not saying Sven was without blame, but the real reason Enlgand lost tonight and also, why they fare so poorly in International competition is that they simply do not care. Englands players are no longer proud to be representing their conutry, they take their ineternational status as a given. A bunch of blokes from the local park could have played better today because they would give their all for thier country, as Northern Ireland did. Their lack of patriotism was shown by the fact that maybe six players were half-heartedly singing the national anthem, if they cared about their country, they would have been singing at the top of their voices."

"IKEA England, woeful against Wales and Worse against Northern Ireland 116th in the world rankings."

"Ah at least it will give 'The Sun' something to write about."

"why are we so shite??"

"5 points behind Poland with 2 games left for Us, Poland must be pissing their pants with laughter"

"England can be as good as Brazil!! What is Sven smoking?????? He really needs to go to Specsavers"

Carry on mates.

Qualifiers Pt. II

Tonight, the United States faces Guatemala (in Guatemala) in the first of three remaining World Cup Qualifiers (ESPN2 10 pm EST). Having already qualified, the United States will be sending several uncapped or inexperienced players. Here is the roster for tonight's game:

Goalkeepers (2) – Marcus Hahnemann (Reading FC), Matt Reis (New England Revolution)

Defenders (6) – Chris Albright (Los Angeles Galaxy), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Nick Garcia (Kansas City Wizards), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Greg Vanney (FC Dallas)

Midfielders (6) – Chris Armas (Chicago Fire), Bobby Convey (Reading FC), Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Santino Quaranta (D.C. United), Steve Ralston (New England Revolution)

Forwards (4) – Jeff Cunningham (Colorado Rapids), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (FC Dallas), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)

I have no idea who Bruce Arena will start, but I'm willing to guess it might look something like this:

Goalkeeper: Marcus Hahnemann
Defenders: Chris Albright, Jimmy Conrad, Chad Marshall (Greg Vanney?), Frankie Hedjuk
Midfielders: Santino Quaranto, Pablo Mastroeni, Landon Donovan, Bobby Convey
Forwards: Taylor Twellman, Eddie Johnson

This is going to be a very difficult match for the United States. Historically, their record in Guatemala is not sensational, Guatemala has everything to play for, and of course, this is not a first team squad. That said, I also don't think the U.S. will lose this match, a tie seems the most likely outcome.

Some soccer articles:

Nice Galarcep article on the importance of Claudio Reyna

The New York Times sheds some light on that disastrous Uzbekistan - Bahrain qualifier

Galarcep again, this time on the Guatemala match

"I didn't think he'd cry as much as he did today"

On Saturday night, the United States defeated Mexico 2-0 and consequently qualified for its fifth straight World Cup. United States defender Oguchi Onyewu (pictured above) had this to say about Mexican forward Jared Borgetti (also pictured):

"I didn't think he'd cry as much as he did today. I think he cussed me out a couple times in Spanish, but whatever. You just laugh at that. When you're up, 2-0, it can't really hurt you."

Player ratings:

Kasey Keller - 7: Keller made the few saves that he needed to, but other than one quality chance near the end of the first half of play, Mexico never really troubled Kasey in goal.

Frankie Hedjuk - 5: Frankie defended well and as always, he left everything he had on the field. However, he was very fortunate not to get a yellow card, and was caught too far forward on a few occasions, leaving the already weakened right side exposed. But he continues to demonstrate why he's an Arena favorite and why he'll likely be Cherundolo's back-up in Germany, workrate and heart.

Greg Berhalter - 6: Greg played solid, if not unspectacular, defense on Saturday. His solid play of late might mean that he's at most the fourth choice center back behind Gibbs, Onyewu, and Bocanegra.

Oguchi Onyewu - 9 (MOTM): Onyewu learned from the mistakes he made against Mexico in Azteca. Never intimidated, he used his size and strength to his advantage, completely marking Jared Borgetti out of the game. While he had a few suspect back-passes early on, his defense was consistent throughout, and it was his initial header that led to Steve Ralston's goal, the first of the game.

Eddie Lewis - 7: Eddie looked comfortable out on the left, and played a beautiful ball into the box on the first goal. He was good on set pieces, defended well, made smart forays into the offensive third, and combined very well with DaMarcus Beasley. Bruce is looking like a genius now with this move.

Steve Ralston - 5: Yes, Ralston scored the United States' first goal, but any U.S. player not named Jimmy Conrad (sorry Jimmy, loved your celebration outfit post-game) scores that goal. He played decent defense, but he contributed little or nothing offensively. Hopefully, Bruce will use the next few qualifiers to bleed in Santino Quaranta, and perhaps call-ups for Brian Mullan, Chris Klein (again), and Eddie Gaven are in order. This team needs speed and youth on the wings.

Claudio Reyna - 7: Even after the unjustified yellow card, Claudio never stopped playing his game. He controlled central midfield, playing intelligent balls forward and controlling the run of play. It's no coincidence that Mexico could do nothing in the center of the pitch. A great game for Claudio, who should probably get a rest now that we've wrapped up qualification.

Chris Armas - 5: Chris Armas probably gets something of an unfair rap. Too many people expect Chris to play a Reyna-like game. He doesn't. His job is to disrupt central midfield, win balls, and shadow players. He did a decent job of that Saturday night, but where Armas fails is offensively. His passing is suspect and he has a bad tendency to play the ball back. I'll give him some credit for our defensive success Saturday, but our offense suffered as a consequence of his inclusion in the starting eleven.

DaMarcus Beasley - 8: Ah, DaMarcus. He used his speed to his advantage, took defenders on the dribble, and finished one hell of a shot. Sure, he should have buried that chip late in the game, but DaMarcus was the main reason for our success. He drew yellow cards (how does he survive all those hits?), drew fouls in dangerous areas, and was integral to the U.S. attack. If it weren't for Gooch's monster game, Beasley would have easily been MOTM.

Landon Donovan - 5: A very poor outing from the U.S. player that talked the most pre-game smack. Perhaps he should have realized that there's a reason why no other U.S. player said anything bad about Mexico before the game. You know what they say, "If you can't walk the walk..." He needed to finish that one v. one with Oswaldo Sanchez. The relief was visible on his face when Beasley scored that second goal, but Landon didn't finish his one big chance of the game, and on other days it might've cost us.

Brian McBride - 6: A quiet game from Brian, but he won the aerial challenges that he needed to, and worked hard the entire game. It also wasn't as though Landon was giving him a lot of help. I'm sure he wants Eddie Johnson back just as much as we do.

MLS Power Rankings:

1. San Jose Earthquakes: A huge road win over Dallas means that San Jose currently has an eleven point lead over the Hoops in the West and a twelve point lead over the Galaxy. Oh yeah, and they beat Dallas without Dwayne DeRosario, and who was that who came in as a second-half substitute? Oh, Brian Ching? Scary.

2. New England Revolution: Not nearly as convincing a win as San Jose's, but New England always finds a way to win. Once Ricardo Phillips joins the team, as well as the return of players like Twellman and Ralston, this team should really start to pick up steam heading into the offseason.

3. Kansas City Wizards: One measley point against the Metrostars, but they did it without a plethora of their starters including Gutierrez, Conrad, and Sealy. That's a big road point, not only making it that much harder for the Metrostars to qualify for the playoffs, but keeping them in the hunt for second place in the East.

4. D.C. United: Another tought loss against a Colorado team that was missing it's top goal-scorer and a key defensive player. Perhaps that champion talk was a bit premature now, eh?

5. Chicago Fire: Did you see Justin Mapp's slalom run through the Galaxy defense? How can one player be so great one minute and so pedestrian the next? Either way, it was a huge road win for the Fire, who were starting to fade out of the playoff picture in the East. All of a suddent they're tied on points for second place and are coming off of a road victory.

6. Colorado Rapids: Another big win, this time against United. Slowly, Colorado has been creeping its way up in the West. They're now only four points out of third place.

7. Columbus Crew: The Crew just keep winning and are refusing to die quietly. I was shocked to see that they completely dominated Chivas. Goalkeeper Johnny Walker has been putting in great performances and the team is finally starting to play together. Perhaps they're not dead after all.

8. Metrostars: Still in the playoff hunt in the East, but they're fading fast. They can't afford to be losing two points at home week after week. "Mother of mercy, is this the end of Bob Bradley?"

9. FC Dallas: No wins at Pizza Hut Park. Ray Hudson said it best, "They may be in Pizza Hut Park, but right now this team is dominoes, falling dominoes." Except for Ronnie O'Brien, and perhaps Eddie Johnson (in flashes), this team looked weak, tired, and totally un-inspired.

10. LA Galaxy: Now they're dropping points at home. If it wasn't embarrasing enough that Justin Mapp made everyone in the LA defense look like David Stokes, he did it in stoppage time, in LA, for a team that hadn't exactly been playing good ball of late. Help us Landon Donovan, you're our only hope.

11. Real Salt Lake: Played tough against New England, but Khano Smith (!) made the Real Salt Lake defense look pititful again. Gustavo Cabrera can't join this team soon enough.

12. CD Chivas USA: Ugh. 3-0 loss at home against the Crew. Next week's assignment is at San Jose. Double ugh. Everyone behind Paco Palecia and Juan Pablo Garcia is terrible. You can have the two greatest strikers in the world, but it won't do you any good if there's no one who can get them the ball.

Oh Shit, I Almost Forgot...

...that there are six MLS matches this weekend, because we're Americans dammit, and we'll play through our World Cup Qualifiers and we don't care what the rest of the world does.

That said, I forgot to make my weekend predictions, so I'll make this quick:

Metrostars v. Wizards: This is a must-win game for the Metrostars but I don't know if their defense will hold up against (gasp!) Kansas City's resurgent offense. If we see a stinker from Kansas City like last Friday's tilt with Columbus, then Kansas City will lose. I see the best (worst?) of both worlds. Prediction - Metrostars 2:2 Kansas City

Dallas v. San Jose: Dallas has been looking worse and worse, but Richard Mulrooney's optimism should give the team hope, as should the long-awaited arrival of Mark Wilson. But, in the absence of Ruiz and Johnson, I don't see how Dallas has the fire power to beat San Jose, even a San Jose squad sans Dwayne DeRosario. Prediction - FC Dallas 1:2 Earthquakes

Colorado v. D.C.: D.C. probably hopes it got out of its recent funk after absolutely crushing Real Salt Lake on Wednesday 5-1. Of course, probably three of their goals (or more) were the consequence of completely inept defending, something that won't happen against Colorado. However, Colorado will be lacking the firepower of Jeff Cunningham and that could have serious ramifications for the outcome. Prediction - Rapids 1:2 United

Salt Lake v. New England: Salt Lake hopefully worked on its offside trap this weekend (among other things), but it'll take everything they've got to get a win against New England, with or without Ralston and Twellman. New England will still have Dempsey, Joseph, and Noonan, all three are equally as dangerous as the two aforementioned players. It might be a long weekend for Ellinger's boys. Prediction - Real 0:2 New England

CD Chivas USA v. Columbus: Columbus may be playing better ball of late, defeating Dallas and Kansas City in successive weeks, but Chivas is playing at home in front of what looks to be a big, raucus crowd. This is not to mention that Chivas hasn't been looking too shabby lately either (although their defense is still the pits). Prediction - Chivas 2:1 Columbus

Los Angeles v. Chicago: Phew! Justin Mapp was released by Bruce Arena to play in the Fire's critical road match this weekend. Unfortunately for the Galaxy, Arena didn't release Landon Donovan. If last weekend proved anything it's that Landon is indispensable to the Galaxy (even if he's only active for half the game). But Chicago's looked like crap lately so who knows? Prediction - Galaxy 1:1 Fire

Last week: 2-2 (almost 3-1, with the scores right too, were it not for Taylor Twellman!)
On the season: 5-4

"They are jealous of us, because we have a life and they have nothing."

Landon Donovan lays the smackdown on El Tri (in Spanish). Whether this is true or not is anybody's guess, but if it is, bravo Landon! Here are some gems (translated courtesy of Nutmeg on Bigsoccer):

(About pissing on the Jalisco field): "I have no regrets, and I am not sorry. You gotta do what you gotta do, and in that moment that's what I did."

"I don't like how they treat us, how they conduct themselves with us. They intend to humiliate us, and want to do so at whatever cost. But the people who will be doing the humiliating is us, and in the most painful way of being humiliated, inside the field, winning the game and beating them."

"They want to make us feel miserable, and we'll make them miserable by beating them in this game."

"We want to qualify for the World Cup, which is the most important thing, but if you were to ask me right now what I would value most, what do we most want, what we would enjoy more: beating Mexico or winning the right to go to the World Cup, I'll tell you. Beating Mexico."

"Outside of Mexico, in any other stadium, in any other city, in any other country, we are always going to beat Mexico, because we're the better team."

"They are jealous of us, the Mexican players, because we've got a life and they have nothing. Because of that they despise us. Because of that they want to show us no respect."

Wow. Just wow. Only one day away.

Here's an article (registration required) criticizing the U.S. for playing in Columbus to avoid a partisan Mexican crowd. Here's a quote:

"Critics in the Hispanic community, however, say U.S. Soccer's strategy of playing World Cup qualifiers primarily in minor-league markets in hopes of avoiding Hispanic fans passionately supporting U.S. opponents is short-sighted and exclusionary.

'To exclude a group because of a fear you're not going to win is ridiculous,' said Jose Alamillo, a professor of comparative ethic studies at Washington State University."

Uh...whatever. And here's a nice counterpoint article to the one above.

Finally, if you're a US Men's National Team fan and want to read something highly amusing, check out this thread on Bigsoccer. Page 2 is probably my favorite, but that's comedy gold right there.

Bombs Away!

In MLS action last night, Real Salt Lake was absolutely annihilated by D.C. United, 5-1. The scoreline isn't quite an accurate reflection of the game, but it is an accurate reflection of Salt Lake's defensive woes. If you take a look at the highlights, you'll notice that Salt Lake does not have a cohesive defensive unit (the Adu and Walker goals were appalling defensively), and were it not for some heroics by Eddie Pope, this game could have easily been 7-1 (although, it must be said that were it not for Pope's inability to miss a sitter early on, it might've been a completely different game).

Salt Lake's problems though, aren't as deep as many may think, and there is some silver lining to all of this (although coach John Ellinger might not think so right now, just look at his reaction after Kenny Cutler was sent off last night). First, if Gustavo Cabrera is a first-rate central defender, as Ellinger seems to think he is, it'll help considerably. However, it would be more helpful if Cabrera is a vocal organizer. I don't know if he speaks any English, but he needs to be a vocal leader, because teams that rely on Eddie Pope to do that have found out the hard way that that's not Eddie's strong suit (see, Metrostars). Second, this team needs a destroyer in central midfield. As of now, the team seems to be playing around their central midfield, but they should be maximizing Clint Mathis' touches. Instead, they're losing balls all over the midfield. Besagno, Salt Lake's first-round draft pick, is supposed to be this player, but he's still too young and too raw. Perhaps a trade for a Mastroeni or Armas is in order (next year)?

A line-up featuring a destroyer and a vocal central defender (assuming that that player is Cabrera), could be far more effective. Melvin Tarley proved last night that he's a great addition, and Real Salt Lake should make sure that his move becomes permanent at the end of the season. They might also want to look for a quality right back. Here's what their line-up would look like:

Goalkeeper: D.J. Countess
Right Back: New addition
Central Defenders: Gustavo Cabrera, Eddie Pope
Left Back: Paul Broome
Destroyer: New addition (Besagno?)
Attacking Midfielder: Clint Mathis
Right Midfielder: Andy Williams
Left Midfielder: Robert Scarlett
Forwards: Jason Kreis, Melvin Tarley

That could actually be an effective line-up with only two new additions. I don't suspect that Real Salt Lake will be highly competitive next year (not as much as Chivas will be anyway), but in two years, with the right additions next season and the year after, they could be a very potent line-up. Ellinger may have actually put this team on the right track, despite all the signs to the contrary now.

With the Salt Lake loss last night, the San Jose Earthquakes became the first team in MLS to clinch a berth in the MLS Cup playoffs.

Bruce Arena delivers a message to the Euro-Snob US Men's National Team fans: It's time to "put up or shut up". Either support MLS and the US Men's National Team or don't support either, because, according to Arena, the two are intricately linked together. From the article:

"I think it's critical. If we want this sport to grow, if we want to truly position ourselves to one day win a World Cup, we need support from the people that follow soccer in the United States.''

Right on.

It's also nice to see that Eddie Johnson's ready to get back into action, even if he hasn't looked all that great with Dallas lately, he's critical to our success, not only on Saturday, but in the 2006 World Cup as well.