The Road to MLS Cup XII, Week 10

1. United looks like they're back on track. But I've still got a feeling that there might be struggles ahead: yes, they demolished both the Red Bulls and Chicago, but both teams are absolutely devastated right now by injuries and/or call-ups. Chicago started a number of players who probably will not make in MLS.

But you've got to give United credit. They can only play the teams with the players available, and it wasn't like United was missing any players either-- Boswell and Moreno are "stars". But I wonder if Moreno will be starting for United when he returns from Copa America. United's next game is against RSL, who are winless but not playing horribly. In my mind, that makes them a terribly dangerous team-- let's see how United does against a (Freddy-less) Real Salt Lake.





2. Will Fire Coach Dave Sarachan last long enough to see Cuahtemoc Blanco save Chicago's season? He can't be blamed for the injuries and the call-ups, but he's been using those same reasons for underperformance for a couple of seasons now. I think we can blame Chicago's lack of depth on the coach. The thing is, and I realize that most Chicago fans disagree, Sarachan teams can actually play good soccer. I'm just not sure that Coach Dave knows how to put together a team.



3. The top of the table clash between the Kansas City Wizards and the Red Bulls ended in a draw. Apparently the question "Who will fill Eddie Johnson's shoes?" has been answered by Yura Movsysian. Who? He wasn't as unlikely a hero as you might think: the KC sub really had shown some nice flashes here and there and was a first round draft pick (trust me: that does mean something in this league).



4. So Juan Pablo Angel has scored 8 goals in his first 7 matches. Insane. That's got to be a record. Some folks are going to be bummed that a premiership sub is tearing it up in MLS. (a) Don't be. The prem is still a world better than MLS; (b) I really think players without tons of speed but with great soccer brains can succeed in MLS (or other warm weather leagues) when they can't succeed in the prem. Even if MLS had unlimited money, I think we'd still find some very good players on the benches of the prem who were no longer able to get the job done in the hurly burly of England's top flight.

5. FC Dallas: the paper tigers of the west? Seriously, we've all figured out that the Toronto FCers weren't as bad as they first seemed. But you'd expect Dallas to handle them on the road. Instead, they get their tails handed to them by the FCers. Incidentally, Maurice Edu has really impressed me.

6. Abel Xavier's first major contribution to LA? Ball-watching while Chris Brown (!) marches in on Joe Cannon's goal and scores. Xavier later gets an assist on Edson Buddle's goal, but man, the guy is paid to defend. Incidentally, Chris Brown doesn't score many goals, but he's got to have some of the best goals from a career sub. He and John Wolyniec could put together the All-Journeyman Highlight Reel and it wouldn't look bad at all.