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MLS Week 27: Reaching into My Bag of Cliches (+ CCL Update)
Just imagine me turning to my imaginary play-by-play guy for the length of this intro….it just sounds so very canned. Ahem…
For me, this week all comes down to the impact individual players can have on a game. Think Brad Davis’ consummate offensive contribution in Houston’s win, or his failure to deliver on Houston’s set-piece opportunities during a mid-week trip to Pachuca; think David Beckham scoring (the winner, before spurning a shot at a brace) and atoning (for his sojourn and ultimate removal abroad with game-winning pressure); think Kyle Beckerman leading RSL’s attack…while Jamison Olave bone-headedly hamstrings their defense…again; finally, spare a deeper thought for Jimmy Conrad’s “Day in the Life” performance in KC’s narrow home win over Dallas: all the above takes on big meaning as we get closer to the playoffs. We’re talking about key players leading their teams; we’re talking about stars deciding whether an up-and-down season will end on an up or a down; we’re talking ‘bout wife-swappin’! (See Raising Arizona, if you haven't.) Ahem.
In other news, MLS may have endured an all-road-game week in the CONCACAF Champions’ League (CCL), but they enjoyed some success in it. So, Houston lost to Pachuca; that’s the norm and it’d be stupid to expect a deviation. Both DC United and Columbus snatched wins from sultry lands, however, making this something like a week to celebrate – that applies especially to Columbus’ win, one that makes them, apparently, the first MLS team ever to win at Saprissa…which I thought was in San Jose, Costa Rica. They topped weaker teams, you say? And, as CONCACAF’s own homepage declares, it’s Mexico again rising to the top? The last is probably true, but the important thing is to get to the quarterfinals where you can play one Mexican team at a time and hope to baffle ‘em with bullshit, where you can’t dazzle ‘em with brilliance…shoot…another cliché. Anyway, here are the standings for the CCL, a list of results from the same, and a link to a page of video highlights that (I have not watched and that) focus, obsessively, on goals scored…and nothing else. For what it’s worth, I think we’ll get a couple teams through…but I’ll elaborate on that below, after kicking around the games played this week.
Right. Highlight reviews ahoy.
Red Bull 1-1 New England
For Red Bull: Again, doesn’t matter; smothered with a pillow on this site in the previous week's post.
For NE: Then again, ask New England if Red Bull matters. These were points they needed and, with two of them gone, points lost. The next team to get dropped…provided results don’t pick up.
About the Game/Highlights
Sainey Nyassi should be writing hate-mail to the defenders behind him: even in a highlight reel I saw them stretched out of position several times – and this is by New York – and struggling with that most fundamental of defensive skills, e.g. clearing the ball. Credit to New York, though, they came perilously close to punishing that sloppy crap one more time than they did, and more than once at that; to single out someone I kept seeing, Mamadou Khandji may not be the best attacking player in MLS, but he’s a genuine pain-in-the-ass…a man can aspire to less. Getting back to New England, look, Matt Reis can only do so much; that defending – including the ball that skipped to Dane Richards under a New England defender’s twinkling toes – will just kill them.
San Jose 1-1 Colorado
For SJ: The pride you’re playing can’t possibly be satisfied by that.
For the Rapids: Pretty sure the doctor ordered something else.
About the Game/Highlights
Cath all the details (or vague thoughts) here.
Seattle 0-0 Chivas
For SFC: Mime's a-wasting (have you seen Shakes the Clown? Go...now.)
For Chivas: In absolute terms, one can have worse days at the office.
About the Game/Highlights
Obsession over things that might not concern you, here.
KC 3-2 FC Dallas
For KC: Necessary….and not like the necessary I kicked around last week for TFC and Chivas. We’re talking vital from every perspective if they wish to have the longest of shots at the playoffs.
For Dallas: Say, is that your funeral dirge they’re playing?
About the Game/Highlights
Those who read the intro may be wondering, what is a “’day in the life’ performance”? It’s one of those days that captures the totality of existence, a day when you get the good, you get the bad, you get them all and there you have….well, a day that starts really horribly – say, you get fired – and ends pretty well – say, your wife not only informs you she’s the vice-president of…ah, who-cares-you-don’t-have-to-work-ever-again, um, inc. and then you have sex. That, in a nutshell, was Jimmy Conrad’s day in KC. Two south-of-horrific blunders by Conrad? Two easy(-ish) goals for Dallas…should give Dax McCarty some credit for his. Then Conrad makes up by scoring the ugliest winner since…since, well, Disney’s Quasimodo. Or Napoleon Dynamite. In all seriousness, big, big win for KC – and credit Claudio Lopez for so much of the quality that made it happen. He might not be the best DP the league has ever known, but he’s one of the more committed. And who’s that Zoltan guy? (Oh…so here and here.) ‘Cause he did something nice, too.
Houston 3-2 RSL
For Houston: Color me impressed.
For RSL: Valiant, if expected….yet somehow very troubling…what with all the Colombian-inspired sabotage…
About the Game/Highlights
Soft, soft set-piece goals RSL; I want my promise ring back. OK, no, there’s nothing Nick Rimando could have done about Brad Davis’ winner, but Kyle Beckerman did all he could and, more to the point, one can see what Nick Rimando can do when given the chance.(psst...the answer is plenty...count your blessings RSL fans). And just consider, briefly, the intricate tidiness (or is it tidy intricacy?) of RSL’s first goal; that was Pablo Campos – the San Jose cast-away – who made the opening touch…..and then came Jamison Olave. OK, how many red cards does this guy have in ’09? Says three here, but I have to wonder if that’s current. The point is, the man is damaging his team to the point where one has to ask if he isn’t asking to leave…though maybe it’s sub-conscious...I’m just sayin’. And look at Jason Kreis’ face, the thorough ambivalence; makes one feel for the man’s situation. Very fascinating game, though, only wish it had come earlier in the year for RSL. They’re still in it, and Movsisyan’s at-the-moment equalizer made it hard to declare them out of contention, but the 8-man Jacuzzi is quickly filling up with better-connected reservations….
LA Galaxy 2-0 Toronto
For LA: Did what they had to….and LA should feel a little warmer toward Beckham...c'mon, a little?
For TFC: Perhaps an inkling of having been cheated?
About the Game/Highlights
Full credit to LA for the win and a couple pretty spiffy goals…not to mention another that Beckham probably should have put away, but the man’s miss goes to prove that one can be dead-sexy and mortal and fallible all at once. All the same, TFC has to hate this loss: they pinged the ball off cross-bar, Donovan RIckett’s unwitting foot; Ali Gerba’s missed shot hurt in particular. But their defense remains TFC’s undoing: Landon Donovan could very well have got that penalty kick and on the play on which David Beckham pressed free the ball (and with enough hustle to show he’s aware of having to win people over), TFC’s penchant for getting exposed jumped back into the frame. It’s one of those cases of a team who lives and dies by their offense. As much as I admire Toronto for trying that (even if unconsciously) it’s just so much easier to live by your defense. Whoops. Almost forgot to mention, that was a nifty second for LA, the way it worked across for Buddle to knock home. One last thing: Beckham seems less socially comfortable around his teammates this year; just something forced about the body language. That’s not so much surprising, as it seems
Chicago 2-2 Columbus
For Chicago: There’s what you want and what you get…and ne’er the twain shall meet.
For Columbus: Just short of the statement, “the road to MLS Cup goes through Columbus.”
About the Game/Highlights
And it’s only Chicago’s home form that keeps me from amending the Crew’s entry. From Chicago’s side, how do you not like seeing Peter “Tin-Tin” Lowry score a brace against the biggest, baddest team in MLS? Then again, the same side can’t feel so good about a win slipping to a draw…which is a loss in terms of two points gone. On a related point, say what you will about Columbus’ soft-ish defending just inside the area, but consider the game paired Andy Iro and Eric Brunner…and consider you can do worse for a next generation of players. And what a….weird comeback: Guillermo Barros Schelotto, one of the, ahem, shorter players on the field scoring with his head from….well, a dwarfish distance from goal; and then he wraps the (‘68) come-back with a PK that recalled Conor Casey’s shot against San Jose. And don’t even ask me what I think of the call on the PK because I’m still not sure what happened and that’s after three viewings. Hmm…given relative position – e.g. both teams remain safe atop the Eastern Conference, this one feels like a game in which the what mattered more than the how.
The Season’s End Countdown
I’ve knocked off another team. Dallas has been impressive lately….but it’s only lately and, now, it’s too lately. No, they’re not mathematically out, but they’re nine points OUT of the last playoff spot (e.g. they have 27 points and DC gets the last playoff spot on 36 points) and expecting this team to get more than nine points – I mean, it’s not like everyone else is going to stand pat (or is it?) – seems a tall one. That makes for (or rather should) twelve teams to track this week. The format, and song, remains the same.
Chicago Fire (4 games left)
v. Toronto FC (9/26)
@ LA Galaxy (10/2)
@ NE Revs (10/17)
v. Chivas USA
Current Record/Points: 10-6-10 (W-L-T), 40 points (+5 goal differential)
Comments
They still seem secure for the playoffs, but the same…questions have dogged this team all season. In the grand scheme, they have a goals for that’s too low and a goals against that’s too high…though only just in both cases. It’s enough going both ways, however, that league-elite status feels just a tip of the toe away….and, again, we’re talking about trying to ride into town on the back of a Peter “Who?” Lowry brace. And there’s that thing about letting Schelotto loose inside the 18: I think both incidents dance around the question of what’s wrong with Chicago – e.g. not a whole lot, but just enough.
Chivas USA (6 games)
v. Red Bull NY (9/26)
@ DC (10/3)
v. KC Wizards (10/10)
v. SJ Earthquakes (10/17)
@ Chicago Fire (10/22)
v. Houston Dynamo (10/25)
Current Record/Points: 11-9-4, 37 points (+1)
Comments
Steady state works for this bunch. A draw on the road to Seattle, especially playing 20 minutes a man down, says a lot about this team’s ability to hang on. Thrive? Well, that’ s a different equation. I think Chivas’ issues on offense may be defining, as noted in my post on the game against Seattle, but they look as likely to make the playoffs as any team out there. Seriously, look at that schedule – who they play and where – and tell me they’re more likely than anyone to miss.
Colorado Rapids (5 games)
v. SJ Earthquakes (9/23)
@ KC Wizards (9/26)
v. NE Revolution (10/3)
@ FC Dallas (10/17)
@ RSL (10/24)
Current Record/Points: 10-8-7, 37 points (+8)
Comments
When you’re scrapping for points, they typically come easier in San Jose than in most road venues. Do we dare call next weekend’s return visit by San Jose must-win? Comes pretty close. Most teams would like the look of Colorado’s three remaining road games, but Colorado is worse than most on their travels….as last weekend went some distance to demonstrating. I’d say we’ll have a pretty good bead on these guys by the end of next weekend; anything less than four points is probably worth noting.
Columbus Crew (8 games)
v. Cruz Azul (9/23 - CCL)
v. LA Galaxy (9/26)
v. Saprissa (9/29)
v. Seattle (10/3)
@ NE Revs(10/10)
@ DC United (10/17)
@ PR Islanders (10/20)
v. NE Revs (10/25)
Current Record/Points: 11-4-10, 43 points (+10)
Comments
When you’re knee-deep in mule-whipping season – e.g. playing an oddly heavy late MLS regular season plus the CCL – some results impress more than others. That’s the thing with the Crew: they just survived a week in which two losses would have been more or less acceptable, depending on how it happened. As it happened, though, Columbus walked away with four points…and what looks like a great shot to stay alive in all competitions. Sure, hosting Cruz Azul will be a bitch; the same goes for facing the LA Galaxy, then Saprissa, then Seattle: suffice to say this club will be tested sorely through the rest of September. The first week’s results speak pretty well of their chances, though – but that game in Saprissa has me especially high on the Crew.
DC United (7 games)
v. CD Marathon (9/24 - CCL)
v. SJ Earthquakes (9/27)
v. San Juan Jabloteh (9/30 – CCL)
v. Chivas USA (10/3…first time the distinction felt truly necessary)
v. Columbus (10/17)
@ Toluca (10/20)
@ KC Wizards (10/24)
Current Record/Points: 8-6-12, 36 points (+1)
Comments
Had the week off, but that win against San Juan Jabloteh, along with said week off, puts them in as favorable a position to make the playoffs at least….I’m less sure about them making the quarters of the CCL.
Houston Dynamo (7 games)
v. Arabe Unido (9/22 – CCL)
v. Pachuca (9/30 - CCL)
v. KC Wizards (10/4)
v. Monterrey (10/11….um, charity game, apparently)
v. LA Galaxy (10/18)
@ Isidro Metapan (10/21 – CCL)
@ Chivas USA (10/25)
Current Record/Points: 12-8-7, 43 points (+9)
Comments
One could count this a break-even week for Houston, but I think they did better than thought. Even in the loss to Pachuca, they showed as a pack of able and ruthlessly-organized men. The win over RSL might not have come in the manner they wanted, but they won a crucial game in the middle of their late-season death-march – a detail that counts as much as anything. I feel almost silly writing this, but Houston is for real this year. And, as predicted at the start (ugh…arm sprain! Patting….self..on back…too hard) Brad Davis has been pivotal, essential even.
KC Wizards (5 games)
v. Colorado (9/26)
@ Houston (10/4)
@ Chivas (10/10)
v. Seattle (10/17)
v. DC United (10/24)
Current Record/Points: 8-11-6, 30 points (-6)
Comments
Just when you think you can write them off, they do – literally – just enough to make it impossible to do so. The word “must-win” gets thrown around a little casually, but when the word applies and has meaning when you’re on the wrong side of the playoff glass ceiling this late in the season. Only must-wins exist for KC now and they picked up their first one…sad to say, October looks like the brick-wall for this club, what with the trio of defensive power-houses all in a row: either they break through it or turn to putty on the surface. There’s the goal-differential issue in the balance as well, but let’s see if they can compile the points before bothering with that junk.
LA Galaxy (4 games)
@ Columbus (9/26)
v. Chicago (10/2)
@ Houston (10/18)
v. SJ Earthquakes (10/24)
Current Record/Points: 10-5-11, 41 points (+4)
Comments
Sorry to beat a dead horse, but had you told me LA would top 40 points this season, never mind sit at #3 in the MLS standings, well, that’s a bet I would have taken with odds in your favor. That said, the soul-crushing loss to Dallas didn’t look like a total aberration, not with the way LA defended more than a couple of TFC’s attacks. With the road ahead looking something other than easier – I think 3 week of Hell more accurately describes it – LA should be thankful for the cushion they’ve built. That said, LA does have a little something this year…it’s what people used to call defense; that’s to say, sure, LA got ripped two new ones by Dallas, but they’ve done enough all year that they have a good – no, a great – foundation at the back. The playoffs seem certain this year, but they have only gaps to fill for next year.
New England Revolution (6 games)
v. Seattle (9/26)
@ Dallas (9/30)
@ Colorado (10/3)
v. Columbus (10/10)
v. Chicago (10/17)
@ Columbus (10/25)
Current Record/Points: 9-8-7, 34 points (-4)
Comments
OK, here’s the deal: New York = 3 points. If you fail to embrace this very simple equation….well, never mind. Never mind because your young defense looked the part; New York could have had a couple more and they would have….were they not New York. Suffice to say only games in hand keep this bunch alive.
Real Salt Lake (5 games)
@ Dallas (9/26)
v. Chivas de Guadalajara (10/7; fer fun)
v. Red Bull NY (10/14)
@ Toronto FC (10/17)
v. Colorado (10/24)
Current Record/Points: 9-10-7, 34 points (+7)
Comments
If there’s one team I’ll wait to write off until the mathematical death, it’s RSL…shame on me. The fact is, count the seven points between them the only thing that separates them from Dallas. More to the point, they max out at 46 points and I’m seeing at least four teams likely to top that (Houston, Columbus, LA, and Chicago) in the weeks ahead. Yes, yes, with the current bottom of the table at just 36 points, it takes only a couple results to keep them in it, but they face strong teams on the road the road ahead…and a bogey-team par excellence at home in Colorado.
Seattle Sounders FC (4 games)
@ NE Revs (9/26)
@ Columbus (10/3)
@ KC Wizards (10/17)
v. Dallas (10/24)
Current Record/Points: 9-6-11, 38 points (+7)
Comments
It wasn’t only me that made a huge deal out of Seattle v. Chivas – e.g. the winner of this would be staking a pretty big playoff claim. Neither team did, in the end, and that’s kind of the dope on Seattle…and Chivas, though the latter has the greater opportunity to get it right. Probably not a fatal result, for Seattle certainly, and it seems likely they’ll get the results they need to make the playoffs. That goes double with RSL stumbling badly as they are and having the tougher schedule to boot. Likely as Seattle is to make the playoffs, you have fans would hope for a bolder entrance.
Toronto FC (4 games)
@ Chicago (9/26)
v. SJ Earthquakes (10/10)
v. RSL (10/17)
@ Red Bull NY (10/24)
Current Record/Points: 9-10-7, 34 points (-5)
Comments
In a sign of a thaw between me and MLS’ darlings for the past couple seasons, I think Toronto has endured their years in the desert; that’s to say I’m starting to sympathize with them a little more – and that means results like the one they suffered this weekend finally feel like the hard luck they are. Had TFC scored just one of those shots between LA’s first and second, who knows how they might have fared? And how big could one point have been come mid-October? God knows they have the end-run to die for – San Jose at home? RSL at home? Red Bull…anywhere? – but this team also maxes out at 46….though I’m guessing 43 is more realistic given what’s left. That’s asking for flawless soccer, a tall order for a team with this defense.
All for this week....see you...well, sometime soon. A week at most.
Just imagine me turning to my imaginary play-by-play guy for the length of this intro….it just sounds so very canned. Ahem…For me, this week all comes down to the impact individual players can have on a game. Think Brad Davis’ consummate offensive contribution in Houston’s win, or his failure to deliver on Houston’s set-piece opportunities during a mid-week trip to Pachuca; think David Beckham scoring (the winner, before spurning a shot at a brace) and atoning (for his sojourn and ultimate removal abroad with game-winning pressure); think Kyle Beckerman leading RSL’s attack…while Jamison Olave bone-headedly hamstrings their defense…again; finally, spare a deeper thought for Jimmy Conrad’s “Day in the Life” performance in KC’s narrow home win over Dallas: all the above takes on big meaning as we get closer to the playoffs. We’re talking about key players leading their teams; we’re talking about stars deciding whether an up-and-down season will end on an up or a down; we’re talking ‘bout wife-swappin’! (See Raising Arizona, if you haven't.) Ahem.
In other news, MLS may have endured an all-road-game week in the CONCACAF Champions’ League (CCL), but they enjoyed some success in it. So, Houston lost to Pachuca; that’s the norm and it’d be stupid to expect a deviation. Both DC United and Columbus snatched wins from sultry lands, however, making this something like a week to celebrate – that applies especially to Columbus’ win, one that makes them, apparently, the first MLS team ever to win at Saprissa…which I thought was in San Jose, Costa Rica. They topped weaker teams, you say? And, as CONCACAF’s own homepage declares, it’s Mexico again rising to the top? The last is probably true, but the important thing is to get to the quarterfinals where you can play one Mexican team at a time and hope to baffle ‘em with bullshit, where you can’t dazzle ‘em with brilliance…shoot…another cliché. Anyway, here are the standings for the CCL, a list of results from the same, and a link to a page of video highlights that (I have not watched and that) focus, obsessively, on goals scored…and nothing else. For what it’s worth, I think we’ll get a couple teams through…but I’ll elaborate on that below, after kicking around the games played this week.
Right. Highlight reviews ahoy.
Red Bull 1-1 New England
For Red Bull: Again, doesn’t matter; smothered with a pillow on this site in the previous week's post.
For NE: Then again, ask New England if Red Bull matters. These were points they needed and, with two of them gone, points lost. The next team to get dropped…provided results don’t pick up.
About the Game/Highlights
Sainey Nyassi should be writing hate-mail to the defenders behind him: even in a highlight reel I saw them stretched out of position several times – and this is by New York – and struggling with that most fundamental of defensive skills, e.g. clearing the ball. Credit to New York, though, they came perilously close to punishing that sloppy crap one more time than they did, and more than once at that; to single out someone I kept seeing, Mamadou Khandji may not be the best attacking player in MLS, but he’s a genuine pain-in-the-ass…a man can aspire to less. Getting back to New England, look, Matt Reis can only do so much; that defending – including the ball that skipped to Dane Richards under a New England defender’s twinkling toes – will just kill them.
San Jose 1-1 Colorado
For SJ: The pride you’re playing can’t possibly be satisfied by that.
For the Rapids: Pretty sure the doctor ordered something else.
About the Game/Highlights
Cath all the details (or vague thoughts) here.
Seattle 0-0 Chivas
For SFC: Mime's a-wasting (have you seen Shakes the Clown? Go...now.)
For Chivas: In absolute terms, one can have worse days at the office.
About the Game/Highlights
Obsession over things that might not concern you, here.
KC 3-2 FC Dallas
For KC: Necessary….and not like the necessary I kicked around last week for TFC and Chivas. We’re talking vital from every perspective if they wish to have the longest of shots at the playoffs.
For Dallas: Say, is that your funeral dirge they’re playing?
About the Game/Highlights
Those who read the intro may be wondering, what is a “’day in the life’ performance”? It’s one of those days that captures the totality of existence, a day when you get the good, you get the bad, you get them all and there you have….well, a day that starts really horribly – say, you get fired – and ends pretty well – say, your wife not only informs you she’s the vice-president of…ah, who-cares-you-don’t-have-to-work-ever-again, um, inc. and then you have sex. That, in a nutshell, was Jimmy Conrad’s day in KC. Two south-of-horrific blunders by Conrad? Two easy(-ish) goals for Dallas…should give Dax McCarty some credit for his. Then Conrad makes up by scoring the ugliest winner since…since, well, Disney’s Quasimodo. Or Napoleon Dynamite. In all seriousness, big, big win for KC – and credit Claudio Lopez for so much of the quality that made it happen. He might not be the best DP the league has ever known, but he’s one of the more committed. And who’s that Zoltan guy? (Oh…so here and here.) ‘Cause he did something nice, too.
Houston 3-2 RSL
For Houston: Color me impressed.
For RSL: Valiant, if expected….yet somehow very troubling…what with all the Colombian-inspired sabotage…
About the Game/Highlights
Soft, soft set-piece goals RSL; I want my promise ring back. OK, no, there’s nothing Nick Rimando could have done about Brad Davis’ winner, but Kyle Beckerman did all he could and, more to the point, one can see what Nick Rimando can do when given the chance.(psst...the answer is plenty...count your blessings RSL fans). And just consider, briefly, the intricate tidiness (or is it tidy intricacy?) of RSL’s first goal; that was Pablo Campos – the San Jose cast-away – who made the opening touch…..and then came Jamison Olave. OK, how many red cards does this guy have in ’09? Says three here, but I have to wonder if that’s current. The point is, the man is damaging his team to the point where one has to ask if he isn’t asking to leave…though maybe it’s sub-conscious...I’m just sayin’. And look at Jason Kreis’ face, the thorough ambivalence; makes one feel for the man’s situation. Very fascinating game, though, only wish it had come earlier in the year for RSL. They’re still in it, and Movsisyan’s at-the-moment equalizer made it hard to declare them out of contention, but the 8-man Jacuzzi is quickly filling up with better-connected reservations….
LA Galaxy 2-0 Toronto
For LA: Did what they had to….and LA should feel a little warmer toward Beckham...c'mon, a little?
For TFC: Perhaps an inkling of having been cheated?
About the Game/Highlights
Full credit to LA for the win and a couple pretty spiffy goals…not to mention another that Beckham probably should have put away, but the man’s miss goes to prove that one can be dead-sexy and mortal and fallible all at once. All the same, TFC has to hate this loss: they pinged the ball off cross-bar, Donovan RIckett’s unwitting foot; Ali Gerba’s missed shot hurt in particular. But their defense remains TFC’s undoing: Landon Donovan could very well have got that penalty kick and on the play on which David Beckham pressed free the ball (and with enough hustle to show he’s aware of having to win people over), TFC’s penchant for getting exposed jumped back into the frame. It’s one of those cases of a team who lives and dies by their offense. As much as I admire Toronto for trying that (even if unconsciously) it’s just so much easier to live by your defense. Whoops. Almost forgot to mention, that was a nifty second for LA, the way it worked across for Buddle to knock home. One last thing: Beckham seems less socially comfortable around his teammates this year; just something forced about the body language. That’s not so much surprising, as it seems
Chicago 2-2 Columbus
For Chicago: There’s what you want and what you get…and ne’er the twain shall meet.
For Columbus: Just short of the statement, “the road to MLS Cup goes through Columbus.”
About the Game/Highlights
And it’s only Chicago’s home form that keeps me from amending the Crew’s entry. From Chicago’s side, how do you not like seeing Peter “Tin-Tin” Lowry score a brace against the biggest, baddest team in MLS? Then again, the same side can’t feel so good about a win slipping to a draw…which is a loss in terms of two points gone. On a related point, say what you will about Columbus’ soft-ish defending just inside the area, but consider the game paired Andy Iro and Eric Brunner…and consider you can do worse for a next generation of players. And what a….weird comeback: Guillermo Barros Schelotto, one of the, ahem, shorter players on the field scoring with his head from….well, a dwarfish distance from goal; and then he wraps the (‘68) come-back with a PK that recalled Conor Casey’s shot against San Jose. And don’t even ask me what I think of the call on the PK because I’m still not sure what happened and that’s after three viewings. Hmm…given relative position – e.g. both teams remain safe atop the Eastern Conference, this one feels like a game in which the what mattered more than the how.
The Season’s End Countdown
I’ve knocked off another team. Dallas has been impressive lately….but it’s only lately and, now, it’s too lately. No, they’re not mathematically out, but they’re nine points OUT of the last playoff spot (e.g. they have 27 points and DC gets the last playoff spot on 36 points) and expecting this team to get more than nine points – I mean, it’s not like everyone else is going to stand pat (or is it?) – seems a tall one. That makes for (or rather should) twelve teams to track this week. The format, and song, remains the same.
Chicago Fire (4 games left)
v. Toronto FC (9/26)
@ LA Galaxy (10/2)
@ NE Revs (10/17)
v. Chivas USA
Current Record/Points: 10-6-10 (W-L-T), 40 points (+5 goal differential)
Comments
They still seem secure for the playoffs, but the same…questions have dogged this team all season. In the grand scheme, they have a goals for that’s too low and a goals against that’s too high…though only just in both cases. It’s enough going both ways, however, that league-elite status feels just a tip of the toe away….and, again, we’re talking about trying to ride into town on the back of a Peter “Who?” Lowry brace. And there’s that thing about letting Schelotto loose inside the 18: I think both incidents dance around the question of what’s wrong with Chicago – e.g. not a whole lot, but just enough.
Chivas USA (6 games)
v. Red Bull NY (9/26)
@ DC (10/3)
v. KC Wizards (10/10)
v. SJ Earthquakes (10/17)
@ Chicago Fire (10/22)
v. Houston Dynamo (10/25)
Current Record/Points: 11-9-4, 37 points (+1)
Comments
Steady state works for this bunch. A draw on the road to Seattle, especially playing 20 minutes a man down, says a lot about this team’s ability to hang on. Thrive? Well, that’ s a different equation. I think Chivas’ issues on offense may be defining, as noted in my post on the game against Seattle, but they look as likely to make the playoffs as any team out there. Seriously, look at that schedule – who they play and where – and tell me they’re more likely than anyone to miss.
Colorado Rapids (5 games)
v. SJ Earthquakes (9/23)
@ KC Wizards (9/26)
v. NE Revolution (10/3)
@ FC Dallas (10/17)
@ RSL (10/24)
Current Record/Points: 10-8-7, 37 points (+8)
Comments
When you’re scrapping for points, they typically come easier in San Jose than in most road venues. Do we dare call next weekend’s return visit by San Jose must-win? Comes pretty close. Most teams would like the look of Colorado’s three remaining road games, but Colorado is worse than most on their travels….as last weekend went some distance to demonstrating. I’d say we’ll have a pretty good bead on these guys by the end of next weekend; anything less than four points is probably worth noting.
Columbus Crew (8 games)
v. Cruz Azul (9/23 - CCL)
v. LA Galaxy (9/26)
v. Saprissa (9/29)
v. Seattle (10/3)
@ NE Revs(10/10)
@ DC United (10/17)
@ PR Islanders (10/20)
v. NE Revs (10/25)
Current Record/Points: 11-4-10, 43 points (+10)
Comments
When you’re knee-deep in mule-whipping season – e.g. playing an oddly heavy late MLS regular season plus the CCL – some results impress more than others. That’s the thing with the Crew: they just survived a week in which two losses would have been more or less acceptable, depending on how it happened. As it happened, though, Columbus walked away with four points…and what looks like a great shot to stay alive in all competitions. Sure, hosting Cruz Azul will be a bitch; the same goes for facing the LA Galaxy, then Saprissa, then Seattle: suffice to say this club will be tested sorely through the rest of September. The first week’s results speak pretty well of their chances, though – but that game in Saprissa has me especially high on the Crew.
DC United (7 games)
v. CD Marathon (9/24 - CCL)
v. SJ Earthquakes (9/27)
v. San Juan Jabloteh (9/30 – CCL)
v. Chivas USA (10/3…first time the distinction felt truly necessary)
v. Columbus (10/17)
@ Toluca (10/20)
@ KC Wizards (10/24)
Current Record/Points: 8-6-12, 36 points (+1)
Comments
Had the week off, but that win against San Juan Jabloteh, along with said week off, puts them in as favorable a position to make the playoffs at least….I’m less sure about them making the quarters of the CCL.
Houston Dynamo (7 games)
v. Arabe Unido (9/22 – CCL)
v. Pachuca (9/30 - CCL)
v. KC Wizards (10/4)
v. Monterrey (10/11….um, charity game, apparently)
v. LA Galaxy (10/18)
@ Isidro Metapan (10/21 – CCL)
@ Chivas USA (10/25)
Current Record/Points: 12-8-7, 43 points (+9)
Comments
One could count this a break-even week for Houston, but I think they did better than thought. Even in the loss to Pachuca, they showed as a pack of able and ruthlessly-organized men. The win over RSL might not have come in the manner they wanted, but they won a crucial game in the middle of their late-season death-march – a detail that counts as much as anything. I feel almost silly writing this, but Houston is for real this year. And, as predicted at the start (ugh…arm sprain! Patting….self..on back…too hard) Brad Davis has been pivotal, essential even.
KC Wizards (5 games)
v. Colorado (9/26)
@ Houston (10/4)
@ Chivas (10/10)
v. Seattle (10/17)
v. DC United (10/24)
Current Record/Points: 8-11-6, 30 points (-6)
Comments
Just when you think you can write them off, they do – literally – just enough to make it impossible to do so. The word “must-win” gets thrown around a little casually, but when the word applies and has meaning when you’re on the wrong side of the playoff glass ceiling this late in the season. Only must-wins exist for KC now and they picked up their first one…sad to say, October looks like the brick-wall for this club, what with the trio of defensive power-houses all in a row: either they break through it or turn to putty on the surface. There’s the goal-differential issue in the balance as well, but let’s see if they can compile the points before bothering with that junk.
LA Galaxy (4 games)
@ Columbus (9/26)
v. Chicago (10/2)
@ Houston (10/18)
v. SJ Earthquakes (10/24)
Current Record/Points: 10-5-11, 41 points (+4)
Comments
Sorry to beat a dead horse, but had you told me LA would top 40 points this season, never mind sit at #3 in the MLS standings, well, that’s a bet I would have taken with odds in your favor. That said, the soul-crushing loss to Dallas didn’t look like a total aberration, not with the way LA defended more than a couple of TFC’s attacks. With the road ahead looking something other than easier – I think 3 week of Hell more accurately describes it – LA should be thankful for the cushion they’ve built. That said, LA does have a little something this year…it’s what people used to call defense; that’s to say, sure, LA got ripped two new ones by Dallas, but they’ve done enough all year that they have a good – no, a great – foundation at the back. The playoffs seem certain this year, but they have only gaps to fill for next year.
New England Revolution (6 games)
v. Seattle (9/26)
@ Dallas (9/30)
@ Colorado (10/3)
v. Columbus (10/10)
v. Chicago (10/17)
@ Columbus (10/25)
Current Record/Points: 9-8-7, 34 points (-4)
Comments
OK, here’s the deal: New York = 3 points. If you fail to embrace this very simple equation….well, never mind. Never mind because your young defense looked the part; New York could have had a couple more and they would have….were they not New York. Suffice to say only games in hand keep this bunch alive.
Real Salt Lake (5 games)
@ Dallas (9/26)
v. Chivas de Guadalajara (10/7; fer fun)
v. Red Bull NY (10/14)
@ Toronto FC (10/17)
v. Colorado (10/24)
Current Record/Points: 9-10-7, 34 points (+7)
Comments
If there’s one team I’ll wait to write off until the mathematical death, it’s RSL…shame on me. The fact is, count the seven points between them the only thing that separates them from Dallas. More to the point, they max out at 46 points and I’m seeing at least four teams likely to top that (Houston, Columbus, LA, and Chicago) in the weeks ahead. Yes, yes, with the current bottom of the table at just 36 points, it takes only a couple results to keep them in it, but they face strong teams on the road the road ahead…and a bogey-team par excellence at home in Colorado.
Seattle Sounders FC (4 games)
@ NE Revs (9/26)
@ Columbus (10/3)
@ KC Wizards (10/17)
v. Dallas (10/24)
Current Record/Points: 9-6-11, 38 points (+7)
Comments
It wasn’t only me that made a huge deal out of Seattle v. Chivas – e.g. the winner of this would be staking a pretty big playoff claim. Neither team did, in the end, and that’s kind of the dope on Seattle…and Chivas, though the latter has the greater opportunity to get it right. Probably not a fatal result, for Seattle certainly, and it seems likely they’ll get the results they need to make the playoffs. That goes double with RSL stumbling badly as they are and having the tougher schedule to boot. Likely as Seattle is to make the playoffs, you have fans would hope for a bolder entrance.
Toronto FC (4 games)
@ Chicago (9/26)
v. SJ Earthquakes (10/10)
v. RSL (10/17)
@ Red Bull NY (10/24)
Current Record/Points: 9-10-7, 34 points (-5)
Comments
In a sign of a thaw between me and MLS’ darlings for the past couple seasons, I think Toronto has endured their years in the desert; that’s to say I’m starting to sympathize with them a little more – and that means results like the one they suffered this weekend finally feel like the hard luck they are. Had TFC scored just one of those shots between LA’s first and second, who knows how they might have fared? And how big could one point have been come mid-October? God knows they have the end-run to die for – San Jose at home? RSL at home? Red Bull…anywhere? – but this team also maxes out at 46….though I’m guessing 43 is more realistic given what’s left. That’s asking for flawless soccer, a tall order for a team with this defense.
All for this week....see you...well, sometime soon. A week at most.
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