The Real American Football

NASL commissioner explains his blueprint for US football

Kris Heneage — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:22:00 GMT

“I was at a point in my life where I like to take on challenges. I like to grow and build things.”

These are the words of Bill Peterson, and they explain why he decided to take up the role of Commissioner with the North American Soccer League - effectively the second tier of football in the USA, though there's no set system of relegation and promotion between the divisions. Now entering their third year following rebirth, there’s a timid excitement around a league that has ambitious but achievable intentions.

“Thinking more 2012 than 1812” - A sound-bite and a catchy slogan, it’s also more than that. It’s what Peterson tells FourFourTwo is the mission statement of the NASL. Formerly of NFL Europe, he arrives back in the US with ten years experience selling a sport that by his own admission ‘didn’t even exist in some countries’.

Theoretically that should make him the ideal candidate for a league wanting to establish itself in the zeitgeist of North American sport: “It’s a little bit different here because soccer in this country has made it,” he says. “It has established itself on a grass roots level. There are existing fan bases in all our markets that know the game, participate in the game, and like to follow the game.”

The aim is to get these lads watching the American equivalent of Barnsley

It’s those same fan bases he’s targeting in 2013. How teams promote themselves is an important cornerstone of Peterson’s strategy moving into the new season - and takes up a large portion of our nigh forty minute dialogue. As he explains, it’s not enough to just tell people you have a game on Saturday night - you have to draw them in and offer something unique. He’s uncomfortable using the term, but as he rightly states: “We’re competing for entertainment dollars.”

Delving further into his strategy, he outlines that if the explanation and promotion are executed correctly - then the rest should follow. Part of that comes by maximizing the esoteric access on offer - but the question is how? “I think you have to be true to the process,” Peterson says, “When you’re providing access to the players personal lives, their training regiments, or their line of thinking before and after a game, you’re not trying to attach sponsorship message to it or convince people to buy tickets because we gave you this access, it just becomes who you are. If you’re a fan of one of our teams, this is what you get to enjoy - there’s no price tag attached to it.”

While good advertising and recherché content are desirable, the Commissioner wants an enthralling product on the field to be the foundation of the league - with relevance on the pitch being an intrinsic component of the new NASL. “It’s about the competition on the field and are the games relevant,” He explains, “Does it means something to the home fans to win? Does it mean something when they lose?”

The 2013 season will also see the addition of a new team - although referring to the New York Cosmos in such a way doesn’t sit quite right given how synonymous their name is with the NASL and US Soccer. It’s a history he’s keen to embrace - believing the impact of the previous iteration of the NASL can only be a positive. “The past had a lot of success and really put a spotlight on the game in this country,” He said, “Even today you can walk around and if you ask somebody with no knowledge of soccer, ‘Have you heard of the NASL?’ and they’ll say, ‘Yes’.”

The original Cosmos had a handy knack of picking up the odd 'name'

While those claims are somewhat difficult to believe - having a legacy and attachment can certainly be beneficial for a league still in its infancy wanting to expand. Further growth of teams is well considered though, with a multi-faceted view being taken that even includes the offer of help from local government - longevity of product is vital this time around.

“If you start to get ahead of yourself and focus on things that are further down the line in the business continuum, then you’ll lose sight of the fact it’s about fans and filling stadiums,” Peterson explains. “Its important philosophically that we build this with a strong foundation but also build quickly.”

A soccer fan himself, he answers hesitantly when asked which team is close to his heart, claiming several different sides across Europe by virtue of his city-hopping during his days with NFL Europe. “You’re not going to like this, but if I’m in Germany it’s Eintracht Frankfurt, Holland it’s Ajax, and England then Arsenal,” he explains.

While his time Europe provided him with the chance to see some quality soccer up close and personal, his time across the Atlantic also afforded ample opportunity to study the European way of operating - something he’s looking to now instill in the NASL. “I believe long term, an alignment with the world calender is a positive thing - and that’s what we’re working towards. We think that model works for a lot of reasons - for fans, for players, for transfers, and rest periods.”

So what next for the NASL? Continued growth is the hope, with Peterson’s one wish for the season to be a double in ticket sales. It’s hard not to be impressed by what he has to say. "We’re gonna establish this league and its going to be successful long after I’m gone and its going to benefit the overall game in this country - that’s why I’m here."

The determination in his response suggests that the league’s future is in good hands.

Young Ben awakens sleeping giant with rejuvenating regime

Kris Heneage — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:46:00 GMT

After a long dormant period, MLS giants DC United have awoken under young coach Ben Olsen. On the eve of the play-offs, Kris Heneage investigates the rejuvenation at the RFK Stadium...

“Did I think I’d still be relevant?" asks Ben Olsen. "Simple answer: no."

It's a frank admission of how he saw his career panning out after an 11-year stint playing in the nation’s capital. By 2010, Olsen had just completed a brief stint as interim head coach for DC United following the dismissal of Curt Onalfo. Keen to take the job permanently, he was told very publicly he would not be getting it.

“I don't think he's ready,” said club president Kevin Payne. He would reiterate his stance several times, even interviewing candidates that included current Gladbach coach Lucien Favre. Yet somehow, Olsen was named head coach just a month later. He had progressed from the playing field to the technical staff and was now in the top job.

Payne claims there was an element of exaggeration to his initial dismissal: “I overplayed the fact that we wouldn’t consider him for a job.” There was method to his perceived madness – he wanted Olsen to experience some of the growing pains associated with the job, test his abilities so that they knew he was ready.

That’s because the job was potentially arduous. A team steeped in history, DC United won three of the first four MLS Cups in the late 1990s, adding a fourth success in 2004. Throw in numerous Eastern Conference Championships and four Supporters Shields and it would be fair to consider the club a slumbering giant of the US game.

But as the ceremony for his recent induction into the club’s hall of tradition confirmed, Olsen has gained a reputation for his tireless work ethic. A dynamic midfielder, he was surprisingly candid when asked how he was able to guide the team into the play-offs: “We went boring, and we won.”

Olsen: The Black-and-Reds' white knight

What Olsen calls boring, others acclaim as defensive stability. Only conceding five goals in their last eight games secured a play-off place, and proved that building from the back can be just as profitable as free-flowing forward play. “It’s not in our DNA to sit back, defend and counter-attack,” Olsen admits. “The goal is to entertain and play attractive soccer. Maybe we could have still done it. I don’t know. But we had to focus on defending.”

Perhaps the most impressive feat during his time has been the ability to respond to adversity. In 2011, Dwayne De Rosario was the league’s MVP and the fulcrum of the DC United midfield after a mid-season trade from the New York Red Bulls – their opponents in the impending Eastern Conference play-off semi-final. De Rosario was always going to struggle to live up to that fantastic form, but he was still a vital component of Olsen’s team in 2012.

Which is why when he picked up a knee injury playing for Canada early in September, questioned if DC would stumble – but they didn’t. A youngster in his current profession, Olsen carries forth that rejuvenating attitude into his team: the last generation of Black-and-Red heroes that included Olsen, Jaime Moreno and Marco Etcheverry have now been replaced by the likes of Andy Najar, Bill Hamid, and Perry Kitchen – all of whom are under 22.

Youthquake: Olsen with Andy Najar

Even the side’s 2012 MVP, Chris Pontius, is only 25. As if to prove the youthful point, Pontius has been playing ahead of the veteran De Rosario, who himself is still keen to prove that time has not dulled his ability – a recent documentary showing the kind of high-level professionalism that De Rosario brings to the locker room.

Off the pitch, things are also beginning to look positive. In August, the new owners confirmed that a new stadium in the District of Columbia is achievable, with Buzzard Point, a peninsula on Anacostia River, already earmarked as the potential venue. DC's longstanding tenancy at the Robert F Kennedy stadium, built in the 1960s for baseball and American football, has been a problem for years; the chance to gain their own soccer-specific stadium, similar to the likes of the Houston Dynamo and San Jose Earthquakes, could herald a new dawn for the league’s most successful club.

In the meantime, there's the small matter of the play-off games against the New York Red Bulls awaits. The catastrophic Hurricane Sandy has already seen a fixture reversal that means DC will host their opponents this Saturday, before the return leg in New Jersey next Wednesday.

As if it wasn't enough that the winners will be one step from the MLS Cup final – a stage that DC haven't graced since 2004, and New York only once – there's already a heated rivalry between the two: they compete for the Atlantic Cup, awarded to the team with the most points accrued during their meetings that season. It will undoubtedly be a passionate affair, providing Olsen with the chance to once more weave himself into the Black-and-Red tapestry of Washington DC soccer.

America falls for Higuain (no, not that one)

Kris Heneage — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 15:08:00 GMT

Big name, big legacy, big expectations – and Colombus's new Designated Player is living up to the hopes, says Kris Heneage

When people begin discussing a player as a potential candidate for the MLS Most Valuable Player award, you can be assured his impact has been instantaneous. Take, as a case in point, Federico Higuaín.

The older brother of Real Madrid’s Gonzalo and son of Jorge, he began his career with River Plate, but never quite made the necessary impact. After leaving in 2007 he spent time in Turkey with Besiktas and Mexico with Club America before returning to his homeland for spells with a trio of clubs including Independiente.

Some said that famous surname had earned him contracts, but it also seemed destined to overshadow him. An impressive loan spell with Nueva Chicago before leaving River had often been used as evidence of his talent, but as his career progressed, the 27-year-old was still looking for a home that provided continuity.

That’s when Columbus discovered him. Reportedly paying his club Colón $650,000 to relocate him to Ohio, the Crew signed him to the much-coveted Designated Player contract – making him only the third DP in the club’s history.

Although the move surprised some, there was little spontaneity in his acquisition. "We had our eye on Higuaín for quite some time," insists coach Robert Warzycha. "He's a fast forward who played successfully in a very good league. He's very opportunistic and a good finisher, and he can play as a winger or as a second forward."

Those sentiments were echoed by club president Mark McCullers, who spoke passionately about his delight at completing the deal. “On behalf of our club, we are extremely excited to bring another world class player to Crew fans and to the Columbus market.”

Promising talk, but not every much-trumpeted DP has succeeded. A grace period is often required to settle in and become accustomed to the different style of play; busting the wage structure means a fierce spotlight as people judge if you’re worth the inflated salary. Just under three months into his Columbus tenure, few would contest that Higuaín seems a sound if not shrewd investment.

After being an unused sub in his first three games, it took him just 13 minutes of action to provide his first MLS assist, a delicately lofted ball setting Eddie Gavan away to score. In five starts, Higuaín has provided six assists and three goals of his own, including a splendid pair of free-kicks in his side’s 4-3 win over the New England Revolution last month.

Columbus have lost just one of their last five outings with Higuaín in the side, his devilish deliveries causing problems for many an MLS back-line. Many have cited Higuaín, along with Costa Rican Jairo Arrieta, as the catalysts for the Crew’s fantastic recent form – something the stats appear to concur with.

Providing a dynamism in attack, Higuaín has been likened to his compatriot and former Crew player Guillermo Barros Schelotto. Quite how he feels about being compared to a notable Boca Juniors player remains unknown, but his delivery and creativity has transformed the fortunes of a previously goal-shy Columbus – and he doesn’t look like stopping.

His form has even been recognised by the league, earning him MLS Player of the Week in rounds 25 and 26. When trying to decipher just why Higuaín has taken so gracefully to MLS, his manager may provide the insight: attitude.

“I sense from him what he is passing on to the team,” says Warzycha. “When he starts a game, he believes we are going to win. Not 'if', not 'maybe', but definitely.

“In Philadelphia at half-time I told him that this was a tough, physical game and if he didn’t have the legs, I’d take him out. The game was tied. He said, ‘You can take me off when we score a goal. We’re going to win.’”

Often, confidence can become arrogance, something Higuaín seems self-aware enough to avoid.

"I have to be smart," Higuaín said recently. "This is just the beginning of my time with the Columbus Crew. I need to keep working. I need to keep trying to understand the players on my team and the players need to understand me. I'm trying to do what's best for the team based on what the coaching staff tells me to do."

And as many elevate Higuaín as the fulcrum of his club’s success, he quickly diverts the attention to his teammates. "This is teamwork," Higuaín insists. "It's not one or two individuals doing something. We need everybody ready. From what I've seen so far, I think the team is playing very well – even when I watched [the Crew] against LA. That's what is most important.

"If we play as a team, we're going to be successful. If we play as individuals, there's going to be trouble."

With Columbus definite contenders for play-off spot in the Eastern Conference, Higuaín is likely to be a crucial in just how far his team advance this season. Having enjoyed something of a nomadic existence to date, he should appreciate the longevity of stay Columbus may provide – allowing him to write his own legacy, separate from the name on his back.

Financial transparency and MLS: what could the Premier League learn?

Kris Heneage — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 11:34:00 GMT

Given the considerable movement in world football towards financial regulation, you have to wonder if the Premier League could learn from their cousins in MLS. Unlike any league in Europe, Major League Soccer releases an annual list of player’s salaries. The PDF document was published in May and, as always, it made for interesting reading.

The number crunchers among MLS fans are keen to digest the numbers then discuss them in depth; Who is overvalued? Who is undervalued? Even mock fantasy teams in which you try to stay under the salary cap all provide an exciting (if not slightly anorak) side discussion for fans of Major League Soccer.

Ultimately, the concept garners a mixed response from players. As you may have read last year, friend of FourFourTwo Luke Rodgers was not entirely sold on the somewhat alien concept, admitting; “I’ll be honest and say I’m not a fan of the transparency when it comes to salaries. I just think it causes trouble, and I don’t see the relevance of it.”

Critics say it can often divide a squad, to know a teammate is earning significantly more can breed contempt. Of course, one is reminded of the harsh story involving the Dutch National team and a salary discussion over breakfast. Huddled around the table, midfielder Wesley Sneijder asked Vitesse goalkeeper Piet Velthuzien how much he earned, to which Velthuzien confidently replied, “€400,000.” Ever the comedian, Sneijder retorted “Don’t you think it’s funny I earn 20 times that figure?” Financial comparisons are obviously not new in the realms of football, but to have it so openly documented can seem strange.

That’s certainly not the opinion of Alexi Lalas. The former US International has seen both sides of the negotiating table- his successful playing career followed by time spent as general manager for three separate MLS Franchises. Now working as an analyst for ESPN & ABC Sports, he has a simple message to those with complaints; “Welcome to life.”

Lalas goes on to explain just why he feels those against transparency are wrong, “Let’s grow up a little, you’re either a professional or you’re not. I’m not saying guys aren’t going to talk about it, but I’d much rather have it out there. I think to a certain extent it creates a much more realistic sense of expectation, and ultimately it’s good for the big picture and for the players.”

As for players being potentially short changed, the former LA Galaxy player believes that responsibility falls with the players and their representatives- “The reality is you are worth what you negotiate,” He says before adding, “ Some players have done a good job in doing that, some haven’t. Equally some GM’s have done a good job in doing that and some haven’t. You’re always going to have your bargains and your busts.”

Lalas - former general manager of LA Galaxy - thinks transparency is vital

The analysis of the salary sheet is not a new occurrence, and as a former GM, it is something Lalas is well aware of: “The day after this sheet comes out we all play this game. How is player X being paid this amount when he isn’t worth close to this? Then we say; ‘What about player Y? He’s earning this amount when he’s starting every game and playing great’. Well I say when that contract is up, go and negotiate it and get more money.”

More than just discourse about which players may be over or underpaid, Lalas admits the release of players' salaries often sparks a slew of phone calls. “I guarantee the telephones of GMs and of agents start ringing when that list comes out," he tells FourFourTwo.com. “Either agents complaining to GM’s about what this or that may say about their client, or clients complaining to their agents about what they are seeing on the sheet.”

As Lalas rightly points out, seeing that a teammate is earning more could very easily raise ire. However that same set of figures can also be used as benefit to the player. For example; To know a midfielder with lesser stats than yourself earns double what you do makes your bargaining position far stronger.

Unrelenting in his defense of the concept Lalas does make one concession; “ I will concede that from both perspectives it will cause challenges and problems but the goods far outweigh the negatives. You are what you can negotiate. If as a GM I don’t feel player X is worth 100k I won’t pay him 100k - that’s negotiating.”

Having spent time in Italy with Padova, Lalas believes transparency in Europe could be beneficial. “Part of management is dealing with personalities and egos,” He explains, “When money gets involved those things tend to crop up more easily - I respect and completely understand that. I just think to have it all quiet is sweeping it under the rug and I don’t like that. I think it’s better from a fan perspective, the more transparency the better. I think it can influence how you judge a player and to have that in your arsenal as to how you judge a player is a good thing.”

Whether players from Europe’s top leagues would ever agree to having their pay details made public seems unlikely - especially given the furore surrounding the discovery of John Arne Riise’s monthly wage during his time at Liverpool, albeit by methods bereft of scruples.

Furthermore, seeing the vast amounts players earn could very easily disillusion football fans that already feel a huge gulf of common ground between the players they admire and themselves. However given the constant negativity player salaries garner in the English media, transparency could very easily provide accountability to players and remove conjecture.

Despite noted drawbacks, this level of transparency does seem a positive notion. It still seems unlikely it is an idea which will quickly spread beyond the shores of the United States - given the vast amounts clubs in the Premier League have already spent, England’s pressing economic obstacle would seem to be the implementation of Financial Fair Play - but perhaps then they may begin the arduous journey towards complete financial transparency.

Meet the forward who went from Hartlepool reserves to Puerto Rico

Kris Heneage — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 15:58:00 GMT

“I didn’t know where it was at first. People think it’s all mud huts and shacks, I mean I did too, but it’s not. It’s like Newcastle but with nice weather.”

This is how David Foley describes his adopted home of Puerto Rico.

A small island just east of the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico is similar in size to the North East region of England which Foley departed nearly three years ago. Now fully settled in island life, the first question most ask him is simply 'how did you end up here?'

“At the time I was playing for Hartlepool’s reserves,” Foley said, “My first team chances were limited and it was really beginning to frustrate me. I think at the time I’d have accepted any get out really.”

That’s where his current manager and former Portsmouth defender Adrian Whitbread comes in. “I was actually back home for Christmas because of the way NASL’s calender works,” Whitbread explains, “I was based in Essex but made the long drive up to a very cold Hartlepool to watch a few players, including David.”

By half-time, Whitbread had seen enough, and the two clubs entered negotiations to have Foley's Hartlepool contract terminated early. Once concluded, Foley began the long journey to his new home - but not without some reservation: “I wasn’t sure when I first came over, but now I’m settled in I really enjoy it here. Just playing regular football and being an important member of the team has been a great feeling.”

Foley also credits his team-mates for aiding him in the smooth transition to island life: “Thanks to my teammates it feels like a second home. There’s a lot of lads in my shoes that have no one else here but their teammates. We actually refer to each other as brothers- it’s that close knit a camp.”

The new culture also included a new language. While neither Foley or his manager claim fluency in Puerto Rico’s first language of Spanish, Whitbread does feel more confident than when he first arrived, something his striker jokingly contests. “I think the gaffer just gets people to write it down for him to say,” says Foley with a laugh.

Champions League qualification

Despite describing his own Spanish as ‘the ability to say some bad words’, this hasn’t inhibited Foley’s play. A vital part of the Islanders team that recently qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League his performances have not gone unnoticed.

January saw him earn a trial with the New England Revolution, currently home to former Derby County midfielder Benny Feilhaber. “It was a bit of a shambles really,” Foley admits with a disappointed tone to his voice, “I was played out of position, and I picked up a foot injury on the second day. It was a frustrating experience but a good one. I know I can play at that level, so it’s about waiting for another opportunity should one come.”

Keen to try his hand in MLS, the striker also has desires a return home. Describing his years in English football as leaving a sour taste, Foley believes he has unfinished business in his homeland, “I’ve been away for two-and-a-half years so it’s starting from scratch, but it is something I want to try and do eventually.” He said.

Since arriving in the Caribbean, he has also fielded a number of questions from fellow professionals at home about life in Puerto Rico. “A lot of the younger lads have enquired about coming out here to play,” He explains, “It’s a massive step though. When I came here I had nothing to lose, I was a young lad with no family commitments. I didn’t have kids , I wasn’t married, I was very career driven.”

A big step it may have been, but he believes it has served as a huge benefit to his development both on and off the pitch, as he explains, “At Hartlepool I was still living with my Mum and Dad, out here I’m very much on my own so I think in that sense it has matured me a lot.”

Foley is not completely isolated from reminders of home in Puerto Rico. Former Brighton and Manchester City goalkeeper Richard Martin joined the club in 2011, giving the Islanders squad a pair of Englishmen. “I actually room with the other goalkeeper Cody Laurendi. Rich is a bit loved up, actually.” He says pausing to laugh, “He’s engaged to a Puerto Rican girl after only his second year.”

Foley has an engagement of his own, with former England international David Beckham. “We’ve been drawn against LA Galaxy in the CONCACAF Champions League again.” He says, rather nonchalantly.

Last time the sides met, the Islanders shocked the Galaxy with a 4-1 victory at the Home Depot Centre in the first leg. Foley scored that evening and is hoping for a repeat performance, and possible a souvenir from his trip: “I’m definitely going to try and get his shirt. He’s the player of my era. I grew up watching him and I admire him a lot., but I bet there’ll be a long line.” He jokingly says before asking, “Maybe you could get in touch and ask him to give it to me?”

Rafael Márquez: More issues than FourFourTwo

Kris Heneage — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:25:00 GMT

Where do you begin with Rafael Márquez? A fantastic career in Europe, only enhanced by a stellar international legacy with Mexico - the pinnacle of which saw him captain El Tricolor at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

In August 2010, Márquez traded Europe for MLS, agreeing a three-and-a-half year contract with the New York Red Bulls; his vast experience wouldn't come cheap at $4.6m a year. In his introductory press conference Márquez (via a translator) sounded ambitious: “I have not come here to [retire]. I am only 31 years old. I have come to play and to win championships.”

The league’s commissioner Don Garber also championed the deal, adding “This team, up until recently, hasn’t earned the right to go out and say ‘We’re a world-class team, we’ve got a world-class building, we are deeply committed to this sport’.”

That world-class authenticity demonstrated itself early into Márquez’s Red Bulls career, a wonderful long range effort against Toronto FC* proving that the Mexican still had more than enough to give. With an overall third-place finish, the 2010 season was far from terrible for the club, with the 2011 campaign eagerly anticipated.

In the off-season Hans Backe introduced new faces and Márquez started the season well, but as the Red Bulls began to struggle midway through the season, a change emerged in the Mexican. Poor form during August and September saw the Red Bulls secure only two wins in seven.

The nadir of that poor form came at home to Real Salt Lake. Down three goals after 21 minutes, a late strike by Joel Lindpere was scant consolation for Red Bulls fans as the defence looked worryingly porous. Low on confidence, Tim Ream’s mistake for RSL’s second was unfortunate and not befitting of a side with aspirations of winning MLS Cup.

As the huddle of reporters crammed into New York’s dressing room after the game, Luke Rodgers, while content to acknowledge the mistake, more bemoaned the fact that the Red Bulls always seemed to learn the hard way.

By contrast Márquez was less diplomatic saying: "I think I am playing at my maximum level, and doing everything I can. I don’t have, unfortunately, four defenders on my level that can help me out. I think that this is a team game, and unfortunately, there isn’t an equal level between perhaps [Thierry Henry] and myself, and our team-mates."

Not content to simply bemoan the majority of his team-mates, Márquez then homed in on US international Ream, with some stinging criticism. “Tim is still a young player with a lot to learn. He still has quite a lot to learn, and well, he has committed errors that are very infantile and cost us goals.”

Although Marquez tried to claim mistranslation, video surfaced that proved contrary to his claims. Manager Hans Backe chose to suspend Márquez immediately.

Even with the off-pitch issues, New York made the play-offs after defeating FC Dallas in the wildcard game – meaning a meeting with LA Galaxy and a chance for Márquez to redeem himself.

Instead, the Mexican put on an altogether different kind of show in the first leg at Red Bull Arena. The Galaxy secured a narrow 1-0 win thanks to a goal from former New Yorker Mike Magee, but sadly that wasn't the indelible image left by the matchup. At the final whistle Márquez threw the ball at Landon Donovan, which engineered an almighty fracas that would make the WWE proud.

The scuffle was far from the most endearing moment of Márquez’s illustrious career, and for many it was already enough: his first full season had been a disaster and the subsequent three-game suspension seemed somewhat lenient.

Having missed the first two games of the 2012 season, he returned with a solid display against the Colorado Rapids. But if he seemed a reformed character, he chose last weekend’s game against San Jose to provide his detractors with ample ammunition.

Márquez repeatedly grappled with Shea Salinas at every San Jose corner, and when the pair fell to the ground Márquez seemed to lash his foot out at the midfielder. It was a blatant penalty and Salinas broke his clavicle, ruling him out for six to eight weeks. Credit must go to the former Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder, who told curious journalists that he had already forgiven the mexican for what happened.

In the second disciplinary action of his Red Bulls career, Márquez received a fine and another three-game suspension. Many have commented on the leniency of the ruling, citing Brian Mullan’s 10-game ban for breaking Steve Zakuani’s leg as evidence of inconsistency from the MLS disciplinary panel.

From a club perspective, it presents a potentially difficult decision. New York-based journalist Daniel Feuerstein admits that there is a dichotomy between fans and the ownership. “A lot of the fans want him gone, they feel he's an arrogant player," says Feuerstein. "The problem is the club are paying him a lot of money, so they won’t want to just let him go as it would be expensive. The team is also going through some injuries so it won't be that easy to just let him leave.”

Márquez will serve the first game of his suspension this weekend, missing the trip to D.C. United. Given that the transfer window is now closed till late June, the club’s hierarchy have ample thinking time on precisely what to do with project Márquez.

Former hero Le Toux prepares to return to face Philly

Kris Heneage — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:02:00 GMT

There’s been something of a bad taste in the Philadelphia air the past few months, with changes aplenty and some of the club’s most respected players departing for pastures new – and not always willingly. Such was the case of Sebastien Le Toux.

Le Toux and FourFourTwo exchange small talk in French ahead of some difficult questions regarding the last six months. The timing is apt, given that Le Toux returns to Philadelphia this week to play against his former employers.

He comes back to PPL Park having already made his mark on the scoresheet – after four minutes of his Vancouver debut. Having moved fairly seamlessly, it’s a throwaway comment that potentially explains how he made such a transition.

“I am, what is the word? Ambidextrous?” he asks. That flexibility with his hands may have stretched to other facets of his life. It was certainly the case at Philadelphia. Not only a goalscorer, Le Toux contributed to 57% of the team’s goals in his two seasons – a staggering feat, and part of the reason so many questioned the decision to move him on.

In a protracted relocation, his destination initially appeared to be Bolton Wanderers. Asked about the trial in Lancashire, he interjects. “I wouldn’t really call it a trial, more a visit. I wasn't ready physically and after I came back things went very fast with the trade.”

As fans registered their concern at the decision to let him join Vancouver, Le Toux opted to tell his story. Considering how often the intricacies of player trades go unknown, the Frenchman was breaking from convention.

Many attributed his open nature to the fact he lacked representation, something he has since rectified. “I’ve got someone else since this happened. I’ve had agents before in my career when I was younger.”

It also seemed to serve as testament to Le Toux the man. When it came to dealing with the Union, he felt a middleman wasn’t needed. A cynic may call this naive; an optimist would prefer to term it admirable.

It’s very easy to feel sympathy for Le Toux. As he tries to move on with his career, the story crops up again and again, like a bitter divorce. Was he angry? “I was frustrated at how he [coach Piotr Nowak] treated me, but I have a lot of friends from there. My girlfriend is from there. I'm trying to turn the page and focus on my career with the Vancouver Whitecaps.”

Le Toux is polite and answers every question honestly. Having had time to calm himself, he's less outspoken than before. The same can’t be said for Nowak. His weekly press conference was peppered with questions of Le Toux’s return and the coach manager decided against diplomacy.

Asked how he thought Le Toux would be welcomed back, the former DC United manager replied "Maybe confetti, maybe a parade and banners. I have no idea what it's going to be like and I'm not worried about that whatsoever."

As Chris Vito of the Delco Times reported, it didn’t end there, Nowak continuing his discourse with one reporter for sometime after the press conference had finished, much to the surprise of those in attendance.

By contrast Le Toux’s approach is far more relaxed. Asked how he will come down from the emotions of the weekend’s game, he replies with typical understatement: “I like to drink wine and listen to music. I’m very thankful to be doing what I do, and living my dream.”

His more tranquil disposition may be due to a healthy relationship with Whitecaps coach Martin Rennie. His early report is glowing, with Rennie seeming to offer much of what he missed towards the end of his stay in the city of Brotherly Love.

“He’s a great person; I’m very happy he is my manager now,” says Le Toux. “Martin is very communicative with the players, his door is always open. You know you can count on him, and he can count on you.”

Vancouver will be hoping to rely on Le Toux this weekend. Philadelphia’s season has begun with three defeats and staunch criticism of the new project being undertaken by the club. It’s a stark juxtaposition with Vancouver, who sit atop the Western Conference with seven points and optimism bubbling nicely in the Canadian city after a tough inaugural season in MLS.

But if Vancouver is quickly becoming a home from home, how will Le Toux feel to play at PPL Park as a visitor? He laughs and pauses to consider his words, not through difficulties with the language barrier – his English is flawless – but as he tries to assess and order his emotions.

“I’m looking forward to playing in front of my family and my friends in there. I will be focused on winning the game for my team.” And with this diplomatically polite answer, Sebastien Le Toux leaves to prepare for the final 90 minutes of this chapter.

Drugs 0, MLS 1: "They saved my life," says Real Salt Lake's new star

Kris Heneage — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:58:00 GMT

“They didn’t just save my dream, they saved my life.” That’s how Sebastián Velásquez perceives Real Salt Lake’s decision to select him during the MLS Superdraft in January.

After a whirlwind few months, the rookie reflects upon the moment he found out he’d be making his competitive bow against league champions LA Galaxy. “I saw my name on the board [the night before] and I just started grinding my teeth,” he said. “I was really nervous. In my mind I remembered what a friend from back in Colombia had told me: it’s two goals, 22 people on the field, and three referees. Just go out there and have fun.”

To truly comprehend his journey, you must go back. Born in Colombia's second city Medellín, Velásquez moved to the US with his mother at the age of two. Throughout his youth he went to school and played club soccer with the aim of one day playing the game professionally.

At 17, his first chance came. Offered a trial with Barcelona after impressing their former striker Steve Archibald, Velásquez began an intense training regiment in preparation for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I was good friends with a guy called Anthony Solomon. He owned an artificial pitch called Carolina Indoor Soccer,” he explains. “He would let me have the keys so I could start at six or seven in the morning till late at night. When I found out about the Barcelona trial, I spent eight months working and sleeping there – it had a couch in the building. I’d do things like shooting, running with weights on my legs, at a good pace. All kinds of things.”

He describes the trial with Barcelona as an unforgettable experience, but it failed to provide a contract, as did a subsequent spell with local rivals Espanyol. Undeterred, Velásquez returned to the US to play college soccer for Spartanburg Methodist College. The school not only helped him financially, but provided him with what he describes as an excellent soccer program.

After a two-year apprenticeship, Velásquez was ready to move on. Having agreed to join Clemson University, he received a shock phone call: “They told me they had heard about my try-outs in Europe and that because of that I was ineligible – I had no idea.”

With the college route apparently blocked and his dream seemingly over, Velásquez had little idea what to do. His mother was now back home in Colombia, which at the time seemed the only option. “I visited Colombia three times [in the space of a year] to see if I could fit into the lifestyle and adjust to it.”

Chasing down Landon Donovan for RSL against the Galaxy

As Velásquez begins to elaborate, he reveals the culture shock. “In Colombia there’s not as much security as there is in this country,” he said. “There you can drink whatever age you want; you can do drugs on the corner of a soccer field.”

With his mother also living in one of the most dangerous areas, Pedregal, Velásquez provides a harrowing example of day-to-day life on a gangland frontline. “I remember when she’d call me crying and you could hear the shootings outside between the gangs. I didn’t want to go into that.

"When you’re young there, if people don’t know you they're always going to ask ‘Who is that? Is he trying to take over our territory?’ I didn’t want to be a part of that. I want to be safe and not make bad decisions.”

It’s at this point you begin to understand why Velásquez is so grateful to Real Salt Lake. Already possessing a one-way ticket to Colombia, he made a vital final phone call. “It was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.

"I was thinking about doing it, and I asked my college coach. He said I should, but I didn’t want to give him the news I wasn’t going to Clemson. Five minutes later, my professional life changed forever. If I hadn’t made that call there would have been no Sebastián in MLS.”

At this stage it was only a trial, and as Velásquez had already learned, that was no guarantee of being picked up. Huddled with his mother around a computer back in Colombia, Velásquez watched the Superdraft process unfold – all the time hoping and praying.

“When the first two drafts got picked, my mom got nervous. I just sat there and said 'Don’t worry, things will work out, stay positive'. As soon as they picked me… man, I just started crying – that’s all I did, was cry.”

There’s a flicker in his voice as he recalls the moment that made this all possible. Selected at No.36, Sebastian Velásquez was now a professional soccer player. As he begins to settle into life in Utah, he hasn't forgotten his mother. “We’re looking at that right now and her paperwork situation,” he said. “RSL is helping me with that. They’ve put me on to the immigration lawyers, so hopefully I can get her back here or help out economically.”

Proud of his Colombian roots at a club with a heavy South American influence, Velásquez has fit into the squad seamlessly, even gaining a nickname. ‘El Mofeta’ (‘The Skunk’) refers to the blonde and black hair that two teammates shaved off last week, something he takes in good spirits.

He may be living life one day at a time, but what does the future hold for Velásquez? “Someday I want to be an agent,” he declares. But he wouldn't be a merciless money-mad merchandiser: his reasons are far more positive. “So I can go to these different spots where I know things are bad, give my hand to a kid and say ‘There's green land on the other side of the hill; you do have an opportunity at life.” It’s a noble wish and one that you hope he is able to complete.

For the time being, however, his aim is simple – and he believes achievable under the stewardship of coach Jason Kreis. “I want to learn something new each day and become a better player. Jason Kreis is an incredible coach. He’s always there for you. I have so much respect for him that it feels like a father and son relationship.”

Western Conference preview: Pitchside log-cutting, questionable haircuts & the Honey Badger

Kris Heneage — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:23:00 GMT

Many see the MLS Western Conference as the stronger of the two, and the favourites at this stage have to be LA Galaxy, despite the 2011 MLS Cup winners losing centreback Omar Gonzalez to injury on the first day of a month-long loan spell at FC Nuremberg.

While the top three places may be cut and dry, excitement this season comes in the mid-table battle. With four sides potentially vying for that last play-off spot: Vancouver, Portland, Colorado and San Jose all have things going for them. They also all possess kryptonite-like weaknesses that will hamper their chances, making it a tough difficult battle to call.

But who are the teams involved, and where do we think they'll finish?

Chivas USA (9th)
Last season was a tough one for the Los Angeles-based side. Inconsistency meant they finished one place from the bottom in the West, with little likelihood of big improvement in 2012. The club added pace to the flanks with the signing of former Arsenal trainee Ryan Smith, but there’s a distinct lack of depth up front, putting a lot of pressure on Juan Pablo Angel to perform.

If Chivas are to achieve anything this year, the issue of consistency needs rectifying. That can often be hard to do with such a high turnover of players, and while poor league finishes have seen them get better draft picks, it’s not really an ambitious long term strategy.

Key Player: Juan Pablo Angel. Watch a compilation of Angel’s goals for New York (good news, there's one below...) and you’ll see why so many in MLS admire the Columbian forward. Moved on to the LA Galaxy when Thierry Henry arrived in the Big Apple, it was a similar story for the former River Plate and Aston Villa man when Robbie Keane made the move to LA. With so few options behind him (bar rookie Casey Townsend) it’s a lot to ask of Angel and if he fails to score you have to question who will pick up the slack.

Colorado Rapids (7th)
After winning the MLS Cup in 2010, the defence of their title never really got going last season. Manager Gary Smith went back to England after a falling out with the club’s technical director Paul Bravo, amid claims he was “sick of the backbiting.” Former Cardiff City man Miguel Comminges, Ireland international Caleb Folan and MLS Cup final hero Macoumba Kandji were also allowed to depart the club as Oscar Pareja moves towards playing a more fluid 4-3-3.

While his new system may still accommodate Jamaican forward Omar Cummings, Smith favourites such as Brian Mullan will likely find themselves warming the bench. Colorado have long term potential, but the squad still needs work if it’s to play the way Pareja wants them to.

Key Player: Connor Casey. Think Colorado and star striker Casey tends to spring to mind. After missing most of last year with an Achilles injury, much of their success this season depends on whether he can stay healthy. His robust style of play means while he may lack pace, he’s the ideal focal point for their new attacking triangle.

FC Dallas (4th )
A heavily compacted fixture list last season saw FC Dallas try to compete on two fronts, tiring themselves out in the process. Admittedly Dallas weren’t the only club with Champions League commitments, but their policy of fast-stracking youngsters into the side, while admirable, did seem to hamper them last year.

Despite the squad’s best attempts to convince people otherwise, former Colombia midfielder David Ferreira’s absence through injury was also noticeble.

Maintaining focus throughout the squad, as well as being more clinical in front of goal, will be key for Dallas this year. By bringing in Panama striker Blas Pérez (nicknamed Super Ratón - Spanish for Mighty Mouse) the club have attempted to address the second problem. And now George John is entering the final year of his contract, holding his concentration may stifle attempts to maintain harmony.

Key Player: Brek Shea. Possessing a vast array of questionable haircuts, Shea is a 6 ft 3 wide-man with the lungs of a whale. An artist in his spare time (see the below video), he’ll do well to balance all of his commitments this year. Proving he’s human by eventually succumbing to fatigue last year, he became a versatile component of the Dallas side and will be a large part of any success they have this time round.

Los Angeles Galaxy (1st)
You have to commend LA for last season, deapite the burden of pressure and expectation they were still able to deliver David Beckham’s first MLS Cup. Although Becks spent a long weekend in Paris, he’s back and committed to a new two year deal.

The pressing concern for LA is the injury suffered by Omar Gonzalez while on loan at FC Nuremberg, with his replacement Andrew Boyens not having the best of games against Toronto in the Champions League on Wednesday. However LA can celebrate the returns of midfielder Juninho - on another loan deal from São Paulo, and Edson Buddle following a disappointing stint in Germany for the US international forward.

Key Player: Landon Donovan. In a team littered with stars it’s difficult to single out one, but Donovan just rises above his team mates. While he might be playing coy about his future, he keeps producing for LA when required. Scoring a late equalizer against Toronto midweek, it typified why you need players like him in your team. If he can balance a hectic international schedule with his club commitments, he could very easily be the MVP for 2012.

Portland Timbers (6th)
Portland almost capped their debut season with a play-off berth, and they’ll be hoping they can go one better this time around. Kenny Cooper has been replaced by Kris Boyd, the ex-Rangers man enticed by the prospect of working with fellow Scot and current Timbers coach John Spencer.

Unfortunately the club’s young designated player José Adolfo Valencia will be spending this season on the treatment table as he recovers from knee surgery.

With Spencer scouting Colombia for players following good seasons from Diego Chará and Jorge Perlaza, the Timbers have been busy this off-season, seeing several lesser known players depart Oregon. Although it’s unlikely they’ll win MLS Cup, the play-offs are certainly achievable.

Key Player: Kris Boyd. It took him just eight minutes to score his first goal for Portland, a neat header in a friendly against Swedish side AIK. Expectations of Boyd are high, partly due to his time with Rangers as well as the handsome salary he’ll be picking up while he’s with the club. As you might expect, Timbers owner Merritt Paulson is confident Boyd will be a big hit in MLS. The one piece of advice we’d offer the former Middlesbrough man would be to not irk 'Timber Joey' while he's at work (see below...)

Real Salt Lake (3rd)
IIt was hard not to feel sorry for Real Salt Lake last season. A narrow defeat in the Champions League to Mexican side Monterrey was only worsened by the sickening leg break midfielder Javier Morales suffered a week later.

Credit must go to the club for not only making the play-offs but also knocking out heavy favourites Seattle. The summer saw veterans Robbie Russell and Andy Williams depart, which helped secure new deals for Ned Grabavoy and the sometimes temperamental Fabián Espíndola.

Enzo Martinez also arrived via the Superdraft and he could potentially blossom under Jason Kreis’ tutelage. Defensively solid, Salt Lake are definitely one of the better sides in the West, but perhaps not quite good enough to trouble Seattle and LA just yet.

Key Player: Javier Morales. The year 2011 was not a good one for the Argentine playmaker for obvious reasons. Now fully recovered, his return should make the club a more dynamic prospect in attack - provided he recaptures the form that earned him an All Star selection in 2009 & 2010.

San Jose Earthquakes (8th)
The biggest move for San Jose was Bobby Convey relocating himself to Sporting Kansas City (insert terrible Wizard of Oz joke here). While Convey might not have got on with coach Frank Yallop, his public outburst made the situation untenable, regardless of how good he is.

Tottenham forward Simon Dawkins returns on loan, but rumours of David Bentley joining him seem a tad fanciful. Akin to D.C. United, a late surge almost saw San Jose make the play-offs, but alas it was not to be. Having added some options up front, the back line still looks a little suspect, and with such a high player turnover in the off season San Jose will take time to gel.

Key Players: Chris Wondolowski. A fantastic goal return over the last two seasons, Wondolowski really is one of the best finishers in the league. Having made the MLS team of the year in 2010 & 2011, expect him to be near the top of the goal-scoring charts once again this year. As for San Jose, it’s sad to say but it’s a same story as last year, with the Earthquakes relying on the ‘Magic Wondo’ to perform.

Seattle Sounders FC (2nd)
Kasey Keller finally called time on his illustrious career and the Sounders will miss his big-game experience as they look to compete in both MLS and the CONCACAF Champions League this season. Former Ajax winger Mauro Rosales has earned his designated player contract after an impressive 2011, with Congo DR winger Steve Zakuani edging ever closer to a return after his horrible leg break last year.

Elsewhere, Eddie Johnson will be hoping to prove that Seattle were right to swap Mike Fucito and Lamar Neagle for his services, and former Liverpool trainee Jason Banton has earned the chance to display his talents in MLS. As LA’s only realistic challengers, expect Seattle to comfortably make the play-offs.

Key Player: Osvaldo Alonso. Cuban international Alonso is nicknamed the “Honey Badger” for his tenacious style of play, and while Rosales and Co may take the headlines, it’s Alonso that really makes Seattle tick. His selfless and tidy play in the middle of the park make him the fulcrum of the side and although he may not be flash, he’s the kind of player any team with MLS Cup aspirations needs.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC (6th)
There wasn’t anything funny about Vancouver last season (including Terry Dunfield’s terrible Christmas Cracker style joke). This season seems far more optimistic, as the club have dealt wisely in the off-season. Like a master craftsman, coach Martin Rennie has begun refining his squad, sending Lee Nguyen to New England and acquiring Scotland's Barry Robson (although he won’t arrive until July).

Arguably one of the best moves the club made was getting Sébastien Le Toux from Philadelphia. His hard working mentality will serve the club well, and if Eric Hassli can curb his poor disciplinary record, there’s potential in Vancouver. Also watch out for the speedy Darren Mattocks, who has looked impressive in pre-season.

Key Player: Barry Robson. It might sound silly to pick a player who won’t arrive till halfway through the season, but having watched Robson has a lot to offer. While there are still question marks over the Vancouver back line, it's likely to be a close battle between them and Portland for that last play-off spot.

Eastern Conference preview: Firefighters, Kenny Rogers and Bob Dylan

Eastern Conference preview: Firefighters, Kenny Rogers and Bob Dylan

Kris Heneage — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:12:00 GMT

The Eastern Conference wasn’t pretty last year. Each time a team looked like securing first place they invariably slipped up and aided their rivals, who in turn did the same. This makes the East difficult to predict – or competitive, if you’re an optimist.

As it turned out Houston benefited from the mass self-destruction, eventually getting to the MLS Cup final only to lose narrowly to the LA Galaxy. New team Montreal join the East this season and will most likely just enjoy being involved: rarely is much expected of an expansion team in their debut season.

But who are the teams involved, and where do we think they'll finish?

CHICAGO FIRE (6th)
Last season, Frank Klopas was a firefighter. Not in the sense that he was punching his players after games, but that he was an interim coach trying to stabilise a team that had only won one of its last 10 games before he took the post.
Draw specialists last year, Chicago are now a fast counter-attacking side with a lot of options in midfield. As with any team operating in this way, the back line will need to be solid, putting pressure on former Charlton and Feyenoord defender Cory Gibbs to perform.

Key player: Gibbs might be keeping the goals out, but up the other end Dominic Oduro will need to replicate his form from last season. Earning a first Ghana cap in January, the striker's pace means opposing teams could drop an extra few yards back, potentially hampering Chicago’s tactical plan.

COLUMBUS CREW (4th)
Coach Robert Warzycha’s rebuilding job still only seems half-complete, what with four of his starting XI leaving in the off-season. One of that quartet was Anders Mendoza, provider of one of the most awkward moments of last season.

With Jeff Cunningham one goal from equalling the all-time MLS goals record, Columbus were awarded a penalty. As designated penalty-taker Cunningham readied himself, Mendoza stood over the ball, even ignoring his captain's request to leave it for Cunningham.

It was ugly, but it worked – Mendoza scored – and that sums up Columbus. Far from the most aesthetically pleasing side in league, the Crew are more effective than attractive. Provided Chad Marshall stays healthy and Eddie Gaven keeps contributing from midfield, expect to see the Crew make the play-offs once again.

Key player: Having scored a goal every other game for Universidad Catolica in his native Chile, archetypal No.10 Milovan Mirosevic is likely to be the creative lynchpin for the Crew this year and will be an exciting prospect to watch.

DC UNITED (5th)
Now Charlie Davies has returned to Sochaux, DC have brought in Rapid Vienna striker Hamdi Salihi as designated player. With MVP Dwayne De Rosario recently agreeing a contract extension, the club have a front pairing that should score goals. Coach Ben Olsen will be aiming to eradicate the defensive frailties that cost DC a play-off spot last season.

Part of his plan involves signing experienced former Real Salt Lake defender Robbie Russell and the imposing Argentine Emiliano Dudar. Having failed to make the play-offs in the last three years, DC now look a solid bet – provided that backline clicks into place.

Key player: Hamdi Salihi. Asked how he’d handle the pressure, Salihi calmly replied: “OK: this is my job. I know my quality.” His confidence may not be misplaced: a strong pre-season means there’s a degree of excitement building in Washington. Just don’t expect any funny post-match interviews from him.

HOUSTON DYNAMO (3rd)
Although Houston have to wait till May for their new stadium – they'll play away games only until it's ready – at least Brian Ching will be around to enjoy it. His return and renegotiated contract has actually helped the club that came so close to winning the MLS Cup last year. Having unsuccessfully tried to woo Kris Boyd, Houston will still see signing a striker as a priority and with few designated player options readily available, it will only spite Houston further if Boyd performs well at Portland.

Key player: Brad Davis. It was cruel that he missed the MLS Cup final after such a fantastic season last year. His can-opener of a left foot will be vital of Houston are to recapture that form. Coach Dominic Kinnear now looks like affording Davis the freedom to roam, making him the main supply-line to Houston’s strikers – so no pressure, Brad...

MONTREAL IMPACT (10th)
If there’s a song that best illustrates Montreal’s off-season it’s Kenny Rogers' The Gambler: "You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em". Deciding to take Brian Ching seemed questionable at the time, especially given the player's vocal displeasure at the move; the club gained little when he eventually sent him back to Texas.

One move that did pay off was taking Eddie Johnson via the allocation process. Gaining Lamar Neagle and Mike Fucito in the trade with Seattle represents good business and will set them up well for their inaugural season. The unenviable task for coach Jesse Marsch is to form an understanding among a large, newly-assembled group of players; it may take time.

Key player: Matteo Ferrari is the standout name. A good pedigree in Europe will see him placed squarely at the heart of Montreal’s back line. It’s a strong test of his leadership and mental strength and we’ll learn a lot about him during the early months of the season.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (9th)
The king is dead; long live the king. Steve Nicol’s departure didn’t befit a man who had done so much for the Revolution and its players, but in Jay Heaps the club have a popular successor.

Heaps cut several players in the off-season, meaning the remodelling of the side is far from finished. Shalrie Joseph is now a designated player and should form a fairly combative central midfield partnership with former DC United man Clyde Simms. Unfortunately for New England fans, it’s about looking towards the future and enduring the present.

Key player: Languid French striker Saer Sene arrived from Bayern Münich II having scored a goal against AC Milan (friendlies count, right?), but former Derby midfielder Benny Feilhaber will be the key component in midfield. His pre-season bicycle kick was nice, but if New England are to make the transition to Heaps style of play, Feilhaber will need to perform.

NEW YORK RED BULLS (2nd)
New York still have concerns at the front and back. They enter the season with a young pair of goalkeepers who will need to quickly adapt to the pressures of MLS. Meanwhile, striker Luke Rodgers is still in the UK with visa issues; Red Bulls' record without Rodgers doesn’t make for good reading, so getting him back is vital.

The off-pitch dramas of last season did little to aid moral, and if the club are serious about winning the MLS Cup, they'll need a united and focused locker room is required. On paper a strong side, New York show you why it’s good to remember the game is played on grass and not A4.

Key player: Thierry Henry. The Frenchman may have looked good on the pitch last year, but this season he’ll have to hold together a sometimes volatile dressing room. Rafa Marquez was nothing but trouble last year and for all the Mexican’s perceived quality he didn’t justify his hefty salary. Henry’s form may be good, but he will need to display his leadership qualities and unite the squad if New York are to avoid some of the embarrassing scenes of last season.

PHILADELPHIA UNION (6th)
After US women's coach Pia Sundhage’s impromptu press-conference karaoke version of Feelin' Groovy, it'd be nice to see Philadelphia gaffer Piotr Nowak do likewise with Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are a-Changin’. Some of the club’s most loved players have departed the city of brotherly love and there’s a big risk factor for the Union, especially given Sébastien Le Toux’s contributions over the last two seasons.

Admittedly the money from Le Toux’s move has allowed them to secure some important players, but the Frenchman’s stats don’t lie - he was a big player for the club.

Key player: Leonard Pajoy. Harsh, perhaps, as he may not be a direct replacement for Le Toux – but he’s going to need score goals, if only to justify his manager’s decision. It’s a lot to ask of the 30-year-old Colombian, especially given the lack of consistent goalscoring during his career.

SPORTING KANSAS CITY (1st)
Sporting have a vibrant young side possessing real potential this season. Omar Bravo may have returned to Mexico with Cruz Azul, but with the acquisition of Bobby Convey and a designated player spot still available, Sporting KC are likely to be the best the East has to offer.

The pain of defeat to Houston last year should aid in motivating the players to reach even higher this time around – and if they maintain their discipline, then who knows how far they might go?

Key player: Jimmy Neilsen. As captain of Sporting KC this season, much of the necessary maturity is likely to come from him. At 34, his experience should make him a good leader and if he can instill a rigid discipline in his younger team-mates, the mistakes of last season may be eradicated.

TORONTO FC (8th)
Aron Winter is trying to build something in Toronto. Trouble is, his typically Dutch ideal of a fluid 4-3-3 still hasn’t worked out yet, and after five underachieving seasons the burden of having never reached the play-offs is starting to weigh down on TFC. Mid-season signings Torsten Frings and Danny Koevermans had contrasting fortunes, with Frings often so deep that his influence was stifled.

The club have moved on a few defenders, including Englishman Andy Iro, but have also looked to secure former Manchester United product Richard Eckersley after his loan spell last year. Winter has long-term ambitions, and has said he aims to have the club challenging in 2013 – not really want you want to hear if you’ve just bought a season ticket.

Key player: Danny Koevermans. The stereotypical target man, Koevermans is expected to lead the line and play a big role for Toronto this season. An intimidating target up front, he turned in an impressive his goal return for a mid-campaign signing. Now he’s had a full pre-season his potential impact is huge, provided he gets the service and support from those around him.

Western Conference preview: Pitchside log-cutting, questionable haircuts & the Honey Badger

Houston legend returns to help shape the future of MLS

Kris Heneage — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:02:00 GMT

At the dawn of a new MLS season, Kris Heneage explains how Houston Dynamo are welcoming back a true legend

It's clear to see why Brian Ching was determined to stay at the Houston Dynamo. As the club nears its inaugural season in the new BBVA Compass stadium, the club's leading goalscorer wanted to weave himself into the club's tapestry just one more time. "From my first days in a league I've never played in a stadium that the franchise could call its own," he said.

Reflecting from a safe distance upon one of the toughest weeks in his professional career, Ching begins to recount the series of events that almost curtailed his dream.

"Having just come off the MLS Cup loss on Sunday, to finding out I was unprotected on Monday, being made aware of Montreal's interest on the Tuesday and then Wednesday getting picked… it was an emotional time."

That's surely an understatement: it was a nightmarish week for the Hawaiian forward, starting with losing the MLS's showpiece final to LA Galaxy. The next day, Ching discovered that he was not among the 11 players Houston had chosen to protect from selection by new club Montreal Impact during the expansion draft.

Sure enough, Ching was one of the 10 nominated by the Canadian side, to his horror. Staunchly opposed to leaving the Dynamo, he even threatened to end his career prematurely.

"When I said I would retire, I think it's fair to say that it was an emotional statement," he admits before pausing, as if to take stock of the last 16 weeks. "The two months before I reported to Montreal were difficult. There were some sleepless nights, for sure."

After some soul-searching, the 33-year-old decided not to retire. "It came down to me feeling that I had another year of soccer in me – whether that be for Houston or Montreal."

In the end, he returned to the Lone Star state, Montreal trading him back to the Dynamo in exchange for a conditional first-round pick in the 2013 SuperDraft. "I think the league saw value in me being back in Houston," he explains. "It was an uncomfortable situation at first. In someone else's shoes it could have been an extremely negative situation."

During his two-month stay in Montreal he would play only one match for the Impact – against Houston – but he still has some tracksuits and a backpack from his time in Montreal, gifts from a club he views with great respect and admiration. "The organisation treated me well, like a veteran, like a leader. When the time came to be traded back, a lot of the guys said 'We wish you were sticking around, but we understand.'"

Ching looks on as LA celebrate… things would only get worse

Ching finally secured his return in mid-February, with Dynamo manager Dominic Kinnear keen to emphasise how pleased he was. What had at first seemed an ugly affair now had what many believed to be the right conclusion, but once again questions were being raised about the trading system.

Unlike other footballers around the world, Ching had no say in the move. While some criticised Houston for not protecting a player the fans adored, others objected towards the expansion-draft system – but not Ching.

Instead he appreciates the journey the league has undertaken, with the hope that it will continue to flourish. "When I first got into the league there were 12 teams. Then we went back down to 10 teams, and at that point there was one owner that owned five teams," he laughs.

"Now we're looking at the league with 19 teams, with every single expansion team coming in creating a huge buzz and lift. We're really starting to turn people's heads in America towards soccer: that's special to be a part of, regardless of what I guess you could call growing pains."

Ching faces the future with determination

Ching wants to help the US game overcome those growing pains. His restructured Dynamo contract means less money now, but guarantees that when his playing career is finished, one in the club's 'front office' will begin.

"I want to work for the Dynamo when I'm done," he explains. "Part of me getting into the front office is to go about and hopefully try to change things. I've been a player for the last 11 years and I know what players go through, so I want to try and create a better environment for the players."

While joking about needing to pay the bills when he retires, Ching goes on to outline why he wants to be involved in the future of MLS, a league he speaks passionately about. "I'm invested in soccer," he said. "I got into this sport, and it wasn't about the money – it was about playing the sport I love.

"I see a future in it for me, in helping the younger generations come around and play in a league that's better than the one I played in. That will give me satisfaction that I was part of something bigger than myself, and that I helped to grow something."

With a number of former players having made similar transitions, Ching already sees the benefit of incorporating ex-professionals into the league structure. "Anytime you get experience into those management situations, you understand both sides of the party. When you do that it's more likely you'll come to a better conclusion that makes both sides happy."

Although content to discuss his long-term plans, Ching is more concerned with the present. Houston won't officially host a team in their new stadium till May, and having played on pitches bearing faded gridiron markings, Ching explains stadium ownership is more than just vanity.

"I think a big part of soccer turning the corner is a lot of the teams are starting to control their revenue streams and their own stadiums," he explains: when the Dynamo and Impact open their soccer-specific grounds this season, only three of the 19 clubs will still be playing in arenas not designed specifically or partially for the round-ball sport. "They're getting more TV exposure and I think further down the road here's a lot of markets that could support further expansion teams."

It has been a thoughtful conversation but it has been peppered throughout with Ching's laughter. With his humble disposition, it's clear to see he appreciates the life that he has been afforded – attributing his relaxed outlook to his upbringing. Now in his adopted home and able to focus on the coming season, his aim is simple: to carry on scoring in that new stadium.

"That would be nice," he agrees with another warm laugh. "Originally I wanted to get 10 goals, but I think I'll just settle for being healthy."

Eddie Johnson returns from the wilderness to Seattle

Kris Heneage — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:07:00 GMT

Former Fulham, Cardiff and Preston striker Eddie Johnson has ended up back in MLS at Seattle. Kris Heneage fills in the blanks

Eddie Johnson may have returned home to MLS, but he’ll be keen to note the changes since his departure in January 2008. Former club Kansas City Wizards now go by the name of Sporting KC, and his new club the Seattle Sounders were still a year from their MLS debut when he joined Fulham as an exciting 23-year-old.

In the years that have passed the league has gone from strength to strength, but Johnson sadly hasn’t. His time at Fulham yielded few games and even fewer goals – under a dozen, in fact. Unable to hold down a first-team place, he was loaned by Cardiff and Preston to little effect (two goals in a combined 49 appearances), although a spell at Greek side Aris Thessaloniki yielded a more fruitful one-in-three goal return.

Released by Fulham last summer, he returned to his roots training at the IMG Soccer Academy. That’s when USA team-mate DaMarcus Beasley reached out to Johnson, offering him a chance with Mexican top-flight side Puebla.

Johnson trained with his new side ahead of the Mexican season, and after being given time off at New Year, prepared to fly back to Puebla from Florida. But at the airport he received a call from Beasley, claiming he’d read local reports that the deal was off.

Puebla cited a failed medical, but Johnson tells a different story. "The club said I didn't pass my physical. I never took a physical," he said. "Then they said that I was unfit, but I trained in every session and I did well, and the coach was happy with the way I trained. All the guys in the locker room were excited for me to join, but it was out of my control with the guys in front office.”

Instead he claims there was a difference of opinion between the club’s technical director and coach Juan Osorio, formerly of the Chicago Fire and New York Red Bulls. Osorio wanted Johnson, but his technical director preferred to sign a Mexican forward; with neither side willing to relent, the deal was cancelled.

Johnson: From limbo to Seattle

With the clarity of hindsight, Johnson laments the fact that he didn't have an agent, something he has since rectified by hiring Lyle Yorks. “I’m happy right now and it's a better situation," he says. "Lyle has a great reputation in Europe and he thought Europe would have been great for me, but I couldn’t keep sitting out. I know this league and I just want to come back and play. I want to let my football do the talking for me.”

Subject to the league’s allocation process, Johnson was originally signed by the Montreal Impact, the newly-admitted Canadian club. They promptly decided to trade him to Seattle in return for Lamar Neagle and Mike Fucito. Some say it's a risky move for Seattle, but Johnson sees it as a great display of faith from the Sounders and coach Sigi Schmid.

“I couldn’t be in a better environment,” he said. “The coach believes in me and he thinks I’ll make a great fit in the team. I had the chance to train with Mike and Lamar and I think they’ll do great in Montreal.”

With Johnson knowing little of the Seattle area other than its heavy rainfall, he relied on former Aris teammate Freddy Adu to fill him in on what to expect. “Freddy and I are really good friends," explains Johnson. "When I heard Seattle were offering a lot to get me, I was like: 'I’ve never really been to Seattle… I heard it rains a lot up there.'

"The first thing he said was 'Man, Seattle has the best fan support, you’re going to love it.' I watched some highlights on MLS.com and I saw how electric the atmosphere is; he said 'Trust me, you’re going to love it.'”

Now 27, Johnson admits that with the help of Sigi Schmid he also hopes to catch the eye of Jürgen Klinsmann and add to the 42 caps he already has for the national team. “I couldn’t be in a better environment for that. If I’m playing well enough to get into the US men’s national team, I think Sigi has a good relationship with him [Klinsmann]. I know If I’m doing it week in week out, Sigi will give him a call.”

His season with Seattle is likely to begin with a CONCACAF Champions League tie against Santos next week, and Johnson can't wait to start making up for lost time. “The CONCACAF Champions League will be good. Right now we’re focused on our quarter-final game and I’m looking for that first goal in a Seattle Sounders jersey.”

As for his aspirations this season, Johnson is keeping those to himself, but there’s an air of determination and confidence in his voice. “As a player you always set goals. Right now I’m going to keep those goals to myself, but I’d like to go back and see what ones I did accomplish and what I didn’t accomplish.”

Earning an estimated $100,000 this season, Johnson could very easily become an astute signing for the Sounders should he recapture his early career form. As the team needs a viable partner for Fredy Montero, Johnson will seek to quickly establish an understanding with the Colombian if Seattle are to once again make the play-offs in a difficult Western Conference.

Right now though, Johnson is simply asking for a healthy season. “It’s a long season we have a lot of games with the CONCACAF Champions League, the big question is can our team stay healthy throughout the year. If we stay healthy we’ve got a strong chance.”

Vancouver hope Robson signing can Cap off-season business

Kris Heneage — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:45:00 GMT

In amongst the mountains of Vancouver something is stirring. Having last week announced Scotland international Barry Robson had signed a pre-contract agreement to join in the summer, the Vancouver Whitecaps are putting the finishing touches to an off-season they hope will allow them to really challenge in a competitive Western Conference.

While the deal may seem to have been completed rather quickly, head coach Martin Rennie admitted he’d been a longstanding admirer of Robson, but had been unsure of whether he could convince the player.

"I wanted him right from the start but I spoke to someone who said there's no chance you'll get him, so I kind of gave up on it," Rennie said last Thursday. "But I looked at it a bit more and thought 'maybe there's a chance,' and then he showed some interest."

With Robson’s former Dundee United teammate Paul Ritchie also on the coaching staff, the adjustment to life in MLS should be somewhat smoother for Robson and his family as they embark on life in the culturally diverse city of Vancouver. Ritchie also echoed the sentiments of Rennie and was keen to stress some of Robson’s best qualities: "Technically, he's very strong and he has a great left foot and provides a lot of ammunition from the wide areas," he explained.

As for the player himself, he already sounds enthusiastic about the prospect of Canadian life. Having spoke with former Middlesbrough teammate Kris Boyd about the potential move, Robson admitted to turning down an extension from his current club as well as several other offers in England in order to move West. “The league is rising and it’s getting better all the time,” Robson told reporters. “I can see some good players coming over now, and it’s something that’s been in my mind for a while. As soon as I got the offer from [Vancouver], it was a no-brainer for me.”

Robson joins the club as a designated player, the second Scot to do so this season after Boyd. Quite how much that will earn him remains unclear at this stage, with $175,000 being attributed to Vancouver’s salary allowance instead of the usual $350,000 - a consequence of Robson joining at the midway point of the season.

Even though he will arrive late, manager Rennie is far from disheartened at having to wait for Robson. “From the perspective of adding someone in July, I think it’s a good thing for us,” Rennie said. “At that point, we’re going to know exactly where we see Barry fitting in, exactly what position we want him to play. Barry has been a proven playmaker at the highest levels of the game for both club and country. He is a versatile box-to-box midfielder that can play in several positions, with the ability to create and score goals. Barry will be a great addition to our squad."

Although he is unlikely to take the captaincy from former Watford defender Jay DeMerit, Robson’s experience will serve as an invaluable asset. As well as Old Firm ties against Rangers, he has played internationally and in the Champions League - even scoring against Barcelona. Working best in a more advanced role, many on Teeside are sad to see the versatile Robson depart, believing the veteran Scot still had much to offer the club.

As for Vancouver, the transfer represents the club’s tenth acquisition during a busy off season. Change was likely to be the order of business after a somewhat difficult debut season in which the club finished bottom of the league. It’s fair to say the hierarchy of the club (which includes NBA star Steve Nash) will be hoping the new additions bring an upturn in fortunes for the side, who are still very much in their infancy.

While bringing in new players has been integral to the changes, keeping some of the current roster on the pitch has been of equal necessity. Vancouver’s premier designated player Eric Hassli garnered eight yellow and three red cards last season- which surprisingly didn’t seem to hamper his ability to strike up a bond with the fans.

Regardless, the former FC Zürich striker says he is keen to rectify the situation in the upcoming season. "That was a big mistake last year. This year is going to be good. Just two red cards," he said. While many - including his manager - will hope Hassli is joking, his partnership with compatriot Sebastién Le Toux could be vital for the ‘Caps this season, with the playoffs likely to be their minimum expectation.

As for Robson, his focus remains on getting current club Middlesbrough into the top tier of English football, with manager Tony Mowbray confident that his midfielder’s commitment will not wain in the coming months, adding: “We will all be sorry to see him go and we wish him all the best. His contribution to the team this season has been huge and I am sure that will be the case over the remainder of the season.”

Fan favourite Le Toux's trade highlights big changes at Philadelphia

Kris Heneage — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:53:00 GMT

According to Neil Sedaka, ‘breaking up is hard to do’. That doesn’t seem the case for the Philadelphia Union, who last month traded away Sébastien Le Toux to the Vancouver Whitecaps, much to the dismay of the player and fans.

After heavy speculation that he may be departing the city of brotherly love, Le Toux was offered a trial with Bolton Wanderers – which he cut short after a week, stating his heart was still firmly with the Union. Le Toux also claims he was so attached to the East Coast club that he dropped his salary demands.

Philadelphia failed to make an offer, at which point the player claims his calls and text messages began going unanswered. It all seemed very surprising considering how valuable an asset Le Toux had become. In just two seasons he was involved in 57% of the Union’s goals, costing less than $180,000 a season. With Le Toux an All-Star in his first season and a genuine contender for MVP in 2011, his request for a raise to $400,000 seemed far from exorbitant.

The striker says eventually he no longer cared about the money – which he cites as the club’s sole motivation for trading him. It's far from a clean break: Le Toux was decidedly less vocal about his poor treatment when it seemed likely he would be going to Bolton. While unlikely to damage Phialdelphia’s pre-season plans, it has left the majority of fans uneasy.

Coach Piotr Nowak has looked to defuse the situation by explaining that the club are aiming to build for the future, not just around one player: "While this decision wasn't easy, we are confident that the allocation money we receive will provide the flexibility for us to compile the best possible roster for 2012 and beyond."

Those fine words were hardly matched by Philadelphia's subsequent signings of 30-year-old Colombian Lionard Pajoy and veteran defender Chris Albright, although the wider context is that the club have also been able to give Sheanon Williams a pay rise while acquiring the full rights to Roger Torres – the latter a by-product of the Le Toux deal.

Lost love: Le Toux with the Union fans

As emotions ran high, Nowak notably stated that “Feelings are not in my job description” – a somewhat hard-nosed admission given that Le Toux could have considered himself a cornerstone of the Union, his form towards the end of last season playing a large part in the club's late push towards the play-offs.

The decision to amputate Le Toux so readily could put off players considering a move to PPL Park – especially as at 28, the Frenchman was far from a veteran. Those looking to dissect the deal from a business standpoint believe the club were simply looking to maximise the profit on a player they acquired at an almost minuscule cost.

Le Toux, who began his career with Lorient in his native France, is one of the few professionals that doesn't have an agent, meaning he has spoken very candidly about his exit from the club. Admitting to a feeling of disgust at the way he was treated, he aims his venom squarely at coach Nowak – claiming he would rather retire than play under him again and adding with a hint of Gallic sarcasm, “I’m sorry for the guy who already bought my jersey. Maybe he can get the refund.”

In little over a month's time, Vancouver visit Philadelphia in what is likely to be an emotionally charged afternoon for both the player and fans alike. Le Toux’s aim is simple: “I expect to win and I expect nothing more.”

With goalkeeper Faryd Mondragón also allowed to return to Colombian side Deportivo Cali despite being named an All-Star last season, it seems many of the players that were foundations of the club are departing – and in Le Toux’s case not willingly.

These moves have seen Nowak come in for such heavy criticism from fans that he has appealed via Twitter for a quelling of abusive messages – for the sake of his wife and daughters, who he claims often read his account on the social networking site.

Having now lost two of their most iconic players in the space of a week, the Philadelphia Union are undergoing a remodeling. As with any wholesale change, the risk is high. A bad start could easily see fans longing for the names of the past and happier times.

However, should it pan out the way Nowak is predicting, Philadelphia could be a major player in the arguably weaker Eastern Conference, just not with fan favourite Le Toux around – something few could have envisaged at the start of last month.

Kris Boyd's MLS move highlights the league's complexities

Kris Heneage — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:36:00 GMT

Given Bill Shankly's professed admiration of socialism in relation to football, one would imagine he'd quite enjoy the financial regulations employed by Major League Soccer.

While the economic disparity between the top and bottom of England's Premier League is often highlighted, the same issue fails to surface in MLS. In line with most US sports, the league strives towards financial parity and providing every team with an equal opportunity of winning.

Take for example Kris Boyd's recent move to the Portland Timbers. The former Rangers striker had been in negotiations with Houston Dynamo – even flying to Texas – but the two parties failed to come to an agreement.

While holding discussions with Boyd, Houston placed 'discovery claims' on him. This meant that, in the event of a rival MLS club signing Boyd, Houston would have to be compensated. At the same time, Boyd's agent began discussions with the Portland Timbers, managed by former Chelsea player John Spencer.

Despite strong interest from the Dynamo, Boyd chose to sign with the Timbers. As a consequence, Portland traded a first-round 2013 draft pick to Houston in order to complete the deal, meaning Houston actually gained something from not signing Boyd.

Advocates of 'discovery claims' believe the system benefits all parties involved. Portland acquired a striker to replace the recently departed Kenny Cooper, Boyd gets to join his preferred MLS side, and Houston get something to ease the pain of missing out on a player of Boyd's potential.

But just as socialism has its detractors, discovery claims also garner criticism. A team may hold 10 claims at any one time – they expire on September 1st each year. Although in Boyd's case Dynamo clearly made a genuine attempt to sign the player, it has been suggested clubs may seek to gain an advantage by staking a claim in a player they have no real intention to pursue. If such a case did present itself, it's likely the league would punish the offending team, should this be proven.

Now you may question why such rulings exist. Essentially it's to prevent an auction between clubs. After all, MLS is a single-entity league and internal competition only invokes bidding wars, which raise salaries. It also serves in the best interest of the clubs due to the stringent financial constraints of the salary cap, which attempts to negate financial wastage.

The concept convolutes itself further when you learn the list of discovery claims is kept secret by the league. Working out which clubs found certain players requires Sherlockian deduction, or a leak of information from a club (often the one that will benefit).

Of course, this also holds wider implications. To use a hypothetical example: Player A is 'discovered' by Club X. In the meantime, Club Y show a distinct interest in Player A – but upon learning that they would have to forfeit something to Club X, decide against making a move.

In those circumstances, the potential impact of Player A on MLS bears little relevance, as he (and the US game) will have missed out on a potentially mutually beneficial move. What was implemented to breed fairness can be twisted to serve a more sinister purpose.

Thankfully that wasn't the case here, but what's important for Portland fans is that Boyd represents a substantial gamble. The Timbers made space for him by moving Kenny Cooper – admittedly far from prolific last season – on to New York Red Bulls, so if Boyd struggles in Oregon, they'll have strengthened two rivals at once for no appreciable gain.

The pressure is on the new guy. Timbers fans have been eager for a synopsis of his talents, and the response is simple: goals and little else. That's what convinced Middlesbrough to furnish him with a lucrative contract after he left Rangers on a free in 2010. Unfortunately, the goals weren't nearly frequent enough (six in 27 league games to be precise), leading to claims of Boyd being lazy and one-dimensional.

Serving only to intensify the pressure, Boyd also enters Portland as a designated player. Often referred to as the 'Beckham rule'‚ it allows dispensation to have a player outside of the salary cap. As with other DPs, Boyd will receive $335,000 from the salary allocation with the club's owner collecting the rest of the bill.

While Boyd awaits a decision on his work visa, it's believed he'll join Portland at their LA training camp which began this week. Considering there was reported interest from a number of Championship clubs as well as tentative links to former club Rangers, Boyd's decision is something of a coup for MLS and shows that the US is becoming a more considered option for European players.

His MLS career potentially begins in March with a home game in the atmospheric Jled-Wen field against the Philadelphia Union. Then in May he makes the trip to Houston, at which point both sides should be able to define who came away best from the complex deal with Timbers owner Merritt Paulson already sounding confident: "Kris perfectly fits the profile of the team's needs and will make a huge impact."

Beckham enjoys Hollywood ending with Galaxy - but will he ride into the sunset?

Zac Lee Rigg — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:29:00 GMT

David Beckham celebrated the LA Galaxy's MLS Cup triumph in the most American way conceivable: chugging a bottle of Budweiser.

The entire night must have been what the Anshutz Entertainment Group had in mind when they convinced Major League Soccer to loosen the salary cap rules and woo Becks Stateside: the Home Depot Center packed with temporary seating to bring its capacity over 30,000, Beckham kissing the MLS Cup shortly after softly crying in an on-field interview with ESPN, an after party featuring will.i.am as the DJ, and plenty of good old fashioned product placement.

If AEG saw half a decade into the future at the Hollywood ending that would bring Beckham his greatest success this side of the Atlantic on the very last competitive match of his contract, well, they were stringing us along incredibly well. Because the opening act never even hinted at that possibility.

David Beckham showed up in California with bursts of confetti, sunshine and million-dollar smiles, his cropped hair dyed blonde, fresh off a title win in Spain with Real Madrid and carrying a lingering ankle injury. He'd never seen an MLS match.

That changed quickly. The ankle kept him on the sideline, granting a front-row seat to exactly the type of league he'd joined, assuming he could peer around the two dozen or so cameras that snapped and flashed around him.

With millions in advertising on the line, not to mention a back-loaded schedule designed to flaunt Golden Balls in as many cities as possible, Beckham was forced to play injured, often making grimace-punctuated cameos. He started only two MLS games in 2007.

The next year somehow got worse. Hapless Ruud Gullit floundered around incoherently. In one press conference the Dutch coach admitted that he was unaware of Frankie Hejduk, the US international who was perhaps the premier fullback in the league and now is a member of the Galaxy. Gullit's ignorance of opposition defenses applied equally to his own, with Los Angeles conceding a league-worst 62 goals in 30 games (the next worst record was D.C. United with 51 conceded) and finishing with the fewest points in MLS.

The lasting memory of Beckham in this time is of him standing aloof, hands on hips, isolated on the wings, watching his disaster of a team spiraling into tactical anarchy.

"Until you play here, you don't realize how much of a challenge it is,” Beckham said on Sunday. “It's been a challenge – physically, mentally. More physically than anything. Coming over here at 31 years old, I probably wasn't ready for that at the time.”

It's not merely uncouth physical play, though there's certainly plenty of that. There's a handful of pitches, both turf and grass, simply not becoming to aging knees. Then there's the travel. This year, the Vancouver Whitecaps traveled over 60,000 miles. Your average European team log roughly 5,000 miles a season. That kind of air time – MLS sides rarely, if ever, charter planes – is not forgiving on the body.

Beckham quickly scampered off to George Clooney's Italian villa, where AC Milan graciously let him try to remind Fabio Capello that he still existed.

America assumed the gritty MLS had proved too tough to chew for a pampered star who didn't care as much about the growth of the game as he cooed in interviews. Tellingly, Beckham began reverting to calling it 'football' instead of 'soccer'. But misconceptions were rampant.

"I think we underestimated the challenge of (Beckham) playing for England, and we didn't expect his desire to go out on loan (to AC Milan),” league commissioner Don Garber told the Associated Press this week. “But I also totally underestimated how hardworking and tough he is. He will play through injury and fatigue. That warrior-like mentality was like nobody expected in MLS. This guy wants to win, and he'll do anything.”

Much changed by the time Beckham came back. His return coincided with the release of The Beckham Experiment, by Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl, which exposed the growing discord between Beckham and the Galaxy.

Much of it should have been expected: Beckham, who was projected to make $50 million a year in America including endorsements (he made $40 million in 2011), sat in the same locker room with kids earning the league minimum of $17,000 per annum. But other incidents, including the marketing ploy which nicked the captain's armband from Landon Donovan, hinted at more malicious undertones.

Then there was that damning stat: Los Angeles had a better record when Beckham didn't play than when he did.

The other changes happened on-field. New coach Bruce Arena had built a team based prominently on veterans who helped bring him to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup. The experienced players better dealt with any drama tagging along behind Beckham and the paparazzi.

With Becks slightly sheepishly sliding into an already-functioning team – more accessory than crucial component – the Galaxy seared to the MLS Cup final, only to lose to Real Salt Lake in penalties.

Again Beckham took off for Milan in the off-season. Except this time, with one innocuous step backwards, he severed his Achilles tendon and, with it, his chances of representing England in the World Cup.

With that childhood dream cruelly trodden into the soft South African soil, for the first time Beckham was wholly the Galaxy's as soon as his Achilles healed. From a deep-lying midfield position, pinging raking balls to the corners for devastating counterattacks, he's led the Galaxy to two consecutive Supporters' Shields, given to the team with the best regular season record.

Lo and behold, the consistent on-field excellence helped foster off-field growth.

In 2011, MLS sold out 87 matches, with average attendance swelling over seven percent to overtake the NHL and NBA. Both the league and the Galaxy signed hugely improved TV deals in recent months, and a 19th team will join the league in 2012.

“2011 was arguably the best year in the history of the league on all measures: the respect for the league here and abroad, our attendance and TV ratings, our new deal with NBC, a continually improving quality of play, massive popularity in the expansion markets,” Garber told Sports Illustrated.

Ahead of the final, Arena, AEG president Tim Leiweke and Galaxy president Tom Payne all declared Beckham's five-year tenure in MLS a success.

"Has it been worth it, the David experiment?” Payne mused to the LA Times. “The answer is yes. Absolutely."

But this is America, and America loves the saccharine drama of the playoffs.

So Beckham battled on, knowing only an MLS Cup would convince the naysayers. The cliched war imagery –“battled on – just about fits in this case. Through most of the season, Beckham played despite a fractured spine which caused back spasms. Against the New York Red Bulls he needed smelling salts to return after sustaining what teammate Mike Magee called “probably a concussion.” On the Tuesday before the final he tore his hamstring. The Galaxy attempted to cover up his absence from training by citing a cold he contracted Wednesday.

At 36 it's fair to say Beckham's body is deteriorating. It's not fair, however, to suggest being “pampered” has anything to do with it.

“The way David has played through some pretty serious injuries the past few weeks inspired me a lot,” Donovan said. “It forced a lot of us to just get on with it when after all the games we were pretty worn down and physically beat up. It was inspirational.”

Beckham maintains that he hasn't decided his future. He wants to line up for his country in one last tournament, the Olympics, and chances are he'll select the option that gives him the best chance to do so.

Whatever his decision, the misty-eyed veteran limping out of the press conference to mark his MLS Cup win – one hand on an ice pack, the other smoothing back his slick lank hair – bears hardly a passing resemblance to the supersonic celebrity who arrived cool and aloof and disgustingly rich in America half a decade earlier.

“Whatever he decides to do, I support it 100 percent. He's earned that,” Arena said. “If he decides to get on his horse and ride into the sunset, I'm all for it – whatever he wants to do.”

Uncle Jurgen Wants You (To Help Build The USA Team)

Zac Lee Rigg — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 11:07:00 GMT

Six years ago, when Jurgen Klinsmann took over the German national team, he and assistant boss Joachim Loew asked three questions of any German player or coach they get their hands on: how they wanted Germany to play; how they wanted to be seen to be playing by the rest of the world; and how the German public wanted to see Germany playing.

From those answers, the pair devised a plan to reverse what had become a stodgy, stale German team and institute proactive, direct play focused on quick passes and width.

They introduced the new style at the senior and youth national levels, and asked clubs through the 2.Bundesliga to do likewise, with an added focus on youth development. Germany finished third at the last two World Cups and reached the final of Euro 2008.

Now instated as the US national team coach, Klinsmann will go through a similar process of establishing an on-field identity for the country. The former Tottenham, Inter, Monaco and Bayern Munich striker plans on using America's culture to derive a style of play to define the nation.

“I think it’s important over the next three years and especially in the beginning that I have a lot conversations with people involved in the game here to find a way to define that style,” Klinsmann said at his inaugural press conference.

“What suits us best? What would you like to see? What would you like to identify with? Your opinions are important. College coaches' opinions are important. Youth coaches are important. Everyone is involved in that process. Players as well.

“I’m looking forward to a lot of talks.”

He wants you, America…

As opposed to Brazil or Italy, with ready connotations and an inherent style of play, the United States has always been more an amalgamation of disparate strands. Under former coach Bob Bradley the side played a congested, cagey game with strictly defined roles. Already on the record as saying he could never coach a defensive-minded team, Klinsmann has said the US team should have more of a Latin influence, considering the growing Hispanic population in the country.

“We need the game to grow in the inner cities. There’s no doubt about that,” Claudio Reyna opined a few months ago. The former US captain turned USSF Youth Soccer Technical Director recently drew up a curriculum for youth coaches nation-wide. Klinsmann says he wants to keep Reyna “very close” and is eager to revolutionise youth development in America.

Besides Reyna, the rest of Klinsmann's staff is unknown. The 47-year-old says he wants to take his time, cycling through “guest assistants” in the upcoming spate of friendlies (Mexico is up next on Wed 10 Aug) to glean what he can from differing perspectives as well as hold auditions for the available roles.

Some names in contention include Martin Vasquez, his assistant at Bayern, and Tab Ramos, a former US international. Given the time frame of appointing a coach before World Cup qualifiers, MLS coaches could enter the reckoning once the season ends in November.

The decisions surrounding personnel will likely prove critical. Loew is credited with running training and devising the tactical schemes for Germany, and has performed well as the head honcho since Klinsmann stepped down.

"So, four up front?" "No, Jurgen..."

Klinsmann excels more in a wider managerial role than as a coach. With the US, he'll have the chance to fulfil more of those organisational/cheerleading duties, including picking a new U20 coach and someone to coach the U23 Olympic team, as well as defining a national style of play and working on developing better youth players.

For now, the biggest change Klinsmann brings to the full national side is, what Landon Donovan called “his positive energy” and what Soccer America columnist Paul Gardner dubbed “California-style BS.”

Klinsmann is a bit of a hippie. While earning millions at Tottenham, he drove round London in an old Volkswagen Beetle with a Peanuts sticker on the dash. He spent his earliest summer breaks backpacking around America, giving to Greenpeace and learning his five fluent languages.

When he took over as Germany boss he issued email accounts and computer classes to each player, and utilised practices honed at classes on motivational speeches and leadership seminars. At Bayern his most telling contribution was helping design the new training centre, replete with lounges, quiet zones, a movie theatre and even a DJ console.

He showed up to his first press conference as US boss in a suit and sneakers. He is what American mothers would likely call “a free spirit.”

USSF president Sunil Gulati chased Klinsmann for five years, with two high-profile rejections – allegedly over amount of control the USSF was willing to cede – leading Gulati to fall back on Bradley each time. “It was never really the moment before,” Klinsmann shrugs in typical new-age style.

Gulati 'unveils' Klinsmann

As Gulati put it, the triple treat of elite playing experience, high coaching pedigree and having lived in California for 13 years proved irresistible, and eventually the two parties agreed on a marriage with a contract through the 2014 World Cup.

The project is audacious. Klinsmann has talked about righting the pyramid, abolishing the pay-to-play method popular at the youth levels in America, and developing a system to produce highly technical players who fit into a wider American identity. It could take years, decades even, before the US joins the world's elite.

The question is – for a coach who left after two years with Germany citing burnout and who was fired less than a year into his stint at Bayern – will Klinsmann stick around long enough to see it through?

Mexico regain CONCACAF supremacy with Gold Cup triumph

Zac Lee Rigg — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:40:00 GMT

With a 4-2 victory over the United States in the final, Mexico not only won the Gold Cup but also regained regional supremacy after a decade of American dominance.

Like Scotland or Spain, CONCACAF (which includes North and Central America) is by and large a two-team affair. Occasionally other nations in the region will produce a noteworthy player – for instance, Honduran David Suazo and Costa Rican Bryan Ruiz – but, lacking anywhere near the populations of the United States (307 million) and Mexico (107 million), they struggle to produce the depth to sustain a full roster.

So, for the past few decades, the U.S. and Mexico have dominated. The last time neither of those two won the Gold Cup was Canada in 2000, over a decade ago. That's also how long the U.S. has dominated the rivalry with Mexico.

Until the turn of the century, El Tri easily and handily overmatched the Americans with better ball control and guile, while their northern neighbours busied themselves with silly things like driving cars around in circles real fast or that sport which uses an elliptical ball that doesn't even roll properly.

It came as some shock and insult to national Mexican pride when the U.S. beat Mexico in the 2002 World Cup Round of 16. Even more frustratingly, since then there's been very little in the way of revenge. Prior to Saturday's final, El Tri hadn't won on American soil against a full squad since August 1999. (The previous Gold Cup final, in 2009, came against a B-side as the Americans preserved their first-choice players for the Confederations Cup.)

NEWS, Sun 26 June: Mexico win thrilling Gold Cup final

However, the result in Pasadena, California last weekend indicates that dominance has shifted back south again. After conceding twice against the run of play, El Tri kept faith in their short passing game and ripped up a slow U.S. backline time and again with leading diagonal balls and superior pace. Even though Clint Dempsey hit the underside of the crossbar when a goal would have levelled the score, the superiority of the Mexicans never seemed in doubt.

El Tri-umphant: Mexico celebrate their win

Several aspects have factored into the shift. The first is the emergence of a bright new cycle of national team players. Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez, he of the random acts of kindness and Manchester United-caliber poaching, leads the group. CONCACAF hasn't seen anyone as good as the 23-year-old since Hugo Sanchez played for Real Madrid in the '80s.

Besides Hernandez, there are a handful of other young prospects. At the ripe old age of 22, Spurs bit-part player Giovanni dos Santos at 22 is finally starting to capitalise on his promise (do yourself a huge favor and watch the replay of his game-sealing goal from the final), Hector Moreno (23) has emerged as the heir to Rafael Marquez at the back, and Pablo Barrera and Andres Guardado (both 24) are crafty wingers much more gifted than the second-tier status of their recently-relegated clubs would suggest.

Compare that spine to the ages of the best American players: Dempsey (28), Landon Donovan (29), Carlos Bocanegra (32), and Tim Howard (32). Central defence, recently the deepest position on the roster, is a particular worry, with Bocanegra and Jay DeMerit on the wrong side of 30 already and the 2014 World Cup three years away.

Tim Ream (23) played himself out of the line-up after starting the first two games, meaning the only reliable new addition to the position from this tournament is Clarence Goodson, who is 29 and whose lack of pace was badly exposed by Mexico's slick attack.

The other main reason for Mexico's resurgence is a coach capable of harnessing that talent. Jose Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre proved himself throughout the tournament a competent coach, adept of pulling out wins in the tough games with astute substitutions and cultivating a specific tactical identity. Not bad considering that for three games he played with a 17-man roster, after five of his squad tested positive for clenbuterol and were suspended.

De la Torre: "No comment"

Though some may consider De la Torre's six names a touch excessive or pretentious, the 45-year-old stands out from his recent predecessors – including the scandal-tainted Sven Goran Eriksson and the loose-lipped Ricardo La Volpe – for his composed demeanour and near-blandness. Pretty much the only thing he gives away in press conferences is a calm competency.

Additionally, his time coaching in the Mexican leagues has allowed him to identify a solid supporting cast for Mexico's expatriate stars. Aldo de Nigris, who came off the bench to score in both the quarter and semi-final, played for De la Torre at Monterrey. Hector Reynoso, who at the age of 30 came on in the final to earn his first cap (and performed better than Rafael Marquez had to that point), had previously been a stalwart at centre-back for the coach at Chivas de Guadalajara.

Next month, El Tri will take a mostly U22 and largely domestic-based squad to compete in the 2011 Copa America. It may be a weakened line-up but at least Mexico will arrive, for the first time in a decade, as the best team north of the Panama Canal.

Mullan horror tackle underlines MLS identity crisis

Zac Lee Rigg — Fri, 06 May 2011 16:02:00 GMT

Americans love an athletic hard-worker. Perhaps, thinks Zac Lee Rigg, a little too much...

Brian Mullan is perhaps the prototypical MLS player. The 11-year veteran makes up for natural ability with grit and graft. Never fast, he out-hustles; hardly brilliant on the ball, he keeps it simple; far from top class, he has won a record-tying five MLS Cups.

As the US still struggles to develop naturally gifted players who can compete in Europe's top leagues, Mullan represents the all-around athlete who grinds out a successful domestic career thanks to an oversized heart and some good old-fashioned Yankee competitive spirit. Stick him anywhere in the attack, and he'll do a job. He's the American Dirk Kuyt – slow and steady (and puffy-cheeked) wins the race.

However, just a few months after he won an unlikely MLS Cup with the Colorado Rapids, no one is talking about Mullan's career in the light it should be remembered. Instead he's the the victim of scathing op-eds the country over, and the subject of an MLS-record 10-match ban, after a rather nasty tackle which snapped Steve Zakuani's shin in half.

Like celebrity deaths, the injuries came in three. Zakuani's, the first, was the most high-profile. Seattle Sounders FC is the best supported club in MLS, and within a few minutes the league's official site posted video footage of the former Arsenal winger's leg dangling sickeningly askew.

A day later, Colombian playmaker David Ferreira broke his ankle, which will rule him out of several months. Then, midweek, DC United's designated player Branko Boskovic suffered a tackle from behind during US Open Cup play, which tore his anterior cruciate ligament and fractured his left knee.

All three are bright attacking players. Ferreira is the reigning MLS MVP and assisted 13 goals last season. Boskovic is the captain of Montenegro, which is tied with England at the top of their group in Euro 2012 qualifying. As an Arsenal reject Zakuani once crashed a stolen moped and busted his knee, but recovered to perform as a zippy winger who scored a team-high 10 goals last year. If he recovers fully, the Congo international probably has a career in Europe ahead of him.

FC Dallas investor/operator Clark Hunt, who also chairs the league's Competition Committee, thinks more needs to be done to protect the league's creative players.

“It raises the whole issue on the league focusing on giving our attacking players an opportunity to do what they do best,” Hunt told Goal.com's Kyle McCarthy. “I think they really need to go beyond that and focus on the teams that tend to play physical.”

MLS attempted to address the issue by slapping Mullan with a 10-match ban and $5,000 fine. The punishment is even more severe than that earned by Ricardo Clark for his vicious assault on Carlos Ruiz, when the US international midfielder was banned for nine games after kicking Ruiz in the torso off the ball.

Even now, though, MLS punishments tend to waver schizophrenically. Jonathan Leathers, who injured Ferreira, escaped retribution entirely, even evading a yellow or foul in the run of play. Alan Koger, who injured Boskovic, only picked up a booking. Mullan seems to have attracted the reaction for all three.

The tackle itself was poor. Just three minutes into the game, Mullan wasn't given what he thought should have been a foul in his favour. In his haste to win the ball back, the 33-year-old lunged a full 10 yards at Zakuani. But it wasn't a malicious or brutal attack, like Clark's was, and Mullan's intention probably wasn't to injure anyone.

“It's a tackle that I've done hundreds of times and would probably do again,” Mullan admitted after the match, though he did leave in tears, clearly upset by the injury he had caused.

His quote hints at the heart of the issue. For over a decade, Mullan has rushed into similar challenges. Much of his success has come because of his work rate and high pressure, and, yes, physicality. In the early years, especially, that's all MLS was – just an overly physical league with limited skill. Go down a division or two in England and you've got something close.

But MLS is evolving. Players like Ferreira add a bit of flair; those like Boskovic provide years of European experience and organisation. Eventually, MLS will blend all the contrasting influences – Latin flair, European nous, and American physicality – into one well-balanced whole.

Right now, however, the teething process is excruciatingly painful.

The Expansion Draft - the greatest day in the MLS season

Zac Lee Rigg — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 10:38:00 GMT

FC Dallas didn't have enough time between the MLS Cup final and the flight back to Texas to tell Dax McCarty he was likely leaving the club before the MLS Expansion Draft unprotected lists became public.

A few minutes before the Expansion Draft took place, New England Revolution staff writer Jeff Lemieux tweeted, “Crazy to think how drastically 20 lives are about to change in the next couple hours.” And Garth Lagerway dubbed it “the craziest 48 hours” since he became Real Salt Lake's general manager. “Like nothing I've ever seen,” he told the Salt Lake Tribune.

The Expansion Draft is undiluted mayhem. It's crazy, it's chaotic, it's bizarre, it's bemusing, it's infuriating. It's also, in this humble scribe's opinion, the greatest day in the MLS season.

Forget all the games, all the benign press conferences, all the inner politicking. Nothing can match the Expansion Draft for condensed excitement.

It goes like this: On Sunday, two teams play out the MLS Cup final. On Monday the transfer window cracks open for a few hours for a flurry of trades, and then the protected lists come out. On Wednesday, new teams joining the league (called “expansion” sides) choose 10 of the players left available to scrape together the beginnings of a roster.

Two things to keep in mind here.

First, all players are owned by Major League Soccer, rather than by individual teams. So righteous indignation over rival teams stealing quality players can be (perhaps unconvincingly) tempered by the knowledge that the same entity still owns their rights.

Second, not too many quality players are left available. Squads essentially protect their best 11 guys (with age and salary factored in), and most MLS teams aren't deep enough to leave anyone exceptional sitting outside that umbrella.

This year, with both the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps joining, they alternated picks every three minutes in a conference call streamed on the league's official website, MLSsoccer.com, with running commentary from pundits between selections. At one point, Greg Lalas stood up for diving between spurts of ranting by Simon Borg. Mayhem.

Eventually, both teams picked 10 players to a series of knowing grunts, frustrated sighs, and bemused chuckles. The conference call went dead and an eerie stillness took hold.

That's when the trades started flying in.

The Colorado Rapids bought Anthony Wallace straight back. Dax McCarty was pawned on to DC United for a different leftback named Wallace, first name Rodney. Arturo Alvarez, Sanna Nyassi, Nathan Sturgis, O'Brian White, and Alejandro Moreno, like McCarty, had their rights transferred to a third team in 24 hours. Alan Gordon remained with Chivas USA in a double deal that also involved Moreno.

General managers across the league spilled well over their cell phone minutes for the month.

Portland and Vancouver entered the draft with similar outlooks. Last year, the Philadelphia plumed almost exclusively for youth and tiny contracts. This year's crop instead opted for a few key experienced options and used the rest of the picks for trading chips.

Only 10 of the 20 players selected are still with the expansion teams, even though the draft was only a handful of days ago. Vancouver bulked up on international spots, likely to pry open room on the roster for some higher profile signings from Europe (Robbie Keane was linked recently). Portland hoarded allocation money and draft picks.

The Timbers also opted for two U.S. internationals whose contracts had expired. Jonathan Bornstein has already headed south to hook up with Tigres in Mexico, and Robbie Findley is openly pursuing his options abroad. Crucially, however, Portland will retain their rights should either return to MLS, whether it be in a few months or in the twilights of their careers.

By Thursday, Thanksgiving turkey had made league officials sleepy and the trades petered off. Slowly, the fax machines in Portland and Vancouver chilled and earned a well-deserved few hours on 'standby'. Chicken-scratch notes of journalists were shoveled in desk drawers. Phones finally stopped vibrating.

Only one more season until we get to the next glorious Expansion Draft.

Drew Moor proves his worth as Rapids 'Mess with Texas'

Zac Lee Rigg — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:07:00 GMT

Colorado Rapids supporters had t-shirts made up after winning the 2010 MLS Cup which read “Messin' With Texas”. The text was a play on the slogan “Don't mess with Texas,” used by the Texas Department of Transportation to reduce littering, but has since become part of America's cultural capital.

Colorado did their fair share of messing on Sunday night against FC Dallas. From cutting off distribution out of the back to bullying Dallas playmaker David Ferreira into the far corners of the pitch, the Rapids hacked at FCD's gameplan enough to bruise their way to an extra-time 2-1 win.

Even the frigidly cold Toronto weather and bumpy pitch seemed specially designed to mess with the Texan club.

But one Rapids hero you won't find donning that particular shirt is Drew Moor.

The Dallas native was in attendance in the first ever Dallas Burn match in 1996 (before they rebranded as FC Dallas). He's got a slew of Burn trading cards. He was even drafted by FCD, spent four years there, and captained the side for a year.

Moor (left) gets one over on his hometown team

But the 26-year-old was pawned off to the Colorado Rapids in 2009 in exchange for defender Ugo Ihemelu. The Rapids craved Moor's versatility and quiet confidence in the back; Dallas profited from Ihemelu's pace and prior relationship with coach Schellas Hyndman.

Both sides benefited from the swap, with each club streaking to the MLS Cup final. But you can't quite shake the sensation that Colorado fans feel a bit better about the deal just right now.

Moor strung together the best form of his career during the 2010 playoffs, putting in a series of stalwart performances to hold a shaky defensive line together and quietly soak up attacking threats. Just as an example, it was Moor clearing Jeff Cunningham's shot off the line in the 123rd minute of the final when a goal would have surely led to penalties.

The unassuming Moor has come to represent Colorado's transfer policy over the past few seasons. Under coach Gary Smith, the side has picked up mostly underrated and under-appreciated MLS performers, plugging them into a system in which they can thrive.

Marvell Wynne, a pacy fullback Toronto FC tried out in midfield, was transformed by Smith into an effective centreback, exploiting his one-on-one defending and recovery speed. Jeff Larentowicz, a forgotten ginger who couldn't get adequate payment from the New England Revolution, became half of the toughest midfield pairing in MLS alongside captain Pablo Mastroeni. The inconsistent Mac Kandji joined in return for the inconsistent Mehdi Ballouchi to create the game-winner in the final. Brian Mullan made MLS history by securing his fifth MLS Cup ring after joining midseason in a trade for the injured Colin Clark.

Backing them all up and snuffing out all their mistakes is Moor.

When Gary Smith wanted to tighten the screw in the dying minutes of regular time, he shifted Moor to leftback. From there, Moor continued racking up countless interceptions and solidified his impervious marking to close down shop as Dallas threw both the kitchen and the bathroom sink forward late on.

Thanks to his thankless defensive displays, Moor has a ring around his finger and bragging rights back in his home state.

“I’m going to go back to Dallas for Thanksgiving here in the next couple of days and it’s going to feel good,” he said, according to MLSsoccer.com.

Turkey and cranberry sauce never tasted quite so fine south of the Mason-Dixon line.

MLS Cup final match-up: marketing nightmare, footballing dream

Zac Lee Rigg — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:12:00 GMT

When Marvin Chavez stroked home to put FC Dallas up by three and remove any doubt that the Los Angeles Galaxy would crash out of the playoffs, you could hear the exasperated sighs all across Connecticut.

ESPN, which is based in Bristol, Connecticut, holds the TV rights to the MLS Cup Final and can't be well pleased that small-market sides in Dallas and the Colorado Rapids made it there. To be fair, most bean-counters associated with MLS probably afforded themselves a few head-bangs on their desks. A Dallas-Colorado match-up in the final is a marketer's nightmare.

It's also, for the record, going to be a cracker of a game.

You see, for all the Galaxy's popularity, for all their star names plastered on billboards, for all the tickets they sell, Los Angeles play drab soccer. It's effective, mind. Viciously effective. No one in the competition maximises free-kick opportunities like David Beckham, and no one is as ruthless on the counter-attack as Landon Donovan (who boasts a league-leading 16 assists in the regular season).

But watching LA grind out yet another win feels about as good for the soul as smoking electronic cigarettes – there's a lot of huffing and puffing, but at the end you still want a cig.

Dallas are the opposite. The team can't buy a fan-base. A lonely stadium exiled in the distant suburb of Frisco attracts an average of 10,815 fans per home game, and lured in a limp 11,003 for its lone play-off match. Capacity is 21,193.

FCD's season home attendance average was the third-worst in the league. However, an average away draw of 16,657 pits Dallas in the middle of the 15 MLS teams. Away fans know that when Dallas visit, you're at least going to see some classy ball. Marketing failures aren't necessarily indicative of coaching ineptitude.

Built around Colombian playmaker David Ferreira, Dallas marries South American sensibilities with an all-action American physicality. It took some time to weld the two together.

Ferreira, in an interview with ESPN, revealed that at first he missed "the pause", which is such a hallmark of the South American game. But he adapted. "Here in MLS, the ball is always going forward with a lot of intensity and rhythm," said Ferreira. "That caught my attention and I like it a lot."

Now the 31-year-old orchestrates at breakneck pace, on the counter if need be, like an expert marksman learning to fire accurately while on a galloping horse.

Around him, Schellas Hyndman has spent two-and-a-half relatively unsuccessful seasons building a team that only matches its enormous levels of stamina and heart with its technical ability.

Directly flanking Ferreira are Brek Shea, a towering blonde who recently became the first American born in the 1990s to earn an international cap, and Chavez, a searingly fast Honduran who Hyndman dubbed the mosquito for how he irritates defenders. The team bends smoothly to Hyndman's tactical flexibility, but always brings its trademark panache.

Give the random American on the street the choice, and he'll choose to watch that guy in the Armani underwear ads. Ask a hardcore fan and he'll most likely flip the channel to the Dallas game.

Colorado's case is similar, if less drastic. The team boasts very few marketable stars, but a solid core plays with quite some verve and under Englishman Gary Smith utilises thick wide play.

Up front, few strikers in the league can beat Omar Cummings for consistency and effectiveness, and not a one can match him for pace. Soaking up defenders is Conor Casey, who makes up for his jogging pace with a tree-trunk frame that he uses to bulldoze through frightened backs.

Behind them, Pablo Mastroeni and Jeff Larentowicz forge a sturdy two-way central midfield pair as capable as anyone at dealing with Dallas' five-man midfield swarm. (The two clubs exchanged draws in the regular season.)

Again, a state-of-the-art stadium reverberates echoes out in the suburbs of Denver. An average attendance of 13,328 visited Dick's Sporting Goods Park (thanks for at least attempting to stifle that giggle, they're a sensitive bunch out in Colorado), good for fifth-worst in the league and wholly unbecoming of the expansive pitch and attractive ball the Rapids play on it.

On Sunday, one of these two largely ignored sides will claim its first MLS Cup. Hardly anyone will bother tuning in. But those who do will be rewarded with a compelling, up-tempo match between two engaging, if forgotten, teams.

Half-blind matchwinners & east-coast Californians: MLS is wack, yo!

Guest Writer — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:06:00 GMT

North America's frequently bizarre top flight is oscillating its way towards its conclusion. Zac Lee Rigg shakes his head gently

MLS is crazy. Take, for instance, the two-legged New York Red Bulls - San Jose Earthquakes play-off which San Jose won on Thursday.

Last year, these two sides were bottom of the league. Literally - they finished with the fewest and second-fewest regular season points. Twelve months on, they both qualified for the play-offs, with New York boasting the best record in the Eastern Conference.

For all its pitfalls, MLS has achieved its stated goal of parity with wild success. In the matter of a four-month off-season. a team can transform its fortunes from league whipping boys into genuine contenders.

New York needed just 12 matches this season to match its 21-point total from 2009. Then, midway through 2010, the Red Bulls became one of the elite MLS clubs by unveiling the state-of-the-art Red Bull Arena and becoming the first club to sign three Designated Players.

Designated Players can earn more than the league maximum of $450,000 per annum, with the excess picked up the club owners (instead of the centralised league contracts) and not counted toward the stringent salary cap. The rule was essentially created to bring David Beckham Stateside, and New York used it to lure Barcelona duo Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez this summer, adding them to former Aston Villa hitman Juan Pablo Angel on the roster.

So last season's worst team entered the tie with San Jose as heavy favorites – and a big-name draw for a sport frequently ignored in the U.S.

The convolution of rules which pitted New York against San Jose is tangled enough to cause headaches. Split like many US sports into two conferences, East and West, MLS awards the top two teams in each play-off berths. So far, so sensible.

But the other four play-off places - wild-card slots - are given to the next four best regular season records. So San Jose, the sixth best team in the West, qualified by bettering the point total of the third best team in the East – the Kansas City Wizards.

Flopped over to the 'Eastern Conference' for the sake of the play-offs, San Jose took on New York while the fifth team in the West, the Colorado Rapids, paired off with the Columbus Crew. And now Colorado and San Jose will vie for the Eastern Conference title, an honor won by Real Salt Lake last year.

To simplify, in case your US geography isn't all that great: a bunch of teams on the left half of the country are fighting for the title of the best team from the right-hand side. Crazy, right?

But then, MLS is crazy. Take, for instance, San Jose. This team had no business qualifying for the play-offs. With minor off-season turnover and no coaching changes, an increase in fortunes seemed unlikely. But the side rode a miraculous goalscoring run by Chris Wondolowski into the post-season.

Wondolowski is a 27-year-old striker who had never scored more than two goals in any given season. This year he hit 18 to lead the league. This year he hit nine game-winning goals to lead the league. This year, he ended the season by scoring every one of San Jose's last 10 goals to set a league record.

Without Wondo's burst out of nowhere to feature prominently on the US national team radar, San Jose wouldn't have been close to play-off qualification.

Even with him, San Jose never should have beaten New York. Away in California, the Red Bulls stampeded over the hosts, outworking and outclassing the pretenders. Even at only 1-0, the tie looked over, headed back to New York for the second leg.

Instead, an oddball game featured three goals in a five-minute spell in the second half as San Jose - improbably, insanely - qualified for the Eastern Conference final.

MLS is crazy. Take, for instance, Bobby Convey. Here's a guy who has scored 10 goals in seven MLS seasons. Four out of his five seasons in England with Reading ended with a big ol' goose egg in the goals-scored column.

Here's a guy who San Jose didn't protect in the 2010 Expansion Draft, essentially meaning his hometown club, the newly-created Philadelphia Union, could have selected him for free.

Here's a guy who is blind in one eye.

Here's a guy who was overlooked by his hometown club earlier in the season because of several years of poor form and inflated wages.

Here's a guy who couldn't lock down a left midfield starting position, frequently covering left-back despite his team-high 10 assists this season and generally solid attacking displays.

Here's a guy who scored two goals against New York and set up the other in a 3-1 win to lead his team to the next round of the playoffs.

Crazy, right?

Zac Lee Rigg writes about the insanities of MLS for Goal.com and MLSsoccer.com and frequently turns to ibuprofen to deal with it.

Why play-offs are the best way to decide a champion

Jason Davis — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:47:00 GMT

For some of you, the idea of holding play-offs to determine a champion is probably a bit odd. A few of you might even find it offensive, or view it as an affront to the game.

After all, champions are meant to be crowned based on their performance over the course of an entire season, not just a few matches, so the idea that the fourth- or fifth-best (or *gasp* worse) team could be handed the title thanks to a brief run of form is enough to cause feelings of righteous anger.

However, a reasonable argument can be made that Major League Soccer needs a play-off season to capture a modicum of attention from a sports-obsessed but easily distracted public.

The issue is really a matter of primary market. Should MLS cater to the knowledgeable footy fan who could handle the simplicity of a points-winner champion, or should they play to Americans who prefer their seasons to end with knockout tournaments and championship finals?

Would the former be a mistake? Keep in mind that football’s place in American society dictates a mass appeal approach. The league can’t afford to defer to a niche within a niche.

Rather than run in circles attempting to decide what MLS should do, perhaps we should focus on the positives of a system that doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon anyway.

In 2010, we truly have the eight best teams in the league battling for the MLS Cup - a first, really, considering that the number of entries prior to this year allowed for mediocre teams to get in and spoil the party.

Nov 4 8pm EDT: San Jose Earthquakes at New York Red Bulls (first leg 0-1)
Nov 6 4pm EDT: Colorado Rapids at Columbus Crew (first leg 1-0)
Nov 6 8pm MDT: FC Dallas at Real Salt Lake (first leg 2-1)
Nov 7 6pm PST: Seattle Sounders at LA Galaxy (first leg 0-1)

The first round is four two-legged affairs, and after this season's first legs, every tie is separated by a single goal. The return legs, starting Thursday with the Red Bulls hosting their first play-off game at Red Bull Arena protecting a 1-0 lead gained at San Jose Earthquakes, should provide ample drama.

Red Bull Arena: Fittingly gladiatorial

Which, of course, is the point of having play-offs. Everything is on the line in a single 90-minute match. Every tactical decision is crucial, every missed chance a dagger to the soul or a reprieve from the gallows.

The importance of a goal is maginified with the season on the line. As we’re without a knockout cup tournament that truly matters, the MLS Cup playoffs serve as way to inject tension-filled matches into a season that might otherwise be lacking.

The system isn’t perfect – MLS commissioner Don Garber has admitted as much recently – and it could use a few tweaks. For example, it's admittedly odd to switch format from two legs in the first round to a single knockout match in the second, and there’s funny business when it comes to the geography of the Eastern and Western Conferences for play-off purposes.

But the idea of play-offs itself shouldn’t be tossed aside as invalid. Rather than compare MLS to other leagues around the world, most of which operate with a library of history behind them and fanbases less distracted by other sports, perhaps it’s best to think of MLS as (North) American first and part of the greater football fabric second. Just because it’s different doesn’t mean it’s inherently bad.

And hey, our neighbours to the south use a play-off system, too. If it’s good enough for Mexican futbol, it should be good enough for American soccer.

The play-offs endgame is the MLS Cup Final, set for Toronto on November 21. Between now and then are six matches (the return legs of the first round, plus the semi-finals); each one of them can be a drama-packed exhibition of what playoff football is in the United States as well as an opportunity to build excitement towards the championship final.

They won’t always be pretty, the crowds won’t always be large, but the passion on display from those who care (those supporters in attendance and the players themselves) will be evident. Things are done a little differently here, a little more American perhaps. As long as we’re not fiddling with the rules of the game themselves (we’ve learned our lesson, I think), isn’t that how it should be?

Real Salt Lake celebrate last year's triumph

Next year, Major League Soccer will expand to 18 teams. The year after that the number will be 19, and there’s an expectation of 20 or more in the near future. With a salary cap holding down the quality of depth that MLS clubs sign, a season of 38 matches is difficult to imagine.

With that in mind, the league could very well decide to do away with the home and away schedule. If teams are not playing against the rest of the league the same number of times, then a single-table format without play-offs wouldn't accurately determine the league’s true champion.

There are many reasons for MLS to use a play-off format to determine its champion. Americans enjoy play-offs. The sheer size of the countries involved makes a larger league and cumbersome fixture lists inevitable, giving an impetus to maintaining them for no other reason than consistency.

The matches themselves create dramatic moments and excitement levels impossible with standards fixtures in April, May or June. The MLS Cup Final serves as a league showcase, an opportunity to drive American attention and to pamper crucial sponsors. In the end, there are more reasons to keep the play-offs than there are to scrap them.

No, Henry doesn't mean it's NASL 2.0

Jason Davis — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:33:00 GMT

Thierry Henry, Nery Castillo, Blaise N'Kufo, Alvaro Fernandez and soon Rafa Marquez – all Designated Players signed up by MLS clubs during this new age of big spending and big splashes.

Some will make major differences for their teams both on the field and in the stands, while hopefully raising the level of play across the league. The summer of 2010 is quickly becoming the most notable period in league history, at least in terms of player acquisition.

At a quick glance, it might look like MLS is headed down the NASL path with gusto. The DP rule promotes big signings and increased payrolls, an odd thing for a league that operates on the margins of American sports without considerable revenues. Just as it did in the 1980s, an arms race could conceivably bankrupt American soccer.

Except things are much different this time around. The rules explicitly prevent any team from turning themselves into a Cosmos-style superclub; three high-profile players don't necessarily make for puddles of red ink, especially if the club plays in a proper stadium with stable ownership in place. The Red Bulls, for all their summer spending, are hardly stressing their corporate owners' pocketbooks.

Love or hate the way MLS operates, the structure provides a safety net that did not exist in the Go Go 70s. Single-entity is a dirty phrase from a sweetness-and-light-let's-be-like-Europe perspective, but it gives the league's owners and fans the confidence to move forward without fear that everything will go belly-up in short order. MLS hasn't crested the proverbial hill quite yet, but it's getting there. Sharing the burden helps.

But it's not just the financial factors that will keep MLS from turning into NASL 2.0. A commitment to developing young talent, something the NASL never bothered itself with, balances out the big names and big money. Academy programs are beginning to bear talented fruit, balancing out the "retirement league" image created by the signings of players like Henry and Beckham.

Ask any MLS fan who knows and they'll tell you that the league is finally beginning to show a commitment to producing players rather than simply acquiring them. As with anything the league does, progress is excruciating; but movement is movement, no matter how much the league limits the number of academy graduates allowed per year.

While names like Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez will make the biggest splashes and garner the most mainstream attention, names like Andy Najar, Tristen Bowen and Francisco Navas Cobo are equally as important to the future of Major League Soccer. Perhaps more so. Churning out young players could eventually turn into a financial windfall, bringing transfer fees into the league's coffers and bolstering the ability of teams to sign quality players younger than the thirtysomething stars it currently attracts.

The perception problem that afflicts MLS, both internationally and domestically, won't be corrected overnight. It won't be significantly changed by the signing of one French striker or the acquisition of any one player, no matter their pedigree and reputation. It will be changed slowly, over time, through the continued development of the league into a full participant in the world of football. During a different era and under different rules, the NASL was simply not able to participate or not interested in doing so; Major League Soccer is not the NASL.

It's the balance of big signings to homegrown talent that is crucial to turning MLS into a established and respected league on the world stage. Years and perhaps decades away from competing on level terms with Mexico and Europe for players, the impetus to turn the academy system into a legitimate producer of professional-ready talent is real and pressing.

It took years to get there, but Major League Soccer is finally taking the first real steps down a path NASL never intended to travel; that, without a question, is the best evidence that the former will not suffer the fate of the latter.
Indications are that MLS is on the verge of restarting the reserve league.

Combined with a burgeoning academy system, the league now stands on the dawn of a new age that has little to do with the influx of high-priced superstars.

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Altidore injury leaves US fans fearing the worst

Jason Davis — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:29:00 GMT

Fear grips the U.S. National Team fan base. The one "established" striker the side has, a young and mostly unproven talent with just a few international goals to his name, sprained an ankle in training.

If Jozy Altidore is unable to go against England on June 12th, Bob Bradley may be forced to play one or both of his best midfielders out of position, or start some combination of three strikers with a grand total of three international goals and less than ten caps between them.

The only thing that comes to mind is something involving "boots" and "shaking"? It certainly applies.

It doesn't take much to test the nerves of an on-edge fan base like that of the U.S. Germany 2006 is still relatively fresh in most minds, and while this team would appear to be the Americans' most talented to date, there are no certainties that it will transfer over to World Cup success.

A few ill-timed injuries and a bad break or two, and Bradley's boys could fall flat. An injury to one of the presumed starting strikers is a staggering blow, even if initial reports made it seem much more serious than it actually is. Then again, propaganda machines are in full stroke with teams now on the ground in South Africa.

The room for doubt, and deciding how much trust should be placed in US Soccer, leaves fans feverish with concern.

Jozy's status is listed as "day-to-day", which is American injury parlance for not quite ruled out, but certainly not fit. He'll be evaluated daily, and ostensibly still has a chance to play against the Aussies in the final warm up on Saturday. That seems unlikely, and with the striker core as thin as it is, risking Altidore's chances for a quick and full recovery would be downright insane.

Though Robbie Findley showed well against the Turks last weekend, and Herculez Gomez scored against the Czechs a few days prior, the scoring punch of the American front line is wanting, and that's being supremely kind.

Altidore's greatest claim to fame is the goal he scored against Spain in last year's Confederations Cup final. Iberian indifference or not, the Americans showed something that should bode well for their chances of a positive trip (i.e., a quarterfinals appearance). They know the lay of the land. They've beaten top opposition recently enough for it to provide confidence. Talisman Landon Donovan has never played better than he's playing right now.

But an Altidore-sized crack in the armor, without a readily available substitute to patch it, could be enough to strip away all of those good feelings.

Next in line might be LA Galaxy's Edson Buddle, who literally scored his way on to the U.S. roster with a blazing start to the Major League Soccer season (nine goals scored in nine games); not quite Altidore's equal in pure ability, he can hold the ball up adequately and has enough speed and skill the threaten a defense. Buddle is a perceived step back from Altidore in most meaningful ways, but he does have that soaring confidence and rampant form going for him.

Saturday final tune-up against the Aussies, a team capable of giving Bradley and his team a formidable challenge, will indicate which way the coach is leaning on an emergency replacement for Altidore. With a little luck and plenty of rest, he may not need that replacement against England on the 12th; but with his best striker now nursing a bum ankle, there's no reason not to run a backup plan through its paces.

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Bradley left with more questions than answers as US prepare for England opener

Jason Davis — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 11:55:00 GMT

If it's not one thing, it's another.

The United States headed into their friendly against Turkey on Saturday with plenty of questions; between Oguchi Onyewu's knee and Bob Bradley's unclear thinking on who might pair with Jozy Altidore in the forward line, we hoped for clarity by the end of the day.

Instead, the match presented more questions, both of the oh-my-god-we're-done-for variety and the more pleasant good-problem-to-have type.

First, the bad. West Ham's Jonathan Spector, the presumed starter at right back, played a terrible first half and was directly responsible for Turkey getting out to a 0-1 lead. Ricardo Clark (Eintract Frankfurt), one of the leading candidates to start in central midfield alongside Michael Bradley, was either poor or simply invisible depending on the report. Clint Dempsey, starting in a forward position rather than his usual right midfield spot, did little to solve the striker issues Bob Bradley must work out. Generally assessed, the U.S. looked slow, reactionary, and just not good enough in the first half. It was forty-five minutes of experimentation gone wrong, made doubly worse by Spector's abject performance.

The cliche "night and day" is overly used, not always correctly or accurately applied; still, for the Americans on Saturday, there's no better way to say it. The second half held most of the "good" for Bob Bradley's team, and not just in the total team play. Jose Francisco Torres, a Mexican-American who plays his club football with Pachuca in the Mexican PrImera, replaced Ricardo Clark at half and make an immediate difference.

The diminutive midfielder, known for his quality on the ball, gave Bradley every reason to consider him for a starting role on June 12th. Torres' simple ability to maintain possession, something the U.S. lacks all too often, makes him an intriguing option.

Robbie Findley, a striker with Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake, was the shock inclusion in Bradley's final squad; taken over the experienced target man Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo). Findley had his chance to prove the doubters wrong when he entered at half time on Saturday. The speedy forward made an immediate impact, found Landon Donovan with a quality chip for the first U.S. goal, and gave the fans a glimpse of what Bob Bradley had obviously seen when he decided to name Findley to the World Cup roster.

Another new problem; if Dempsey is more effective from the midfield (from where he scored the winner on Saturday), and all that are available are internationally-inexperienced players, where does Bradley turn? Was Findley's strong half enough to get him a start on the biggest stage in the world?

Add an improved Oguchi Oneywu (he was stiff, slow, and hesitant on Tuesday against the Czechs), the capable play of Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Carlos Bocanegra, Clarence Goodson and Jozy Altidore, and there was much to be positive about. But it's the clear deficiencies, and the gasp-inducing problems at right back that will rightly get most of the attention.

Luckily, Bradley at least has a reasonable second option in that spot, as longtime Hannover man Steve Cherundolo calmed things measurably in the second half. Depth, particularly in the back, is not a luxury the U.S. typically possess; if the understudy at left back, Jonathan Bornstein, sees the field for example, count on a disaster.

Bradley appeared to use the match against Turkey to experiment a bit, learn something more about certain players as the World Cup countdown approaches the end. Whether it was his intention or no, he left Philadelphia with even more questions than he arrived with. How he answers those questions will ultimately determine how the Americans fare in this World Cup.

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Injury-wracked US face World Cup selection dilemmas

Jason Davis — Wed, 05 May 2010 10:35:00 GMT

In each area of his team, US National Team head coach Bob Bradley has difficult decisions staring him coldly in the face.

With only days to go before he calls in an expected group of 26 to 28 players for pre-World Cup camp in Princeton, New Jersey, the fitness of three crucial players is in question.   Two of the three would rightly be called "indispensable" while the third is an asset Bradley would desperately hope to have on his bench.

All are expected to make the USA's list of 30 from which the final World Cup roster will be named; the likelihood that they will participate in camp or ultimately make the select 23 going to South Africa, however, varies greatly.  

For each, it boils down to this: How much does Bradley risk leaning on rusty, our of form, players who bring with them the possibility of an injury recurrence, and whose individual match fitness will be questionable at best?  Quality teams are built back to front, or so someone once said, so we'll naturally start in defence.

Central defender Oguchi Onyewu, an intimidating figure and by most estimation the best American at his position, tore the patella tendon in his right knee back in October.

The injury isn't your run of the mill knee injury, and hopeful prognosis had Onyewu out until just before the World Cup.  The prognosis was correct it appears, and Onyewu is back in training with AC Milan, though he's yet to take part in a competitive match.

There's a small chance he could make his first team debut for the Italian club in the Serie A side’s few remaining fixtures, but even that will do little to sweep away cobwebs built up during months of recovery and rehabilitation.   

Nonetheless, all reasonable assessment has Bradley with his hands firmly tied on Onyewu's inclusion in the US team. There's no one near Onyewu's quality in reserve, and lack of depth across the board for the Americans means sucking it up and taking a talented, if completely under-prepared centre back.

Onyewu will make the US team, and will almost certainly start against England on June 12th. This fact only makes the training camp and the three warm-up friendlies (against the Czechs on May 24th, the Turkish on May 29th, and the Aussies on June 5th) that much more crucial to the stability of their defence.   

In midfield, Bradley's concern is the young and emerging Stuart Holden. A Major League Soccer star for the Houston Dynamo in the last few years, Holden left the States in January for the brighter lights of the Premier League.

He landed at Bolton, having followed Owen Coyle there after initially trialing with Burnley, and was only just beginning to make his mark with the Wanderers when a broken leg sidelined him.

The injury was sustained in an international friendly against Holland on March 3rd, when a disgusting tackle by Manchester City’s Nigel de Jong fractured Holden's right fibula.  With Holden on the mend, back in training at Bolton, and hoping for his own last gasp club appearance before national team camp in a few weeks, there's every reason to believe he'll also be in the US picture despite a bit of rust.

Holden's established role in Bradley's team is one of second-choice right-sided midfielder and regular substitute contributor; in a perfect world, he'd be able to come off the bench in South Africa to either replace Clint Dempsey or allow the Fulham star to move up top in a role similar to that which he plays at Craven Cottage.

Perhaps not as important to US fortunes as the previously mentioned Onyewu and still-to-be-discussed Charlie Davies, Holden's qualities are undoubtedly much needed.  Which brings us to the biggest question of all, that involving miracle man Charlie Davies.

If you don't know the story by now, you certainly will if he makes the US World Cup roster. Seriously injured in a car accident just seven months ago, Davies has given everything he has to rehabilitating his body in time for South Africa.

Whether or not he'll make it is still unclear; he's in full training, scoring goals there, and giving every indication that he'll be adequately healthy for a good, hard look from Bradley in the latter half of May.  But the knife's edge nature of his comeback leads to relevant questions about just how much he can contribute in June.

This isn't a healthy-in-every-way-save-one player returning to the field after a typical injury like Onyewu and Holden, but a man attempting to be of international class after nearly losing his life only a relatively short time ago.

His body could certainly betray him, and though he has had no notable setbacks that would indicate such a thing is coming, Bob Bradley still must consider the possibility.

Never mind that Davies would need to prove himself fully, and without the slightest doubt, able to compete in a rough-and-tumble football match against the best the world has to offer who won't be cowed into taking it easy just because Charlie has such a great story.

Reality is all too sobering, and the World Cup is no place for heart warming without capable.   Uplifting morale boost aside, Davies gives the US team something it must have to stretch opposing defences, allow strike partner Jozy Altidore to find space and isolate defenders, and provide an attacking element capable of changing a game: pace.

Davies, when healthy, is not only a quality goal scorer, but works well in the American tactical set up because his speedy diagonal runs pull defenders away from the ball.

This makes Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, et al. that much more dangerous, relieving pressure on a team usually tasked with a defend-and-counterattack strategy.  Don't expect Bradley to bow to public pressure, or to "give Charlie a shot" because he seemingly deserves one; Bradley's proven himself to be pragmatic and calculating, meaning that Davies must be on top of his game, or better than other options available in the least, if he's to make the US squad.

An American physio just concluded a visit with Davies in France, which means Bradley has up-to-date information on which to make his first decision.

Most expect Davies to make the preliminary roster, be in camp, and have an opportunity to prove himself worthy of a World Cup spot. From there, it will be up to the player to perform and the coach to weigh every consideration.

Onyewu is a lock, Holden a near certainty. Davies is further down the scale, and probably by a wide margin.  Evey team faces injury doubts as they prepare for a World Cup campaign. Some decisions are simple, easily made because timing and fitness dictate a player can or cannot make a go of it.

Few, however, are confronted with so many questions, and in every part of the team, as the United States only a month and a few days away from kicking off in Rustenburg against the mighty Three Lions.  Woe is Bob Bradley.

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The LA Galaxy are better off without David Beckham

Jason Davis — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 09:28:00 GMT

The above, for the marketing-obsessed owners of the club and a league leadership fully committed to Brand Beckham, is the uncomfortable truth.

Without the distractions Beckham brings, with Bruce Arena able to better organize his team to run through Landon Donovan, and without the pressure to get Beckham the ball or for him move out of position to pick it up, the Galaxy are balanced, disciplined, and difficult to beat.

Right now, they're the best team in Major League Soccer, having won five times, drawn once (0-0 against the Kansas City Wizards last weekend), and conceded just a single goal in six matches.

Edson Buddle, the only Galaxy player to score so far this season, doesn't seem to be wanting for service, much of it coming from the aforementioned Landon Donovan. It's difficult to imagine them playing much better.

With that in mind, we could then hardly fault Bruce Arena if he surreptitiously pumped his fist in celebration when Beckham let it be known that he's unlikely to return this season.

November is the most optimistic outlook, one that would have Becks back for end of the MLS Cup playoffs, if at all.

Even if Beckham hadn't taken that unfortunate step and crumpled to the pitch in Italy, ending his World Cup dreams and putting him out for months, the Galaxy would have played most of the season without him.

A possible place in South Africa after ending the Serie A season, plus a probable respite after England's departure from the tournament, meant a late July/early August return to MLS. By then, much of the Galaxy's story would have been written, and throwing Beckham into the mix would probably mean adding an unnecessary player whose contract and name dictated he play.

It's possible he could have played the savior, but at 34 - and with just one trick in his bag, how much could he possibly add?

Contrary to popular opinion, Beckham's time in America hasn't been a total waste. No, it has not been a rousing success on the field, but the Galaxy did come within penalty kicks of a championship last year.

Beckham has raised the profile of the league, both in the United States and abroad, an element of the "experiment" that is difficult to quantify. It's easy then to call the whole thing a complete disaster, point to Beckham's continued efforts to play elsewhere to raise his World Cup stock, and fault MLS and the Galaxy for getting ahead of themselves. But the reality is a shade of gray, not black or white.

The truth of the matter is that the Galaxy are good because they followed a tried and true MLS model; hire a coach that knows the league, get production out of the American players on the roster, and sign affordable foreign talent that will fit into the system.

Arena has built a club from back to front, and turned the worst defence in the league in 2007 into the best in 2008. That stinginess has continued, and as long as Jamaican goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts stays healthy, they should have little trouble repeating the feat.

There will be no questions for Bruce Arena come July about how he might insert a returning David Beckham into the team. There won't be concern that the balance he's built might be thrown off by a player whose value beyond free kicks and forty-yard diagonal balls is questionable. He won't need to change assignments to cover for Beckham's defensive deficiencies or inability to keep up with younger, fitter, opponents, and he won't be forced to deal with paparazzi and clueless media hounding his club.

Simply put, Bruce Arena's life became much easier the moment David Beckham ruptured his Achilles tendon.

At least for a little while. Landon Donovan is still heading off to South Africa in June, and with US National Team camp opening in mid-May, the Galaxy will be forced to withstand a stretch without the league's best player.

If the red hot Edson Buddle is somehow a shock inclusion in the American team (unlikely, but possible), it will be doubly hard to keep their form. But LA's real strength lays in the back; if there's anything that could keep them near the top of the league through July, it will be Ricketts, second year center back Omar Gonzalez, and a defence that keep the Galaxy in every match.

At least MLS is breaking this World Cup year, even if only for the group stages, something that's never been done before.

If you asked Bruce Arena today about David Beckham's injury, he'd certainly say all the right things. He'd lament the loss of the Galaxy's highest paid player, talking about the unique things that the Englishman can do and how the team would love to have him back.

He’d speak about the midfielder's commitment to the club, the unfortunate end to Beckham's last shot at making a World Cup team, and his standing in the team and league.

Would he be lying? Perhaps, but one could hardly blame him.

The Galaxy are better off without David Beckham, and Bruce Arena certainly knows it.

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Despite the history, cup fever still hasn't quite gripped the US

Jason Davis — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:55:00 GMT

Thanks in part to the Wembley pitch and some dodgy work by English football’s finest match officials, the 129th FA Cup Final pairing is set.

After months of competition, highlighted by a few shocks along the way and the intriguing story of barely-breathing Portsmouth reaching the final, the world's oldest football competition, accompanied by all of the requisite pomp and circumstance, is drawing to a dramatic conclusion.

Meanwhile, in what is so quaintly referred to as the Colonies, America's own Cup competition is just getting started.

Called the US Open Cup, the tournament's 2010 edition will be the 97th, making it the oldest continuously running knockout competition outside of Britain.

Decades of history stands behind it, echoing back into the earliest days of organized football in the United States.

Cup Fever hasn't yet his as strongly Stateside as it has in Portsmouth

From there, the comparisons become more difficult to make. For most of the tournament's history, it has been contested by amateur sides; the long dark age of sporadic or intermittent professional football in America meant ethnically-oriented teams, like Maccabi Los Angeles and San Francisco's Greek-American, and semi-professional outfits from regional hotbeds like St. Louis and Philadelphia, dominated the competition.

Even during the heyday of the North American Soccer League amateur sides took the trophy, because the professional clubs, often run by men with no roots in the game, chose not to enter.

That all changed in the mid-90s, when both second division and MLS teams took over the tournament. Since Major League Soccer's first season in 1996, only one non-first division side, Rochester in 1999, have managed to take the Cup.

It would seem obvious that MLS would dominate the competition, and for the most part they have; but that doesn't mean they've taken it entirely seriously.

The US Open Cup suffers greatly for attention and significance for a litany of reasons. US Soccer runs the competition, but does little to promote it.

Clubs, hamstrung by thinnish squads and narrow budgets, put out weakened sides in all but the final few rounds. Matches are often held away from clubs' main grounds in small facilities and in front of sparse crowds.

Television coverage is non-existent until the Final, and receives little attention even then. Passionate fans care, but midweek fixtures and little marketing from the teams themselves discourage most supporters from making the effort.

The value and importance of the FA Cup is generally unquestioned, and while some of the bigger English clubs might use it as exercise in blooding their youngsters, winning the tournament is still notable achievement.

For many, clubs themselves and fans alike, it is about the history, the lore, the pageantry, the trip to Wembley, and the difference between a moderately successful season and a truly magical one.

There is no magic in the US Open Cup, a second class competition in a sport that has too long itself been second class in the United States.

Perhaps it is a function of the American mindset, born of following sports in which there is only league competition followed by playoffs; knockout tournaments don't exist in the world of baseball, basketball, or American football in the traditional association football sense, so wrapping our heads around the Open Cup is a difficult task.

But the attraction should be there, if for no other reason than the possibility of a small club jumping up and beating one of the big boys.

It happens, though not often, and reminds us of why open tournaments like the FA Cup and US Open Cup possess something that makes them truly special.

Americans, even those with little interest in basketball, sit enraptured of the NCAA college basketball tournament because we love the underdog; when a small school from the middle of nowhere can upset the traditional powerhouse in a one-off situation, we find ourselves pulled along by the story.

Alas, even the David and Goliath moments cannot seem to give the US Open Cup any traction. The history means nothing, the Cup itself is a nice thing to win but not the prize it should be, and the tournament languishes as a result.

US Soccer seems to run it out of obligation, not because they want to promote the game through the tournament, but because history mandates that they should.

Every other serious footballing nation has a knockout cup, so of course so should the United States. That doesn't mean they must commit much in terms of resources or building awareness, and the result is a tournament top-flight clubs sleepwalk through, as if it is simply a proxy reserve league.

Kasey Keller lifts the 2009 US Open Cup

There is reason for a bit of hope, however. The Seattle Sounders, new to MLS in 2009, lifted the Cup in their first top-flight year, and made a concerted effort to do so.

Winning the tournament now brings with it a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League, and while that competition is experiencing its own struggles to establish itself as meaningful and worthwhile, it does give the champion entry into the FIFA Club World Cup.

For an MLS team, the opportunity to take on the champions of Europe and South America in a somewhat-important competition (leaving the question of that tournament's relevance for another day) is a carrot of epic proportions.

It will take time, as much as decades of growth and the building of much larger football fan bases in America for the US Open Cup to take its rightful place as the country's true equivalent to its English forerunner.

The layer of richness added to the sport cannot be denied, and so it would be a pity if it never ascends to a place of prominence.

These tournaments, with their history, stories and spirited minnows struggling mightily against their bigger brethren, and sometimes prevailing, are special wonders that belong in the game and certainly in football in America.

All systems go as MLS prepares for biggest ever matchday

Jason Davis — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:22:00 GMT

Major League soccer played their second round of matches since we last met, though the fixture list was rather short due to the Easter holiday.

"Why?" you might have just asked, wondering why games on a Saturday would conflict at all with a Christian celebration that happens to take place on a Sunday.

"I don't know", is all I can reply, though I can tell you that the reduced schedule is a holdover from previous years when marketing ‘professionals’ too clever for their own good thought that attendance might suffer because of Easter. Perhaps they were right, since Colorado drew just over 11,000 for their home opener.

Moving on from disappointing news to more exciting fare, the New York Red Bulls are MLS' new 'it team'! That's right, after not winning away from home in a staggering 29 matches, the New York club that actually plays in New Jersey beat the Seattle Sounders at Qwest Field on Saturday night.

Red Bull fans were literally floored by the news, and required the assistance of trained professionals to right themselves.

The match itself was a rather dull affair, ending in a 1-0 score line to the visitors thanks to Senegalese striker Macoumba Kandji burying a loose ball from a New York corner.

Kandji fires past Kasey Keller to give New York the win

Defense seems to be the name of the game for the Red Bulls, who now have two cleansheets on the season. One interesting note is that New York won without their manager, Swede Hans Backe, who was laid up in hospital with abdominal pain.

Backe subsequently had surgery to remove his gallbladder and could miss additional matches while recovering. Nevertheless, New York is top of the East and having a laugh!

DC United's problems continued in their home opener, when the Black and Red fell to the New England Revolution 0-2 after dominating possession for most of the match. Shooting, a rather important part of the game in most countries, appears anathema to DC, who were stifled on several occasions while trying to dribble the ball into the net.

The Revs found their goals through two wonderful pieces of skill by substitute striker Kenny Mansally, who was named the league's Player of the Week for his efforts.

MLS also plays on Thursday, and though last week’s games are a distant memory at this point, a few words for them seems appropriate. The Houston Dynamo were gifted three points at home when defending champions Real Salt Lake committed two penalties in a three minute span.

Worse yet, both transgressions were on the same man, Jamison Olave. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is never an enjoyable experience, but losing the way RSL did must be particularly excruciating.

In the other Thursday match, the only true derby in the league between stadium-mates Chivas USA and Los Angeles Galaxy, Landon Donovan and company prevailed 2-0.

American striker Edson Buddle was responsible for both goals, his second and third of the new season, and immediately found himself the subject of hot debate over his World Cup chances.
Never mind that Buddle hasn't featured for the US National Team in some time; such is the state of our razor thin striker pool. Get well Charlie Davies.

Other action from the weekend saw Colorado and Chicago draw, a 2-2 finish that included a penalty for each side and an absolute stunner from Jamaican Omar Cummings. The Reggae Boy is the class of the league at forward, and forms a formidable partnership with US international Connor Casey.

Omar Cummings (left) is certainly one to watch in the MLS this season

I suppose we should have a look ahead at the next batch of games, but since the Saturday schedule will be the heaviest in MLS history (eight matches, which obviously mean all sixteen teams playing), we'll keep it brief and to the point.

Philly will highlight the weekend with their first ever home match. The expansion club will host DC United at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, as their own 18,000-seater stadium is still under construction.

The Union’s first taste of the league was a bitter two goal loss to the Sounders, so they'll surely be intent on putting on a better show for what is sure to be their largest crowd of the season. A first goal in franchise history might nice, and will give the home fans a chance to break out their planned "doop" chant in response.

Chivas USA welcomes in New York, and though the Red Bulls will eventually concede, it might not be this weekend. Chivas has shown few signs of real attacking verve, and will need American Sacha Kjlestan and Cuban Maykel Galindo to contribute.

In New England, the Revolution will hope to roll the momentum from their win over United into a home win against Toronto FC. This game involves a stadium that is much too large (Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots), a plastic surface, and American football lines that burn the retinas, so perhaps the less said the better. Look for a physical match and few goals.

On the other end of the stadium spectrum, the Kansas City Wizards will have an advantage over the visiting Colorado Rapids thanks to their tiny pitch situated in a tiny building.

Minor league baseball jokes aside, the Wizards will have a chance to prove that their 4-0 win over DC United in round one was no fluke. Englishman Ryan Smith (formerly of Arsenal, Millwall, Southampton and Crystal Palace) seems to have fit right in, and will be a man to watch throughout the season.

There's also a small chance we might see the MLS debut of Indian striker Sunil Chhetri, who arrived at the club in recent days. I'm sure shipments of shirts are already their way to Delhi.

Can Chhetri make the transition from India to the US?

The Houston Dynamo get their first shot at the Galaxy since their Western Conference final showdown last year, a match marred by questionable officiating and two power failures at the Home Depot Center.

Making light of the past, the Dynamo will hand out miniature flashlights to fans attending the game. I expect this will be a engaging, highly competitive match. I only hope Edson Buddle doesn't score (No, Edson Buddle should not be in the US World Cup picture, and we don't need more fuel for the fire. Please, I beg of you, football spirits).

An oddity of Major League Soccer, another holdover from its early years when funding was scarce and the clocks ran backwards, is the same owner controlling multiple teams. That is the case for FC Dallas and the Columbus Crew, each of whom are under the purview of the Hunts Sports Group.

Unfortunately, HSG seems to be very poor at selling their product to the masses, so expect to only see Dallas' Pizza Hut Park one quarter filled.

The game itself is ho-hum, though Columbus does have some quality and should take care of the home side - if their Argentine star Guillermo Barros Schelotto doesn't flit off to take over the managerial reigns at Boca Juniors, that is (a rumor that popped up this week).

Down the home stretch, only two to go...

The San Jose Earthquakes are in Chicago, where the Fire will play at home for the first time this season. San Jose fights like the dickens, but appears headed for the bottom of the table in the West; Chicago will hope to keep Brian McBride and Collins John scoring, something that will bode very well for their chances to be a top Eastern Conference seed by the end of the year.
The Fire didn't impress at home last season, though, so a strong showing against an inferior team would still represent progress.

Finally, two of the Western Conference's perceived favourites face off in Utah when Real Salt Lake host the Seattle Sounders. The heartbreaking loss RSL suffered last week should have them buzzing to turn things around at home against a Sounders team needing road points to solidify themselves as real challengers for the Supporters Shield. Javier Morales will be key again for Real Salt Lake.

So there you have it; review and preview all in one easy-to-use post, complete with news and notes. Week three in Major League Soccer, with eight league matches all in one day, will be a test of endurance and patience, that much is sure. Nevertheless, I'll be here, attempting to watch it all and probably going insane in the process.

APRIL FOOLS PRANK OF THE YEAR: Kansas City defender Michael Harrington found himself the target of a brilliant, if completely cruel, April Fools' Day joke when his Wizards teammates convinced him that Maxim magazine was doing a feature on animal-loving athletes.

The gullible Harrington was made to wear a kitty cat costume, complete with ears and makeup, and directed to a fake photo shoot. Give the youngster credit though, as he took the joke in stride.
Word on the street is that the real Maxim magazine may even do a story on his unfortunate level of trust, and feature him in a future issue.

Round 1: Fearsome Philly come out fighting

Jason Davis — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:00:00 GMT

No one sets out to debut poorly, but sometimes these things can't be helped.

Such was the plight of the Philadelphia Union on Thursday, when they took to the field for the first time as a real-life Major League Soccer team. Unfortunately, months of build up did little to prepare them for the league's loudest environment, created by the 36,000 Seattle Sounders fans filling Qwest Field.

Philly lost the game 2-0, but that wasn't the real story. No one expected them to go into Seattle and win, especially with the young, inexperienced side that head coach Peter Nowak put out.

RESULTS Fri Mar 26 Seattle Sounders 2-0 Philadelphia Union Sat Mar 27 Chivas USA 0-1 Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew 2-0 Toronto, Dallas 1-1 Houston Dynamo Sun Mar 28 Kansas City Wizards 4-0 DC United, Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 New England Revolution, New York RB 1-0 Chicago Fire, San Jose Earthquakes 0-3 Real Salt Lake

No, the story was the Union's tactics, which can only be described as "physical", so much so that they went well beyond the usual MLS standard (which is entirely rougher than it should be).

Defender Danny Califf admitted to fouling Seattle's star Colombian striker Fredy Montero off the ball intentionally in the first 30 seconds of the match to "send a message". He was promptly shown a yellow card.

It was all downhill from there for the newcomers, including a 40th-minute sending off of Toni Stahl for a second caution. Inauspicious doesn't do this justice.

Philadelphia at Seattle: click to watch video

That the Union struggled wasn't surprising. Nor were the tactics they employed, even if they bordered on dangerous at times. No, the only surprising thing from the entire ordeal was the comments of Union head man Nowak after the match.

He called Freddie Ljungberg "dishonest" and a "diver". He bemoaned the apparent desire of the Sounders to take advantage of the referee, and he implied that the the man in the middle treated the Union poorly in their first-ever match.

Ljungberg may dive... on occasion. The Sounders may have a few others who go down rather easily when confronted by a challenge (the aforementioned Montero comes readily to mind), but none of that changes the fact that Philadelphia attempted to bully their opponents, got caught on multiple occasions, and paid the price.

Poor Peter. He went looking for an excuse, and all he could come up with was a terrible attempt to shift blame from his young team to the officials. Luckily no bystanders were hurt by Nowak's shot, despite it being so wide of the mark.

The rest of the league was much less intrigue-filled, if only because the spotlight was slightly dimmer and the play less contentious. Real Salt Lake got their title defence off to a banner start, dropping three goals on hapless San Jose.
Argentine midfielder Javier Morales (who you would know about if you had read The Real American Football's season preview) collected a brace on two magnificent strikes.

Though it's difficult to tell just how good RSL (have I mentioned that Americans like acronyms?) will be in 2010 because the competition was less than fierce on Saturday, there's no doubting their quality in several positions on the field.

In Los Angeles, a rather sad-looking David Beckham looked on as his LA Galaxy team-mates downed New England 1-0 on an Edson Buddle goal. Landon Donovan, he of the much heftier CV since he last took the field in MLS, provided the dead-ball service that led to the Galaxy's match winner.

It was certainly not a comprehensive victory for the defending Western Conference champions, but Bruce Arena's side stayed organised in defence and held down a toothless Revolution attack. New England's chances were significantly diminished before the match even got underway, as they were without their star midfield stalwart Sharlie Joseph.

The most anticipated match of the weekend was not because of the two sides taking part (New York Red Bulls and Chicago Fire), but because of the stadium in which it took place. Red Bull Arena debuted as an MLS venue to rave reviews on Saturday, and though there were traffic problems that kept many fans from getting to their seats in time for kickoff, the building lived up to its billing.

Chicago at NY: click to watch video

Years in the making, the stadium was the desperate dream of so many in the New York area. To say that the disparity between the Red Bulls' previous home (the cavernous Giants Stadium, with its ancient and knee-jarring artificial surface) and their new ground is night and day would require a wordy description of the despair-inducing blackness of the night and the eye-searing brightness of the day.

Let's just call it a bit of a change and be done with it; oh, and the Red Bulls won on a thumping volley from new Estonian signing Joel Lindpere.

With one round of matches in the books, little of real value can be gleaned; home advantage, sides still sorting themselves from off-season changes, and the match-ups of contenders with clubs not expected to be much served to fill up the results sheet but failed to give us any real sense of who will be standing by the time we get to November.

Eastern Conference Pt1: Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire, New England Revolution & DC United
Eastern Conference Pt2: Toronto FC, Kansas City Wizards, New York Red Bulls & Philadelphia Union
Western Conference Pt1: LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, Houston Dynamo & FC Dallas
Western Conference Pt2: San Jose Earthquakes, Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids & Seattle Sounders

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MLS 2010 preview pt4: Rest of the West

Jason Davis — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:00:00 GMT

The MLS season starts tonight, and all week Jason Davis has been introducing the combatants. Here are the last four; enjoy the season!

Yesterday you were introduced to the Houston Dynamo, formerly the San Jose Earthquakes before the league and their owners decided to relocate the franchise due to problems securing a stadium deal.

However, there is a new incarnation of the Earthquakes, and though those stadium problems are still not rectified, San Jose 2.0 will play its third season in 2010.

The Quakes' biggest names are ex-Reading winger Bobby Convey and new acquisition Eduardo (obviously not that Eduardo; this one's still Brazilian and last played in Switzerland), which certainly doesn't inspire confidence.

And they'll need confidence if they're to improve on last season's performance, a dismal last-place finish in the Western Conference. (They'd finished bottom the previous season, too.) The brightest light for the Earthquakes is probably Jamaican striker Ryan Johnson, who tallied 11 goals in 2009.

RJ leaves another defender in the dust

Major League Soccer's only outpost of a larger foreign club is Chivas USA, co-tenants of the Home Depot Center with the Galaxy in Los Angeles.

Aimed squarely at Hispanics (Chivas the parent club is CD Guadalajara from Mexico) in the country's second largest market, Chivas is often though of as the city's other team. But the Goats have had more consistent success than their flashier groundmates, making the play-offs each of the last four seasons.

The club have a new man in charge after Preki left for Toronto (and because Chivas were ready for a change). It will be up to Martin Vasquez to lead an largely unchanged team back to the play-offs.

Under Preki, Chivas were known to be a bit of a hard team, though they aren't without good attacking options – chiefly Guadalajara loanee Jesus Padilla and Sacha Kljestan, a US international once wanted by Celtic. A change in attitude might serve them well.

"Have they kicked off?"

The Colorado Rapids are the Arsenal of Major League Soccer, if only because their owner happens to be Gunners majority shareholder Stan Kroenke. Otherwise, the Rapids are nothing like Arsenal, though they do have a potent front line (by MLS standards) of US international Conor Casey and Jamaican international Omar Cummings.

The club is led English manager Gary Smith and has the distinct pleasure of playing in a stadium called Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Last season Colorado just missed the play-offs on goal difference to Real Salt Lake, and were forced to watch their biggest rival go on to win the MLS Cup.

Fine at home, where they enjoy an advantage over their opponents due to altitude, Colorado will need to improve their away form (two wins from 15 last season) to give them a chance of climbing the table in 2010.

Job done: Conor Casey does his thing

If MLS commissioner Don Garber dozed off in front of his computer (with the requisite keyboard drooling, naturally) and dreamed a perfect dream for the launch of a new franchise, he couldn't have conceive anything better than the sensational start of the Seattle Sounders.

Debuting in 2009, the Sounders broke every attendance record in the book (pulling in 30,000 a match), made the play-offs in their first season under two-time Cup-winning head coach Sigi Schmid, and set a new standard for expansion success.

There's no reason 2010 shouldn't be just as good for Seattle, with all their major contributors returning and a second-half addition in Blaise Nkufo lined up for the post-World Cup push.

Freddie Ljungberg is the biggest name, of course, and though MLS' only underwear model has the pedigree, young players like Freddy Montero and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado are the driving force. Expect big things from the Sounders in 2010, both on the field and in the stands.

Fans united: Seattle regulars show their colours

----

MLS 2010 should be just as competitive and hotly contested as ever. Parity and salary caps may seem foreign concepts to many football fans, but they do make for exciting stretch runs, tight margins, and late-season intrigue.

If you don't mind a little football in the summer, America's top flight is a worthwhile watch. Ever improving, often unpredictable, and with a fresh coat of paint for almost every campaign (Red Bull Arena and the Philadelphia Union this time around), Major League Soccer is beginning to come into its own, blemishes and all.

Sounds just about right for a fifteen-year-old.

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MLS 2010 Preview pt3: Classic Westerns

Jason Davis — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 11:00:00 GMT

The MLS kicks off on Thursday; let our Stateside expert Jason Davis introduce the teams from way out West...

So far, you've met the Eastern Conference teams. Now it's time to turn our attention further West, to the conference from which most of the MLS Cup winners have come...

Eastern Conference Pt 1: Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire, New England Revolution & DC United
Eastern Conference Pt 2: Toronto FC, Kansas City Wizards, New York Red Bulls & Philadelphia Union

Out west, the eye is naturally drawn to the LA Galaxy, for better or for worse (most fans around the league think the latter). "Beckham's team", as they're surely known outside of the US, have yo-yo'd from terrible in 2008 to runners-up in 2009, only losing out to Real Salt Lake on penalties in the final of the MLS Cup.

(Remember, that's the end-of-season play-offs which decide the overall champions; those who eventually top the league which decides the play-off contenders are given the Supporters Shield. For more explanation, see MLS: The Structure.)

Though the Galaxy do get the boost of Landon Donovan returning from his English sojourn with Everton, they now know they'll have to face most, if not all, of the season without their English star – I mean Beckham, not Chris Birchall; obviously, he's Trinidadian.

Former US national team manager Bruce Arena remains at the helm for one of the league's flagship franchises, and will hope to replicate the 2009 success with the likes of Edson Buddle (five goals last season) and a strong defence led by Jamaica international and ex-Bradford City keeper Donovan Ricketts.

Galaxy: Western champions 2009

How the MLS Cup champions of 2009 get second billing is a mystery, even to me; nevertheless, Real Salt Lake aren't what one would call an exciting side, and their run to Cup glory last year might be termed a bit of a fluke. Play-off qualifiers through the wildcard places, RSL switched over to the Eastern Conference for the second season and found their form at the perfect time.

They have a rising young coach in former MLSer Jason Kreis, their own Argentine midfield maestro in Javier Morales, and American internationals in defensive-minded midfielder Kyle Beckerman (notable for his epic dreadlocks) and young, speedy striker Robbie Findley. Despite their underwhelming record in 2009, the championship and returning quality makes RSL a dangerous team for the new year.

No name jokes from me, unfortunately – "Real Salt Lake" just makes me sad, to be honest – but you're more than welcome to have a go yourself.

Real pride: RSL celebrate shootout victory last season

Moving on to the Houston Dynamo, one of the league's perennial powerhouses. Formerly the San Jose Earthquakes (of which more later), the Dynamo moved to Houston in 2006 and proceeded to win back-to-back MLS Cup titles.

Managed by Scottish-born ex-US international Dominic Kinnear, generally regarded as one of the top coaches in the league, Houston made the Western Conference Final last year, losing out to both the LA Galaxy and the Home Depot Center lights – they went out more than once during the match, and just when Houston were bossing things...

Turnover is an issue for the men in orange in 2010, with the loss of their two central midfield stars Stuart Holden (to Bolton Wanderers) and Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt). If anyone can find a way to fill the holes it's Kinnear, though less than usual will be expected of the Dynamo in 2010.

Double fantasy: Champions again in 2007

Houston's Texan neighbour to the north is FC Dallas. FCD finished strongly in 2009 on the back of Jeff Cunningham's Golden Boot-winning performance (17 goals in 28 appearances), but ultimately failed to make the play-offs.

The club has a nice purpose-built stadium (something still somewhat noteworthy in the States) way out in the middle of nowhere, draws poorly in part because of that, and seemingly lacks a coherent tactical strategy much of the time.

But the squad does have young talent (FC Dallas has a number of American youth internationals), and could be something of a surprise should a few of them mature.

Hit the Hut: Soccer-specific Pizza Hut Park

Other teams:
Eastern Conference Pt 1: Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire, New England Revolution & DC United
Eastern Conference Pt 2: Toronto FC, Kansas City Wizards, New York Red Bulls & Philadelphia Union
Western Conference Pt 2: San Jose Earthquakes, Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids & Seattle Sounders

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MLS 2010 Preview pt2: Shock of the new

Jason Davis — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:00:00 GMT

With the MLS set to kick off on Thursday, FFT.com's Stateside expert Jason Davis introduces the rest of the Eastern Conference

Yesterday we looked at four Eastern Conference teams: title contenders Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire plus historically successful outfits New England Revolution and DC United. The rest of the Eastern Conference is a morass of teams looking to either break through or recapture former glories (although if we’re being honest, the Revs and DC United also fall into that latter group.)

FEATURE Eastern Conference pt1: Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire, New England Revolution & DC United

New York Red Bulls will be a focus of much attention this season, but largely due to their new stadium. Red Bull Arena, $200 million in the making and apparently worth every penny, opened to great fanfare with a game against legendary Brazilian side Santos.

But if they're to match the grandness of their new ground, the Red Bull on-field product will need to improve dramatically (try one or two hundred times over), considering that they came within a whisker of the worst record in the history of the league in 2009.

Juan Pablo Angel is the club's biggest name and star attraction, though rumours of a high-priced signing have been swirling around the team for months. A few of the honoured: Thierry Henry, Raul, and most recently, Ze Roberto.

Christening the stadium with Brazilians

Up to Canada – yes, MLS has teams in TWO countries; Celtic and Rangers should be jealous – where Toronto FC is brilliantly supported and desperate for a first play-off appearance. The club is heading into year four with new head coach Preki, who moved over from Chivas USA in the off-season.

Toronto has ample talent in former league Most Valuable Player Dwayne DeRosario and La Liga veteran Julian de Guzman (both Canadians, by the way), but suffers from deficiencies up front and along the back line. It's a new coach and a new surface, since TFC dumped the plastic grass in favour of the real stuff during the break as well. It was by far their best acquisition heading into 2010.

Oh, it's quiet now...

There's not much to say about the Kansas City Wizards, funny name notwithstanding. A team in apparent transition, the Wizards dumped their manager (Curt Onalfo, now with DC United) and starting goalkeeper (Kevin Hartman, now with FC Dallas) while making wholesale changes to a squad that finished sixth in the Eastern Conference.

The best thing the Wizards have going for them is construction on a new stadium. Kansas City currently plays in a minor league baseball stadium that seats just over 10,000; now if the Wizards could only find a decent second baseman...

Stick with me: Josh Wolff and Davy Arnaud survived the cull

That leaves for last in the East the newest kids on the block; the Philadelphia Union, aptly named in a town known for its blue-collar ethic, begin play as an expansion franchise.

The club called up MLS veteran Piotr Nowak to manage the team and culled reasonable talent from around the league through an expansion draft (in which the other league clubs were required to make a certain number of their players available to be taken by the Union; remember, in MLS, the league holds the contracts).

Still, expansion teams generally struggle, and though the Union have a pre-installed passionate supporters' group in the Sons of Ben, they're sure to experience growing pains. A new stadium of their own should help, but since it won't be ready until June, they'll play their first few home matches at the home of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.

Exultant fans celebrate Union's acceptance into the MLS

Tomorrow: Western Conference, Pt 1

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MLS 2010 Preview pt1: Eastern promise

Jason Davis — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:02:00 GMT

The new US football season starts on Thursday. Let our Stateside expert Jason Davis explain – and start to introduce the teams...

There's nothing quite like the clouds lifting to suddenly give way to glorious sunshine; when Major League Soccer and the MLS Players Union agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement on Saturday, any doubt that the new season would start on time melted away.

Game on: Spot the players behind the suits

It's a narrow escape, considering that the word "strike" was being mentioned in harsh tones and with real intent. Players' unions are the norm in American sports, and though the MLS version doesn't have the same strength as its brethren in baseball or American football, the union felt it necessary to make a stand for the kind of rights that players around the world take for granted.

The biggest concerns were guaranteed contracts and the ability to move on after their contract has expired. The latter problem is something unique to MLS; in order to keep salaries down, a player's club controls their rights within the league despite the expiration of their contract or their being cut loose.

That they received enough concessions on both to make a deal happen is a good thing, what with the heads of MLS supporters around the country constantly on the verge of spontaneous combustion over the past three months.

Heads sufficiently cooled, it's time to move forward into the MLS's 15th season.

THE STRUCTURE
MLS, now consisting of 16 teams with the addition of expansion newcomers Philadelphia Union, will use a balanced home-and-away schedule for the first time in the league’s history.

There will now be 30 games for each club, fighting for the Supporters Shield – awarded to the league winner – and the more highly-regarded MLS Cup, awarded to the champion after a subsequent play-off between the top eight teams.

The teams (Western Conference in red, Eastern blue)

As is usually the way with US sports, even though every team plays every other team twice, the league is broken out into two conferences. These are nominally set by geography and thus called the Eastern and Western Conferences.

At the end of the league season the top two teams in each conference make the play-offs, with the remaining four slots going to the clubs with the best point total, regardless of conference.

The play-offs proceed, two-legged, within the conference set-up: the top-seeded West team plays the fourth-seeded West team, while second plays third, before the winners face off to create a Conference champion.

And when each division has a champion, those two fight for the MLS Cup in the big finale at a neutral venue. It's all very Superbowl-esque. Welcome to America.

MEET THE TEAMS: Eastern Conference part 1
Last year's Supporters Shield winner and Shield/Cup double winner in 2008, the Columbus Crew, return a strong team led by Argentine maestro Guillermo Barros Schelloto. A mix of age and youth – longtime US international Frankie Hejduk anchors the defence – the Crew should be contenders again for the Eastern Conference title.

Last season ended in disappointment when what many thought was the better Crew side fell to eventual Cup champions Real Salt Lake – yes, that's really their name – in the first round of the play-offs (Western Conference outfit RSL having switched to the East for the play-offs due to that final-qualifier rule outlined above). Without a clear favorite in the East, this could again be Columbus' year.

Can Columbus repeat their 2008 glory?

Chicago Fire's 2009 also fell short of their aspirations. Loaded for a championship run with the likes of former Fulham (and USA) stalwart Brian McBride, Mexico star Cuahatemoc Blanco and solid Colombian defender Wilman Conde, the Fire also saw their hopes dashed by Real Salt Lake in the Eastern Conference final.

The Fire's squad turnover for 2010 includes the addition of McBride's old Fulham team-mate Collins John but the loss of the aforementioned Blanco. Due to the Mexican's World Cup aspirations (sound familiar?) he signed with a Mexican second division during the MLS off-season and will not return to the Fire. Without Blanco, up-and-coming Guatemalan midfielder Marco Pappa will be forced to shoulder more of the attacking load.

"Where's the Fire?" New coach De los Cobos warms to his task

After losing four MLS Cup finals in six seasons, the New England Revolution used to be considered always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Last year they barely made it to the church. Coached by ex-Liverpool player Steve Nicol, they made the play-offs last season but were a shell of their former selves and went straight out to the Fire.

A ninth consecutive play-off appearance will depend largely on the play of do-it-all man Shalrie Joseph and the side's ability to find the net without league century goalscorer Taylor Twellman, still recovering from concussion and neck problems. A goalscoring juggernaut New England is not.

He ain't heavy: Joseph (part-hidden) carries the team again

Finally for today, DC United is the most decorated club in MLS history, but failed to make the play-offs for the second consecutive season in 2009. A passionate fan base backs the club, which has a tradition (or as much of a tradition as a club can have in 15 years) of playing free-flowing, on-the-floor, Latin-style football.

New head coach Curt Onalfo will be asked to turn around the club's fortunes, and he does have the league's all-time leading goal scorer Jaime Moreno to lean upon. But Moreno's age is showing, and the club will need to contributions from others to make a run. United's bouncing (literally, given the springy stands at RFK Stadium), throbbing ultras of La Barra Brava and the Screaming Eagles are getting antsy.

Taking care of business: Moreno tucks away another

Part 2: The rest of the Eastern Conference – Toronto FC, Kansas City Wizards, New York Red Bulls & Philadelphia Union

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Landon Donovan: America's most wanted

Jason Davis — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:18:00 GMT

Oh to be Landon Donovan. The most wanted American in England since David Bieber (and for much, much nicer reasons, though I'll admit to not having heard of him until he popped up in a Wiki search), our little Landycakes has finally made his bones in Europe, and is now the subject of a transcontinental tug of war over his services.

Everton want him to stay, and why wouldn't they? Their return to form coincides nicely with his arrival, and despite a terrible miss against Tottenham which might have kept their unbeaten streak going, Donovan is the toast of Goodison Park.

The chants of "USA! USA!" echo across the Atlantic, and even Donovan's detractors in the States (and there are more than a few) can't help but be heartened to hear them. Donovan's "unfulfilled" potential is slightly more filled, and most of us would love to see the good times continue. More chances for Phil Neville to join in the chanting, please.

But that, of course, is completely up to MLS and the LA Galaxy. And unlike last year's drama over David Beckham's stay at Milan, Donovan doesn't have quite the pull or the cash in hand to make it happen that Goldenballs did.

This all points to only one eventuality, and it will serve to make just the Galaxy fans among us happy; Donovan will be headed back to sunny California on the 15th.

"No, I'm not the guy from Neighbours..."

On one hand, it really is too bad. Donovan's growth as a player has never been more evident than it is with Everton, and after too many years of "underachieving" (I'll come back to this in a moment), his time with the Toffees has finally given him a chance to live up to the "best American player" label.

Talent has never been an issue with Donovan, he just struggled to settle in Germany and took the easy route of returning home to MLS...twice. I have trouble hating him for it, as so many seem to.

Donovan's personal decisions are just that and unless one ascribes to the theory that his playing at home stunted his growth and prevented him from becoming the talisman the US National Team, then the criticism is distasteful and unjustified.

Why do Americans, or any group of fans for that matter, project upon footballers their own frustrations?

Aside from heat he received for failing to live up his usual standards in a USA shirt on occasion (see: World Cup, 2006), most of Donovan's detractors pointed squarely to his failures in Germany as evidence of his soft mental makeup, and then castigated him for not being ready to excel there.

Even before he joined Everton in January, before he had a chance to take the field for David Moyes, and before he could prove himself worthy of the Premier League, it was simply assumed that he would fail. Whipping boy and standard bearer, all rolled into one.

That's the problem, of course. It's because he's the standard bearer in the eyes of Americans that he was the subject of so much criticism.

"Go to Europe and shine, dammit, you're making us look bad!"

Off so soon?

So all credit to Landon Donovan, who has not only boosted his reputation on both sides of the pond, but has done it his way. Of course it helped that he had an American teammate at Goodison and that the length of the loan meant any failure would be mitigated.

If he played poorly at Everton, or rarely got off the bench during a brief 10-week stint, what could it hurt? People already believed him incapable of playing above Major League Soccer's significantly lower level anyway.

Now that he's a smash hit, he wants to stay as long as he can. If the MLS players go on strike, he might just get his wish.

It might be that this taste of top-level success will have Donovan headed to richer shores come the summer. Chelsea are rumoured to be interested in him, and even if that's not true, there should be someone willing to pay for his services come July.

Was this Everton loan a complicated ploy to audition himself for the leading lights of Europe in a bid to get out of the backwater of MLS? Possible, but doubtful.

Donovan not only signed a brand new contract with LA/MLS just before heading abroad, he's never shown us anything that would indicate he thinks beyond the moment.

Getting to Everton was a way to challenge himself, at a time when he certainly appears to be at the height of his powers; but it wasn't ever really the means to an end.

No matter what happens now, and no matter how much American fans hope he either stays in England now or returns at a later date, Donovan has satisfied himself that he can cut it. In the end, it's his career, and we're all just along for the ride. Who were we to tell him he wasn't doing enough before, anyway?

It sure will be nice not to have to explain why America's greatest footballer could never cut in Europe, though.

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Why inferiority needn't lead to irrelevance

Jason Davis — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:01:00 GMT

It's another new regular FourFourTwo.com feature, all about the USA – its teams, its imports and its exports. Meet your host Jason Davis...

I suppose I should start with an introduction, considering that this is my first effort for FourFourTwo.

Hi. My name is Jason, and I like football. The kind without the "American" in front of it, even though that's what I am.

I love the title of this blog. Do you realise how angry it would make more than a few Americans that I sit here implying that what they call "soccer" is, in fact, the real football? It's like jabbing a caged bear with a pointy stick, only more amusing and less dangerous. Unless you're in Texas.

Not that I have any issues with the word "soccer". The game is the same, no matter the name applied; even as I use the two interchangeably (which I'm sure you'll notice me do here), I chuckle at people that get so worked up over the issue. It's just a word. But enough about labels.

The engaged and passionate football-loving community in the United States isn't particularly large, at least not proportionately, but it's extremely vocal. We talk too much, write too much, and bicker too much about things that don't really matter. An analysis of the inferiority complex alone is enough to fill out a slew of doctoral theses. It's downright palpable.

With hours of European and Latin American play on our televisions, we attempt to reconcile our love of the sport with the second-rate version being played in America. There are entirely too many fans turning their back on the local for the international. Oh, you're a Liverpool fan? Have you ever been to Liverpool? I didn't think so.

Anfield: not currently a good place for Americans

Still, I don't begrudge Americans the right to support a club from afar. Just don't stick your nose up in the air at American efforts; these things take time, and a love of the sport should be a love of the sport, no matter the form it takes.

There's nothing to apologise for, of course. In the grand scheme of things, the United States is just another country attempting to distinguish itself in the world's most popular game. We have no history, at least none worth mentioning outside of these borders, and struggle to fill out a roster with quality players at every position for our national side.

It's just that, y'know, America is big, has a lot of money, and lords over the rest of the planet in so many other areas that it's as visible as it is in the world of football.

We rarely play it pretty, a function of our neophyte status. It's going to take some time before we can produce enough players to catch up with everyone else, and we don't need to be told, repeatedly, that our style is lacking. So cut us some slack, will ya? English, American, Italian, everyone. Except the Mexicans. I know there's no getting through to you.

"No, Jason; you and I will never see eye to eye"

Perhaps you've heard of our domestic top flight, Major League Soccer (for the record, I despise the name of the league). We play a funny spring-to-fall schedule, signed up some over-the-hill Englishman, and pay everyone else peanuts.

Still, it's a nice little league, quite unlike any other on the planet, with funny-named teams and triers as far as the eye can see. Oh, and collective bargaining agreements.

The ongoing league-v-union drama is nothing new for American fans, who have experienced the same thing over and over again in our other professional sports. The difference here, as we stare down the barrel of a delayed or lost season, is that we generally don't pay our footballers much. Add to that the quirky way that MLS chooses to operate, and the situation is downright weird, even for us.

What the players want, and what the league would like to maintain, is no longer relevant for me. I've done my bit defending the motives of both sides, and I've come down in favour of this and against that. It's time for the two sides to stop slap-fighting and just get on with it.

I want a season, dammit. I want MLS to play its fifteenth year because, even if it remains globally irrelevant for the next 20, it can't have lapses in play. The American public, even the footy fans, are a fickle bunch. They'll just as soon turn to competitive dog-wrangling or somesuch nonsense as return to a league that can't seem to get itself together.

I won't tell you to be afraid of us, at least not yet. America is slowly, but surely, waking up to the game we and the Aussies call soccer but everyone else calls football, and one day we won't feel the need to be so damn defensive and self-loathing. Then you should be afraid.

Yank out.

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