The Road to MLS Cup XII, Week Three

(1) Sell-out crowds: how great was it to see sell-out crowds in LA and Toronto? And not just paper sell-outs, but real standing room only crowds with a ton of passion. And the Chivas USA
"away" fans also deserve mention: unfurling a massive, section-wide Chivas banner, provoking loud boos from the Galaxy's home crowd.

(2) Not sell-out crowds... The FC Dallas-Revs game was a little sparse, signalling that the regular season has really begun after the initial burst of energy in most markets. This isn't really a criticism (10k in a soccer stadium is better for the league in every way than 15k in an NFL stadium), more of an observation. The game seemed to be played at a leisurely pace, to fit the lazy Sunday afternoon schedule and crowd. That's ok-- MLS can withstand a few low-energy dates, but it does suggest that many of the offseason changes to the competition format (e.g. changes to how win bonuses are paid and playoff spots) might still need further tweaking.

(3) I love him. I love him not. It's as easy to forget how great Donovan really is as it is to over-hype him. Donovan's one of those players that create a weird sort of sword of Damocles effect: he is so much better than the average US player that you want to compare him to the world's greatest players. But projecting how he stands compared to Ronaldinho and Kaka is certainly a Golden Gate-sized bridge too far. So we hear constantly how overrated he is, leading us to forget what a singular talent he is. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Donovan is the best US player. Donovan is a bee-yatch. Donovan could probably make most teams in Europe. Donovan is, however, lightyears away from starring on any of the best teams. Pretty much any opinion on Donovan that doesn't acknowledge both his talent and his weakness is simply wrong.

(4) Most improved performer. How about the production crew at Fox Soccer Channel. After a dismal broadcast during week 1 (in which Chris Sullivan and Max Bretos both looked stoned, for what it's worth), the FSC production unit had a truly great game during the LA-Chivas super clasico. The best TV moment? They showed the buildup to Donovan's excellent assist on the Galaxy's third goal: only on the replay was it clear just how much Donovan was looking around at the field while he was bobbing and weaving through players at full speed. The replay gave viewers insight into just how good Donovan's vision is-- and exactly what he was doing while running. Further kudos to FSC for catching a little bit of Donovan's bizarre pre-kick off ritual, which apparently involves pointing at the ground, and numerous hail Marys.

(5) Don't Discriminate. When the UNited Nations drafted the Declaration of Human RIghts' prohibition on discrimination, were they really thinking about not picking the small kid during pickup soccer? That seems to be what MLS's "Don't Discriminate" spots seem to suggest.

(6) Panchito Mendoza could be an MLS superstar. When Chivas USA began their first season, their roster was loaded with youth players from the Chivas B team. And these guys were awful-- it's hard to imagine that Chivas USA could take anything of value from that very frustrating season. But Mendoza was a steady contributor and, finally, last season, really started showing his stuff. He's one of the slipperier players in the league-- and maybe the most fun to watch. I find myself asking: could it really be true that the Mexican National Team can't use a guy like this?

(7) The Year of Living Dangerously. Chicago seems equally likely to play a free-flowing attacking style as they do a nasty, slow-down defensive style. When their attack gets going, on the back of a confident Chris Rolfe, they can't be stopped. But against Houston in the first half, they were hanging on by the skin of their teeth. Offensively, they looked out of ideas, although to be fair, they kept shape defensively and didn't allow Houston to take full advantage of their complete domination. And then what happens? Chris Rolfe gets the ball, makes a nice run and scores. And then Chicago does something we don't seen enough of out of MLS teams: they change tactics. They move to a pure counter-attacking style with NBA-worthy fast breaks and start racking up chances on goal. Houston still could have scored, but Chicago was giving them a completely different look to contend with. It was the kind of tactical shift that made me hopeful that MLS coaching was catching up to the rest of the world too.

But I'm also wondering if Chicago isn't a bit of a paper tiger: in at least 3 of their 4 games, they've been outplayed for long stretches. You can't quite call them "lucky" because their goals have really been a product of hard, hard work, but hard work doesn't always pay off nearly as consistently like it has been for Chicago. I love the talent on this team; I love the style they are able to play, but I am not so sure they are really one of the elite teams. Of course, that begs the question: if not them, with their 10 points, then who?

(8) Yes, who are the elite teams? Beats me. I still scratch my head at how United has struggled in MLS, despite tying Chivas and scoring on them in Guadalajara. This season, "too early to tell" is going to be a phrase heard far too often and far too long, as we wait well into the summer to see how MLS teams deal with new designated player acquisitions and fixture congestion. The first and second halves of the season could both see completely different elite teams.