This year in MLS has been, in my humble opinion, the best one yet.  The combination of having more teams in the league than ever before, the success of the expansion side, the resurgence of the two bottom teams towards the end of the year, the raised level of play, and the nail-bitter of a playoff race all combined to make this the most enjoyable season to watch (personally) since the league began.  We have definitely had some great debates during the course of the year that can only be healthy for the future of a league, and we have learned some lessons this year that we can apply in the future.

Back on March 1st my co-contributor and I wrote some predictions for the MLS season, and given that the regular season has come to a close and the playoffs are set to start I felt it was time to go back and hold myself accountable for my errors, as well as give myself credit for the few things I guessed right.

A quick recap of my picks to refresh our memories (or you can go to the full article):

Most Likely To Succeed: Columbus, Chicago, Toronto

Needs Improvement: Los Angeles, San Jose, Dallas

Sleeper Pick: Chivas, Seattle

The Rest To Make The Playoffs: Houston, New York, New England, Kansas City

The Rest To Miss The Playoffs: DC, Salt Lake, Colorado

The track record is there, unedited, to be picked over.  So, what was I wrong about?  Well the most glaring errors are my Toronto and L.A. Galaxy picks.  It appears I had a wire crossed when I categorized them.  Toronto may only be in it’s third year, but it’s performance-to-talent ratio is baffling to those of us who were excited about that team at the start of the season.  As for the Galaxy, well, they pulled off all of the crazy things I said they’d need to to be competitive, and then some.  Bruce Arena ran a very tight ship, they did indeed find their diamonds in the ruff (Omar Gonzalez and Donovan Ricketts, anyone?), and Beckham came back and actually proved he had dedication to spare for the Galaxy.  They look a dangerous team poised to make a deep playoff run.  Two other rather obvious errors were saying that New York could carry on the momentum of last year and make the playoffs and calling Kansas City for a playoff run.  In my own defense I said that New York would be in trouble if Juan Pablo Angel went down for any length of time, and although he didn’t have a serious injury, he did have his lowest MLS goal total and several scoring droughts.  I also pointed out Kansas City as an extremely inconsistent team, which they were, but I didn’t think it would stop them from making the playoffs.  And although I was wrong about Salt Lake missing the playoffs, I don’t consider that as big an error as the others considering their limping fashion through the second half of the year.

Of course, there were some picks I’d say have made good on my confidence in them (or at least where they’d finish).  Columbus started slow, but now looks like a real contender; Seattle has looks like a solid sleeper pick to challenge; Houston and New England both made the playoffs, and DC and Colorado both missed the playoffs.  Don’t be fooled by Columbus losing to New England on the last day, they really are the strongest team right now in terms of challenging for the MLS Cup, but I’m also riding high in Seattle’s bandwagon and their momentum.  These two teams are the ones that I’m most interested in following.  I’m proud of my Revs for making it in, but they are hurting big time and made it in on piss and vinegar, and the shoulders of Shalrie Joseph, alone.  I’ll be cheering them on none the less and praying for a miracle, but I’m not overly optimistic about a real run.

I’ll admit that I had a few other questionable calls, like having Chicago listed as one of the more successful teams, and Chivas as a sleeper to make a deep run, but I think they’re border line enough that I don’t need to chastise myself for those.

In the spirit of making predictions that I can later catch flack for I’m going to make the following first-round playoff predictions:

Columbus tops Real Salt Lake 3-1 on aggregate (1-1 @ Rio Tinto and 2-0 @ Crew Stadium)

Chicago tops New England 2-1 on aggregate (1-0 @ Gillette and 2-0 @ Toyota Park…please let me be wrong)

Seattle tops Houston 3-1 on aggregate (2-0 @ Qwest and 1-1 @ Robertson)

Los Angeles tops Chivas 4-1 on aggregate (2-0 and 2-1)

The US boys put on quite a show these past few weeks.  First off they disappointed the fans with a very lackluster performance versus Italy and Brazil in the group stages.  Then they tore up the Egyptians, putting the US through to the semi-final round, and I was happy.  My expectations were met, and I had little hope for a win against the world’s number one team Spain.  But wait there’s more!!!  Holy *@#$, they won?  That’s right kids the underdogs came to win and they put the hurt on Spain with strong defense, and exceptional energy.  Now it was up to a rematch with Brazil, and this time I had hopes.  Brazil was set back on their heels after the US scored twice in the first half, again with strong defense and stronger energy.  The second half came and so did the US team from the early stages.  The team slacked off allowing open space in the midfield, and did not control possession of the ball well.

So, the question is obvious. What do we learn from this?  The answer is not so clear.  Obviously what worked for us was the pounding energy, and stifling defense.  What did not work?  perhaps the amount of running sapped the energy level late in the game.  Donovan, Dempsey, and Spector were among the top five players who covered the most distance.  The allowance of so many shots on goal, Howard did win the golden glove award.  How about not giving up so many yellow and red cards in the group stages.  I could go on and on, but the point is that the US needs to gain confidence in their performance and act like they deserve to be there.  Donovan said after the game that they weren’t looking for respect, they wanted to win.  I love that, and he played like he believed it, yet some of his teammates were a little to awe struck by the competition to be competent in their service.

Charlie Davis, Spector, and Demerit surprised me in their overall performance.  They seem to be fighting for their positions for next year.  Kljestan and Casey were less than spectacular, and need to make up for their performances.  Notable absences were Beasley, Adu, and Wynne.  With that kind of speed and fire power on the bench, the US must think highly of its other options.  The Gold Cup starts soon, and lets see if the US, with a largely different team, will take these adjustments into account.  Good Luck US Men’s Soccer!!!

Over the past several weeks I have had the opportunity to see several important games in different locations.  For example, I saw the UEFA Cup championship in an Irish pub, I regularly watch games from the couch, and I sat in the seats for a DC United match.

Hands down the in person viewing of football is the best in my opinion.  The crowd energy and enthusiasm is awesome, even if you don’t care for the teams playing.  You can’t help route for the home team, and DC’s fans are rabidly loyal to their team.  If you wear an enemy jersey to a DC United match, you might get pushed around the crowd.  I look forward to seeing Chelsea vs AC Milan, and DC United vs Real Madrid this summer.

Watching the UEFA Cup title match in an Irish bar with friends comes in second in my book.  The energy was great, and the food was cheaper, but it was missing the fan unity.  There were equal fan split in the bar, which made the cheers and jeers more contentious.  Due to the timing of some international games, I will be seeing more games at the bar down the street after work, than running home and missing the first half.

Now home viewing of games are by and large the format that is the cheapest, and most comfortable.  Yet, all the energy and spirit of the game is gone.  I have fallen asleep during more games lately than I’ve finished.  The MLS games that start at 10:00 est. are starting to bug me, but I get why they are on so late.  I have my DVR scheduled to record all of the US Men’s games in South Africa next week, and I’m still hoping to run out to a bar to watch the game.

Well fans, how do you want to watch the beautiful game?

This past weekend the MLS provided games that were stunning to watch and on par with the UEFA and FA cup matches of the week, and that is high praise from me.  It comes down to the major differences in game styles that are developing throughout the league.  Both styles of game play can by awesome to watch and its the balance of opponents that make for stunning viewing opportunities.  The “beautiful” teams are very skilled and manage the game through patient ball control, and usually take advantage of defenses with several scoring opportunities.  The “powerful” teams focus on forcing the ball into dangerous situations, muscling the defenses out of position, and taking power shots or head shots from crosses. When you have two teams that share the same style of play, the results can be fantastic and exciting.  That is what was offered up this past weekend in the MLS between the Chicago Fire vs. KC Wizards and the Houston Dynamo vs. Colorado Rapids.

McBride watched his 2 goal lead go away

The Kansas City Wizards went on the road to Chicago, and were forced onto their heels for a solid 35 minutes during the first half of play.  The Fire were on fire by dominating the pace and control of the ball.  The scoring chances fell fast for Chicago, with Brian McBride scoring twice before halftime.  Blanco was in full force and confident over the ball.  He played the fiddle while the others danced his tune.  The Fire showed why they are the current leaders of the Eastern Division.  The second half allowed for a shift of play to the Wizards, and Josh Wolfe.  KC was able to counter the Fire’s control with their own patience and quality passing.  The Wizards were also able to cut Blanco out of the game, forcing Chicago to sub him out for a more straight forward midfielder.  By throwing the Fire off their original game plan, the Wizards were able to capitalize on the gaps in the midfield and tie the game.  Josh Wolfe was able to match McBride’s double with a set of his own in the second half, and won player of the week. This game was exciting to watch due to the many examples of skillful ball control and shot taking opportunities.

Watch out for high kicking you two

The “power” game of the week was the Houston Dynamo at home against the Colorado Rapids.  Houston was able to push the Rapids around the pitch, and frustrate them into giving up multiple yellow cards and fouls in dangerous locations.  The Dynamo defense has experienced several injuries and shakeups this season, yet they always seem to gel when the time is right.  Pat Onstad was, also, on point to prevent a penalty kick in the second half that sealed the Dynamo’s first win of the season.  The heart of the game was holding off the Rapids’ opportunities, and there were plenty, by pushing and fouling in strategic locations.  Houston kept the Rapids’ offensive threat from forming into a cohesive attack, and the frustration levels grew throughout the second half.  Yellow cards were thrown all over the field for both sides, and pushing and shoving all over.  This played right into Houston’s hands.  Conner Casey the star forward for the Rapids got an early yellow card that limited his aggressive opportunities.  Pablo Mastroeni received a yellow card early in the second half, which limited his aggressive play through the midfield.  Late in the game, the other offensive threat in Omar Cummings got his own yellow card.  Houston’s power play and ability to frustrate their opponents allowed them to dictate pace and ball control.

When teams embrace their style of play and create an atmosphere that supports that type of play, they can be successful against any other MLS team.  Team philosophy on this topic must be unanimous and team management must find players that will fit into that philosophy for years to come.  It’s when new coaches and new players don’t try to fit into a team philosophy, or worse try to change it, that years of problems occur.  Look at the LA Galaxy for that.  They should have been a MLS Cup threat for years now, yet they struggle to find their identity with star players going in different directions.

Last year in the MLS the Eastern Division ran away with the points and dominated the Western Division.  This year it looks like the balance of power is adjusting back to the middle.  I am not going to say that the MLS Champion will come from the Western Division, yet the domination tide has crested.  With teams like the Columbus Crew stumbling in the first few games and the surging Seattle Sounders, this season has the potential to show more diverse and meaningful divisional rivalries.  I enjoy watching games with emotional draw, for example; whenever Chelsea vs. Man U play, Red Sox vs. Yankees, UNC vs. Duke, or Bears vs. Packers I’m watching.  In the MLS we have significant rivalries in FC Dallas vs. Houston, Chivas vs Galaxy, and NY vs. NE.  These regional rivalries make sports fans go nuts.  With the divisions tightening up and every game being that much more important, this sport will see a marked improvement in viewership and ticket sales.  I predict a concerted effort by the league to maintain the balance between the Eastern and Western Divisions.  Through the expansion of the designated player guidelines, and more televised games stuttered throughout the day(like football Sundays).  If the league is able to capitalize on the growing positive excitement in the divisional competition, they stand to see a huge benefit this season.

Major League Soccer has an even bigger opportunity this season to hype up the non-international players in preparation for the World Cup in 2010.  The players that will be in and out of the league this season due to international play could pull viewers away, or diminish the importance of games during those time periods.  MLS executives need to promote players that will not be pulled away for international duty, and make them regular faces to watch along side the big name stars.  I do have a few ideas for players, but if you want to add a name or two please add your thoughts.  I would love to see young and old players highlighted such as; Brian McBride, Brad Davis, Blanco(if he is health), Schelotto, Casey Keller, Fredy Montero, and any other rookie that is punching through.  Without a strong story line to sell, MLS fans will watch, yet new or seldom viewers will not feel the passion some of us have for the game.  MLS, please promote the league like there is a reason to watch every week, and to every game.

I have a double-sided reaction to today’s performace by young American forward Jozy Altidore.  The first is “It’s about frickin’ time Bob!”  We’ve seen Jozy play well with the full national team whenever he’s been given the chance, and today he once again took advantage.  He has, I believe, 6 goals in 9 games now.  That’s a great strike rate.  It also seems to cast more mystery on his situation in Spain where he can’t even seem to make the bench.  Jozy is really showing himself to be someone who will be part of our plans going forward, and shurly part of the plan for South Africa.

My other reaction is more guarded.  Jozy’s not getting minutes in Spain, and although it’s great to see him utilize his time on the field well these performaces don’t mean that he’s finally arrived or that he’s the answer at forward right now.  I still think that Brian Ching has something to contribute, Kenny Cooper needs more looks, and we need to keep looking to bring in and develop more striking talent.  Look at Sasha Kljestan.  He puts away a hat trick, and has been pretty quiet since.  It’s certainly awesome to see, but it doesn’t take pressure off him to continue to earn his time.  On the contrary, it brings more pressure to continue this kind of production at the national level.

What I think this does mean is that Jozy needs to now be moved above some other folks in the pecking order for the time being.  He needs to stop sitting behind Ching, and the formations need to be adjusted to be sure he’s up top for now.  Give it some time, and then reevaluate.  He’s at least earned consideration when starting line-ups are being made.  Either  he’s growing, or this really is the beginning of the age of Jozy.  Either way it’s  good for him, and good for the US.

A note about my last post: I made the comment that I hoped the Sounders had the brass to “hang on” to Freddy Montero no matter what offers came in for him (right after I admitted that I didn’t know what the details of his contract was).  Well, it appears that I wasn’t just unaware of his contract details, I was completely wrong about him even having any kind of real contract with the Sounders.  Freddy Montero is on loan for the year from what I can gather from the news stories, blogs, and podcasts that abound in the footballing world.  So, in light of this new (to me) information I’d like to amend what I said.  Seattle needs to go shopping for a new DP tag from somewhere, maybe New York’s unused second one, and then launch a full out campaign to use it to SIGN Montero for all the reasons I already stated.  He’d be great for the long term future of the league, and then one day we’d be able to gain financially for him when his ambitions and the courting of Europe became just too much to ignore.

1) Seattle…wow
Screw the David Beckham saga.  Seattle Sounders FC is THE story of the young season. I’ll get into a few more specific thoughts below, but let’s just remember that the last expansion team to start the season 2 and 0 went on to win the MLS cup that year (granted, in a weaker version of the league).  I feel the need to say that I was predisposed to hate the Sounders.  I was skeptical of the Ljungburg signing; I felt the stealing of Sigi Schmid from Columbus was a bit of a questionable move after he just helped that city win it’s first league trophy; having them play on a turf field that’s in a football first stadium; the fact that they’re in Seattle (which I have other sports issues with); and the fact that they basically swiped an NASL identity rather than create their own, although I have since reversed my feelings on this issue…bring in all the NASL identity’s you want.  It’s our professional heritage as a soccer country!  All this had me, uhh….let’s call it slightly put out with the Sounder expansion team when things first started.  But they have built a program up there that’s to be respected rather than slaping an expansion team together that’s prepared to fall back on the first year excuse.  And all props to Drew Carey, who is one of the best high-profile soccer fans in this country.  Little fact: he still holds his Galaxy season ticket despite being a minority owner of the Sounders because he lives in L.A. and wants to support his local team.  He’s good for this country’s soccer programs. He and the Sounders made the effort to woo the city and it’s fans first rather than just hoping they’d turn out.  They made it so that the city of Seattle identified with that team from the very start.  And they’re getting results to boot with two very convincing wins to start the season, one of them against a team who was in last year’s MLS cup, and another against a team many pick to make a run this year themselves.  After having watched the city embrace them, support them, and the model they’ve put together, I’m a converted fan.  I’m pulling for them for many reasons, not the least of which is if they are successful more expansion teams will aim to emulate their style and enthusiasm…and I don’t see how that could be a bad thing.

2) Columbus prettiest soccer in MLS?  Maybe, but here comes Seattle.
In watching most of the games in the first to weeks of this 2009 season I feel I can say with some confidence that the Columbus Crew, despite their tag of being the hardest working team in the MLS, also are currently deserving of the title of the prettiest soccer in the MLS as well.  Guillermo Barros Schelotto runs his mid-field with precision and confidence on the ball as well as a kind of player’s player mentality that just makes that team fun to watch.  I’m a huge MLS supporter, but even I recognize that the MLS has a ton of direct play, bypassing the midfield, and loose ball type play that gives it a few hard to watch games every year (by a few I mean more than half…and by that I mean a lot).  I love the physicality of the league, and the work ethic of the players, and the parity of the league, and the unpredictability of the way things bounce in the MLS, and the Revs…I love the Revs (although I’m super disappointed at Parkhurst’s departure…it’s taken something from being a Rev fan for me).  But when I want pretty soccer, I watch England’s Arsenal or Spain’s Barcelona.  Columbus is changing that a bit.  They are a hard working, good-looking soccer team.  Good for them, and I tip my soccer fan’s hat to them for that.
That being said, Sigi Schmid is putting together a pretty good-looking side in Seattle.  They were a bit frantic in the opening minutes, and even after a couple of goals, of the Red Bulls game.  But they showed some great flashes of slick play, a huge hunk of which came from the young Columbian, Freddy Montero.  Their second game against Real Salt Lake was a much more complete game from start to finish.  I was excited watching them play, their attacking runs, the way they controlled the ball and managed the game, which Ljumburg did very well upon his entry despite his high attacking expectations and the ho-hum response to his short performance.  He was smart and I, as a player, appreciated what he brought.  Rookie Steve Zakuani made a few overly long wasteful runs in which he covered a lot of ground only to get caught in a tight space and lose the ball, but brought it on enough occasions to warrant his continued selection.  If the expansion/inexperience blues don’t weight this team down over the run of the season, they’re going to continue to be effective, but more importantly they’re going to continue to be entertaining.

3) Hang on to Freddy Montero

This one’s no surprise really.  I don’t know what Montero’s contract deal is for, but I pray to the soccer-gods that it’s longer than a year, and that Seattle has the balls and brains to hang on to him as long as they can.  This kid’s been nothing short of brilliant in the first two games and he’s going to start to draw notice really quickly.  Someone who thinks they’re being business smart would say that when the high offers start coming in for Freddy Montero from overseas we should sell him and get bank for the kid early before he starts to decline or gets injured or something.  I say Seattle should go shopping for a second DP tag and hang on to this kid as long as is humanly possible.  He’s the kind of player that can galvanize entire fan-bases around him and his team.  He’ll put butts in the seats.  He’ll be remembered long after Ljumburg has ended his 1-2 year run, Keller has ended his 1-2 year run, and Seattle has lost it’s expansion buzz.  Other bright young talents will sign with MLS because of him as long as he’s here.  He’s the kind of player that the MLS needs to hang on to if it wants the level of play to go up.  Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Bobby Convey, Freddy Adu, and others were smart sells at the time because the league saw the benefit of the money to grow the league, and didn’t have quite enough swagger to pull off hanging on to them and their ambitions.  Montero represents the beginning of a new time period in MLS history.  He’s a smart, cheeky young player who’s come to the league from elsewhere in his prime as his announcement to the world.  Now’s the time to capitalize on his faith in the league to begin to hang on to these players and think about the product on the field.  A bold move like this would benefit the league long after any allocation money that would have been received for him would stop circulating.  I’m not stupid enough to think we won’t lose him eventually, but a year or two isn’t enough time to really allow what his actual playing impact can be to trickle down through-out the league.

4) NY reorganized to look disorganized
I’m shocked and disappointed that the NY Red Bulls revamp in the off-season has left them looking so disorganized and piss-poor so far this season.  Juan Carlos Osorio is looking less and less like the good coach he appeared to be with Chicago, and more and more like he doesn’t know what he’s doing.  In both their opening games so far they have looked like they were scrambling to figure out what the hell was going on in their defensive half, abandoned most of their midfield play, and had little to no possession on in the attacking third.  I sure hope they get it together or Juan Pablo Angel may decided he wants to go on loan somewhere in Europe this summer.

5) Houston and NE dominance over?
As much as it saddens me to say it, especially given my Rev’s trophy haul during this time, I believe Houston and New England may have seen one too many important players fly the coop than can be compensated for.  I believe both Dominic Kinnear and Steve Nicol are brilliant coaches, and I tag them both to dominate this league again with their team selection, but for now both the Revolution and the Dynamo look to be teams who are no longer set up to dominate this league.  They have both been unimpressive so far this season, and seem to be searching for answers in key positions.  Will Stuart Holden step up to lead the team and take some of the burden off Brian Ching?  Will stadium concerns and field concerns dog Houston all year?  Will Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston come back with enough form to lift New England up by the bootstraps, and then continue to stay healthy?  Will Steve Nicol find someone or a combination of someones to replace the vital cog that Michael Parkhurst represented?  Can either team keep the ball on the ground long enough to actually create some flow to a game and therefore some decent attacking opportunities from the run of play rather than counter attacks and surprise chances?  These questions and many more will determine if we even see these two once dominant teams in the playoffs this year, but for now I certainly wouldn’t lay any money on seeing either of these two teams come out of the tunnel at Qwest field come MLS cup ’09.

This weekend saw the new season of the MLS kickoff with some serious fireworks in Seattle, and ended with a blast into LA.  In between there was little to enthusiastic about.  I had the opportunity to watch every televised game this weekend, starting with Seattle vs. NY on Thursday.  On Saturday Houston battled Columbus at home, and Colorado faced Chivas in LA.  Then, on Sunday Galaxy vs DC was a fun grudge match to watch.  The stand out stars were Seattle’s striker Fredy Montero, and Landon Donovan of the Galaxy.  The best game of the weekend was Seattle vs. NY, mainly due to the atmosphere that the crowd created. Okay, so lets break this down one at a time.

Starting off the game of the week, Seattle and NY exploded and imploded to a 3-0 win for Seattle.  Seattle comes into this game with minimal team play experience, yet they looked like they had been playing together for months.  NY was left shocked and constantly playing catch up.  Red Bull’s star Juan Pablo Angel was isolated and marked heavily, essentially taking him out of the game.  The Red Bulls also felt the loss of Van den Berg in the off season.  They just seemed to miss the cohesion that the Sounders had.  Seattle’s crowd built up a European club style environment, that would make any team intimidated.  The march to the match and the constant chants for their club made me proud to see a new team embraced so quickly.  On the pitch, the Sounders were well balanced, and had lighting in their boots.  Fredy Montero was a breath of fresh air for the league.  This guy took me by surprise and I’m sure the league, and the world, took notice.  Let’s see how long this quality of a player stays in our league.  My only complaint on this game is the same for all the games of the weekend.  The game play was sloppy and inconsistent.  Passing was weak and there were several turnovers on both sides.  The MLS is dealing with becoming a world class league, yet the teams need to focus on quality skills to prove we belong on the top levels.

On Saturday, the Houston Dynamo were at home versus the returning champs Columbus Crew.  These two power houses pounded out a 1-1 draw.  I was truly curious to see how the Dynamo would deal with losing DeRosario to Toronto, and they handed the keys to the offense to Stuart Holden.  Holden was at best ineffectual, and at worst disappointing.  Stuart Holden did show signs of genius, yet was unable to capitalize on his opportunities.  He was kept out of the leading role by solid mid-field play by the Crew.  On the flip side, Guillermo Barros Scheloto was a dominating threat and was consistently knocking on the door with his solid delivery and targeting.  This game saw two very solid defenses holding back attack after attack.  Because of the strong defenses, the passing was interrupted a lot, and the teams had to force the ball over the top more often then usual.  Houston was unable to establish their wide play, and the Crew were unable to work the ball through the mid-field.  All in all both teams showed why other teams are forced to respect their abilities, yet they also rained on the excitement that the previous game established.

Chivas USA was able to come back to a 2-1 win over the Colorado Rapids at the Home Depot Center.  This game was actually rather slow in its pace.  Both teams had opportunities early, and then there was a lull in the action till close to the end of the first half when the Rapids scored first.  The second half started out with a sense of urgency that Chivas was able to capitalize on.  Paulo Nagamura was able to score twice in short succession.  Surprisingly, Nagamura had only scored twice before in his MLS career, and in a matter of ten minutes he scores two more.  Once Chivas captured the lead they locked down their defense and mid-field limiting the chances Colorado had.  Rapids were unable to take a shoot on target for over thirty minutes.  Of course, with this little amount of action in the last part of the game, it ended just at it started, slow.

Sunday was bright and windy in LA with the Galaxy facing DC United to a 2-2 draw that saw blood, sweat, and wow.  You can’t watch a Galaxy game right now without wondering how they would have done if that special someone was playing, you know who.  Well I’m guessing the Galaxy would have had a few better chances early the game, but other than that they played well.  The United came to LA wondering how their new and old team would match up.  Both teams had some injury issues that allowed young talent to rise up and show their skills.  The young talent really fought for every opportunity, and a couple had to leave the field in stitches.  LA Galaxy got a lot of the early opportunities abut little luck was not on their side.  DC was able to have a penalty kick that was successful, and then a second goal in the middle of the second half.  After the half, the Galaxy was able to regroup under Donovan’s leadership and skill to come back from a two goal deficit to tie it up with their own penalty kick then a solid header.  In review the penalty was called a hand ball in the box, yet the DC defender actually hit the ball with his leg.  Donovan was on top of his game and was a strong leader on the pitch.

One week down and many more to go.  I am excited to see the announcement of two more teams for 2011 in Portland and Vancouver.  MLS growth means that teams are being successful financially, and in this economy we all need an inexpensive form of entertainment.  90 minutes of fun for a cheap price, everyone go see a local game ASAP.

With the MLS gearing up for the big beginning on March 19th, we at End Lines couldn’t help but do a couple of MLS predictions.  Normally I personally try to steer away from doing things like this simply for the fact that it makes it sound like I know what I’m talking about in relation to every team in the league…which is obviously not true.  But in mulling this idea over with my co-contributor, I couldn’t help it considering how excited I am about this coming season, and how much I’m willing to go out on a limb with a few of my predictions this year.  Seems I’m the second to make my posting this weekend, so I’ll encourage you to scroll down and check out Mark’s predictions as well…I’m sure we’ll agree as often as we wildly disagree.  Anyway, without further delay, here are my 2009 Major League Soccer predictions:

My 2009 picks for “most likely to succeed”

First and most obviously I have to pick the Columbus Crew.  The structure of players is all still there, despite much nervous off-season talk.  Only the piece of Sigi Schmid is gone, a large piece though it may be.  But momentum speaks volumes in a league of parity like the MLS, and no one should be betting against these guys to make another run.  Next there’s the Chicago Fire.  The Chicago Fire have too many good pieces not to pick ‘em, but it all hinges on the question of injuries.  Will the injury bug possibly affect this team?  They seem to be pretty reliant on McBride and Rolfe in the attack, and despite some other options that makes them feel shallow up top, but those are two pretty dangerous first choices when you consider they also have Justin Mapp and Blanco as first choices in support.  And lastly I have to pick Toronto FC.  Originally I was going to choose them as my “sleeper” pick of the year, but I just see too many good things in Toronto to not put them here in my list. The acquisition of Dwayne De Rosario was the best pick up of the off-season.  Add that to the addition of Adrian Serioux, as well as the potential contributions of Sam Cronin and O’Brian White, and you could easily see Toronto challenging late in the season.

My 2009 picks for “needs improvement”

For this section I ended up picking two teams that did poorly last year and it certainly doesn’t look to be getting better, and one team that was a popular sleeper pick last year and yet continue to baffle even their admirers.  First up I look to the L.A. Galaxy to continue to slide.  L.A. has two of the league’s marquee players in Donovan and Beckham, and this has ended up being exactly their biggest problem in the last two years.  Strapped with these financial weights, which are made so by the salary structure of the MLS, the team simply cannot afford to move on from the single-player approach to build a team.  They’ve dropped a handful of players who they felt were holding them back and Bruce Arena usually runs a well-organized team, something this team desperately needs.  But unless they find some seriously cheap diamonds in the rough this year I just can’t imagine it getting better for them.  My next pick is the San Jose Earthquakes.  Frank Yallop has done well to attempt to build a real team in San Jose, and hasn’t had the haphazard approach of some other teams, but a position switch for newcomer Bobby Convey may prove too much given that he’s been idle for so long.  Especially since that switch is from the wing to the middle where he’ll be expected to hold the attack together.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big Bobby Convey fan, but I don’t think he’s the man to carry that responsibility for this second year squad.  Look for them to struggle until they get it figured out…which is possibly another year away.  And then there’s FC Dallas.  I don’t feel the commitment from Kenny Cooper anymore, Adrian Serioux left for Toronto, there’s been no real change to the off-season revamp…it’s just not in the cards for this team this season in my opinion.  Even Dave Van Der Berg’s addition to the squad probably won’t save this team from sliding further.  Then again, maybe he’ll prove to be what they needed to push them over the hump…probably not though.

Sleeper Pick

My sleeper, or dark horse, pick would be Chivas USA.  They’ve been on the verge for a while now and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them explode this season.  Sacha Kljestan will be out to prove himself to prepare for a move out of the MLS, and he’s been the engine of this team for a while now.   With him on point they’re a leg up on most of the parity of the rest of the MLS.  Ultimately however the question of how effective Ante Razov can still be remains the hinging factor on whether this team will burst through the glass ceiling, or simply remain a promising side.  I guess a more appropriate pick for the dark horse than the obviously potential laden Chivas would be the Seattle Sounders.  This team has been engaging in purposeful and un-expansion-like dealings that could pay off.  But given the fact that they are an expansion team I still would have to say that if Sigi pulls off a deep run he’ll be the MLS’s version of Guus Hiddink.  Of course, it’s been done before…

As for the rest…

Will qualify for playoffs:

Houston Dynamo – I’d never dare count the Dynamo out, but there are too many teams who have progressed passed them, and their schedule is too packed to really compete on all fronts like they’ve been trying to do for several seasons now.  I see them running deep, and ending up at home late in the game.
New England Revolution – There’s a great amount of quality still on the team, but Steve Ralston is aged but still the pivot of the team, Taylor Twellman is a question due to injury and questions of dedication to the team and the league, and the loss of Michael Parkhurst overseas may be one too many losses in a run of them over several seasons than can be overcome to remain a contender.  Unfortunately, New England’s run of dominant seasons (despite zero titles) may be over for now.
New York Red Bulls – NY will have some momentum from last year and from maintaining a large portion of the core of their team, but ultimately all it would take is Juan Pablo Angel to go down for a stretch and they would be in trouble.  Even with him healthy they’ll struggle to replace the service of Dave Van Der Berg to the men up top.
Kansas City Wizards– I’ll never bet against a defense anchored by Jimmy Conrad and backed by Kevin Hartman, but they’ve been very inconsistent in recent seasons and I can’t really say what would change that now.

Will miss the playoffs:

DC United – This team has much quality to bottom dwell, but the reacquisition of Christian Gomez shows they have no other solutions to their problems.  And on top of that it’s an aging team they’re fielding in DC which could cause them to falter late as they’ve been prone to for years now.
Real Salt Lake – Although expectations are running high after last year’s showing, and Jason Kreis has instilled confidence in Salt Lake in the last two years, and rightly so, I ultimately just can’t put them above any of the other high picks without a lot of unexpected heroics.  And who is there to be RSL’s hero?
Colorado Rapids – This is a team with too many questions and not enough leaders.  Conor Casey is good but inconsistent, and they’ve been searching for a few years for the answer to their troubles, but all they’ve done is acquire Christian Gomez only to deal him right back.  Hardly an act that says they really know what they’re doing.

Anyway, that’s my take given what we know now, but who knows how the ball will bounce!  We’ll see just how psychic/psychotic some of these pics turn out come the 2009 MLS playoffs.  Either way, here’s hoping for a great season!

Cheers!

For those new readers to the site, I am Mark Engel a MLS contributor to this site.  Jeremiah and I would like to offer up our very scientific predictions for the MLS season, mostly involving my manager mode results from FIFA 09 and stats from last season (just joking).  First up are the teams I believe will be at the top of the charts at the end of the 2009 season. Then I will discuss the bottom teams, and the team that should shock the fans the most.  After all that, I will make a prediction that just might get me kicked out of my fantasy league.

Houston Dynamo

Real Salt Lake

New England Revolution

Columbus Crew

We are just 18 days away from the first kick off of the MLS season for 2009, and some teams have shown great success in tournaments around the world.  Included in this games are LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo, these teams have gone from their home towns to far off lands to represent for the MLS, and they have come home stronger.  I question their long term success in the MLS with the amount of games they play over seas, and extending their season, but what do I know.  Based on my scientific results, as mentioned before, I have come the conclusion that the Houston Dynamo will not be in the top of the Western Division, but rather 2nd from the top at the end of the season.  The games they will be playing in the CONCACAF tournament will prevent their starting lineup from being in maximum condition for the MLS run.  Not to mention their starting line up experienced some major shake ups in the off season, by losing DeRosario to Toronto and Nate Jaqua to Seattle.  These extra games also invite injuries and travel fatigue that wears on players as the season progresses.  I believe they have the talent and coaching to a make a run at the playoffs.  Unfortunately, they must sacrifice a few games in the regular season.  Therefore, the team on top of the Western Division will be Real Salt Lake.  This team really came together close to the end of last season, and if they can keep that ball rolling they will maintain their success and power through the competition.  I was very impressed with Kyle Beckerman’s maturity and leadership on the field.  It allowed for other players to grow and develop.  Yura Movsisyan’s creativity and striking in the later parts of a game make him a complete threat throughout.  The Eastern Division will be lead by the usual suspects and will come down to an end of the season shootout between New England, Columbus, and Chicago.  This year I believe Chicago will fall short due to their teams reliance on players far older then the rest of the league, Blanco and McBride.  Taking second place in the Eastern Division will be New England.  NE will see some returning faces to the starting lineup that were vacant last season, namely Taylor Twellman, and this will spark that missing piece in their offense.  Yet, unlike Chicago, NE is placing a lot of emphasis on players that have yet to prove themselves in the league.  NE does have their core team coming back including the veteran Ralston, Joseph, and Matt Reis in goal.  We will see if they can put together another season like last year was shaping up to be, before the injury bug came bitting.  That leaves the Columbus Crew as the winners of the Eastern Division, again.  The Crew stormed the MLS last season, and deservedly won the MLS championship.  Schelotto showed his team what it takes to dominate the league, and they followed right in line.  This team took me by surprise last year.  I was watching NE run away with the division, and thinking no one could catch up.  Then the Crew proved me wrong, and won me over with their strong play and balanced team.  I look forward to watching them this season do it all over again.  My only concern with this team in 09 is the aged offense in Moreno, but the team has depth in the striker position. Robbie Rodgers will become the midfielder they rely on as an additional offensive threat.

San Jose Earthquakes

FC Dallas

Now the bottom of the charts was difficult to choose, mostly because I don’t look down that far very often.  The Eastern Division will continue to dominate the league play so both of my bottom picks come from the Western Division.  The second from the bottom will be the San Jose Earthquakes.  During the season I predict they will have goal keeper problems as well as striker problems.  Joe Cannon is a capable keeper, yet his defensive line will let him down.  On the other end of the pitch, their forwards will not be productive over the course of the season.  The team at the bottom of the charts will be FC Dallas.  Dallas will see the deathnail for goal keeper Dario Sala.  His performance over the past season continued to waiver and drop.  Kenny Cooper will transfer out in mid season, and will most likely leave the MLS for Europe.  These blows will prevent the team from solidifing until late in the season, when it is to late.

Toronto FC

Now for my surprising predictions of the year.  The team that will shock the league with their performance and growth will be Toronto FC.  I forsee the team finally getting united behind their coach and consistant players like DeRosario, Barrett, and Wynn.  This team will not be at the bottom, and will make an appereance in the playoffs.  The MLS Player of the Year for 2009 will be Goal Keeper Jon Busch of the Chicago Fire.  Jon Busch will be the keystone of his team and lead by example, by being the league’s number one keeper.

Chicago Fire

Give us Your predictions anytime, and we will revisit this post come October to see if I’m dreaming or a genius.