I called out the Rapids for thinking that someone was just going to step up and become Juan Pablo Angel. You don't get JPAs off of the practice squad.
And I'll stand by that reasoning. But I'm also a professed admirer of Omar Cummings. With the passing and running that the Rapids are capable of, Cummings could really benefit, as he did last night scoring against Real Salt Lake.
Christian Gomez had a good game. Cummings had a good game. Colin Clark had a good game. Even Herculez Gomez had a good game. The Rapids are first place in the West (yes, I know, it's like being the toughest kid in first grade, but first is first).
And Real? Well, they faltered badly in the second half. Espindola looks capable. We know Beckerman and Kovalenko will work. Borchers looked overall ok. Andy Williams even ran a few times. So, really, another case of RSL looking much improved but still getting the same results. Tony Beltran, however, must have better nights ahead. I expected him to get skinned by Colin Clark. But when Herculez was putting moves on him, sending Beltran to the turf, I knew it was going to be a tough night for him. RSL still seems to have gaps in the team appropriate for an expansion team, not a fourth year club.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
And That Says Everything About What's Wrong with the Rapids
The Rapids have scored a boatload of goals, but only one of their players has scored more than one. As a result, you can't really say that the Rapids have a go-to guy.
Jeff Carlisle quoted Colorado Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo on this problem: "We haven't had that one player who is stepping up and being that Juan Pablo Angel. That's a luxury we don't have, and because of that, we have to do a lot more work as a group."
Does Clavijo and Rapids owner Kroenke really think a player from the Rapids reserve or bench is going to "step up" and be JPA? That's like expecting a bench player for the worst team in a Division Three basketball program to become Lebron James just by shooting a few extra free throws after practice.
The truth is, the Rapids haven't had a go-to guy since 2005 with Jeff Cunningham and his 12 goals. The last two seasons, the leading scorer on the Rapids has had 6 and 7 goals respectively (Kirovski last year, Hernandez and Beckerman the year before). I think you really have to go back to John Spencer to really find a true go-to guy, though. Relying on Jovan Kirovski to suddenly realize his potential at 32 isn't going to cut it.
Jeff Carlisle quoted Colorado Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo on this problem: "We haven't had that one player who is stepping up and being that Juan Pablo Angel. That's a luxury we don't have, and because of that, we have to do a lot more work as a group."
Does Clavijo and Rapids owner Kroenke really think a player from the Rapids reserve or bench is going to "step up" and be JPA? That's like expecting a bench player for the worst team in a Division Three basketball program to become Lebron James just by shooting a few extra free throws after practice.
The truth is, the Rapids haven't had a go-to guy since 2005 with Jeff Cunningham and his 12 goals. The last two seasons, the leading scorer on the Rapids has had 6 and 7 goals respectively (Kirovski last year, Hernandez and Beckerman the year before). I think you really have to go back to John Spencer to really find a true go-to guy, though. Relying on Jovan Kirovski to suddenly realize his potential at 32 isn't going to cut it.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
MLS Power and Form Rankings, Week 7
The field in MLS is starting to take shape a little. Although my predictions aren't getting any better, the higher ranked team won in five of six games. The early season trend of home teams dominating faded somewhat: away teams went 4-2.
1. Chicago Fire (Last week: #1, beat #7 United away)
The Fire might not always look good, but they seem to win. The first 30 minutes against DC, they looked vulnerable. But they started to control match and never looked back.
2. Columbus Crew (Last week: #2, beat #13 San Jose away)
Robbie Rogers is now second in the league with five goals. Alejandro Moreno is right behind him with four. They're looking like a team with multiple weapons. The last time you could say that, McBride and Brian West were still wearing yellow.
The only knock on the Crew? They've had a surprisingly easy schedule, given how some former powers have crumbled. Not their fault and they're racking up points now.
3. New England Revolution (Last week: #4, beat #9 Chivas away)
Twellman scores, Ralston assists, Revs win. The Revs have a great starting 11 and they have good depth (albeit not enough to carry them through the injuries unscathed). The Revs are good.
4. Houston (Last week: #5, beat #8 Colorado at home)
It might have been a flukey performance, but you got the feeling that the Dynamo were building up some serious soccer karma during their long winless streak to start the season. Unlike fellow strugglers United, the Dynamo kept their heads up and benefitted from Bouna Condoul's goalkeeping clinic (as in a clinic on how not to clear a ball). Houston is, by far, the team with the least points among the MLS elite, but I'm sticking with them at #4.
5. Dallas (Last week: #3, lost to #14 Real Salt Lake away)
Kenny Cooper is unstoppable, but you can't say the same for Dallas. They might have done just enough to tie it up in Salt Lake, but the ball didn't go in. I've got to think that Juan Toja will get his season going soon-- he shows enough quality from game to game to suggest good things to come, even if it's not coming right now.
6. Toronto (Last week: #6, did not play)
Should Toronto be ranked higher? Maybe, but let's see how they take the Guevara show on the road and have to deal with a few more calls going against them.
7. New York Red Bulls (Last week: #10, beat #12 Galaxy away)
Juan Pablo Angel still isn't quite fit, but managed to score against the Galaxy (who wisely decided to sit accident-prone "defender" Abel Xavier). The Red Bulls are geting dynamic players back from injury (Richards and Freeman) at the same time they've lost players who impose structure on the game-- Reyna and Stammler. What will they look like when everyone's healthy? Hard to say: the teams currently in the middle of the pack-- #7-#11-- are tough teams to read.
8. Colorado (Last week: #8, lost to Houston away)
A loss to Houston away, on a disputed penalty kick, is not the worst thing that could happen, so the Rapids stay at #8. Gomez to Cummings is a great combo that I hope will produce a few more goals this season.
9. DC United (Last week: #7, lost to #1 Chicago at home)
When United turned it on late in the game against Chicago, they looked like a juggernaut. They only problem was that they were already down 2-0. Another poor performance from United that led GM and noted political essayist Thomas Paine to call out players for taking plays off. But I'll hesitate to punish them more for Thursday's performance: they may not play with heart, but I'd expect them to still beat lower ranked teams on pure talent. Definitely the year's most disappointing team so far.
10. Kansas City (Last week: #11, Did Not Play)
They move up based on Chivas' loss against the Revs.
11. Chivas USA (Last week: #9, lost to #4 Revolution at home)
Sure, they had a couple of key losses: Claudio Suarez to suspension and Bornstein to a long injury. But this team has NO depth. Look at their bench for this game:
1 - Dan Kennedy (GK)
17 - Justin Braun 59
22 - Keith Savage
24 - Atiba Harris 71
31 - Daniel Paladini 68
32 - Anthony Hamilton
34 - Gerson Mayen
With the exception of Atiba Harris, who is established (even if he's a red card waiting to happen every match), these are untested players. And Chivas was starting Eric Ebert and Bobby Burling. They've got some nice pieces, but it doesn't add up to a team right now.
12. Los Angeles Galaxy (Last week: #12, lost to #10 NY at home)
The Gals shouldn't be dropping home points to New York, but it's just a fact of life with this defense. If Becks and Donovan are covered and not contributing, the Gals have precious little other resources. I'm sure that the Big Two will continue to win games and the Gals may move up a little in the rankings, but what's really the best case scenario?
13. San Jose (Last week: #13, lost to #2 Columbus at home)
The Quakes scored. The right guys-- O'Brien, Corrales and Grabavoy-- are contributing. But they didn't get the win at home against a quality opponent, whereas...
14. Real Salt Lake (Last week: #14, beat #3 Dallas at home)
Real Salt Lake did. They played ugly and got some points. Players are talking about it being a turning point. Javier Morales added a goal to his four assists. They're unbeaten at home. And yes, they're a point out of first in the to-date dreadful Western Conference.
But really, who would you expect RSL to beat consistently? They'll have a chance to move out of the opinion basement with a result in Colorado this coming Thursday.
Next week
(Predictions last week: 2-4...)
Rapids-RSL-- Rapids win
Toronto-Cbus-- Toronto win
NYRB-KC-- Red Bulls win
Revs-SJ-- Revs win
Fire-Houston-- Fire win (but if I had to pick an upset...)
Chivas-DCU-- Chivas win
FCD-LAG-- Dallas win
1. Chicago Fire (Last week: #1, beat #7 United away)
The Fire might not always look good, but they seem to win. The first 30 minutes against DC, they looked vulnerable. But they started to control match and never looked back.
2. Columbus Crew (Last week: #2, beat #13 San Jose away)
Robbie Rogers is now second in the league with five goals. Alejandro Moreno is right behind him with four. They're looking like a team with multiple weapons. The last time you could say that, McBride and Brian West were still wearing yellow.
The only knock on the Crew? They've had a surprisingly easy schedule, given how some former powers have crumbled. Not their fault and they're racking up points now.
3. New England Revolution (Last week: #4, beat #9 Chivas away)
Twellman scores, Ralston assists, Revs win. The Revs have a great starting 11 and they have good depth (albeit not enough to carry them through the injuries unscathed). The Revs are good.
4. Houston (Last week: #5, beat #8 Colorado at home)
It might have been a flukey performance, but you got the feeling that the Dynamo were building up some serious soccer karma during their long winless streak to start the season. Unlike fellow strugglers United, the Dynamo kept their heads up and benefitted from Bouna Condoul's goalkeeping clinic (as in a clinic on how not to clear a ball). Houston is, by far, the team with the least points among the MLS elite, but I'm sticking with them at #4.
5. Dallas (Last week: #3, lost to #14 Real Salt Lake away)
Kenny Cooper is unstoppable, but you can't say the same for Dallas. They might have done just enough to tie it up in Salt Lake, but the ball didn't go in. I've got to think that Juan Toja will get his season going soon-- he shows enough quality from game to game to suggest good things to come, even if it's not coming right now.
6. Toronto (Last week: #6, did not play)
Should Toronto be ranked higher? Maybe, but let's see how they take the Guevara show on the road and have to deal with a few more calls going against them.
7. New York Red Bulls (Last week: #10, beat #12 Galaxy away)
Juan Pablo Angel still isn't quite fit, but managed to score against the Galaxy (who wisely decided to sit accident-prone "defender" Abel Xavier). The Red Bulls are geting dynamic players back from injury (Richards and Freeman) at the same time they've lost players who impose structure on the game-- Reyna and Stammler. What will they look like when everyone's healthy? Hard to say: the teams currently in the middle of the pack-- #7-#11-- are tough teams to read.
8. Colorado (Last week: #8, lost to Houston away)
A loss to Houston away, on a disputed penalty kick, is not the worst thing that could happen, so the Rapids stay at #8. Gomez to Cummings is a great combo that I hope will produce a few more goals this season.
9. DC United (Last week: #7, lost to #1 Chicago at home)
When United turned it on late in the game against Chicago, they looked like a juggernaut. They only problem was that they were already down 2-0. Another poor performance from United that led GM and noted political essayist Thomas Paine to call out players for taking plays off. But I'll hesitate to punish them more for Thursday's performance: they may not play with heart, but I'd expect them to still beat lower ranked teams on pure talent. Definitely the year's most disappointing team so far.
10. Kansas City (Last week: #11, Did Not Play)
They move up based on Chivas' loss against the Revs.
11. Chivas USA (Last week: #9, lost to #4 Revolution at home)
Sure, they had a couple of key losses: Claudio Suarez to suspension and Bornstein to a long injury. But this team has NO depth. Look at their bench for this game:
1 - Dan Kennedy (GK)
17 - Justin Braun 59
22 - Keith Savage
24 - Atiba Harris 71
31 - Daniel Paladini 68
32 - Anthony Hamilton
34 - Gerson Mayen
With the exception of Atiba Harris, who is established (even if he's a red card waiting to happen every match), these are untested players. And Chivas was starting Eric Ebert and Bobby Burling. They've got some nice pieces, but it doesn't add up to a team right now.
12. Los Angeles Galaxy (Last week: #12, lost to #10 NY at home)
The Gals shouldn't be dropping home points to New York, but it's just a fact of life with this defense. If Becks and Donovan are covered and not contributing, the Gals have precious little other resources. I'm sure that the Big Two will continue to win games and the Gals may move up a little in the rankings, but what's really the best case scenario?
13. San Jose (Last week: #13, lost to #2 Columbus at home)
The Quakes scored. The right guys-- O'Brien, Corrales and Grabavoy-- are contributing. But they didn't get the win at home against a quality opponent, whereas...
14. Real Salt Lake (Last week: #14, beat #3 Dallas at home)
Real Salt Lake did. They played ugly and got some points. Players are talking about it being a turning point. Javier Morales added a goal to his four assists. They're unbeaten at home. And yes, they're a point out of first in the to-date dreadful Western Conference.
But really, who would you expect RSL to beat consistently? They'll have a chance to move out of the opinion basement with a result in Colorado this coming Thursday.
Next week
(Predictions last week: 2-4...)
Rapids-RSL-- Rapids win
Toronto-Cbus-- Toronto win
NYRB-KC-- Red Bulls win
Revs-SJ-- Revs win
Fire-Houston-- Fire win (but if I had to pick an upset...)
Chivas-DCU-- Chivas win
FCD-LAG-- Dallas win
Friday, May 9, 2008
An Historic Event
Last night, over eighteen thousand spectators witnessed history at RFK. No, I'm not talking about DC's sponsorship deal with Volkswagen. I'm talking about the presence of three players with the first name Gonzalo being on the field at the same time (Martinez, Peralta, and Segares).
Unfortunately for DC, one Gonzalo was better than two in this case.
United had another miserable night. You might say that the head-scratching continues, but that wouldn't be quite right: I think we know what's wrong with United. Kevin Payne started to call out players for taking plays off. Coach Soehn called out Santino Quaranta for not marking Justin Mapp on the first Fire goal. Personally, I thought Quaranta's effort has been decent. Instead, I've been noticing more how Clyde Simms isn't controlling the midfield for United. He's a good player, so I first wondered whether it was because turnover on other parts of the field were leading to breakdowns that Simms had to clean up. That might be true to a point, but it looks like he's letting the game get away from him too-- his inability to close down Gomez (a tough task, no doubt) against Colorado definitely contributed to DC's loss.
In short, I think United needs a couple upgrades in the middle.
In other news
Have you ever noticed how worthless the fantasy player picks are in Kevin Costigan's weekly power rankings for Fox Sports? Ezra Hendrickson? Jesse Marsch? Shea Salinas? I'm not sure Costigan gets how fantasy sports work...
Unfortunately for DC, one Gonzalo was better than two in this case.
United had another miserable night. You might say that the head-scratching continues, but that wouldn't be quite right: I think we know what's wrong with United. Kevin Payne started to call out players for taking plays off. Coach Soehn called out Santino Quaranta for not marking Justin Mapp on the first Fire goal. Personally, I thought Quaranta's effort has been decent. Instead, I've been noticing more how Clyde Simms isn't controlling the midfield for United. He's a good player, so I first wondered whether it was because turnover on other parts of the field were leading to breakdowns that Simms had to clean up. That might be true to a point, but it looks like he's letting the game get away from him too-- his inability to close down Gomez (a tough task, no doubt) against Colorado definitely contributed to DC's loss.
In short, I think United needs a couple upgrades in the middle.
In other news
Have you ever noticed how worthless the fantasy player picks are in Kevin Costigan's weekly power rankings for Fox Sports? Ezra Hendrickson? Jesse Marsch? Shea Salinas? I'm not sure Costigan gets how fantasy sports work...
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
No, I'm pretty sure that's not the worst thing...
Primitive man feared nature, and thus needed to make up stories about it in order to make sense of the scary world.
I feel that Jamie Trecker has much the same reaction to "hype"-- unable to trust his own senses, and let down repeatedly by over-hyped players, he somehow believes hype is the biggest problem facing American soccer.
More "logic" from Jamie Trecker
He goes so far as to write the following: "We all want American soccer stars. But we have to be patient. The worst thing that can happen is for fans and the media to try and create them."
No, Jamie. That's not the worst thing. The worst thing that could happen is if a plane full of young American players went down like Busby's babes. The dim media glare fixed on Jozy Altidore doesn't really rank up there with true tragedy.
Like any Trecker piece, he's occasionally got a point: it would be nice if we could let kids be kids and not jump to conclusions too soon.
Hey, fair enough.
But at the same time, like any Trecker piece, it also doesn't make sense. He writes: "Our homegrown soccer players still do not face the rigid public scrutiny as they develop that our other athletes do, to their detriment. It's no shock that these men then have difficulties handling sudden attention."
Ok. So they have difficulties handling sudden attention, but you're advocating the Altidore receive less attention now? Because receiving no attention as a member of an MLS side will help prepare him for receiving a ton of attention in a foreign league?
Dumb, dumb, dumb.
I feel that Jamie Trecker has much the same reaction to "hype"-- unable to trust his own senses, and let down repeatedly by over-hyped players, he somehow believes hype is the biggest problem facing American soccer.
More "logic" from Jamie Trecker
He goes so far as to write the following: "We all want American soccer stars. But we have to be patient. The worst thing that can happen is for fans and the media to try and create them."
No, Jamie. That's not the worst thing. The worst thing that could happen is if a plane full of young American players went down like Busby's babes. The dim media glare fixed on Jozy Altidore doesn't really rank up there with true tragedy.
Like any Trecker piece, he's occasionally got a point: it would be nice if we could let kids be kids and not jump to conclusions too soon.
Hey, fair enough.
But at the same time, like any Trecker piece, it also doesn't make sense. He writes: "Our homegrown soccer players still do not face the rigid public scrutiny as they develop that our other athletes do, to their detriment. It's no shock that these men then have difficulties handling sudden attention."
Ok. So they have difficulties handling sudden attention, but you're advocating the Altidore receive less attention now? Because receiving no attention as a member of an MLS side will help prepare him for receiving a ton of attention in a foreign league?
Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
MLS Power and Form Rankings, Week 6
Wow.
For a week that I thought would shake up the league, there are still more questions. We're now 1/5 of the way done with the season, but it's hard to pick out clear trends. The league has to be ecstatic that Beckham scored two goals in Salt Lake, but it's been a tougher road for other key players. On to the rankings...
1. Chicago (Last week: #5; beat #1 Revs away)
Winning 3-0 away is hard enough. Winning 3-0 away against a good team that you beat 4-0, partly on the back of a very early red card, takes it to another level. Chicago went to the Revs and had a game plan-- defend in numbers and play hard counter-attacking soccer. Having Chris Rolfe back on the field helped, and Blanco, although he didn't score or assist, has got to be one of the best players for counter-attacks because of his vision.
But is the Fire the best team in the league? Some of the things that make them a good team on the counter can make them look pretty awful when they have to control possession, and they are fortunate to have the points they do. But if John Thorington is back for good, Rolfe is healthy and old man Blanco stays on the field, the Fire have got to be looking at their rivals and asking "Why not us?"
2. Columbus (Last week: #6; beat #8 KC at home)
The Crew top the league tables. They won the battle of the sleeper teams against KC fairly comfortably. Robbie Rogers looks like he's fulfilling his promise. And Alejandro Moreno is on the goal leaderboard.
So why aren't the Crew #1? Partly, it's because they've amassed their record against teams in precisely the right moment. It looked like a brutal schedule ahead of the season, with early season tilts against Houston, DC and Chivas. But all three of those teams have yet to get going. Their win against Toronto occurred before the Reds added a couple of studs to the roster. I have a feeling that they are paper tigers.
But there's another side to winning against teams in difficult moments: up to a point, it just doesn't matter as long as you get the points. The 2000 KC Wizards weren't necessarily the best team in the league despite a record winning streak, but they were winners and eventually champions. I could see the Crew doing something similar.
3. FC Dallas (Last week: #2; tied #13 San Jose away)
I expect better from Dallas than an away tie against an expansion team. But it wasn't just a case of balls not falling-- Dallas just didn't get going, despite having a high-powered offense. So we'll call it an off week. Besides, who's clearly better?
4. New England Revolution (Last week: #1; lost to #5 Fire at home)
New England was miserable, apparently more motivated by revenge than soccer sense.
But Twellman is back soon, Ralston played as a sub and the Revs aren't a bad team.
5. Houston (Last week: #4; tied #9 Chivas at home)
Good teams win at home. Houston again dictated terms in its home match against Chivas, but couldn't find its way to goal. They need to do better, but I'm not going to rank them lower until they start playing really poorly.
The risk is that, just as the 2000 KC Wizards turned winning into a habit just by playing uninspiring but absolutely consistent soccer, Houston can turn losing into a habit, despite having the horses to ride so much harder.
6. Toronto (Last week: #7; tied #11 New York)
Now that Toronto's playing with the big boys, it's not enough to put in a decent effort. And they were fortunate Laurent Robert caught the NY D napping. I am wondering why Jeff Cunningham isn't getting more chances. Dichio is useful, but if Cunningham still has it, he's far superior.
7. DC United (Last week: #3; lost to #12 Colorado)
DC hasn't won in Colorado in 8 years, but I though they were superior enough to Colorado to pull it out. But United was not up to the task. They were lucky to go down only by two goals. That said, I wouldn't penalize a team too much for an away loss, especially in such a tough place to play.
So United's not dropping four places because of the loss. They're dropping three places because of this:
Ben Olsen Is Not Coming Back Soon.
United is famous for its great foreign players, like Etch, Moreno, Gomez, Emilio and now Gallardo. But much of their recent success has come from more humble names: Gros, Carroll, Namoff and most of all Ben Olsen. These guys provided bite and energy. Only Namoff remains. The replacements for these players may, in fact, be superior players, but there is no replacement for their work rate.
But the loss of Olsen is the hardest hit. United simply is not as good a team without him.
8. Colorado (Last week: #12; beat #3 United at home)
Colorado absolutely dominated DC. Yes, they did give up more than a few chances, but they also could have scored more. LaBrocca, Cummings and Jacobsen created more than the United defense could handle. When Jacobsen finally scored his wonder goal, you couldn't call yourself surprised.
9. Chivas USA (Last week: #9; tied #4 Houston away)
Yes, they got a point away. But yes, they got dominated and their shambolic defense will lose Claudio Suarez to a red card suspension. This might be what you can expect from the Goats this year.
10. New York (Last week: #11; tied #7 Toronto away)
A few thoughts: the team looked better with Reyna than Ubiparovich in the middle... Dane Richards' speed also changed the game (for the better). Angel and Altidore were relatively quiet. I think NY has weapons, but they're just not an inspiring team at this point.
11. Kansas City (Last week: #8; lost to #6 Columbus away)
The pieces aren't there for this team to take advantage of Lopez.
12. LA Galaxy (Last week: #10; ties #14 Real Salt Lake away)
It took the Gals a half to figure out Salt Lake's turf, and then Beckham scores twice. Don Garber rejoices.
They probably don't deserve to drop two places, but are they better than any of the teams above them?
13. San Jose (Last week: #13; ties #2 Dallas at home)
Ronnie O'Brien and Ivan Guerrero are actually good players. Who knew? Judging by some reports, it's breaking news.
San Jose is capable of controlling play. The forwards still aren't good enough. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
14. Real Salt Lake (Last week: #14; ties #10 Galaxy at home)
The optimist says "Hey RSL got a point!" The pessimist notes that they were up by two goals. Despite all the talk about their improvement, does anyone really think they'll make the playoffs?
In other news, Javier Morales has 4 assists already. Is he the secret hero for the Gulls?
Next week
DCU-CHI: Tie
HOU-COL: Houston win
RSL-DAL: Dallas win
SJ-CLB: Cbus win
LA-NY: LA win
Chivas-NE: Chivas win
For a week that I thought would shake up the league, there are still more questions. We're now 1/5 of the way done with the season, but it's hard to pick out clear trends. The league has to be ecstatic that Beckham scored two goals in Salt Lake, but it's been a tougher road for other key players. On to the rankings...
1. Chicago (Last week: #5; beat #1 Revs away)
Winning 3-0 away is hard enough. Winning 3-0 away against a good team that you beat 4-0, partly on the back of a very early red card, takes it to another level. Chicago went to the Revs and had a game plan-- defend in numbers and play hard counter-attacking soccer. Having Chris Rolfe back on the field helped, and Blanco, although he didn't score or assist, has got to be one of the best players for counter-attacks because of his vision.
But is the Fire the best team in the league? Some of the things that make them a good team on the counter can make them look pretty awful when they have to control possession, and they are fortunate to have the points they do. But if John Thorington is back for good, Rolfe is healthy and old man Blanco stays on the field, the Fire have got to be looking at their rivals and asking "Why not us?"
2. Columbus (Last week: #6; beat #8 KC at home)
The Crew top the league tables. They won the battle of the sleeper teams against KC fairly comfortably. Robbie Rogers looks like he's fulfilling his promise. And Alejandro Moreno is on the goal leaderboard.
So why aren't the Crew #1? Partly, it's because they've amassed their record against teams in precisely the right moment. It looked like a brutal schedule ahead of the season, with early season tilts against Houston, DC and Chivas. But all three of those teams have yet to get going. Their win against Toronto occurred before the Reds added a couple of studs to the roster. I have a feeling that they are paper tigers.
But there's another side to winning against teams in difficult moments: up to a point, it just doesn't matter as long as you get the points. The 2000 KC Wizards weren't necessarily the best team in the league despite a record winning streak, but they were winners and eventually champions. I could see the Crew doing something similar.
3. FC Dallas (Last week: #2; tied #13 San Jose away)
I expect better from Dallas than an away tie against an expansion team. But it wasn't just a case of balls not falling-- Dallas just didn't get going, despite having a high-powered offense. So we'll call it an off week. Besides, who's clearly better?
4. New England Revolution (Last week: #1; lost to #5 Fire at home)
New England was miserable, apparently more motivated by revenge than soccer sense.
But Twellman is back soon, Ralston played as a sub and the Revs aren't a bad team.
5. Houston (Last week: #4; tied #9 Chivas at home)
Good teams win at home. Houston again dictated terms in its home match against Chivas, but couldn't find its way to goal. They need to do better, but I'm not going to rank them lower until they start playing really poorly.
The risk is that, just as the 2000 KC Wizards turned winning into a habit just by playing uninspiring but absolutely consistent soccer, Houston can turn losing into a habit, despite having the horses to ride so much harder.
6. Toronto (Last week: #7; tied #11 New York)
Now that Toronto's playing with the big boys, it's not enough to put in a decent effort. And they were fortunate Laurent Robert caught the NY D napping. I am wondering why Jeff Cunningham isn't getting more chances. Dichio is useful, but if Cunningham still has it, he's far superior.
7. DC United (Last week: #3; lost to #12 Colorado)
DC hasn't won in Colorado in 8 years, but I though they were superior enough to Colorado to pull it out. But United was not up to the task. They were lucky to go down only by two goals. That said, I wouldn't penalize a team too much for an away loss, especially in such a tough place to play.
So United's not dropping four places because of the loss. They're dropping three places because of this:
Ben Olsen Is Not Coming Back Soon.
United is famous for its great foreign players, like Etch, Moreno, Gomez, Emilio and now Gallardo. But much of their recent success has come from more humble names: Gros, Carroll, Namoff and most of all Ben Olsen. These guys provided bite and energy. Only Namoff remains. The replacements for these players may, in fact, be superior players, but there is no replacement for their work rate.
But the loss of Olsen is the hardest hit. United simply is not as good a team without him.
8. Colorado (Last week: #12; beat #3 United at home)
Colorado absolutely dominated DC. Yes, they did give up more than a few chances, but they also could have scored more. LaBrocca, Cummings and Jacobsen created more than the United defense could handle. When Jacobsen finally scored his wonder goal, you couldn't call yourself surprised.
9. Chivas USA (Last week: #9; tied #4 Houston away)
Yes, they got a point away. But yes, they got dominated and their shambolic defense will lose Claudio Suarez to a red card suspension. This might be what you can expect from the Goats this year.
10. New York (Last week: #11; tied #7 Toronto away)
A few thoughts: the team looked better with Reyna than Ubiparovich in the middle... Dane Richards' speed also changed the game (for the better). Angel and Altidore were relatively quiet. I think NY has weapons, but they're just not an inspiring team at this point.
11. Kansas City (Last week: #8; lost to #6 Columbus away)
The pieces aren't there for this team to take advantage of Lopez.
12. LA Galaxy (Last week: #10; ties #14 Real Salt Lake away)
It took the Gals a half to figure out Salt Lake's turf, and then Beckham scores twice. Don Garber rejoices.
They probably don't deserve to drop two places, but are they better than any of the teams above them?
13. San Jose (Last week: #13; ties #2 Dallas at home)
Ronnie O'Brien and Ivan Guerrero are actually good players. Who knew? Judging by some reports, it's breaking news.
San Jose is capable of controlling play. The forwards still aren't good enough. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
14. Real Salt Lake (Last week: #14; ties #10 Galaxy at home)
The optimist says "Hey RSL got a point!" The pessimist notes that they were up by two goals. Despite all the talk about their improvement, does anyone really think they'll make the playoffs?
In other news, Javier Morales has 4 assists already. Is he the secret hero for the Gulls?
Next week
DCU-CHI: Tie
HOU-COL: Houston win
RSL-DAL: Dallas win
SJ-CLB: Cbus win
LA-NY: LA win
Chivas-NE: Chivas win
Sunday, April 27, 2008
MLS Power and Form Rankings, Week 5
This week's rankings also serve as a soapbox about the foolishness of "results-ism". The Galaxy crushed the Goats this weekend 5-2 in the Superclasico. But yet, here they are, ranked a place below Chivas USA in the rankings. You don't get ranked higher than another team just by beating them, especially in front of your home fans.
That said, there's a new #1...
#1. New England. (Last week: #2, beat #1 FCD)
Winning 1-0 away is exactly the kind of result that Revs coach Steve Nichol built his career on. It's easy to forget that, before the Revs became an offensive powerhouse, they were a brutally ugly but efficient team.
#2. Dallas. (Last week: #1, lost to #2 Revs)
Last week, Dallas was in first by default. This week, they're in second because they couldn't extend their unbeaten run against New England. They had their chances against the Revs, but got punished by a cohesive, efficient team.
#3. DC United. (Last week: #5, beat #14 RSL)
The crushing win against league lapdogs Real Salt Lake was expected, so they barely deserve this ranking. Their first half against RSL was bad. Emilio still hasn't gotten back on track. And Fred, perhaps United's brightest player this season, went out with injury. But who would you pick over them in a cage match? And how about Gallardo's goal?
#4. Houston Dynamo (Last week: #2, lost to #8 Crew).
I might just cut and paste the following: "Houston looked good at times and will certainly get back on track at some point."
That said, Pat Onstad made a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes in goal. Reports of his demise have been, not only exagerated, but premature by years, but this team is only a couple of backup Tony Caig horror shows from digging itself into a very deep hole.
#5. Chicago Fire. (Last week: #6, beat #10 Colorado).
Well, the Fire should beat the Rapids in Chicago, so this isn't a game that will answer many questions about them (plus, I couldn't watch the game on HDNet...) But isn't it nice to see John Thorrington score a brace?
#6. Columbus. (Last week: #8, beat #3 Houston).
Is Alejandro Moreno ready for a career year? I'm still not sold on the Crew, but I've always thought that all they needed was a little more seasoning. Maybe they're there.
#7 Toronto. (Last week: #9, beat #4 KC).
Last week I said, "At some point, you add enough good players, you become a good team, right? I think TFC has added enough good players." Amado Guevara puts on a great show and wins the game for the Reds.
The bad news? The fact that Guevara is on fire now can only mean one thing: he'll go nuts in a few weeks.
The other bad news? Just because Rohan Ricketts spent time in the premiership doesn't mean he got the better of KC's Harrington. I feel like each of Toronto's new signings and key players is like a character in a Greek tragedy, blessed with specific talents that will lead them to great success, but also each stricken with a fatal flaw. Robert can give incredible service, but seems to drift out of games. Ricketts is fast but might need a few tricks, as well as better distribution to be truly effective. Guevara is a star, but he's nuttier than squirrel doo.
#8. Kansas City. (Last week #4, lost to #9 TFC)
I think people need to get used to this: good teams will drop points in Toronto. So, despite the loss by KC, I feel like I got a better sense of who they are. Chance Myers and Michael Harrington did a lot of constructive things. Roger Espinoza needs some work. As commentator Bruce Arena pointed out, KC would play some good D before coughing up the ball needlessly. And the vaunted attack never quite got going.
#9. Chivas USA. (Last week #7, lost to #12 LAG)
The good: the Goats come back twice in 60 minutes. The bad: the Goats go down by three goals in the last 30 minutes, including two strikes from former leper Alan Gordon. Chivas looks like they're still trying to get into the season and injuries haven't helped. But I think they're a playoff team that can count themselves lucky that they don't have to play against an enraged Landon Donovan every week. That has a tendency to make things seem worse than they really are, which is how I'm going to view this past week's result.
#10. LA Galaxy. (Last week: #12, beat #7 CUSA)
Donovan leads the league in goals by a mile. Beckham leads the league in assists. And the Galaxy are a .500 team. Part of that is that the Galaxy are still great at making me smile: Xavier is good for at least one moment of comedy each game. I thought it was instructive that Gullit singled out young defender Sean Franklin for praise after the game. If the Gals are to be anything more than a .500 team, even with Donovan crushing the league, they need more contributions from players like Franklin.
Scary bad question for Gullit: Will the return of Carlos Ruiz help or hurt this team?
Scary good question for the league and its fans: How awesome would it be if the Gals and Chivas USA were fighting it out for the last playoff spot? It's early and midseason acquisitions can completely change teams, but both teams look to be on the fringe right now.
#11. New York. (Last week: #11, beat #13 SJ)
It's good that they managed to win without Angel, but they still look like a team that's missing something.
#12. Colorado. (Last week: #10, lost to #6 Chicago)
I didn't expect the kids to get it done away to Chicago-- that's asking for a lot.
#13. San Jose. (Last week: #13, lost to #11 NY)
They'll be in more games than they're out of. And if Peguero is able to recover the form he had in his first MLS stay, I woudln't be shocked to see the Quakes climb a little in the west.
#14. Real Salt Lake. (Last week: #14, lost to #5 DCU)
After crushing DCU at home, you kind of expected the Gulls to get crushed when they visited the District. And so it was.
Their next game against the Galaxy could be fascinating. If RSL cant' get anything positive out of that, is it too early to think about moves they need to make?
Next week (Last week: 3-4)
The next week looks awesome. We're going to learn alot. The two most enigmatic teams, KC and Cbus, face off. The Revs face a supposedly tough Chicago team.
Thursday
Toronto-NYRB- Toronto win
Revs-Chicago- Revs win
Crew-KC- Crew win
Dynamo-CUSA- Dynamo win
RSL-LAG- RSL win
SJ-FCD- FCD win
Rapids-DCU- DCU win
That said, there's a new #1...
#1. New England. (Last week: #2, beat #1 FCD)
Winning 1-0 away is exactly the kind of result that Revs coach Steve Nichol built his career on. It's easy to forget that, before the Revs became an offensive powerhouse, they were a brutally ugly but efficient team.
#2. Dallas. (Last week: #1, lost to #2 Revs)
Last week, Dallas was in first by default. This week, they're in second because they couldn't extend their unbeaten run against New England. They had their chances against the Revs, but got punished by a cohesive, efficient team.
#3. DC United. (Last week: #5, beat #14 RSL)
The crushing win against league lapdogs Real Salt Lake was expected, so they barely deserve this ranking. Their first half against RSL was bad. Emilio still hasn't gotten back on track. And Fred, perhaps United's brightest player this season, went out with injury. But who would you pick over them in a cage match? And how about Gallardo's goal?
#4. Houston Dynamo (Last week: #2, lost to #8 Crew).
I might just cut and paste the following: "Houston looked good at times and will certainly get back on track at some point."
That said, Pat Onstad made a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes in goal. Reports of his demise have been, not only exagerated, but premature by years, but this team is only a couple of backup Tony Caig horror shows from digging itself into a very deep hole.
#5. Chicago Fire. (Last week: #6, beat #10 Colorado).
Well, the Fire should beat the Rapids in Chicago, so this isn't a game that will answer many questions about them (plus, I couldn't watch the game on HDNet...) But isn't it nice to see John Thorrington score a brace?
#6. Columbus. (Last week: #8, beat #3 Houston).
Is Alejandro Moreno ready for a career year? I'm still not sold on the Crew, but I've always thought that all they needed was a little more seasoning. Maybe they're there.
#7 Toronto. (Last week: #9, beat #4 KC).
Last week I said, "At some point, you add enough good players, you become a good team, right? I think TFC has added enough good players." Amado Guevara puts on a great show and wins the game for the Reds.
The bad news? The fact that Guevara is on fire now can only mean one thing: he'll go nuts in a few weeks.
The other bad news? Just because Rohan Ricketts spent time in the premiership doesn't mean he got the better of KC's Harrington. I feel like each of Toronto's new signings and key players is like a character in a Greek tragedy, blessed with specific talents that will lead them to great success, but also each stricken with a fatal flaw. Robert can give incredible service, but seems to drift out of games. Ricketts is fast but might need a few tricks, as well as better distribution to be truly effective. Guevara is a star, but he's nuttier than squirrel doo.
#8. Kansas City. (Last week #4, lost to #9 TFC)
I think people need to get used to this: good teams will drop points in Toronto. So, despite the loss by KC, I feel like I got a better sense of who they are. Chance Myers and Michael Harrington did a lot of constructive things. Roger Espinoza needs some work. As commentator Bruce Arena pointed out, KC would play some good D before coughing up the ball needlessly. And the vaunted attack never quite got going.
#9. Chivas USA. (Last week #7, lost to #12 LAG)
The good: the Goats come back twice in 60 minutes. The bad: the Goats go down by three goals in the last 30 minutes, including two strikes from former leper Alan Gordon. Chivas looks like they're still trying to get into the season and injuries haven't helped. But I think they're a playoff team that can count themselves lucky that they don't have to play against an enraged Landon Donovan every week. That has a tendency to make things seem worse than they really are, which is how I'm going to view this past week's result.
#10. LA Galaxy. (Last week: #12, beat #7 CUSA)
Donovan leads the league in goals by a mile. Beckham leads the league in assists. And the Galaxy are a .500 team. Part of that is that the Galaxy are still great at making me smile: Xavier is good for at least one moment of comedy each game. I thought it was instructive that Gullit singled out young defender Sean Franklin for praise after the game. If the Gals are to be anything more than a .500 team, even with Donovan crushing the league, they need more contributions from players like Franklin.
Scary bad question for Gullit: Will the return of Carlos Ruiz help or hurt this team?
Scary good question for the league and its fans: How awesome would it be if the Gals and Chivas USA were fighting it out for the last playoff spot? It's early and midseason acquisitions can completely change teams, but both teams look to be on the fringe right now.
#11. New York. (Last week: #11, beat #13 SJ)
It's good that they managed to win without Angel, but they still look like a team that's missing something.
#12. Colorado. (Last week: #10, lost to #6 Chicago)
I didn't expect the kids to get it done away to Chicago-- that's asking for a lot.
#13. San Jose. (Last week: #13, lost to #11 NY)
They'll be in more games than they're out of. And if Peguero is able to recover the form he had in his first MLS stay, I woudln't be shocked to see the Quakes climb a little in the west.
#14. Real Salt Lake. (Last week: #14, lost to #5 DCU)
After crushing DCU at home, you kind of expected the Gulls to get crushed when they visited the District. And so it was.
Their next game against the Galaxy could be fascinating. If RSL cant' get anything positive out of that, is it too early to think about moves they need to make?
Next week (Last week: 3-4)
The next week looks awesome. We're going to learn alot. The two most enigmatic teams, KC and Cbus, face off. The Revs face a supposedly tough Chicago team.
Thursday
Toronto-NYRB- Toronto win
Revs-Chicago- Revs win
Crew-KC- Crew win
Dynamo-CUSA- Dynamo win
RSL-LAG- RSL win
SJ-FCD- FCD win
Rapids-DCU- DCU win
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