MLS Dogpile | Red Bull Win-Streak? Chaos Abounds!

Welcome back to the Dogpile, my friends. The kennel is in chaos with the top dogs from last week all sitting on the wrong side of 1-0 results, the majority of those engaged in the mad playoff scramble holding serve, and, of course, the Red Bulls posting their second consecutive victory. Can any mortal man make sense of this madness?

I'll try.

The Crew suffer their first setback in seemingly ages, but they remain the hottest team in the league over the last five matches and sit just one point off the top with two games in hand. Yes, yes, they lost to the Red Bulls, but they lost on the bouncy stuff in the Swamp, and that's not really a test of their abilities as a soccer team, is it? They've got a new contender to deal with at the top, however, as the Galaxy ride their current hot streak to within two points of the top. Are you kidding me? Guess Bruce knows what he's doing, eh?

Dropping down to make way for the Gals are the suddenly chilly Fire and Dynamo, who have managed just six and five points respectively from the last fifteen on offer. They may be a couple of games clear of the chasing pack, but with form like that, you've got to wonder if the pack might be scenting blood. The Rapids and Revs are among those trailers and crucially, both have games in hand on most of their opposition in the scramble for post-season placement.

And while both of those clubs have managed three wins in their last five outings, the Sounders are looking increasingly like a side that is slowly succumbing to Expansion Fever. One win and averaging just a point a game over the last five has seen Seattle's once comfortable lead erode. Sigi better find an answer fast, because RSL are suddenly starting to live up to pre-season expectations, just in time for a post-season run. It'll take more than the one victory to get DC United experiencing a similar renaissance, but two consecutive shutouts are a promising sign for one of the league's most scored-upon sides.

You wouldn't ordinarily think that a road draw in one of the tougher places to get a result (Seattle) would be a bad thing. But when most of those on the table around you secured three-point hauls, it gets to be a problem. Witness TFC dropping out of the playoff places and looking increasingly desperate. But not quite as desperate as Chivas, where those two wins to halt the long slide are quickly forgotten in the wake of a 4-0 spanking by RSL and a Superclasico power failure against the Gals. They may be level on points at the bottom of the playoff picture, but they need a crash cart, and they need it quick. Paging Dr. Preki!

Of course, all the woes of United, TFC, and Chivas pale by comparison with those looking at a ten point gap between themselves and the post-season. The Quakes mini-revival looks to have stalled as they come up short in New England, while FC Dallas sat idle and unloved, wondering how they could possibly alienate their fans more. And I struggled mightily about what to do at the bottom of the Pile. The Red Bulls still have a ways to go until they catch anybody on the table, and the sides they could potentially catch all have games in hand. But two consecutive victories, combined with four consecutive losses for the Wizards (this last one particularly egregious as they were at home and up a man for over half the match) are enough to temporarily earn them a reprieve from their near season-long residency at the foot of the Dogpile.

Tommy's Masterpiece? | a DC United Match Reaction

Well that certainly was a huge result, wasn't it? Namoff's early header holds up, and United's fragile defense posts its second consecutive league shutout. Let's skip the niceties of a formal introduction and leap right into the talking points...

* Beware the diamond, Tommy. Sure, the assorted punditry of the blogosphere has been calling for a 4-4-2 to shore things up at the back, but Tommy finally transitioned the Champions' League experiment to MLS. Sadly, he didn't get it right from the start. The narrow diamond was weak because it left Benny trying to hold down a flank on little more than grit, and Simms covering the acres in behind Gomez and Fred. Still, despite looking shaky defensively in this alignment, we did get the opener, though it did come from a set play. That said, we weren't playing particularly well. Did anybody else notice Benny stumbling into crossing positions like he didn't expect to be that open? Been a while since we carried a wide attacking threat, eh?

* Tommy gets it right, Part I. Of course, he didn't get to it immediately. When I saw Quaranta pull back (on 25 minutes) onto the right flank and Benny shifted inside, I thought, "Holy crap! Tommy saw the problem and addressed it!" Then I saw that Emilio was stranded up top, and I thought, "Jumpin' Jeebus, Tommy! You're packing it in with a 4-5-1 on a one-goal lead with over an hour to go? AAAARRRRRRGGGGHHH!" Fortunately, Tommy recognized that we were inviting too much pressure with Emilio unable to close down the entire Chicago back line, and Gomez pushed forward. Give the man a cigar!

* Tommy gets it right, Part II. I'll hold my hand up here and say I was wrong. In my notes, I said that our counter was toothless, allowing too much Chicago pressure to build and numbers to get forward. I wondered if a speed threat might keep them more honest before I realized we had no speed on the bench (Shipalane left at home, Khumalo in the leper colony). What I didn't want to see was the low-energy possession of Moreno. But I was wrong. Moreno's introduction (combined with the Fire starting to run out of gas) started a series of sustained periods of possession that often ended in chances or half-chances for United, and proved that we can play our quick-touch, short possession game without six in midfield.

* Tommy gets it right (eventually), Part III. Pardon my lack of fact-checking, but did we have anybody on the bench that could have spelled Benny? Szetela didn't travel, DiRaimondo is in Richmond, Jacobson home with an injury. McTavish maybe? Whatever the case, the old warrior somehow found his second wind (we'll get to Benny in a moment), but Tommy made the next best change he could by spelling the wings (Fred and Quaranta), who were running out of steam. That said, I think he could have made the Wallace for Fred move a bit earlier. I also would have been tempted to leave Quaranta on and put Pontius up top for Emilio, but Emilio seemed to have more left in the tank than Quaranta and we needed the energy defensively to close down crossers.

* Benny the paradox. You see, there were times when I got a tear in my eye seeing Benny charging around out there, making timely bursts from midfield to create scoring chances in the second half, hustling back on defense after gasping for breath just minutes before...but then there were the negatives. And I hate to bring them up because I love him so much as a player, but...he's not just a step slower than everybody else on the field, he's at least two to three steps behind. This was a huge problem when he was playing in wide midfield, less so when he was in the middle, but it still nearly cost us on a couple of occasions. Also, he committed two egregious Soccer 101 passing errors, nearly gifting the Fire a chance with an errant back-pass (though he did clean it up himself) and later putting a clearance from the endline back through the middle on the ground. The coach (and defender!) in me just about lost my mind when he hit that ball, and my "Jeeeeeesus, Benny!" shout may have woken my sleeping wife and child. Oops.

* Four's a crowd. I got a little smile on my face every time Jakovic was able to step into a passing lane or challenge an attacker without fear of leaving gaps behind him. He looked so much more comfortable, and my smile got even broader when he strode out of defense in possession, even making attacking runs, knowing that he had cover. Perhaps it's just my Oranje crush, but watching a technical defender push out like that...You just wonder why it took this long to finally make the change. And then you wonder if it'll stick.


Quick hits!

* Wicks is a psycho. What the hell was up with him attacking his own guys in stoppage time? Yell your lungs out man, but lay off the shirt-grabbing. And questions again were raised about his communication when James put that late cross (barely) out instead of leaving it...

* Fred played his best game in a long while, but you have to wonder...with all those slick little touches he has in tight space, why the hell can't he manage a decent first touch in and around the box?

* Too many fouls in dangerous spots. Sure, I like the playoff intensity we brought to this game, but when one of the world's great set-piece specialists is lined up against you, don't give away stupid fouls in and around the box...please?


So a huge result for DC United, and particularly for Tommy Soehn. Of course, we'll have to temper that a bit (do we have to?) by saying that Chicago were playing with a makeshift defense, missing McBride, and they've generally been pretty lame at home. That said, Soehn had the team playing with ferocity and in a shape that (eventually) seemed to suit them. The question becomes: now that we've won the "must win" match, can we carry that momentum forward and solidify our playoff position? And, of course, will Tommy be tempted to return to 3-5-2 at home? We shall see. But let's not worry tonight. Tonight we celebrate!

VAMOS, UNITED!!!

Sorting the Entrails

It's time for the next round of World Cup Qualification, a pair of matches against the bottom two countries in the Hex, El Salvador (at home) and Trinidad & Tobago (on the road). While six points here isn't a necessity, it would go a long way towards easing the nerves for the final pair of matches (away to Honduras and home to Costa Rica). Bob's selection is mostly predictable, but there are a few surprises as well, so let's take a look...

* GK: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton).
Big duh that Timmy will start, but I do wonder about Guzan. True, he has been seeing some Euro-time for Villa, but can he possibly be match-sharp if we need to call on him?

* D: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hanover), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Jonathan Spector (West Ham).
With Gooch suspended for the first match, we do need bodies in central defense, but do we really need Goodson and Marshall as cover? Surely we'll be looking to control possession in that first match, necessitating an attacking fullback (ie. not Bocanegra), thus allowing Boca to slot in next to DeMerit or Marshall in the center, with the odd man out as cover?

* M: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Moenchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Houston), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Houston), Robbie Rogers (Columbus), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca).
Thank goodness! Torres is back in the fold, and Kljestan is nowhere to be found. StuHo has played himself into a spot and deserves to be here as well. Rogers? He's one for the future, for sure, but I think he proved at the Gold Cup that he's not quite ready for prime time. Still, not a bad idea to get him into camp. Beckerman? He also had a good Gold Cup, but I'm not sure he really has a place when Edu (and Jones!) are healthy. Still, can't fault his inclusion here for cover and to toss a bone to the RSL fans.

* F: Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Conor Casey (Colorado), Brian Ching (Houston), Charlie Davies (Sochaux), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake).
Hmmm. Jozy, Davies, and Donovan are no-brainers. Ching always gives his all as well, and can be useful against mid- to lower-tier CONCACAF sides. But what has Casey done in a US shirt besides jog about and scowl? I was all for his inclusion after he started the MLS season on fire, but he never brought that same energy and commitment to the national team, so I do wonder if this is one of those times that Bob gets it in his head that a guy is a good fit, and needs to have it pummeled into his brain through multiple poor showings that the guy just isn't up to it (see: Beasley, Kljestan, etc.). The other big question here is: why Findley? Is he being brought in as (1) Davies' understudy for the quick striker role or (2) as some sort of "reward" for the RSL fans? Or was it a knee-jerk reaction when Bob saw him hang a couple on his old Chivas boys?

Thoughts?

Amateur Hour at RFK | a DC United Match Reaction

This story line is getting stale. You remember the one? The one where United commits some unbelievably amateurish defensive blunder to put themselves in an early hole. At the beginning of the season, we managed to fight our way back into a few of these. Hell, we're managing to fight out way back now as well. The problem is that we can't seem to hang onto what we've snatched from the slavering jaws of defeat. Of course, having said that, we did run out a largely reserve side against the best team in our group and managed to look pretty respectable for most of the second half, so there's some positive buried in there, right?

Suuuuure.

Observations?

* Amateur Hour, Part One. Hey look, stupid defensive mistakes again for the Toluca opener! Again with the miscommunication. If Wicks comes, he's got to get that. I can forgive Habarugira somewhat because he's the new guy. Sure, you could say that he needs to clear it first time, but if your keeper calls, you leave it. Did Wicks call? He should have if he's coming hard, and it wasn't like you could blame crowd noise if he wasn't heard. If there is a criticism of Habarugira (on this play), it's that he didn't body the Toluca forward off enough.

The larger issue with Habarugira seemed to be his positioning. I counted at least three times where he was breaking up attacks in central defense, and on a handful of occasions he was wide right as part of a counterattacking trio or quartet. All this as a notional right back. The question is: does his positioning just suck, is Tommy not communicating where he's supposed to be and what he's supposed to be doing, or is he being thrown in a position he's not used to playing (I've seen him referenced as a left back and center back, but never as a right back) and consequently making the usual errors you'd expect when trying to adapt? Not that he was alone. At times, Simms seemed to be playing left wing or pushed on the high side of midfield. WTF, Tommy? Do you have team talks about your tactics? And didn't Tommy say something about Habarugira looking very "polished" in his trial?

* Amateur Hour, Part Two. What a gaping hole of no-talent suck our left flank was! Credit Tommy for trying to make a change, first by swapping Allen and McTavish, and later by getting Allen out of there in the first half. The problem is that maybe it would have been more astute to get Avery John out of there. Christ, but he's a liability! Not that the addition of Fred made much of a difference. Oh wait, I almost forgot the mandatory "Fred blowing a golden opportunity" moment, when an offsides McTavish (more on the refs in a moment) crossed for the onrushing Brazilian, only to see Fred make lame contact and dribble his shot wide. $200k? Really?

* Amateur Hour, Part Three. Do we really need to waste pixels talking about the shameful state of officialdom in CONCACAF? Yes. From the moment I saw that asshat Campbell walking out to the center circle, I knew trouble was a-brewin'. The dude smirked his way through the Gold Cup, treating players and coaches to his Warner-esque condescending smirk and demonstrating a frightening inconsistency in his calling of fouls and use of cards. But while he did have his moments of idiocy in this match (Avery John's penalty-that-never-was comes to mind), the teams, thankfully, didn't get out of hand. What should have been "out of hand" was the far-side linesman's flag. The dude missed four offsides calls (two each way, so I guess he cancelled out), only one of which was even close. I've seen better judgement by 12 year olds running lines, and this is the best CONCACAF has to offer for their "Champions'" League? And I say this in full recognition that we probably benefitted more from the whistlemen's mistakes.

* Amateur Hour, Part Four. This one also goes without saying but...FSC! Please remove your noggins from your sphincters and put together a reasonable soccer broadcast! I thought the days of showing replays during play were all but past, but no! The quintessential moment of failure here was Fred pushing down the right flank and hitting a cross in to the top of the box, only to have FSC cut to a replay of some inconsequential moment just as the ball is about to touch down. Of course, maybe somebody in the control truck had sussed out that Fred is where all promising attacks go to die, but doesn't it seem a bit premature to just cut away before a dangerous attacking moment has passed?

* Bombs Away! What was with some of the shooting from distance? I know Jacobson can crank them, but I wish that McTavish and Quaranta had been a bit more selective in their shooting. Instead of firing one off whenever the slightest gap appeared, why not try a bit of possession to open a bigger window of opportunity? Toluca has fitness concerns and a congested schedule as well and were playing more of their first team. Why not make them run a little? Why not let the pressure build? And how about all of those dumped balls over the top or wayward through balls that just gifted possession back to the opposition? This is one of the ways Toluca outclassed us: patience (see Burch's flailing defense on their second). And what was with our complete inability to do anything remotely dangerous from set plays?


So were there any positives to be taken from this boondoggle?

* Build the attacking future around Quaranta and Pontius. Quaranta's energy, passing, running, and crossing cut a sharp contrast to Jaime, who didn't look as poor as he has over the past month, but was still a step too slow for my liking. As for Pontius, he did what he does best--he got to balls in the box. Heck, he even managed to throw in some efficient hold-up play and buried the one big chance he was given.

* I like James. He's a bit reckless, but he's quick and strong and not afraid to make a tackle. He'd be pretty decent cover for Jakovic's wanderings and opportunistic challenges, as demonstrated by his recovery run that spared Avery John after an incredibly lame header back to Wicks. Unfortunately, I don't see Tommy being able to mold reliable young defenders. That's why we're importing pre-programmed Euro-youth castoffs, right? Speaking of young center backs, does the lack of Janicki, even for bench duty, mean that he's being prepped for cutting?

* Tommy the Tactician? At first, I credited Habarugira's turning up in the right wing position as poor positioning and reckless enthusiasm, but then Namoff was doing the same thing when he subbed on for the former. Is Tommy working out a system on the right flank that involves the backs overlapping with McTavish, who can then slot in as defensive cover for the forward-bombing fullback? I'd like to think that it was intentional, but I do wonder...


So, yet another late CONCACAF collapse to add to our collection. I suppose that means that we can punt this tourney, though, truth be told, based on our lineups for these first two matches, I think we're in the advanced stages of severe punt-itis anyway. We've still got an outside shot at advancing, but priority #1 has to be qualifying for the playoffs at the moment, right? At the very least, we'll get to have an extended look at the length and breadth of our roster before making the decision about who we'll leave exposed for the Expansion Draft, and the extra games means everybody should be match-sharp for the stretch run.

Cold comfort, that.

Ugh.

MLS Table Talk | A Tale of Two Tables

The Story So Far...

The Dynamo have nudged themselves in front in the three-way race for the Supporters' Shield, putting them a point clear of the inactive Crew and two clear of the Fire. Three points back, the surprising (if compact and uninspiring) Galaxy look to have their playoff position firmly in hand, though their cross-town neighbors, Chivas, have pulled out of their tailspin and sit just two back of the Galaxy with three games in hand.

The Sounders maintain a three point cushion when it comes to their post-season hopes, with TFC, the Rapids, and the Revs all level on 30 points. The Revs lose the three-way tie-breaker at the moment and so find themselves out of a playoff spot, but they do have games in hand. DC United and RSL sit just one point and three points out of a playoff spot respectively, but both sides are struggling to keep up the pace. That said, at least they're still alive. Dallas' collapse at the lowly Red Bulls sees their playoff dreams in tatters, while KC, the Quakes, and, of course, the Red Bulls haven't threatened the playoff spots for some time now.

If the playoffs started today, your matchups would be...

Crew (E1) v. Rapids (W5)
Fire (E2) v. Toronto (E3)

Dynamo (W1) v. Sounders (W4)
Galaxy (W2) v. Chivas (W3)

...though of course that ignores the little problem of games in hand. Thus...


The Points Per Game Rereading of the Table...

In this instance, the Crew (1.8 ppg) still sit top of the table, with the Dynamo, Fire, and Chivas all level (1.7 ppg) in their wake, thus completing the seeded sides. The Galaxy and Revs (1.5 ppg) are level behind them in comfortable third spots for each conference, while the Sounders, TFC, and the Rapids all sit level on 1.4 ppg, which would leave one of them on the outside looking in. DC United (1.3 ppg) and RSL (1.2 ppg) are still the closest threats to the post-season, while KC (1.1 ppg) are ahead of Dallas and the Quakes (1 ppg) and the Red Bulls (0.6 ppg).


It's In the Net!

Colorado (1.6 gpg) are currently the goal-scoring kings of MLS, though their grip on said title is a loose one, with DC and the Crew boasting similar records (1.5 gpg), and much of the rest of the league stuffed in the 1.2-1.4 gpg range. Only the impotent Red Bulls can't manage a goal per game, with their 0.8 gpg mark joining KC's 1 gpg as the only ones below the 1.2 gpg threshold.

Defensively, only the Dynamo can keep from shipping at least a goal per game, though their 0.9 apg mark is under threat from the Galaxy, Chivas, and the Sounders, who all only allow once per game. The flip side of the equation are the bottom sides from each conference, with the Quakes and Red Bulls letting in 1.8 apg, double what the league-leading Dynamo allow.


What's the Difference?

No surprises on the table, with the conference leaders, Houston and Columbus, boasting +10 goal differences, while the conference whipping boys, the Quakes and Red Bulls, suffering -12 and -22 (-22?!?) indignities. What may not be immediately apparent from the single table, but is when you split into conferences is that the West only has two sides with negative goal differences (Dallas and the Quakes), while the East only has two with positive goal differences (Crew and the Fire). Even with the weighted schedules, that would tend to make a mockery of all of the pre-season hype about how much stronger the Eastern Conference was as a whole. Can we chalk that up to roughly equal teams slugging it out and keeping each other largely in check, or was the West perhaps stronger than the massed ranks of the punditry had anticipated?

MLS Dogpile | Power Failure

The Crew remain masters of all they survey despite sitting out the week atop that pile of recent victories and the assorted skulls and captured standards of the rest of MLS. Sadly, neither of their closest challengers could mount anything resembling a serious challenge, with the Fire needing comeback heroics to avoid a second home defeat this week, and Houston offering a tepid second half they were lucky to escape from with a point. In all honesty, I was tempted to boost the Galaxy into the top three, but couldn't shake the feeling that they may be organized, but they rely to much on the counter. What happens when an opponent decides to wait them out?

The Rapids climb a touch despite losing because they give me the impression of a team that can cause headaches for just about anybody, though sadly, "anybody" includes themselves, which may morph into a real problem if they can't start closing games out. But the real reason they climbed was that I couldn't justify boosting the Revs four spots despite winning twice this week. They looked dead and buried a short while ago, but siphoning the red stuff from boulders is Nicol's stock in trade. With three wins in their last five and just one loss, plus a couple of games in hand, I can see some nervous looks being cast over the shoulders of the likes of TFC, Seattle, and Colorado.

The Sounders remain in the playoff pack only by virtue of their high (but fading) league position. Four points from the last fifteen on offer (third-worst form in the league at the moment) is no way to sew up a playoff spot that's been theirs for the taking all season. And don't look now, but Chivas have just busted their way back from oblivion with Kljestan starting to regain his mojo.

That leaves us with a trio sniffing around the edges of the Playoff Pack and a sorry quartet already making vacation plans. Toronto FC may currently hold a playoff spot, but until they figure out how to protect Frei, they're a post-season non-starter, no matter how many offensive weapons they possess. DC United looked a good bet for the playoffs a month ago, but age and a brutal late-summer schedule sees things starting to slip from their grasp. And the pre-season darlings, RSL, can't seem to make up their mind about whether they're actually going to challenge for anything this year.

Which brings us to the would-be relegation battle. The Quakes have managed to grab a few results of late, while FC Dallas have ever-so-predictably decided to implode just when it looked like they may have been putting together a late run at the post-season. As opposed to say, the Wizards, who were in the hunt a month ago but seem to have suffered blowouts on all four tires simultaneously. Of course, they'll also need to slam into a tree, cartwheel over the bank, and plunge a half mile into the rocky surf before they mount a serious challenge to the Red Bulls for that bottom slot. Though, to be fair, we should give the Bulls credit for finally posting a win despite Kung-Fu Fighting Kevin Goldthwaite, shouldn't we?

United 0 : 2 Whistlemen | a DC United Match Reaction

Or was that 0-3? I make 1-0 the blown offsides call that negated a much-needed goal for Emilio (and United!). 2-0 would have been the missed PK call, again against Emilio (which may have seemed soft but for the fact that Dunivant made no effort to find the ball while his hands found Emilio's chest). And the possible 3-0 would have been when Pontius (I think) headed the ball back across the area and it appeared to hit a Galaxy arm (Gonzalez?). Moreno immediately had his hand up, but nobody else reacted much. Credit to FSC's Sullivan (don't hear that one too often, do you?), who put in a little "that might have been a hand ball" in between Bretos' hot-air parade of the Bruce's former jobs, Donovan's wife, and whatever else he could mention that was tangentially related to, but not actually relevant to, the game on the field. Sadly, FSC declined to show a replay, as is their wont...


Talking points?

* Color me shocked we didn't concede. Not only because we always concede, but because Soehn or Ashton or whoever put together the team sheet decided to play with three backs, all of whom have been making questionable decisions of late, on a wet field, against a team that relies entirely on quick counters. You'll pardon any grammatical slips or drunken, rambling asides in this post, because I started drinking as soon as I saw the starting lineups, anticipating that things would get real ugly, real fast. Despite the fact that it didn't, and despite pitching the shutout...

* Enough with the 3-6-1 already. Okay, I get it. We're a "possession" team. That doesn't mean we need six in midfield, leaving Emilio stranded and retreating, and guaranteeing that we leave gaps in defense. Sweet Jeebus! Did you see the highways LA were paving down the flanks in the late going? It's almost unbelievable that the Gals didn't bury at least one of their chances. On the flip side, while we had some chances, we didn't have the handful of good chances that would have almost certainly guaranteed a goal in this game, though Ricketts has a way of bailing out the Gals.

* The flank problem. Wallace shows promise as a two-way wide midfielder that can cover an entire flank, but he's not there yet, and we've got nobody else who can play like that. So why do we insist on trying? Considering the aforementioned flank highways we opened for LA and the fact that most of our attacks end up going through the middle (which is inevitably clogged against us) when we don't have numbers wide, I can't understand how our fearless leader can stick to his limited tactical guns in the face of such evidence.


Positives?

* I thought Fred and Moreno looked really impressive in patches, though both also wound up holding the ball entirely too long, a pattern that's becoming all too familiar...

* Quaranta showed real vision and drive throughout the match.

* Wicks only had one "oh crap!" moment where he got caught on his line, wondering if perhaps he should rush out to deal with a deflected cross before the three wide-open attacking Gals did.

* Emilio looks really hungry. Too bad he's so starved for chances that he feels the need to fire away from 30 yards out.

* We didn't give up a cheap goal. Or any goal for that matter. And Donovan's danger was dulled.


Negatives?

* Gomez was invisible.

* The back line still made ugly decisions. Fortunately, they were fewer than normal and didn't cost us. Is it wise to continue with a three man back line when two of those backs like to take chances with the ball?

* We didn't create enough chances.

* Olsen looked glacial trying to keep up with Donovan.

* Berhalter and Gonzalez would have struggled to deal with attacking speed. Unfortunately, we have none.

* How was Mike Magee winning aerial and positioning battles against our defense, and are our defenders suitably ashamed?


So what's the take-home message? Does the improved defensive result give us heart for the coming month or are we duly worried that we didn't create much ourselves? If this was truly a must-win league match, where does that leave our playoff effort? Is next week's Open Cup final our only chance at silverware...again? Let's just say that hope remains alive for the moment, but I'm getting ready to call the crash cart and charge the paddles.

And, lest we forget...Despite my frequent disparaging remarks concerning Tommy Soehn's tactical "genius," I understand that he has to be pretty ill to be missing this game, and I know that I, and all of my FBF readers, are united in wishing him well.

Vamos United!

MLS Table Talk | The Fixity of Futility

You always knew that when the likes of the Sounders and Chivas sat atop the league that there would come a Great Sorting Out, wherein the cream would rise and the dregs would drift down. Ladies and Gentlemen, that future is now! Columbus and Houston, the class of the East and West respectively sit atop the heap, with the Fire between them and the scrum of inseparable playoff scrappers. That crew is led by the Sounders and Galaxy but also encompasses the three-headed Monsters of Underachievement--TFC, Colorado, and Chivas, with DC United and RSL tacked on for good measure. The Revs, despite being three points back of RSL and six points out of playoff contention should also get a "playoff contender" pass by virtue of their games in hand. Dallas and KC just about have an outside shot of still sneaking in, though neither appears likely to do so, and the Quakes and Bulls are dead and buried.

• Points per game makes the delineations sharper but also throws up some interesting anomalies. The Crew are top at 1.8 points per game, while the Dynamo and Fire trail at 1.7. Any guesses on #4? It's 8th placed Chivas at 1.6, while the Western trio of LA, Seattle, and Colorado sit on 1.5. TFC holds the final playoff spot at 1.4, with DC, RSL, and the Revs just behind on 1.3. Dallas and the Wiz are hanging out on 1.1, while the Quakes sit at 0.9, and the Bulls can boast an unbelievably bad 0.5 points per outing.
• While goal difference is somewhat predictable (The top two lead the way on +10, while the bottom two are there for a reason, as their -13 and -23 marks would suggest), there are bits of strangeness therein. How about #7 Colorado boasting the second-best mark in the league at +8? Or potentially playoff-bound TFC being the only side in the top 10 with a negative goal difference? And the Revs potential playoff challenge may come a bit into question when you look at their -4 mark.
• Nobody has a commanding lead when it comes to scoring goals, with DC and the Rapids leading the way on 1.6 goals per game, while the Bulls, predictably, are a shambles at 0.7 gpg. The real shocker is what a mixed bag the league is when it comes to offensive output. For example, the second-to-last Quakes are on 1.3 gpg, the same mark posted by the co-leaders in Houston. And those league-leading offensive juggernauts in Colorado and DC? 7th and 9th respectively.
• Defensively, things take on a more predictable shape. The Dynamo are the only side not surrendering at least a goal per game (0.9 allowed per game), while the Bulls and Quakes are setting the pace for most allowed on 1.8 and 1.9 apg respectively. The divisions between playoff and non-playoff sides come into stark contrast with most of the playoff sides hovering around a goal per game allowed, while the non-playoff sides are generally around a goal and a half per game allowed. But even then, there are exceptions, notably TFC, a playoff side allowing at a rate of 1.5, and RSL, a non-playoff side surrendering only 1.1 apg.
• The only other big trend to take from the table is the apparently fixed nature of the cellar dwellers. Check out the +/- column. All of the top nine, save the Fire, changed their league position from last week to this. The bottom six sides? No movement whatsoever.

Thoughts?

Product Review | Tiempo Time!, Part One

It’s been a couple of decades since I’ve had to endure two- and sometimes three-a-days in the brutal humidity of late summers in central Pennsylvania, sweating by the bucketload and bathing in Icy Hot. Of course, two decades ago I was also possessed of that magic elixir known as youth.

These days, my exertions are somewhat more limited. A bit of home landscaping and sweating behind my push-reel mower. Some light ball work and taking shots on goal at the local community park. Chasing down balls and “herding cats” as an assistant coach for my daughter’s U-8 team.

But then, I am also well into thirtysomething-land, so I’ll take any advantage I can get.

Case in point: the Nike Tiempo jersey and Nike Tiempo shorts from my friends at SoccerPro.com. While I had initially intended the shirt and shorts to be practice-wear, they quickly became my coaching-wear as well. Luckily, I had presciently ordered the jersey in red, a happy match for our local youth soccer organization. But the real benefits arrive when you realize how light they are and how much moisture gets wicked away from your body, a combination that becomes ever so obvious the first time the slightest hint of a breeze hits you when the sweat has begun to flow.

Of course, having felt these benefits on the playing (and coaching!) field, it didn’t take me long to transition to using the shirt and shorts during my most arduous of workouts, mowing with my trusty push-reel. In case it’s been a while, or you’ve never had the dubious pleasure of using a push-reel mower, there is only one source of power to both move the mower and spin the cutting blades: the operator. Needless to say, this is sweat-intensive work. Happily, while I don’t sweat any less, the Tiempo gear is much more comfortable to mow in than my standard ratty cotton t-shirt and baggy shorts.

And that brings me to my final point about my new coaching and landscaping kit. The reason I always used t-shirts and shorts on their last legs to train and to mow in is that they have a very short lifespan after the creeping sweat stains and inevitable loose threads creep into the picture. Thus far, after a couple of months of pretty heavy use, I don’t see any indication of those failures happening with this set. The stitching is solid, and for all of my copious buckets of sweat, I’ve yet to see anything stain-like. Don’t get me wrong, I expect that the heavy abuse will have their effect soon. But for at least one summer’s worth of mowing and kicking balls in comfort, they’ve been well worth the investment.

So if you’re looking for a reasonable set of practice or game uniforms for your team (SoccerPro has discount pricing for large quantity orders), training or coaching gear for the individual, or just want to do your landscaping in relative comfort, you might want to check out the Nike Tiempo jerseys and shorts, available in a variety of colors (dark red shirt, black shorts for me, if you must know ;-). Or check out SoccerPro’s selection of other soccer training wear.

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Product(s) for this review were provided to FBF by SoccerPro.com.

Continuing the Farce | a DC United Match Reaction

Now I know that FSC is all flush with having the UEFA version of the Champions' League, but could somebody please let them know that the CONCACAF tourney is in the group stages now? They seemed convinced for a large portion of this match that we were in a home-and-away knockout with Marathon. Whatever the case, the sad truth is that DC will be hard pressed to advance from the group. Sure, if we hold serve at home, we stand a decent chance, but given the huge pileup of fixtures approaching, we needed to get something early to keep is out of a hole, and we desperately, desperately, desperately need some speed in attack. Other thoughts..?

* Soehn's epic fail. I'll give him credit for finally rolling out the 4-4-2, which was the obvious move to shore up the back, and it worked pretty damn well for much of the match, but can somebody please explain the logic of putting Simms at center back, Janicki at right back, and leaving a tired Olsen in the center of midfield when you have McTavish available to go to right back, Olsen to right mid, and Simms in the middle where he belongs? Anybody? Guess who got caught on the wrong shoulder of the attacker for Marathon's second? Janicki. Guess who gave up the questionable late penalty (Olsen's fall a minute earlier looked more convincing than the flop-job Marathon got lucky with) by diving in where he didn't need to go? Janicki. Which brings us to...

* Janicki does not belong at this level. There are plenty of defenders with the physical attributes and skill sets to occasionally compete at the highest level. What sets top-level defenders apart is the mental capacity to maintain focus and a high level of consistency. Could Janicki get there with a couple of years of seasoning? Perhaps, but I tend to think he'll find his level is one step below MLS. Three Janicki failures + three Marathon goals should = don't let the door hit you on the ass.

* Moreno had his moments. But they were sprinkled liberally around poor passes, holding the ball too long, and generally looking a step behind the game. Although he started the season very well, the last month has seen a pretty drastic drop-off in his level of performance. Coaching staff for 2010? The change to a dynamic Quaranta looking to attack and cause problems made the problem ever so clear.

* The one that got away. Wait! I thought we lost Walter Martinez to Spain? Now he's popping up, scoring goals against us in CONCACAF? Look at the energy and speed that he brings, and you'll see much of what DC United is missing in attack.

Quick hits?

* Avery John is just awful. Can we ditch him yet? Our possession statistics would probably increase by at least 10% per game without his constant give-aways.

* Quaranta was hungry--head up, looking to play quickly, and attack, something we were desperately missing in the first half.

* No pace in attack, and it's killing us.

* Habarugira looked pretty confident with both feet. Certainly can cross a ball and got forward (at least in the first half) waaaaay more than John, who highlighted a miserable outing from the entire left flank.

* Jacobson was promising, taking the space given to him and hitting some rockets from distance, though he seemed to fade in the second half.

* Where was Szetela? I thought he was held out of the TFC match for this game? Is there an injury we're not being told about or has the attitude monster struck already?

* Emilio showing guts and a striker's hunger to get the goal. Here's hoping we don't have concussion issues...again. Or the Bum Hammy Hammer...again.

* Wicks doing the "uncomfortable statue" look a little too often for my liking again.

* If we go out of this competition on goal difference, I hope somebody shows the ref that our "encroaching" player got shoved into the area, causing said encroachment. Although I'm guessing the video of the dive that got the PK called might be embarrassing to him as well.

So that's about the meat of it. Angry? Perhaps. Frustrated? Definitely. Surprised? Not really. There was about a twenty minute stretch there where I thought we might get something from this game, but, as usual, the no-ambition tactical wizard on our bench pulled defeat from the jaws of victory. I keep hearing the cries of "make the change after the season," but I don't see how continuing this farce can be productive. Not that it would be fair to a new manager to take over in the midst of this death march of matches, but at the very least I'd put Tommy on a five game notice.

Home to LA in MLS
Home to Toluca in the Champions' League
Away to Chicago MLS
Home to Seattle in the Open Cup final
Away to FC Dallas in MLS

Wins in the Champions' League and Open Cup would be nice, but we need points in the league. After these matches we close with five of the last six MLS matches at home. If we're still floundering under Tommy, I'd say let somebody else have a shot...and that's being generous.

MLS Dogpile | Captain Obvious Says Columbus

As if they needed further confirmation, the Crew clambered atop the table this week (viva los tie-breakers!) to confirm their status as the MLS Alpha Dogs. More support for said claim arrives via the five game win streak that has seen them take all 15 of the last 15 points on offer, while the next best performers in MLS (the Fire and Galaxy) have only managed a paltry 10.

The Fire's league form combines with their table position to boost them over the league co-leaders, Houston, who have only managed to claim just under half of the points available to them over the last five games. The Sounders temporarily climb above the Galaxy, though the recent form of both sides might see them swap the spots right back if such results resume. Assuming, that is, that what we saw last weekend wasn't the first stumble in the horrible collapse that one might be forgiven for expecting the Galaxy to predictably fall into.

The idle Rapids stand pat on the back of their 4-0 demolition of Chivas a couple of weeks ago, while TFC and DC United swap places after the former won 2-0 over the latter this weekend. I'm tempted to drop DC out of the Playoff Pack altogether, but I'll give them, as well as the chasing Revs and RSL, another week to see if anybody can make a convincing case for such a status.

Chivas finally nabbed a win, but do wins against the Red Bulls really count any more? With just those three points to show over the last five games, I'll need to see more from the Goats before they start climbing back up the Pile. And Dallas will need to rediscover their mojo after getting sunk by the Crew, though there's little shame in that these days.

The song remains the same at the bottom with the Quakes claiming the the #13 spot by virtue of the fact that they're the only one of the bottom three to post a victory in the last five weeks of action. The Wiz are trailing the Quakes, but will have to continue to get spanked for a few weeks yet before they come anywhere near challenging the Red Bulls for the bottom rung on the Dogpile ladder.

Thoughts?

Travel Sickness | a DC United Match Reaction

Apologies if this is a bit truncated, but I just got home 10 minutes prior to kickoff after a couple days on the road, so I'm trying to get situated and my thoughts are a bit scattered.

You want an idea of how much I thought we'd pull the "cardiac" move and snatch this one from the jaws of defeat? Well, I spent the last 20 minutes of the match catching up on my RSS feeds since I've been on the road and internet-less for the last two days. Of course, some of that was prompted by United bringing on Julius James, and me going, "What the hell? When did we sign Julius James?" Not that it mattered; my primary motivation for digging into the RSS feeds was to while away the time until the final whistle blew cause we sure weren't getting back into this match. Talking points?

* Pull the damn trigger, Luci! Now I can see Emilio making a quick turn and getting a shot off, maybe even a little feint to open a gap to fire into, but what the hell is it with trying to beat three defenders on the dribble? And while we're at it, can we pause to examine his running off the ball? Luci's not the fastest hound in the hunt, so when he hesitates on the last defender's shoulder (or flat out refuses to make the run), he's not going to get to the ball first too terribly often. Even if he does, the angle has long since been closed down.

* The problem with Jakovic. For every two slick bits of dispossession or calm play at the back, Jakovic manages to lob one softball to the opposing forwards in the form of trying to beat an attacker with the ball or simply making a terrible misjudgment. But to my mind, the slick bits are what make Jakovic so special and important. He reads the game well and often cuts the ball off and starts chugging up the field. Too bad there's nobody to cover for him when (1) he makes mistakes trying the high-difficulty, high-reward move and (2) moves forward with the ball at his feet.

* Tom Soehn's tactical masterclass. Is there a potential remedy for Emilio's problems? Well, besides telling him to shoot the damn ball, we might try playing someone up top with him. Soehn's 3-6-1 (yeah, I said it) leaves him either holding, trying to fashion something out of nothing, or the only one ahead of the ball to make the run. Pathetic. What about Jakovic's issues? Duh! Give him some cover at the back in the form of a second central defender.

* Slow and slower. Those seem to be our two attacking speeds. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate that we try to build up attacks and actually construct goals rather than lobbing the ball over the top, hopping for a bad bounce or mistake on the opposing defense's part, and relying on luck and speed to grab a cheap one on the counter, I really do. But when all of our pretty possession results in aimless crosses and hopeful through balls that get spit back out by a compact defense that's had time to array itself against us, it's hugely frustrating.


So is all lost? Probably not. This was an important opportunity in the playoff chase, but we've still got time to solidify our position. We've got a couple of new defenders to run into the mix, and might be adding a bit more attacking speed in the coming weeks. I'm still not in desperation mode, but I'm also running out of patience with Tommy's formational choices. At this point, I'd even take an actual 3-5-2 over this 3-6-1 nonsense (though, of course, I'd much prefer something that left us with four at the back).

Thoughts?

It's Back

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Football Manager (Worldwide Soccer Manager here in the states) is returning for another installment, and it looks like I'm going to be losing quite a few hours of sleep if those screenshots hold up. Highlights for me?

• More organic tactics. Forget the mystery of the sliders, just tell the tactics wizard how you want your team to play (A short passing 3-5-2 focusing on possession and playing through the middle, but with not enough midfield pressure to prevent deadly counters? Hey, who let Tommy Soehn at the tactics wizard?) and make adjustments on the fly. Just subbed in Benny Feilhaber for Rico Clark in central midfield? So tell the right-sided central midfielder to play as a deep-lying playmaker rather than a ball-winner. Chasing the game? Tell that defensive ball-winner you want him playing box-to-box.
  
• A tinkerer's delight. Looks like we get to add and modify competitions this time around. Want to add the USL? The PDL? Go for it. Want to indulge your fantasies of MLS1, MLS2, and regional feeder leagues with promotion/relegation? It might just be possible if you've got the time.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...

I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing | a USA Match Reaction

Pardon the headline. It's nothing personally directed at US fans and their treatment of Bob Bradley, but rather a lame pop-cultural dig at "Darth" Torrado in the photo below...

I'm a bit late to the party, having just finished watching the second half of the USA's 2-1 loss to Mexico after watching the first half live yesterday, so I won't do much rehashing of the same tired stuff being trotted around the blogosphere. Suffice it to say, the result was disappointing, particularly after having been up a goal, but was also just about what I expected (excuse me for cursing my inability to pull the trigger on predicting a score yesterday because 2 or 3 to 1 was where I was leaning, I just couldn't settle on 2 or 3). So let's hit some talking points...

* A time and a place for Dolo. Anybody else get sick of watching every Mexico attack in the first half taking the scenic route down their left flank? Me too. Look, in a game where we're going to at least have a decent chunk of the possession, I like Cherundolo just fine. He's good with the ball at his feet, can cross, and even hits some nice balls over the top on occasion. But he's not a "defend-first" fullback, which was probably the one area where you might have forgiven Bob for erring on the side of caution. Of course, having said that, in the second half, the attacks were more evenly split and Mexico were getting less joy on Dolo's flank, particularly when Holden came on to offer an assist in midfield...Wait! Was that a subtle dig at Donovan and Dempsey? You be the judge...or, alternatively, read on...

* Ooooh, unlucky! How many of you have heard that nugget directed your way in the wake of a heavy touch? I think the more proper expression should have been, "Oooooh, somebody needs to work on their first touch" or "Oooooh, focus your ass on trapping the damn ball!" Having never played in smog at altitude, I don't know if the problem was oxygen starved brains keeping the ball from sticking to feet, but the US looked heavier than usual in their touches. Doubly damning was how often passes went horribly astray or directly to Mexican players when a bit of respite in the form of sustained possession would have been a decided boon. And how many damn times did the defense "clear" the ball to a Mexican midfielder smack dab in the middle of the field about 35 yards from goal? Basics, people! Defending 101. Ugh!

* The usual suspects. Seriously, how many of you were surprised at how lopsided the officiating job was? Really? Sure, I was hugely frustrated as well, particularly when (1) a foul on Donovan went uncalled, and three Mexican touches later, the ball was in the net, (2) the linesmen's inability to recognize any foul committed by a Mexican player (think their relative proximity to the hostile crowd played any part in that?), and (3) Mexican players consistently getting away with "hands to the face," if not worse...


...with nothing in the way of punishment forthcoming from the official. But this kind of crap is just about par for the crooked CONCACAF course. Of course, Mexico were the better side (that's the other "usual" suspect in this instance--Mexico in the Azteca). I just wish I had more respect for them, but it's just not going to happen as long as they're choking and punching their opponents. How about a little class?

* Rethinking the front lines. You know what worried the Mexican defense? The speed and doggedness of Charlie Davies. You know what didn't? Brian Ching. I know, I know, this is where I get all the hate mail about how damn hard Chinger works and how much his holding and linkup play and "go team!" spirit invigorate the side. And yes, Ching can be an effective player against some teams. But Mexico in the Azteca? Puh-lease, Bob. Pace and incisiveness shall set you free (on goal)!

* Missing in action. But at least Ching was putting forth an effort. What about our twin reborn wing heroes of the Confederations Cup? Where was the fantabulous counter-attacking midfield play of Dempsey and Donovan? Okay, that's a bit unfair on Deuce. I didn't think he was all that and a bag of chips in South Africa either, despite picking up ill-deserved tourney honors, and he could probably do with a spell on the pine to build the hunger and effort again, but Donovan? Whither the much-ballyhooed Mandon? The Mexicutioner? Where was that guy? Looked to me like he was too cool for school, attempting the whole "conserve the energy for one righteous blast into the Mexican gut" just to prove his "quality" and how much more of a "mature" player he is. Too bad that meant lame wing defense and zero offensive contribution. I've been really impressed by his league and international play this summer, but he'd better rule the El Salvador game with an iron boot or it's back to Kapitan Kissypants for Mandon.


Speaking of which, we're in a spot of trouble here folks...third in the group, just a point clear of Mexico in the dreaded play-in spot. There's almost no danger of us finishing outside the top four, but that #4 spot means a play-in against the #5 from South America, no easy chore. That said, we've got two winnable games at home (El Salvador and Costa Rica) and one that could go either way on the road (T&T), so we shouldn't need anything from the other road match (Honduras), which is probably a good thing. In fact, maybe I'll break out the Nostrodameter and see where the chips might fall in a later post. But for now, in the spirit of thinking ahead, how do we line up against El Salvador next month?

Davies and Altidore up top.
Donovan and Holden on the wings.
Bradley and Feilhaber in the middle.
Spector, Boca, Marshall, and Dolo across the back.
Timmy in net.

Why?

We're going to have possession in midfield. We don't need Ching to hold or win balls in midfield, we need darting runners and finishers (building the goal difference can't hurt either if things stay as close as they are in the Hex). I wouldn't mind Dempsey seeing pine until he rediscovers some grit, and Holden didn't look intimidated at all to my eyes. In fact, he hustled his ass off defensively (as you'd expect from a sub), hit a few good crosses (one of which really should have been finished), and played a much tidier game than some of the veterans. I've never been a huge fan of his game, but I'll admit that now I want to see more.

Feilhaber should provide more spark in midfield when he has time and space in which to operate, and we don't really need a dedicated destroyer freeing Bradley to contribute at both ends. At the back, Onyewu will be missing through card accumulation, but Marshall looked an able replacement in the Gold Cup against mid-tier CONCACAF opposition. DeMerit is decent if we're looking for simple, hard-nosed defending, but Marshall adds a bit more technique and genuine danger from set plays. On the flanks, I've said that there is a time and a place for Dolo, and so this match should prove. Spector, I'd argue, is a better option than Pearce or Bornstein, even on his less favored side, though Pearce did show decently at times in the Gold Cup and might be viable as well.

Well, that's about the long and the short of it. Disappointment reigns, but we've taken another tiny step (we held a lead in Azeteca!) forward. I could take a moment to hammer Bradley for negative tactics, but how else are you going to play in that environment? The truth is, we didn't give up too many clear chances, and did create a handful of our own--we just couldn't take them. Yes, Ching was probably a mistake, and I would have been tempted to try Feilhaber instead of Clark from the start in order to maintain more possession, but I think some of the players on the field didn't bring as much as I would have expected, and I'm not sure you can blame Bob for that failure.

Thoughts?

Read Around the Clock...

Well, we all know what happens this afternoon, don't we? I'll probably catch the first half of the CONCACAF Clasico before being whisked away to a celebratory dinner for my impending birthday (another step closer to 40...sigh). Without knowing when I'll catch the second half, I can't promise a timely reaction piece, but it should be up at some stage.

In the meanwhile...

* Hey look, the We're Gonna Win the World Cup hype machine is starting to buzz on the rain-spattered shores of old Albion. It only gets more jingo-tastic from now until next summer.

* Not to be outdone in the Department of Bad Ideas, RSL big-cheese Dave Checketts wants to party like it's 1999 by tossing MLS's fragile credibility to the wind and embracing the shoot-out once again.

* And finally, Chris Webb is hopping on the 4-back bandwagon for United (on the road at least), though I do wonder why he thinks we "have to leave Christian Gomez in central midfield." Surely we could give him freedom to roam as a withdrawn forward in a 4-4-2? It's not like Jaime's exactly been excelling in the role of late, and we'll need to rotate the old warhorses given the stretch we're facing.

Only a few hours till kickoff. So do I break out the Nostradameter? I'd like to believe that the US can get a result, but I think Mexico has two major factors going for them. The Gold Cup victory restored some of their sagging self-belief, and, more importantly, they'll be without Rafa Marquez, whose tendency towards self-destruction in these matches certainly won't be missed by El Tri. But what about his distribution from the back you say? Probably not so important if the US can't apply full-court pressure for 90 minutes in the smog and altitude, don't you think?

See you on the far side of the Altercation at Altitude, the Smackdown in the Smog, the CONCACAF Clasico...

Food For Thought (From the Feeds)

Let's take a look at a couple of things that caught my eye while I sifted through my RSS feeds today...

Winds of Change?

It wasn't too long ago that the thought of a USA victory in Azteca would have been unimaginable for the USA, much less for Mexico. But that sort of certainty seems to be fading, at least for Rafa Marquez. Yes, yes, we still have Guardado going Joe Namath, but still...

Don't Call it a Comeback?

FBF favorite Jonathan Wilson takes a look at the return of the 4-4-2 to the top sides in the Prem. You'll note that, outside of some reference to older systems featuring sweepers and wingbacks (5-back sets), the entire discussion of modern tactics revolves around four-back formations, with the midfield and attack being shifted around in front of them. Anybody want to slip this in front of Tommy?

MLS Dogpile | Pardon the Mess

I'm experimenting with the Dogpile this week, hoping to make it leaner and meaner, so pardon the mess (I've still got to get the kinks worked out where the graphic is concerned). Here's hoping the new format consumes less of my time (and yours!) while providing a more entertaining and informative read. Let me know what you think in the comments. Without further ado, to the Pile, my friends...

The Crew did nothing to dispel the rumors of their impending conquest of MLS, tossing aside the Quakes to the tune of 3-0 on the road, thus maintaining their lofty status as Alpha Dogs of MLS. And while Houston dropped one to lowly Dallas before beating up on fellow pack-mates, Chicago, those two continue to be the only sides I can see challenging the Crew for the Supporters' Shield.

The Galaxy continue their shockingly good run with a 2-1 road win in New England, and I'm tempted to put them even higher than #4. But then I look at that defense and wonder. And then I think about the fragile team chemistry, the Beckham circus, and Bruce's juggling act. It's just a matter of time before the whole house of cards comes down, isn't it?

Speaking of houses of cards, looks like the expansion Sounders are starting to wobble. I'm not dropping them yet, because their home form keeps bailing them out, but they'd better learn to win on the road or their playoff stay will be short lived. The Rapids climb two spots on the back of a 4-0 thumping of Chivas, but then, everybody's thumping Chivas these days, so no big deal, right? DC United and TFC both took a week off to get manhandled by Real Madrid and stuff the coffers with the loose change of their respective metro areas, but both cling to the final Playoff Pack positions in lieu of a significant challenge from the pursuit.

The Revs keep threatening to make a run at the vulnerable underbelly of the playoff spots, but they always seem to fall short. Likewise for RSL, though their runs are staggering, drunken affairs that result in unfortunate stumbles and skinned knees. A 1-0 home win over the Sounders is a step in the right direction, but Kreis has the whole "two steps forward, one step back" dance pretty much down now.

Speaking of steps forward, when the hell did FC Dallas start looking like a tough team to beat? The Coop-less Hoops find the next rung up the Pile, but the hole they started from still makes the playoffs an outside shot at best. Still, if Cunningham can keep banging them in, and the defense continues to hold firm, who knows?

But what about giant steps backward? Hello, Chivas USA! It's about time you showed your true colors. I was beginning to think I was insane for picking them to finish as low as I did in the pre-season, but a five-loss streak has dropped the Goats from the heady heights of the league table to the mire of the playoff battle. If Preki can't engineer a recovery quickly, the playoff spot that seemed pretty much guaranteed a month ago is going to fade into the MLS sunset.

And down in the relegation places this week, we find that the Quakes still haven't fixed what was broke (namely a shoddy defense and a lack of finishing firepower), the Wiz had the week off to think more about last week's 6-0 hammering, and the Red Bulls continue to establish new lows in futility, having bowed out of the Champions' League, not with a bang, but a whimper...

Tooting My Horn, Prepping the Iron Undies

Just a few things before the "White Storm" engulfs us all this afternoon (I'll be safely spying upon the action from my mountain lair, so good luck to those of you who brave the journey)...

• Hmmm, so we're considering bringing in Shipalane on loan from Harrisburg. Let's revisit my notes from the Open Cup match...[The right winger for Harrisburg (#12) looked like an interesting prospect. He doesn't have the most inspiring playing bio, but we've plumbed the depths of USL2 before, and he is still relatively young. Of course, maybe he just looked good by virtue of the fact that he was going against Avery John all night.] Follow the linkbait to my notes to view the extended highlights lest you've forgotten the troubles Shipalane (#12) caused us that night. My thoughts? N'Silu gives us nothing that Pontius doesn't give us in spades, and Shipalane could be pretty damn useful on the wing, particularly if we ditch the 3-5-2. Speaking of which...
• So Namoff is OUT for the Madrid match as the Bum Hammy Hammer strikes him down (and takes Quaranta as collateral damage--that BHH is a bitch!). Ah well, at least we're not risking our season by playing essential guys carrying injuries in a meaningless friendly, right? But back to my point. Are we really going to attempt to play with three at the back against the likes of Kaka and Ronaldo with only one solid defender available? If so, I've got the over on Real Madrid hitting double figures. Of course, the painful thing here is that, sans Namoff and Simms (I'm guessing he picks up 20-25 minutes, max), we'll probably look silly in a four back set as well. Tommy wouldn't be so obtuse as to witness Real freakin' Madrid taking apart a United back four and decide that we simply can't be effective in MLS with a four-back set, can he? CAN HE?
• With that in mind, what sort of expectations do we have? Sure, we're relatively well rested, if a little banged up, while Madrid did play a match on Friday night...sort of. Toronto didn't exactly test them severely or anything, but they were running around a bit, and they are in pre-season, so theoretically, they might be tired. I'd like to think we'll be a bit more dangerous and try to play our game a little, but even with Namoff, we ship over a goal and a half per game against MLS opposition. Note to self: Prep the Iron Underpants!

See you on the other side.

The Numbers Game

So I'm watching Real Madrid patiently taking apart the Toronto defense (3-0 at the 25 minute mark as I write). And I know you may be thinking, "So what, Fullback, most MLS attacks take apart the TFC defense."

But did you know that United ships them at exactly the same rate (1.6 goals allowed per game) that TFC do? And what worries me even more than Kaka and Ronaldo and Benzema and Raul is what Kaka and Ronaldo and Bezema and Raul will do when faced with a three-man back line. Which brings me, in a roundabout fashion, to the point I really wanted to discuss.

Does anybody think we can accomplish anything in a three-back system this year (besides get out grubby paws on the Open Cup again)?

Yes, there are times when a three back set can work, notably when facing inferior opposition (good luck with that in the parity-infested waters of MLS!) or employing a hybrid midfielder/defender that augments both lines as needed (see Germany and Ajax/Holland of yore and the accompanying special talents required to fill this role) or using wingbacks and a sweeper (really more of a 5-3-2 now...). Instead, we're saddled with a system that proves all too vulnerable to speed, width, and counterattacks and often results in comic indecision by the defense.

...To the tune of surrendering 1.6 goals per game. For some perspective, consider the laughable Red Bulls' league-worst mark of 1.8.

Is that entirely the fault of the system? Might it not also have something to do with attackers not closing down space, a midfield not strong or mobile enough, and/or a not entirely ready for prime time defense? True, but I'd also argue that (1) three defenders stretched across the width of the field without any cover are prone to lapses and penetration and are under constant pressure to make the right decision, quickly, with no safety net. Also, (2) a manager's job is to work with the tools he's given, not try loosen bolts with a hammer.

So what might a four-back United look like?

How about Emilio or Pontius up top...

Moreno or Gomez tucked beneath with two of Pontius, Quaranta, or Boyzzz on the flanks...

Simms tucked deep in midfield with Olsen or Szetela having a bit more license to get forward and create...

Wallace or Burch on the left of defense with Namoff on the right...

Jakovic paired with Janicki (gag!), Burch (avert eyes!), John (red card!), or new foreign guy (fingers crossed!) in the middle...

and Wicks (gulp!) in net.

That work for you?

I guess the only saving grace we'll have when Tommy inevitably sends out the 3-5-2 on Sunday (besides the fact that the result counts for nothing but pride) is that most of Madrid's attacks seem to be going down their left flank, thus avoiding the gaping hole of suckitude on our own left.

Thoughts?

MLS Table Talk | The Muddled Pursuit

Will you look at that? The accordion table is expanding again. This time we have a three-rider break from the pack, with the Dynamo (35 pts), Crew (33), and Fire (32) all at least three points clear of the trailers. That muddle of a pursuit is squeezed into a narrow two-point window from the Sounders (29) in fourth through to the non-playoff Rapids (27) in ninth. Threatening to pick off the stragglers are the Revs (24 pts with two games in hand) and RSL (23), while KC (21) and Dallas (20) are on life support, the Quakes are in a coma (17), and the Red Bulls (10) have long since started to rot in the ground.

The points-per-game table throws up a couple of interesting exceptions to this picture. The leading trio is still the Dynamo (1.8 ppg), Crew, and Fire (1.7 ppg apiece), but Chivas (1.6 ppg) are in that mix as well, courtesy of their games in hand. Similarly, the Revs' games in hand put them squarely in the trailing pack (1.4-1.5 ppg). This scenario also lumps RSL (1.2 ppg) in with KC (1.2 ppg) and Dallas (1.1 ppg).

Goals scored is rather a mixed bag. DC United (1.7 goals per game) are the clear leaders, with a trailing quartet boasting 1.5 gpg, but of that quartet, only one (the Crew) currently holds a playoff spot. Strangely, the second-to-last Quakes boast a 1.3 gpg mark, better than two of the current playoff sides. The only side not scoring more than a goal per game? You guessed it--it's the Red Bulls (0.8 gpg).

On the defensive side of the equation, the Dynamo's shipping of three goals to United last week sees them nearing the fabled goal-per-game barrier at 0.9 allowed per game, a figure matched only by Chivas. Defense would seem to be a better indicator of playoff potential than goal scoring, with just two of the current playoff sides surrendering at a rate greater than 1.2 apg, while all of the non-playoff sides suffer 1.3 apg or above. Sadly, those two exceptions (DC United and TFC) post marks (1.6 apg) that rival the bottom three, thus putting the lie to any grand, overarching theory of "how to succeed and prosper in MLS."

I'm going to mark next week as the two-thirds point of the season because most of the sides will be at 20 games played, but quick--what is the single most remarkable set of numbers on the table at this juncture? It has to be the Red Bulls, a supposedly flagship franchise in a potentially huge market, losing nearly 75% of their matches (15 from 21), scoring less than a goal per game (0.8), shipping nearly two per game (1.8), and saddled with an unfathomably bad (particularly in these parity-infested waters) goal differential of -21. It's frankly shocking that Osorio hasn't been canned yet, and will be even more so if he isn't gone today or tomorrow given that the Bulls meekly bowed out of the Champions' League, the only thing they had left to play for, at home and at the hands of a Trinidadian club.

Thoughts?

Hot Salvadoran Nights | a DC United Match Reaction

I'm confused. I know that getting a result, any result, in Central America has to be regarded as a positive. And yes, we did manage to advance to the group stage of the Champions' League. But then I look over the notes I took during the match, and the positives are few and far between. In case you were sleeping or just couldn't stomach Bretos' dubious charms (A Peruvian ref for a CONCACAF competition? Check your atlas, Max!), United went down a goal (again!) when Burch's magnificent (/sarcasm!) marking on a set piece resulted in his blind flailing at a ball approaching the head of his mark, resulting in a PK. Fortunately, Gomez can still hit a dead ball, and he leveled matters just minutes later. The rest was interminable waiting, waiting, turnover, waiting, defensive flub, waiting, Wicks in no-man's land, waiting, Fred seeing the red mist descend, waiting...and PK's, where we apparently rock. Talking points?

* Old and slow, but where's the savvy? Soehn (as he always does when push comes to shove, and as Nowak did before him) trotted all the old warhorses out of the stable. I guess that was supposed to result in a patient game where cooler heads would prevail and the creamy quality goodness would rise to the top. And I suppose there were spurts of that. Benny generally valued possession on a night when many others did not. And Gomez had a couple of moments of real danger. But for the most part, we looked old and slow. Moreno had a couple of nice touches, but mainly I noticed when he held the ball too long or tried to find a pass that wasn't there. And Benny, as much as I love him and as tidy as some of his short, simple passing was, is a defensive liability--too slow to track runners from midfield, too small to challenge for balls in the air, all too liberal with the grabby hands and late, ugly tackles. With three at the back, and Wallace, for all his energy, not really as tactically aware as he should be, that led to holes we were lucky not to have exploited.

* A $200,000+ brain fart. If the FO doesn't ship Fred back to Australia this off-season I'll be hugely disappointed. I can understand Wallace, being a rookie and playing in an unfamiliar position, hitting stupid balls that get picked off, but what's Fred's excuse? If he wasn't misfiring on the passes, he was getting stripped of the ball, losing concentration and watching (or not watching!) the ball slip under his feet, trying to bang a ball off two closing Firpo players deep in his own end with no defensive cover in sight (leading to a good chance for the opposition), or kicking his frustrated way (after losing the ball yet again) to a red card. I'm sure he's a lovely man, and he certainly has his moments on the field, but, sad to say, he's a liability. A $200k+ liability.

* Clear the damn ball! I've said this time an again in these pages since Soehn took charge. What is he drilling into their heads that our defenders usually try to play their way out of danger rather than booting it clear? Look, I'll be the first to stand up and say that I prefer to keep the ball and play things on the floor, and there are times I applaud Jakovic for a particularly nimble turn and rush up the field, but some times safety should come first. Especially when legs are getting tired and the entire defense is on yellow cards and can't afford to have to drag somebody down if they lose the ball. Or when the only chances your opposition are likely to get are if they strip one of your defenders in the final third and make a mad dash for goal. I wonder if this pattern would continue if we had quick, energetic front-runners who fought to get on the end of cleared balls? And is this a pattern that should really be encouraged with only three at the back (and thus little to no cover if the ball is lost)?

* Soehn the tactical "genius." Never mind the whole issue of trying to play in a 3-5-2 when we don't have the horses in defensive midfield. Never mind trotting out the oldest possible lineup and leaving some of them on the pitch long past their sell-by date. Just a couple of questions. I know Pontius eventually ended up playing as a forward, and didn't do much once there, but surely, when he subbed on for Moreno with 20 minutes to go, he should have been up top looking to capitalize against tired defenders to score the goal that would have forced Firpo to get two and spared our aged lineup an extra 30 minutes? Instead, he goes to the wing to do what? Defend when Firpo is attacking with 2-3 at the most? And what coach stays with three at the back in extra time when all three are on yellows and tired legs are starting to leave wider and wider gaps? We're damn lucky we got away with that.

But...

* At least we're good at PK's. And damn, did we take some nice ones, including Gomez' final nail in the coffin off the post. I wish I could say the same of Wicks trying to keep them out, but for all of the FSC's team praising him for "reading" the Firpo takers, he was nowhere near quick enough to keep anything out of his net.

Quick hits...

* Quaranta's mad dash up the middle, resulting in a foul and the free kick that Gomez subsequently buried, is the reason we're in the group stage. The question is, what more would we be capable of with a more energetic (read as: younger) attack? And was he injured or just out of shape after spending a month not playing for Bob at the Gold Cup? Otherwise, why pull him?

* Wicks was making some awful decisions out there and gives me no confidence whatsoever.

* Our passing game often looked disconnected and lacking in confidence. It almost looked like we were the team in pre-season at times, rather than Firpo. The other frustrating aspect was that we rarely looked incisive in attack. Rather, we dithered, waiting patiently for gaps to appear, and when they didn't, inevitably losing the ball.

* Olsen did dive into a few tackles and generally throw himself about, but I was shocked to see how tentative some of his challenges were, especially in critical positions. Makes you wonder how much pain and fear of further injury he's playing with.


So we're through to the group stage, adding another six games to our fall schedule. Sure it'll be a strain, but realistically, all we've got to do to make the playoffs is maintain reasonable league form. KC and the Bulls are dead, the Revs are battered and struggling, and for all of TFC's promise, they're still saddled with inconsistency and a defense that relies on Frei to keep bailing them out. If we can just add another defender to fill the gaping void on the left, we should be fine, even if we're not threatening the Crew and Fire for one of the automatic qualification spots in the East. As for the Champions' League, run out the second team on the road and try to grind out unlikely results and focus on winning the three home games.

I wish I could be more enthusiastic about this performance because, despite my disappointment in the play on the field, we got a result in an environment where we've traditionally crapped big steaming piles all over the pitch. But I'm still saddled with this sinking feeling that Soehn can't, won't, or just doesn't see the need to make changes. Even if he's not Nowak, riding the tired old horses to their deaths and then leaping off to beat them for good measure, he's got his preferred team shape, he's got his guys, and he's sticking to both for better or worse. Color me suspicious that there's a big iceberg of "worse" lurking around the corner.

Thoughts?

MLS Dogpile | Don't Bury Me Yet!

Dallas and San Jose looked dead and buried a week ago, but courtesy of a couple of lopsided home shutouts, the also-rans of the West are looking to make late season bids for respectability and maybe even a shot at the post-season. And while the majority of the other games were the usual 1-1 and 1-0 MLS affairs, DC United and the Dynamo played out a seven-goal rollercoaster in the stifling heat of Houston. So how's the Pile faring this week..?

The Alpha Dog

1. Columbus Crew (DDWWW)
And the Crew roll on. Still missing Schelotto, they nevertheless manage to get it done on set pieces with Chad Marshall, of all people, popping up to nail a laser from deep. This is starting to look suspiciously like last year when the Crew weren't exactly dominating games, but were managing results nonetheless. The question becomes: are they peaking too early or is this just the start of the kind of push that saw them pull clear in the Supporters' Shield race last year?
Next: Quakes (Away)


The Playoff Pack

2. +1 Houston Dynamo (WLDLW)
So which Houston do we believe in? The one that piled in three goals in a first half flurry to seemingly put the game beyond doubt, or the defensive juggernaut that somehow managed to stumble and ship three second half goals at home to bring a sure-fire result into question? I thought we'd have more questions answered with Ching and Holden back in the fold, but they still linger. At least Clark seems to be staying for 2009, which clears up one potential pitfall. But now they face two games in four days...
Next: FC Dallas (Away), Fire (Home)

3. +1 Chicago Fire (LWDWW)
Tim Ward has been looking a completely different player this year, and not only because of the newly shaven noggin. Considering his absolute meltdown in the last U-20 World Cup, his play this year has been nothing short of shockingly good--confident and strong going forward, a trend highlighted by his pinpoint cross to Nyarko for the winner. Anybody else think he's a favorite for the January USMNT camp? Fullbacks are at a premium...
Next: Dynamo (Away)

4. +2 Los Angeles Galaxy (WWWWD)
A respectable outing against Barcelona that saw Becks demonstrate his dead ball prowess does little for their league standing, but should be a confidence builder. Could it be possible that Bruce Almighty might steer this thing between Scylla and Charybdis and pilot the Galaxy to the promised land of the post-season for the first time in the Beckham era? If he does so, would it be a more impressive accomplishment than 2002?
Next: Revs (Away)

5. -3 Seattle Sounders (DWWDL)
So much for the unbeaten run. 4-0? To the Quakes? Ouch. Guess that All-Star game took a lot out of the Sounders, who now find themselves slipping back towards the not-so-comfortable region where playoff spots are not guaranteed. Might a late-arriving case of Expansion Fever be in the offing? Rio Tinto next weekend after a mid-week (and bound to be emotional) date with Barcelona would seem to be a well rotted banana peel in Sigi's path.
Next: RSL (Away)

6. -1 DC United (LDWDL)
Hmmm. So the first leg of the MLS road trip saw DC score two first half goals in Colorado, only to be pegged back to a draw. This second leg saw them collapse in the first half to ship three, but recover to score three of their own against the strongest defensive side in the league. Anybody else think the Jekyll-Hyde stuff can be laid at the feet of the coaching staff? No answers next week as it's time for the mandatory MLS money-grab match against Real Madrid.
Next: bye

7. +1 Toronto FC (LWDLD)
Dominated the early going to such an extent that it didn't even look like they needed a defense against the Revs, just Frei racing out to sweep up the messes. But chances came after Barrett's sending off, and TFC missed a golden chance to solidify themselves as the prime candidate for #4 in the East. Question: just how many goals will Real Madrid's new constellation of galacticos manage to bag against that ever-so-fragile TFC defense on Friday?
Next: bye

8. -1 Colorado Rapids (LWLWL)
The chances were there, but the Rapids just weren't as lethal with them as the Crew were, leaving them looking nervously over their shoulder at RSL and (gasp!) maybe even Dallas. Colorado is a strange beast. They look like they have all the tools to be a solid playoff team, but, even if their play is consistently dangerous, they can't seem to find consistent results. And that's why they find themselves on the outside looking in at the playoff sides this week.
Next: Crew (Home)

Bum-Sniffing Omega Mutts

9. New England Revolution (LDWWD)
So much for the recovery of form that was going to see them use their games in hand to leapfrog their way into a playoff position. The Revs were impotent at home for most of the match and had to watch TFC attack in waves. Still, Nicol's men managed to grab the equalizer with a man advantage to keep their mini-unbeaten streak alive.
Next: LA Galaxy (Home)

10. Chivas USA (WLLLL)
Down, down, down they go as four losses on the trot and a couple of weeks of no league action puts once-mighty Chivas on the cusp of falling out of the playoff spots altogether. Can Preki right the rocking boat in Colorado?
Next: Rapids (Away)

11. Real Salt Lake (WDLWL)
Return of the roller-coaster--up and down they go. Beckerman's return is important, but not enough for RSL to grab a result on the road against Chicago. Still, they are looking a more potent team than the one that seemed to have fallen completely away from playoff contention. Do they have enough time to fight their way back into the mix and fulfill some of that pre-season promise?
Next: Sounders (Home)

12. +1 FC Dallas (DWLLW)
Too little, too late. So the Hoops don't miss Coop one iota as they paste KC 6-0, but it's a long road back into the playoff picture, and I'm just not seeing it. Still, there are a lot of interesting young prospects making their way into the team, so this stretch run should provide seasoning for the young core of a pretty decent team in 2010. It'll be interesting to see what they leave on the table for the expansion draft. I'm thinking they might look to clear some age and cap space.
Next: Dynamo (Home)

13. +1 San Jose Earthquakes (DLLDW)
Last week I pronounced the Quakes dead for this season and officially in "fighting for 201o roster spots" mode. Looks like a lot of current Quakes want to figure in Yallop's future plans, eh? The pasting of the high-flying Sounders may not prompt another fantastic run like the one that almost netted a playoff spot last year, but it was encouraging.
Next: Crew (Home)

14. -2 Kansas City Wizards (WLDDL)
What was it that I wrote last week about KC? "A victory against Dallas next week is a necessity if they want to keep pace." Yeah, about that...stick a fork in KC, they're well and truly done. It's going to take some major mojo for KC to pick themselves off the mat and get back into the playoff fray even if they're just six points out of a spot, but frankly, I don't see that they have the horses to do so. And this is a really tough result to have to brood on for an extra week.
Next: bye

15. New York Red Bulls (LLLLL)
Looks like the MLS scheduling homunculi are providing the Bulls every opportunity to take advantage of their one remaining prize to play for as they get another week off to focus on their Champions' League qualifier.
Next: bye