Week 8-9 Rookie Watch

Week 8

Draftees

2. Joshua Yaro (Philadelphia) - Started vs NYCFC, 90 mins
3. Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia) - Started vs NYCFC, 90 mins, 1 shot
19. Rodrigo Saravia (Columbus) - Sub vs Houston, 16 mins
37. Dennis Castillo (Colorado) - Sub vs Seattle, 30 mins, 1 assist

Homegrowns

Jordan Morris (Seattle) - Started vs Colorado, 90 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal
Alex Muyl (NYRB) - Sub vs Orlando City, 4 mins, 1 shot

Week 9

Draftees

2. Joshua Yaro (Philadelphia) - Started vs San Jose, 90 mins
3. Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia) - Started vs San Jose, 90 mins
6. Fabian Herbers (Philadelphia) - Sub vs San Jose, 4 mins
9. Tsubasa Endoh (Toronto FC) - Started vs Portland, 78 mins
11. Julian Buescher (DC United) - Sub vs Chicago, 18 mins, 1 shot
12. Jonathan Campbell (Chicago) - Started vs DC United, 90 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal
19. Rodrigo Saravia (Columbus) - Sub vs Seattle, 13 mins
51. Femi Hollinger-Janzen (New England) - Sub vs Portland - 20 mins, 2 shots
51. Femi Hollinger-Janzen (New England) - Started vs Orlando City - 70 mins, 1 shot

Homegrowns

Justin Bilyeu (NYRB) - Sub vs FC Dallas, 10 mins
Joey Calistri (Chicago) - Sub vs DC United, 37 mins
Jordan Morris (Seattle) - Started vs Columbus, 90 mins, 3 shots, 1 goal
Alex Muyl (NYRB) - Sub vs FC Dallas, 18 mins, 1 assist

Jordan Morris stayed hot for Seattle now having scored in three straight matches for the Sounders while Chicago's Jonathan Campbell knocked home his first MLS goal. Elsewhere, DC United's Julian Buescher and Toronto's Tsubasa Endoh returned to action, New York's Alex Muyl and Colorado's Dennis Castillo each earned assists, while the Philadelphia duo of Josh Yaro and Keegan Rosenberry continued to hold down the backline for the Union.

To Play On, Or Not to Play On

A lot has been made in recent weeks about the ethics of playing on, or playing the ball out of bounds when an opposing player goes down with an injury. In multiple instances this season, we've seen teams opt for the former, one drawing a tongue-lashing from an irate USMNT captain Michael Bradley, and another leading to the only goal in a 1-0 game which left New York Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch furious. Do Marsch and Bradley have a case? Were the 'unwritten rules' of the game violated?


In short, no, they do not. This isn't U-10s where we teach players to play the ball out of bounds when there's an injury because we're concerned about the safety of the children. This is professional soccer, and everyone knows that there's a problem with players taking dives and faking injuries. Are some of the injuries real? Of course they are. Just ask Steve Zakuani, or Stuart Holden among others. The PROBLEM is, that players will go down for no reason, require medical attention, and then bounce back up as if nothing happened. Wasn't it the 2011 women's World Cup that a player got taken off the field on a stretcher and then upon reaching the sideline jumped off and ran back into the game? I seem to recall a sequence in the 2002 World Cup in a game between Brazil and Turkey (maybe?) when a Turkish player kicked a ball towards a Brazilian player who was getting ready to take a corner. The ball hit the Brazilian player in the shin, the Brazilian goes down holding his face, and the Turkish player gets sent off. So with that kind of culture ingrained in the game right now, why would you ever stop play unless there was blood, some sort of compound fracture, or a clear-cut head injury?


It sucks that that's what the game's come to, but at the professional level, I don't feel like there's any obligation for players to stop for an opponent's injury. Do you know whose job it is to determine if the injury is serious enough to warrant a stoppage of play? The referee's! You play to the whistle, something we teach at every level. It's unfortunate that the injury to New York's Kemar Lawrence was real, and then it led to New England's game winning goal, but if teams want to gripe about that, then people can't go down like they've been shot every time they take a nick.

Week 4 Rookie Watch

Draftees

33. Timo Pitter (FC Dallas) - Sub vs DC United, 9 mins, 1 shot
51. Femi Hollinger-Janzen (New England) - Sub vs NYCFC, 10 mins

Homegrowns

Aaron Guillen (Chicago) - Started vs DC United, 90 mins

With only three games on the MLS slate, there wasn't a lot of action on the rookie front, but FC Dallas rookies Aaron Guillen and Timo Pitter each made their MLS debuts in Dallas's 3-0 thrashing of DC United. Guillen started at right back in place of Maynor Figueroa who was away on international duty with Honduras while Pitter spelled Mauro Díaz late in the match.

USMNT Roster Thoughts

So, rather than comment on the USMNT rosters for the Guatemala World Cup Qualifiers and the U-23 showdown with Colombia, I thought it would be interesting to see if I could put together a roster of players not selected for either group that could, on paper, give Guatemala a run for their money. I didn't consider injured/suspended players (Benny Feilhaber, Brad Evans, Bill Hamid, Jermaine Jones, etc), but here's what I came up with:


For the purpose of argument, we'll line up in a traditional 4-4-2, but I think our roster offers enough flexibility to be able to run a 4-3-3/4-5-1 as well if need be:


Goalkeeper - Nick Rimando - Real Salt Lake - The veteran netminder was a part of the U.S.'s World Cup roster in 2014, and he's been an MLS All-Star each of the last three seasons. CAPS: 21


Left Back - Jorge Villafaña - Santos Laguna - Villafaña is fresh off an MLS Cup win with the Portland Timbers, and has started all three of Santos's CONCACAF Champions League knockout round matches where they have yet to concede a single goal. A member of the ill-fated U-23s in 2012, Villafaña hasn't received any attention for Jurgen Klinsmann, and with left back such a question mark, you'd think the 26 year Villafaña would at least be due a look. CAPS: 0


Center Back - Nat Borchers - Portland Timbers - Borchers has been a key contributor on multiple MLS Cup winning sides and the 6'2" mountain man would bring a toughness that the U.S. teams often lack when visiting Central America. Borchers is 34, and his best days are probably behind him, but I think you could get two matches out of him. CAPS: 3


Center Back - Chad Marshall - Seattle Sounders - A three-time MLS Defender of the Year, most recently in 2014, the 6'3" Marshall would be big (figuratively) on set pieces. Always a threat to score on corners, Marshall's head could be the difference in a close game. CAPS: 11


Right Back - Eric Lichaj - Nottingham Forest - Lichaj's been a regular in the English League Championship for Nottingham Forest and at 27, is at that right age for a breakout. Lichaj hasn't appeared for the U.S. since 2013, but he's really seen his playing time increase overseas since we last saw him in the red, white and blue. CAPS: 10

Proposed USMNT Lineup vs Guatemala

Still a couple weeks to go, but here's the Starting XI I'd like to see us go with against Guatemala:


GK - Brad Guzan - I know there were talks about alternating between Guzan and Tim Howard, but with Howard riding the bench at Everton and Guzan having regained his starting job at Aston Villa, I think Guzan gets the edge here.


Left Back - Jorge Villafaña - After winning a championship with the Portland Timbers, Villafaña has won a starting job in Mexico and recently contributed to Santos Laguna's back-to-back shutouts of the LA Galaxy while advancing to the CCL Semifinals. While Villafaña doesn't have a CAP with the USMNT, his high level of play should be rewarded, plus it allows Fabian Johnson to push into the attack.


Center Back - Matt Besler - Apologies to John Brooks, but the edge goes to the veteran Besler here even if he's not in midseason form. Plus, it makes sense for Brooks to head to Colombia to try and help the U-23s qualify for the Olympics.


Center Back - Omar Gonzalez - Gonzalez has done well since heading south of the border already becoming a valuable contributor with Pachuca. While the U.S. has lots of options at central defense, I feel like Gonzalez deserves the nod here.


Right Back - Geoff Cameron - The versatile Cameron has played well for the U.S. lately and by playing out right, instead of centrally, allows DeAndre Yedlin to join the U-23s in Colombia.


Left Midfield - Fabian Johnson - Arguably playing as good as any American in the world right now, I feel like Johnson is far more valuable in the attack than he is on defense. At a time when the U.S. has struggled to score goals, we need his attacking skills now more than ever.


Defensive Midfield - Michael Bradley - This probably is a reach since it dramatically changes the structure of the U.S. team, but Bradley played deeper in Toronto's opener against the Red Bulls and it worked out just fine. Plus, the U.S. has creative attackers that can fill that #10 role (Nguyen, Nagbe, etc) which allows the U.S. to put a more offensive-minded team on the field.


Attacking Midfield - Lee Nguyen - I love Darlington Nagbe, but Nguyen has been better for the U.S. lately, and his experience probably gets him the nod here. No doubt Nagbe makes the team, but the high-energy Nguyen should get the start.


Right Midfield - Alejandro Bedoya - Gyasi Zardes has been getting a lot of looks with the U.S., but Bedoya's in midseason form thanks to the European schedule so I think it's fair to say he's ahead of Zardes right now.


Striker - Jozy Altidore/Clint Dempsey/Chris Wondolowski - This one's tricky. Jozy is the clear cut starter when healthy, but he's not (hamstring again) and may not be ready when these games role around. Additionally, there are rumors that Dempsey is staying out of the National Team picture until this summer which means he might not be available either. If both of those two are out, I'll probably get flak for this, but I give the nod to Wondo. The veteran striker has a knack for scoring goals against weaker opponents (which Guatemala is) and he's already gotten on the board in MLS this season. We need goals, Wondo scores goals, so he's my third option.


Striker - Bobby Wood - Wood has been taking the 2.Bundesliga by storm ranking third in the league with 12 goals. Wood's red hot league play, coupled with his solid play for the U.S. gets him a start, no questions asked.


Subs - Tim Howard (GK), Mix Diskerud (MF), Gyasi Zardes (MID/FWD), Darlington Nagbe (MF), Jonathan Bornstein (DEF), Michael Orozco (DEF), Chris Wondolowski (FWD)*, Danny Williams (MID)**


*If Jozy or Dempsey Starts
**If Wondo Starts

Who's Adding Who - New England Revolution

In:

D Sambinha (1/22/16 - loan from Sporting CP) - Mamadu Samba Candé plays internationally for Guinea-Bissau and comes to the Revs by way of a loan from Portuguese Segunda Liga's Sporting Clube de Portugal B, the reserve team of Sporting Clube de Portugal. A central defender, Sambinha will turn 24 this season.
D Jordan McCrary (1/25/16 - SuperDraft) - The former University of North Carolina Tarheel rebounded from an injury that cost him the 2014 season to start all 20 games for the 15-2-3 ACC powerhouse in 2015. McCrary, touted as an MLS ready defender, had 5 assists during his senior season.
M Xavier Kouassi (2/1/16 - free)* - The 26 year old Ivorian currently plays for FC Sion in Switzerland and is slated to join the Revs midseason. However, he left a match on February 7th with an apparent ACL injury that could result in him missing the entire 2016 MLS campaign.
M Gershon Koffie (2/11/16 - trade from Vancouver) - The 24 year old Koffie was shipped from Vancouver to New England last week where he'll help fill the void left by the absence of Jermaine Jones. The former Ghanaian youth international spent the past five seasons with the Whitecaps tallying nine goals and seven assists in 133 appearances. He made 22 starts for the Caps in 2015.

*Joins in July

Out:

GK Trevor Spangenberg (11/25/15 - option declined)
D Kevin Alston (11/25/15 - option declined) - Orlando City SC
D Jeremy Hall (11/25/15 - option declined) - Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL)
M Timi Mulgrew (11/25/15 - option declined)
M Tyler Rudy (11/25/15 - option declined)
M Jermaine Jones (11/25/15 - out of contract)
M Andy Dorman (11/25/15 - out of contract)
F Sean Okoli (2/9/16 - waived)

USA vs Iceland Thoughts

1. First and foremost, it was good to see the U.S. start 2016 with a win. After what can only be classified as a disappointing finish to 2015, it's important for the U.S. to turn the page and start fresh. The 3-2 win, during which we twice came from behind, was far from perfect, but a win just the same.

 

2. The U.S. certainly outplayed their European opponents dominating in virtually every statistical category (Corners 8-2, Shots 16-6, Possession 62-38), but despite not having the bulk of the chances, Iceland was still very dangerous. If not for some poor finishing, Iceland could have easily walked away with a 5-3 win. I'd like to point fingers at the defense for sloppy play, but I'll temper that noting that the defense also scored the tying and winning goals. Still, the first Iceland goal - while a result of a lucky deflection - was also a result of ball-watching. And the second goal came as a result of a heady play by Iceland in generating a quick re-start, but also showed a lack of communication and organization along the U.S. backline (it also involved a brilliant finish by Aron Sigurdson). Granted, this was a group that hasn't played together before and it's the January camp when not everyone's at their fittest, but I still didn't think it was great performance from a defensive standpoint.

USMNT Vets Showing Disturbing Lack of Composure/Maturity

So last night's ejection of Jermaine Jones in stoppage time got me thinking of a disturbing trend among some of the more senior players on the U.S. Men's National Team. Multiple times this year we've seen our guys getting stupid ejections for club and/or country; not for fouls, but for interactions with referees. Here are four instances now:

3/31/15 - Jozy Altidore gets a yellow card for a foul, then curses at the referee and gets sent off against Switzerland. The U.S. had a 1-0 lead at the time of the foul, and after going down a man surrendered the equalizer.

6/17/15 - Already down to nine men following an injury to Obafemi Martins and a second yellow for Brad Evans, Seattle's Michael Azira was sent off in the 113th minute of a 2-1 game in the U.S. Open Cup against Portland. Clint Dempsey then took it upon himself to take the referee's notebook and rip it up whereupon he too was sent off. Seattle went on to lose 3-1.

10/14/15 - Altidore wasn't even in the match against the New York Red Bulls when he received a red card from the bench for "abusing the assistant referee."

10/28/15 - After a non-call on an apparent handball that, had it been called, would have given New England a penalty kick with a chance to equalize in their playoff game against DC United, Jones lost his mind, shoved a referee and sealed the Revs' fate with a stoppage time ejection.

Playoff Match-Ups (Knockout Round)

EAST

Montreal Impact (3) vs Toronto FC (6)

2015 Meetings

5/6/15 - Montreal Impact 1 Toronto FC 0 (Canadian Championship)
5/13/15 - Toronto FC 3 Montreal Impact 2 (Canadian Championship)
6/24/15 - Toronto FC 3 Montreal Impact 1
8/29/15 - Toronto FC 2 Montreal Impact 1
10/25/15 - Montreal Impact 2 Toronto FC 1

2012 Olympic Qualifying - Where Are They Now?

As the U.S. U-23s get set to take on Honduras tomorrow with a spot in the 2016 Olympics on the line, I thought it would be fun to look back at the ill-fated U.S. squad from 2012 and see where they are now:

Bill Hamid - Now in his sixth MLS season, Hamid continues to man the pipes in DC with 138 regular season starts under his belt to go along with 37 shutouts. After a dismal 2013 that saw him post a record of 2-17-6 in 25 starts, Hamid bounced back to win the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award in 2014. Now 24, Hamid has 2 CAPs for the USMNT.

USMNT Friendly Commentary - Part 1 of 2

So I'm finally getting around to watching the two USMNT friendlies against Peru and Brazil (that's how it goes when you have kids). Here's my thoughts as they happen (on DVR) on both matches.

USMNT vs PERU

0' I'll be honest, I'm a little surprised to see Jozy Altidore wearing the captain's armband, especially given his rough 2015. That said, with Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey both gone, I don't know who's a better candidate. Brad Guzan? Jermaine Jones? I guess this really isn't a veteran group out there. Hopefully he doesn't run his mouth and get sent off again. Speaking of Jermaine Jones, I still don't know how I feel about him. He definitely brings tenacity and athleticism, but I feel like it also comes with some shaky passing and a high risk of cautions. I guess when you look at the impact he has with his club team - the Revs are substantially better when he plays - it's not hard to draw a correlation to what he can do for the U.S. Anyhow, we're underway from RFK.

MLS Weekly Recap - Week 15

Here's this week's recap:

Not a lot of action in MLS this week with only five games on the slate, but more big news on the National Team front as the U.S. stunned Germany in Germany 2-1. New York City FC midfielder Mix Diskerud notched the equalizer while Bobby Wood scored the game winner for a second straight match. It marked the first time the U.S. had ever beaten the Germans in Germany... Canada won their World Cup Qualifying opener against Dominica behind goals from MLSers Cyle Larin (Orlando City) and Russell Teibert (Vancouver). The second leg will be played today (6/16)... The U.S. U-20s lost a heartbreaker in the U-20 World Cup quarterfinals falling on penalties 6-5 after playing to a 0-0 draw with Serbia... New York City FC won their second straight behind goals by David Villa and Diskerud... Seattle scored three times in the second half as they routed FC Dallas and became the first MLS team to nine wins this year... Bill Hamid saved a Kaká penalty, but couldn't recover for the rebound as DC United fell 1-0 to the suddenly surging Florida-based football club. Kaká has seven goals on the season and his club is unbeaten in their last five matches... The Galaxy continue to tread water and salvaged a point against the Columbus Crew despite no Steven Gerrard (still), no Robbie Keane, and Gyasi Zardes being limited to 30 minutes off the bench.

Here's a rundown of all the action:

RESULTS

WEDNESDAY

United States 2 Germany 1

THURSDAY

Canada 2 Dominica 0 (World Cup Qualifying)

SATURDAY

New York City FC 3 Montreal Impact 1
Columbus Crew 1 LA Galaxy 1
New England Revolution 2 Chicago Fire 0
Seattle Sounders 3 FC Dallas 0

SUNDAY

Orlando City SC 1 DC United 0

Gold Cup Snubs in MLS

Here's five MLS-based players who didn't make Jürgen Klinsmann's provisional Gold Cup roster that have a right to feel snubbed:

1) Benny Feilhaber - Feilhaber is in the midst of his best MLS season with 5 goals and a league-leading 7 assists while starting every game for Sporting Kansas City. Feilhaber has been more or less a non-factor since the 2010 World Cup Cycle appearing in just 3 matches for the U.S. since 2010. Replaces: Brad Davis.

2) Ethan Finlay - Like Feilhaber, Finlay also has seven assists this season tying his career high set in 2014. Finlay has either scored or assisted on 45% of Columbus's goals this season. Despite an 11-goal season in 2014, Finlay has yet to appear in a match for the United States. Replaces: DaMarcus Beasley.

3) Will Bruin - Bruin's been one of the hottest players in MLS lately. The only American with more goals in MLS this season is Chris Wondolowski, but unlike Wondo, Bruin hasn't been doing his damage at the penalty spot. In fact, Bruin leads all Americans in goals from the run of play with 7. That's more than Clint Dempsey and more than Jozy Altidore if you're keeping track. Replaces: Chris Wondolowski.

4) Charlie Davies - This one might be a bit of a reach, but I really like what Charlie Davies brings to the table. He's not the player he was before the accident, but hasn't his play in last year's postseason and in the early part of this season earned him something? Replaces: Alan Gordon.

5) Clint Irwin - Irwin is tied for the lead in shutouts among American keepers in MLS with Nick Rimando and he has a better goals against average than the U.S.'s #2 keeper does. Irwin's save percentage trails only Stefan Frei and Bill Hamid among keepers with at least ten starts this season. Replaces: William Yarbrough.

9 MLSers On Latest USMNT Roster

Despite the absence of mainstays Clint Dempsey, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler and Jozy Altidore, nine MLSers still got picked up for the U.S. Men's National Team's upcoming trip to Europe where they'll face off against Germany and the Netherlands. Here's a look at the nine:

Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake) - 5 shutouts in 12 apps for RSL, 21 CAPs for USMNT

Brad Evans (Seattle) - 13 apps for SEA, 1 goal in 18 CAPs for USMNT

Brek Shea (Orlando City) - 1 assist in 11 apps for OCSC, 4 goals in 32 CAPs for USMNT

Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake) - 1 assist in 14 apps for RSL, 1 goal in 43 CAPs for USMNT

Michael Bradley (Toronto) - 1 goal, 2 assists in 10 apps for TOR, 13 goals in 96 CAPs for USMNT

Mix Diskerud (New York City FC) - 1 goal in 11 apps for NYCFC, 5 goals in 28 CAPs for USMNT

Jermaine Jones (New England) - 9 apps for NE, 3 goals in 50 CAPs for USMNT

Juan Agudelo (New England) - 4 goals, 2 assists in 14 apps for NE, 3 goals in 19 CAPs for USMNT

Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy) - 3 goals in 14 apps for LA, 5 CAPs for USMNT

And the rest of the U.S. roster:

GK - Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)
GK - William Yarbrough (Club León)
DEF - Ventura Alvarado (Club América)
DEF - John Brooks (Hertha Berlin)
DEF - Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt)
DEF - Michael Orozco (Puebla)
DEF - DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)
MID - Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC)
MID - Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
MID - Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt)
MID - Danny Williams (Reading)
FWD - Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar)
FWD - Bobby Wood (Erzgebirge Aue)

MLS Weekly Recap, Week 9

For the seventh year in a row, the CONCACAF Champions League title goes to a Mexican club despite Montreal's best efforts to bring a title to MLS. Still, Impact fans can hold their heads high knowing that their club left it all out on the field. Now back to the regular season: The Red Bulls were knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten by Charlie Davies and the red hot Revolution. The Fire saw their three game winning streak snapped by Sporting KC. Houston gave up four goals for the second consecutive match while Seattle, Dallas and DC United all came up with big wins. Here's a rundown of all the action:

RESULTS

WEDNESDAY

Club América 4 Montreal Impact 2 (CCL), América wins 5-3 on aggregate goals
New York Red Bulls 1 Colorado Rapids 1

FRIDAY

FC Dallas 4 Houston Dynamo 1
Real Salt Lake 1 San Jose Earthquakes 1

SATURDAY

DC United 2 Columbus Crew 0
New England Revolution 2 New York Red Bulls 1
LA Galaxy 1 Colorado Rapids 1
Vancouver Whitecaps 0 Portland Timbers 0

SUNDAY

Sporting Kansas City 1 Chicago Fire 0
Seattle Sounders 3 New York City FC 1

MLS Weekly Recap, Week 8

Ignacio Piatti and the Montreal Impact nearly stole a win in Mexico this week only to watch it slip away with an 89th minute equalizer against Club América in the first leg of the CCL Finals. After that it was goals galore as four different MLS clubs scored four goals highlighted by Houston and Sporting KC's 4-4 draw. In other action, the Red Bulls stayed unbeaten, Toronto snapped their four-game losing streak, and the Fire are back to .500 after starting the season 0-3. Here's a rundown of all the action:

RESULTS

WEDNESDAY

Montreal Impact 1 Club América 1

FRIDAY

Chicago Fire 1 New York City FC 0
FC Dallas 1 Colorado Rapids 1

SATURDAY

Columbus Crew 4 Philadelphia Union 1
New England Revolution 4 Real Salt Lake 0
Houston Dynamo 4 Sporting Kansas City 4
DC United 2 Vancouver Whitecaps 1

SUNDAY

New York Red Bulls 1 LA Galaxy 1
Toronto FC 2 Orlando City SC 0
Seattle Sounders 1 Portland Timbers 0

MLS Weekly Recap, Week 7

Another solid week for MLS, this one punctuated by the U.S.'s 2-0 win over Mexico that included a goal from New England's Juan Agudelo. Aside from that we saw the Red Bulls extend their unbeaten streak, Real Salt Lake fall for the first time this season, Vancouver become the first team to five wins, and Dallas score in less than a minute as they extended Toronto's losing streak to four. Around the rest of the league, New York City FC's Khiry Shelton finally broke into the starting lineup and earned his first assist, Omar Gonzalez came off the bench to give LA a stoppage time game winner, and Seattle finally got a goal from someone other than Clint Dempsey or Obafemi Martins. Here's the full rundown:

RESULTS

WEDNESDAY

USA 2 Mexico 0

WEDNESDAY

New York City FC 1 Philadelphia Union 1

FRIDAY

New York Red Bulls 2 San Jose Earthquakes 0

SATURDAY

D United 1 Houston Dynamo 1
Columbus Crew 3 Orlando City SC 0
FC Dallas 3 Toronto FC 2
Seattle Sounders 3 Colorado Rapids 1
Vancouver Whitecaps 1 Real Salt Lake 0
LA Galaxy 2 Sporting Kansas City 1

SUNDAY

New England Revolution 2 Philadelphia Union 1
Portland Timbers 1 New York City FC 0

MLS Weekly Recap - Week 4

Despite lots of the regulars away on International Duty this week, there was still plenty of action around the league. The Whitecaps snagged their third consecutive win, FC Dallas remained unbeaten through 4 matches, the Rapids posted their third consecutive 0-0 tie, while New England, Sporting KC, Chicago and Real Salt Lake all earned their first wins of 2015.

RESULTS

SATURDAY

New England Revolution 2 San Jose Earthquakes 1
Montreal Impact 2 Orlando City SC 2
Sporting Kansas City 1 New York City FC 0
DC United 1 LA Galaxy 0
New York Red Bulls 2 Columbus Crew 1
Vancouver Whitecaps 2 Portland Timbers 1
Houston Dynamo 0 Colorado Rapids 0
FC Dallas 0 Seattle Sounders 0

SUNDAY

Chicago Fire 1 Philadelphia Union 0
Real Salt Lake 2 Toronto FC 1

Superman and the SoccerSmith Q&A, Episode 6

Welcome to Episode 6 of Superman and the SoccerSmith's 4-4-2 Soccer Q&A. Better late than never! Here we go!

MLS

1) Superman (SM): In your opinion, are the Galaxy the favorites to win the west, and ultimately the cup, or can someone else de-throne Bruce Arena's squad?

SoccerSmith (SS): First, let’s note that LA didn’t win the West last year, Seattle did. And Seattle did so despite missing Clint Dempsey and DeAndre Yedlin for the World Cup while LA was with Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan and Gyasi Zardes all year. Seattle’s since lost Yedlin, and LA essentially traded Donovan for Steven Gerrard, but I think Seattle has to enter the season as the regular season favorite. If we’re talking MLS Cup, I think LA gets the edge because Seattle has yet to translate regular season accolades into postseason success while LA obviously has. That said, there are a lot of teams that will be a threat this year so I’d venture that it’s going to be pretty wide open. 

SM: While I agree with you on the West being wide open this season, I seriously think it's the Galaxy's to lose. Steven Gerrard, even at his "advanced age," is still a world-class player with a real European pedigree and this really looks to be Zardes' breakout season. Seattle played tremendously and didn't have Dempsey and Yedlin for a period last summer, but now they don't have Yedlin at all and I'm not certain they've adequately replaced him. I think it'll be a tight race, but ultimately so long as they stay consistent, LA has the best chance at winning both the West and the Cup in my opinion. 

Superman and the SoccerSmith Q&A, Episode 5

Welcome to Episode 5 of Superman and the SoccerSmith's 4-4-2 Soccer Q&A. Better late than never! Here we go!

MLS

1. SoccerSmith (SS) - Tim Cahill's marriage with the New York Red Bulls has drawn to a mutual conclusion with the Aussie Captain headed to China after signing a contract with Shanghai Shenhua. Looking back on his three seasons in the Big Apple, would you call his time in MLS a hit or a miss?

Superman (SM) - Is mixed bag an option? 14 goals in 62 appearances isn't exactly lighting it up for a forward, especially one who was getting designated player money. Having said that, he's never been anything but complimentary to the club, the fans, and the league and is regarded as have helped to grow the sport and the league in this country, so there's that. At the end of the day, however, I think it comes down to production and he didn't produce near enough for the level of play expected from him.