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.

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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).

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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.