SB Nation Dallas: All Posts by Alfredo Cuvi

Marquee Matchups: Vendetta

2013-05-23T18:00:05Z

While the Toros attempt to get back on the saddle against San Jose, Houston will attempt to come back into their own as well.

D.C. United vs. Portland Timbers // Saturday, 6:00 p.m. CDT, RFK Stadium, MLS Live

DC wasn't exactly awful against Dallas, and they held Sporting to a draw just last week. Will Saturday be the day when DC finally break out of the awful slump? It looks pretty difficult, but the black and red faithful will have to hope that their team can finally get over the hump and pull out a home win. Those are in short supply for them lately, and it's not acceptable to keep dropping points at home, no matter who is visiting.

Ben Olsen is under enough pressure to cook an artificial diamond, and this win would be a massive boost to DC's morale. It might be too late for United to get into the playoffs, but their fans will definitely want to see some fight from their boys. I see DC winning this based purely on a gut feeling. DC simply can't keep losing. This isn't based on any kind of hard thinking. I just have a hard time seeing DC continuing this unreal losing streak.

As far as Portland are concerned, I think we would all be quite happy to see them drop points, but if we're honest with ourselves that doesn't look too likely. Darlington Nagbe's injury scare has come and gone, and he is currently practicing with the team. Whether or not their star will start the game is not yet known, but at the very least he isn't on the sidelines watching as everyone else trains.

Mr. Olsen? It would be real swell if your boys could do us a solid and take down Portland.

Houston Dynamo vs. Sporting Kansas City // Sunday, 2:30 p.m. CDT, Sporting Park, NBC Sports

Just two weeks ago, the Houston Dynamo got quite offended over the way Sporting Kansas City celebrated their victory at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Houston players said it wasn't a "big deal", and then proceeded to act like the girl who wasn't invited to that one party Melissa was invited to. It's no big deal guys. Nobody wants that totes lame unbeaten streak anyway.

Houston have now lost two in a row, and visiting Sporting Park will make their slump-busting attempts just a bit more difficult than they would like. While SKC have stumbled a bit as well since the start of the season, few people will pick against them in their own barn against a team that is struggling like the Dynamo has. Sporting's last minute loss to Seattle has wounded their pride a bit, and the draw against DC wasn't impressive, but otherwise they remain a strong team.

With Houston chomping at the bit to take down Kansas City away, and Sporting wanting to get back to the winning ways they showed at Houston, this is a match that could see some fireworks. Whether through ugly and physical play, passion and competition, or something else entirely is yet to be seen.

I do expect a fair amount of shin kicking though.

LA Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders // Sunday, 10:00 p.m. CDT, Home Depot Center, ESPN2

This would normally be something of a massive clash, and I guess you can still call it that.

The match is a bit watered down by the Sounders only recently coming into form, and by the Galaxy's tepid start to their season. These teams have disappointed almost across the board, but with the Sounders actually looking like their old selves again, the Galaxy will need to play like the champions they are to have a chance in this game.

LA's on again, off again relationship with proper high quality form has resulted in the Galaxy unable to string together a series of convincing results. With captain Robbie Keane leaving to lead his Irishmen to the World Cup, the Galaxy will rely even more than usual on a mercurial Landon Donovan to provide the needed cut-and-thrust.

The Sounders are patting themselves on the back after taking down FC Dallas, and given their recent form we must begrudgingly accept that some of the self-congratulatory back-pats are warranted. They scored four goals without Mauro Rosales (albeit Dallas gave them a little help in that department...) and don't look like they will be slowing down anytime soon. That being said, the Galaxy's defense has been stingy as usual, with the excellent Omar Gonzalez leading the LA back four to a strong defensive record so far, standing at .91 GAA.

When the Sounders struggled the most is when their offense couldn't click. After facing a leaky and out-of-sync Dallas, will they be able to take down the established LA defense to pull out three points? I'm not so sure.

US Open Cup Preview: Fort Lauderdale Strikers

2013-05-22T20:00:02Z

The stage is set and the teams are preparing their game plans.

FC Dallas will travel to sunny south Florida to take on the Fort Lauderdale Strikers to begin their US Open Cup campaign. Hopefully they will have a better go-around than last year, when FCD crashed out of the USOC (along with several other MLS teams) early at the hands of the Charlotte Eagles, in a game where the Eagles started current Colorado Rapids keeper Clint Irwin.

FC Dallas has had a bit of luck with this draw. Despite having to play away, the Toros have pulled a team that is struggling mightily in the NASL's spring season, currently holding just four points out of six games played. They are dead last in the NASL standings, boast a goal differential of -6, and have only scored six goals the entire spring.

Their season began with goalkeepr Matt Glaeser in net, but apparently he was quite poor and replaced with rookie Cody Laurendi. Unfortunately for the Strikers, Laurendi has been injured (a lacerated kidney, ouch!) and will be out for the rest of the season, putting Glaeser back in net. Dallas has seen what shaky goalkeeping can do, so hopefully for the Toros this will be something they can exploit. Pressure him early and often.

With Dallas' defense looking strong (albeit not lately...), and Ft. Lauderdale's offense looking very weak, it's officially acceptable to feel that nothing less than a win will do.

However, even though this Strikers team is not playing well and can barely score a goal to save its life, they have just beaten a team on penalty kicks to advance, and that can provide the kind of oomph needed to succeed in a knockout competition. A little belief can go a long way, and sheer enthusiasm can will a team foward. Dallas would do well to remember not to take these Strikers fellows too lightly.

The Kids Are Alright

As far as personnel selection goes, Schellas Hyndman will hopefully rest most of the team's important starters for this one. There is little to be gained by trotting out David Ferreira, George John, Andrew Jacobson, or anybody else nursing an injury or having played major minutes. Smaller teams take these early stages of the competition much more seriously than MLS teams do, and they do whatever it takes to win. That includes no small amount of fouling and dirty tactics.

Despite the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic being a completely Mickey Mouse trophy (pun completely intended), Orlando SC went out of their way to take out David Ferreira, and after much kicking, tripping and pushing ultimately succeeded. It's not a stretch to say that the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is the entire world to teams in smaller leagues such as the NASL, and you can bet good money they will play their hardest to take the MLS leaders down.

With that in mind, I am not too keen on seeing the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, whose only chance at glory is through the USOC at the moment, hack our boys down for the sake of advancing to the next round. Our reserves should be able to dispatch this group with minimum fuss and in the process preserve the legs for our next league match.

While the Open Cup should be taken seriously, I don't see much of a point in fielding a large number of First XI players to face a smaller team. It might bite you in the rear, but I find the risk of injuring critical pieces to be too high to chance having them on the field.

Here's hoping Dallas can punch at least at their weight class and knock these Strikers out cold.

Chivas USA: Where Fans go to Suffer

2013-05-22T16:00:05Z

"Chivas USA."

Simply hearing the name will unleash grunts, scoffs and any number of slings and arrows in their general direction.

I used to be one of those who laughed. After all, the way they conduct business (if you could call their firesale "business") is laughable, their roster is in shambles, they lack a TV deal, they are always losing, et cetera, et cetera.

They have no fans, or so it would seem. On TV, their stadium has entire sections closed off to "improve the atmosphere" and to "make it a more intimate experience". The announced attendance numbers are ludicrous, not even closely related to the number of people clearly evident on the screen.

I see much glee directed at the colossal failures that envelop this team, on twitter and other online destinations, and I realized that my laughing at the team is a terrible thing to do. Why should any fan of this budding league take happiness in the sustained failures of one of its teams?

The clearly uninterested ownership group that control Chivas deserves no sympathy. They have taken a team with some interesting potential and absolutely scuttled it.

Who I feel sorry for are the fans.

Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here

There are fans there, believe it or not.

You see them banging the drums, waving the flags, releasing the odd smoke bomb and chanting as loudly as their limited numbers can muster. They own jerseys, go to every game, buy season tickets, and then go home to read and to write all about the team they love. When Chivas beat FC Dallas, they probably threw their panties (or boxers, as the case may be) on the stage and partied all night.

They go to the MLS website, or to their team store, and buy some glasses or mugs with the Chivas logo on them. They read the Goat Parade and lurk along other MLS sites, picking up bits and pieces of information where they can. They probably have a twitter account that follows all the Chivas players and Chelis.

They have done everything in their limited power to support the club, and it still isn't enough.

It's sad to consider that all they probably read on twitter and the rest of the internet inevitably involves rumors of a move, articles ripping their team to shreds, or otherwise columns upon columns of scorn and mockery.

I can't even imagine what it's like to be a Chivas USA fan right now. Few things can match the sports-heartache of seeing your team die a slow, humiliating, and rather public death. I can't claim to ever have been there. The teams I have supported have survived difficult times, but have never been on the verge of collapse. It's possible Chivas survives these difficult months, but it's hard to envision it at the moment. When the commissioner of the league calls your team's situation "frustrating", you know things are going badly.

For all our mocking Chivas, let's not forget the time FC Dallas was this (-------------- those lines? hold your fingers that far apart. That's how close.) close to being moved.

For financial reasons, both related and unrelated to stadium development, the Hunt Sports Group were rumored to be heavily considering moving the team elsewhere. Thankfully it all played out the way it has, and FC Dallas is currently enjoying a pretty big surge in attendance and fan involvement. Things have improved, fan involvement has picked up and the team is enjoying success. Thanks to a (now gone) savvy President and a newly involved owner (Dan Hunt), FCD's prospects for the future look pretty bright. Why, even a roof/awning might be built in the next ten years!

But what if that hadn't been the case, and the team had been moved away?

We would be those fans, sweating bullets with each press release that follows. It could very well be Big D Soccer covering all the latest about David Ferreira being traded away to some team for a third round draft pick and two cans of coke.

Drew would have to write scouting reports and previews in which half our team has been acquired on the cheap. Steve would have to do actual banking analysis to see if this team could survive past a few months, financially speaking. My Monday morning columns would consist of drunken, sobbing rants in which I pray to any deity that would listen to save our team.

Failure Is Never a Positive

Make no mistake, the failure of Chivas USA, or of any MLS team, is a terrible thing for the league and its fans. The world of soccer in the USA is different from most places in the world, and that's something a lot of MLS fans are reluctant to accept.

As with any American sport, MLS is a business and exists primarily to make money. If Chivas fails, it's just another red flag to people looking to invest in the league. Savvy business men will of course note that the ownership of CUSA is uniquely bad and almost exclusively to blame. This is not in doubt, and provides a ready-made excuse to those looking to attract more money to the league. But in the end, having a team fail in a massive market like Los Angeles is simply bad for business. No amount of "moving the team to SA/Orlando/San Diego" will change what is ultimately an ugly black mark on MLS' expansion record.

If you have been following Chivas, then it's easy to see that their issues run far beyond the standard complaints of "two teams in one city" and "they're branded as another Mexican club". For a good, long time now Chivas' marketing has been effectively zero. Marketing is something that's required to bring in new fans and which is entirely unrelated to their location and their parent-club, and yet their advertising budget consists of dollar bills and coupons to Golden Corral. Their owners give the manager zero financial backing, and instead resort to selling players behind El Chelis' back. Getting rid of Juan Agudelo is a spectacularly stupid move, regardless of his contract status. What kind of team in need of strikers sends off a promising (and currently cheap) young forward?

Oswaldo Minda went to the Ecuadorian media and complained about not getting paid what he was promised. That story has gone silent now (feel free to guess why), but even its existence should set off about three different alarm bells.

I contacted Alicia Ratterree of the SBN blog The Goat Parade, and here's what she had to say.

1) Is the team considered to be in serious danger of being moved?

"At this point, there's no concrete evidence that a move is imminent, and MLS has repeatedly denied over the past couple weeks that they will be making any sort of takeover of the club.

However...

I think Chivas USA fans are certainly bracing for the possibility of a move at some point in the near future. The current owner does not give the club the time of day, investing as little money and time as possible. Attendance problems, which have been an issue for a few years now, are worse than ever, as the team does no marketing to the giant LA region. Rumors that both Chivas de Guadalajara and Chivas USA will be sold soon keep cropping up, and the latest rumors say that the prospective buyer, Carlos Slim, has no interest in Chivas USA. So while I can't say for certain something will or won't happen regarding a move, it at least seems plausible, something that can't be said for practically any other MLS club at the moment."

2) What has it been like to support this team through all this mess? Have you been there from day one?

"It's been hard following the team in recent years, no doubt. I consistently say that Chivas USA is the only club in MLS where fans are routinely told their team is a "failure" and they should be folded. By no means would I defend the management in recent times, since they've done a fantastic job of alienating everybody they can as well. Throw the fact that the team has been very bad the last three seasons, and it's been pretty brutal to be a fan of this team.

That said, I became a fan of this team in 2006, after moving to Southern California. I had a choice of which local club to follow, and I picked Chivas USA. There are times I wonder why, especially when the Goats suffer blowout loss after blowout loss, but all in all, I stand by that decision. And one of the best parts of becoming a Chivas USA fan has been to meet so many other fans of the team, people who don't miss a match at the stadium, people who like to discuss the good and the bad as much as I do. There is a community feel to the fanbase, and when the rumors look bad, when the results go against our team, when the haters come out in full force, we have each other to count on. I'm very grateful for that."

What do the supporters have to do with any of these negative things? You can't really pick what team you fall in love with. A lot of times, a team just calls out to you, and the bond is formed. For whatever reason, these fans have chosen Chivas, and those guys and gals aren't about to stop backing their team because things go south.

They are few in number, very few if the stands are any indication. But for those that do exist, the fire for their team burns as hot as any other supporter, no different than the Inferno or the Dallas Beer Guardians.

It probably hurts like hell to know that three or four MLS-hungry cities are circling like vultures, ready to take their team from them.

Here's to you, dedicated Chivas fans. You guys deserve better.

Around MLS: Stuck in Neutral

2013-05-20T17:00:05Z

Peter Walton, the head of the PRO, is going to have one heck of a time sorting through the refereeing mess created this weekend.

Incorrectly called (blatantly so) offside goals and red cards issued to the wrong people are only a fraction of the incidents. With "Referee Week" on the MLS website providing a bit of extra focus on the men in the middle, it's fairly safe to say that the emphasis came at the wrong time.

The Columbus Crew bust out of their funk against league punchline, Toronto FC. Federico Higuain and Dominic Oduro combined for the game's only tally, and that would be enough to win. While Columbus will need to do more to bounce back into a reliable group, taking down Toronto, even if away, has to be a minimum requirement. A win is a win though, and Columbus can take those three points to regroup and try and get back on track.

What can be said about Toronto that hasn't already been said? Many seasons worth of false starts and broken promises are enough to hurt even the most jaded Reds fan. They are hardened through years of abuse at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it's hard not to feel for them. The new leadership at Toronto needs time, maybe years, to really get a chance to put that mess back in order, but the interim moments will be a rough ride.

Chivas USA has lost again, thumped by Real Salt Lake 4-1. They are finally resembling the team the rest of the league expected to see this year, and it has to be said that I feel sorry for their fans.

Chelis is a man whose unbridled enthusiasm is the source of much joy for his players and the press, and you can see it be slowly sucked out of him. Match by match, week by week, Chelis' passion has gone from a thundering roar to a meek meow. It saddens me to see a man who clearly feels as if he has been abandoned by his employers. Chelis knows (and even said) that his team is quite poor. What is the man supposed to work with? For all the miracles he worked with Puebla, he had more talent in one Puebla player than in half his Chivas squad.

Dan Kennedy taking free kicks is a pretty neat thing to see, as it resembles Paraguayan Paragon Jose Luis Chilavert, at one point neck in neck with Fabien Barthez for best goalkeeper in the world. Chilavert took free kicks and penalty kicks, and was pretty well regarded as a solid set piece taker. Perhaps Kennedy's future sees something similar? Or was this merely a stunt to distract from the horrible run Chivas have been on?

For all this talk of Seattle, Real Salt Lake have stopped the back and forth and have settled on mostly winning. Jason Kreis and his crew are doing quite a number on most of their opponents the past few weeks. Can they keep up their momentum and turn it into a SS challenge?

The New York Red Bulls defeated the LA Galaxy 1-0 at the Red Bull Arena, and Tim Cahill is earning his big ol' paycheck this season. Just like Henry, he's beginning to heat up in his second season, and if it really sticks the rest of the league will have to plan around two world class players when they play New York.

LA was, well... not very good in the finishing department. They made a meal of almost all of their chances, of which they had more than a few. Landon Donovan played well, if not excellently, and tried his best get his team on the board, but it just wasn't enough. Jamison Olave snuffed out most attacks before they could get dangerous, and when there was clear danger, he was there to bail out the Red Bulls time and time again.

This was billed as a battle of the titans, and was given premium billing following the last ESPN EPL broadcast featuring Arsenal and Newcastle United. I don't know what other viewers' opinions of this game were, but I was a bit embarrassed about the "quality" on display in this game. For a match hoping to draw in more viewers to MLS broadcasts, the arena looked pretty sparsely populated (not an uncommon thing in NJ) and the game itself was a roflcopter of failures in many areas. All told, it wasn't the worst match ever, but this isn't the kind of display you hope to attract people with.

Sporting Kansas City drew level against D.C. United, though it's easily argued that they should have/could have won the game. There are no guarantees they would have of course, chaos theory being what it is and all, but they did score a goal that didn't count, and it's a goal that could well have won the game for SKC.

How bad was the offside call ruined Sporting's goal?

Woof.

Of course, you could argue that a team of Sporting's caliber should be dispatching D.C. United effortlessly, but those DC players are still professionals. Even at their worst, there is a semblance of pride that prevents them from completely rolling over, so credit to DCU for getting a draw against a very tough team to beat.

Want to hear a funny joke? Okay, here goes:

"The Houston Dynamo's home record the last two games."

That's a good one, right?

The Houston Dynamo have lost two consecutive home games. Unthinkable, unimaginable, tragic, baffling... all words seen on twitter. The meltdown on display as Houston allowed the Revs to score two goals was hilarious and sad at the same time. I'm not unfeeling. We have been there before.

It's not that difficult to see why the Dynamo have lost two in a row: they're just not that good at the moment. It's clearly confusing to some, but home field advantage still requires a decent team to win on said home field. While BBVA Compass Stadium has been good to the Dynamo in the past, only so many soccer sins shall be forgiven and swallowed up by the grounds before they offer up Brad Davis to the scales of soccer judgment.

Houston has several issues on their hands, and their home form can be added to the pile.

The Portland Timbers couldn't defeat the Vancouver Whitecaps, gaining only one point on FCD in the standings. While the 2-2 result could be seen as favorable on the road, but it continues Portland's trend of "clawing back", which for an ambitious team like the Timbers isn't exactly where you want to be.

After all, clawing back implies you were behind to begin with, and constantly getting behind isn't a good way to build for the future. While they were away, they don't have the standard "turf" excuse most teams do when visiting Vancouver, and the Caps just came off the Canadian Championship, which surely tired them out. Not a bad result for Vancouver, given all those issues.

Food for Thought:

What result was the most important for FCD?
Was the refereeing as bad as twitter would have you believe? (obvious bad calls aside)
Are Houston unlucky at home, or are they regressing to the mean?
What are some random thoughts about this past week?

The Monday After Seattle: Leak Sprung

2013-05-20T14:00:04Z

I think that result was to be expected.

I certainly expected it, and if you're honest with yourself, you probably did too. Dallas was missing two defensive linchpins, Ferreira sat out, and Seattle was/is on a pretty good run. Despite missing Mauro Rosales (and later in the game, Osvaldo Alonso), a team on fire is hard to stop.

It also doesn't help that, for the first time in a while, Schellas Hyndman's pre-game tactics were a bit suspect.

I understand the logic of trying to use a high-line, offside trap combo to limit Seattle's offensive capabilities, but doing so with London Woodberry as one of the centerbacks is a pretty tall order. The offside trap is a strategy that requires guile, and no small dose of knowledge of the opposing players' runs. Woodberry has been serviceable to this point and even better than expected, but asking him to read a dynamic offense he has never faced seems a step too far.

This was the first game where I thought Woodberry truly looked like a rookie in over his head. He was constantly beaten, pulled out of position several times, and generally was too slow reacting. It's to be expected from a kid who's new to the professional game, but it's still unpleasant to witness. Let's hope this doesn't crush his confidence and he can build from it. Managerial platitudes are there for a reason, right?

Some of the Sounders fans have accused FCD supporters of hiding behind excuses. We all know the excuses (injuries, turf, etc.), but I hope we can all be realistic and say that

a) all fans hide behind excuses, as it's a coping mechanism, and

b) Seattle won fair and square.

The Sounders were missing several important pieces as well, and scored four goals. Four. Mother Theresa could not have been more generous in handing out three points.

That's not a number to scoff at, and it points at defensive frailties that have all of a sudden become something of an issue. In the past three games, Dallas has allowed seven goals. That's an ugly number for a team that aspires to have one of the best defenses in the league. There are injuries, yes, but those goals don't care for excuses or justifications. The back line must improve if Dallas is to hold on to the top spot.

Seattle are one of the most dynamic offensive teams in the league, so it's no surprise to see them score several goals in a game. Perhaps this is a blip and Dallas will go back to defending solidly against the rest of the league. Perhaps this is all much ado about nothing, and FCD will go back to Frisco this weekend to take on a pretty tepid San Jose.

Here's hoping George John returns alongside Andrew Jacobson and David Ferreira. The best way to rebound from a bad loss is to pull out three points at home.

Losses happen to even the best teams, and we are one of the best teams. Seattle now have their day in the sun, and with two games in hand on the league leaders, they can feel confident in having a chance to close the gap.

Oh, and Michel's olimpico coupled with Houston's second consecutive home loss (to the toothless Revs) should take some of the media heat off our Toros this week.

Not a bad week to lose, all things considered.

What are your feelings on the way this weekend played out?

Marquee Matchups: "Most Disapointing" Title Up For Grabs

2013-05-16T18:19:17Z

It will never be said that MLS is one that shies away from trying out something different. The teams that are scheduled to meet each other mere weeks, or back to back, find themselves forced into a rivalry based on timing. After all, seeing the same team in quick succession is a sure-fire way to get tempers flaring.

Toronto FC vs. Columbus Crew // Saturday 4:00 p.m. CDT, BMO Field, MLS Live, Univision Deportes

Here is a tale of two teams that just a month ago held so much promise. They both impressed everyone at the start of the season, and both teams had people saying "Finally! TFC/the Crew are going to be good this year! Just you watch out!"

I have to say, I was thinking the same thing about these teams. While they struggled in some areas, they looked capable of mounting a serious playoff challenge, and didn't appear to be completely helpless.

How things have changed. Both the Crew and Toronto have gotten into an ugly rut that has seen their estimation amongst pundits fall, and how. From "exciting and fresh" to "same old, same old", these two teams both need a win. A draw helps neither.

(I swear to you, this could be a carbon copy of a preview I wrote for these two teams meeting last year at BMO Field.)

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Portland Timbers // Saturday 6:00 p.m. CDT, BC Place, MLS Live

The Whitecaps defeated a rather insipid LA Galaxy this past week, and with their recent positive result against cross-country rival Montreal, are surely riding with more confidence than they're used to. Their defense has shored up considerably the past two games, with only two goals allowed against them in the run of play. Shutting out Montreal is a fairly impressive thing to accomplish especially away at the Stade Saputo. Martin Rennie will have to hope his team can repeat the feat against their next visitors.

The Timbers are coming off a very good run of form, having pushed Chivas around and pretty much doing whatever they wanted to last Sunday. Normally, teams visiting BC Place will have some issues with the turf they Whitecaps play on, but this will be no obstacle to Portland since they play on turf as well. Caleb Porter has his team attacking with speed and finesse passing, which is something Vancouver has struggled with so far. The Timbers also match FC Dallas in scoring, and have many weapons at their disposal to trouble the Whitecaps. Can Vancouver stop the Timbers from doing as they please in this Cascadia Cup match?

New York Red Bulls vs LA Galaxy // Sunday, 12:00 p.m. CDT, Red Bull Arena, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, ESPN Deportes

This is the big one.

This is the match that draws massive promotion from around the league every year, and for once it migh tlive up to its billing.

New York is finally performing the way people were hoping they would, and Socceroos skipper Tim Cahill has been leading the charge alongside famed Frenchman Thierry Henry. There's always the potential for someone in New York to do something dramatic, whether it be Luis Robles botching a clearance, Henry scoring a wondergoal, McCarty threading a spectacular pass... those all can happen within 90 minutes. At the very least it should lead to entertaining television, though the quality of the soccer to be had is always debatable.

The LA Galaxy aren't quite as impressive as the Red Bulls at the moment, and yet they have just wrapped up a trip to Pennsylvania with three points in the bag. Not bad for a team that can't seem to find its footing.

The Galaxy have all the latent potential you would expect out of the two-time defending champions, though at the moment that's all it is: latent potential. Dismantling a defensively laughable Union is nice, but is not in any way a real indicator of quality. It has become very difficult to predict which LA Galaxy team will show up. The 3-1 loss to a mediocre Vancouver team, or the 2-0 win over Sporting Kansas City team? Donovan looked good in Philly, and if the Galaxy are to enjoy success, Mr. Donovan will have to be involved again.

My money is on the Red Bulls to win. As a disclaimer, this is a prediction based on two things:

Office coffee, enriched with powdered Nestle hazelnut creamer and powered by Folgers.
Divination using the entrails some roadkill I passed by this morning in rural Tennessee. Beware the ides of May!

Food for Thought:

What results do you want to see this weekend?
Would you take a gamble on Zac MacMath?
Where will you watch the FC Dallas match?

Is FC Dallas Not Good Enough?

2013-05-15T19:35:36Z

Despite their absolutely torrid start, it seems that FC Dallas has yet to impress one particular member of the MLS Media. He's far from the only one who is yet to buy in, but he's prominent in the MLS community.

Matthew Doyle, otherwise known on twitter and on the MLS website as the Armchair Analyst, just isn't impressed enough with FCD's performances early on. It all started when he said to Jeremiah Oshan (SB Nation MLS writer/editor, and a major piece of the Sounder at Heart blog) that Montreal and Dallas have not really impressed him.

(I'd like to point out that I'm usually a big fan of Mr. Doyle's work and love what he does on the site. I think his skepticism is misplaced though.)

I mentioned to him on twitter that Dallas has been winning, and that they aren't responsible for the quality of the competition put in front of him, and this is the exchange that followed:

@archlobster I need them to play better, honestly. They're eking out wins, but it's a long season. I think that eventually stops.
— Matthew Doyle (@MLS_Analyst) May 13, 2013

I replied with my opinion on Sporting Kansas City, and his response left me clueless as to his standards.

@archlobster True, but Sporting have won the East twice in a row. So there's a pedigree, and I tend to trust teams with pedigrees.
— Matthew Doyle (@MLS_Analyst) May 13, 2013

What counts as a "pedigree"? Two years of topping the table? Houston hasn't done so, but they earn praise. I am not sure what counts as a pedigree, but I think consistent success is a good way to describe it.

I tried to explain that FC Dallas doesn't need to look pretty to be effective, but he did not reply to me further.

Double Standards and Selective Memory

For someone who's employed as an analyst (of any sort), this is a pretty blatant double standard to hold to.

Dallas does not have a pedigree, so they are hard to take seriously. Really?

It should be noted that Sporting Kansas City have nothing resembling a "pedigree". Last season (2012) was the first time in a long while where Sporting enjoyed consistent success. Lest anyone forget, Sporting were absolutely appalling in the first half of 2011 (one win in their first 11 games), where they played themselves completely out of the playoff picture and had everyone laughing at them in the process.

Yes, they played all of their games on the road, but good teams can get results on the road, and Sporting was not getting any results at all. They were a dreadful, awful team to watch. Later on, their new home opened and they recovered in time to qualify for the playoffs. Not a great year by any standard, but definitely a nice one. It wasn't a banner year for their team, but it didn't need to be.

Is their 2011-2012 season combo much better than than what Dallas has done since 2010?

Dallas won the Western Conference championship in 2010, and in the process lost only four games, which is tied with San Jose for the least losses suffered in the regular season by any team. Dallas proceeded to dominate 3/4 of the 2011 season before injuries and fatigue took their toll on the team. The 2011 season ended with a whimper, but hopefully we all have not forgotten the great soccer we were privy to for most of that season (with David Ferreira out no less).

FC Dallas became the first MLS team to defeat a Mexican team on Mexican soil in a competitive match. They also beat the Sounders in Seattle, dismantled the Colorado Rapids in their first rematch, and took down the hot-streaking Columbus Crew on the 4th of July.

Dallas had a horrific year with injuries last year, with 2012 becoming something of a lost season. Most MLS writers agree on the point that 2012 Dallas was impossible to gauge because at no point did they field their strongest eleven for more than one game at a time.

I guess those 2010-2011 achievements (and ignoring 2012), coupled with our current form, isn't enough to leave a lasting impression.

Things will level out... or will they?

The Armchair Analysts' first reply to me also doesn't mesh with what I understand about our team.

He says he needs Dallas to play better. He believes their wins are all too close for comfort, and that it won't last throughout the season.

That's a reasonable criticism enough coming from a casual observer, but not for someone employed by the league to watch games and comment on them with authority.

Dallas has been lucky at times, yes. Teams in the top tend to have luck break their way. No one ever won a cup or a trophy of any sort without luck favoring them at crucial moments. The biggest heartbreaks for sports fans are the losses that have nothing to do with true skill, and everything to do with rotten luck ruining a moment when both teams are in the thick of it. Dallas has had luck, yes, but that doesn't mean they have not earned their way to the top, or that there is a plausible reason to be cynical about their success.

Goals are goals. The way those goals come about doesn't matter, as without pressure and sustained attack Dallas doesn't get any of the goals they have scored. But the success the team enjoys isn't just reliant on the attack.

The Hoops' defense has earned many plaudits around the league, and is the foundation for all their sucess so far. It's not a stretch to say that Dallas' back four has earned them points that the rest of the team did not deseve. But is the defense any less part of the team than the strikers? Because Dallas relies on a solid defense to get them through the tough times in a match, is that less worthy of consideration? It's not as exciting as three goals a game, but try telling that to the fan whose team just won that those three points. Will that fan care, or will the opposing team earn any points, because Dallas relied on defense and were "unimpressive"?

Even more confusing than his "bah humbug" attitude towards Dallas is his skepticism of Montreal's success. Doyle was also not sold on them either, and that genuinely astounds me.

What good reason is there to be skeptical of Montreal's success? Their depth? That's about the only big flaw in their system that I currently see. Depth can be fixed with money and time. Even so, there's no telling if their bench is as rotten as some would tell you. After all, we did not think much of FC Dallas' depth to start out the season, and it has worked out pretty well so far.

Montreal have gone on the road to win at Portland and Seattle, bested league darlings New York, and have defeated Real Salt Lake just this past week. They have accomplished all these feats with a first year coach and a multinational team. Is there any reason to believe that they will be significantly worse for the rest of the season? It's possible, sure, but unlikely.

Where Dallas Ranks

Is eleven games a decent sample size to analyze things? I think (just about) one third of the way through the season gives an decent measure of all teams, though of course there are obvious exceptions. With that in mind, let's look at where Dallas stands with the rest of the league in several areas:

Dallas is tied with Portland (whose style Doyle seems to be quite fond of in his articles) in goal scored per game. They currently stand at 1.64 goals per game. That's a pretty stellar number, but perhaps we're overdoing it. Maybe just being the best in one category isn't enough. Let's look at another.
Dallas boasts the best goal differential at 7, and why is this? Because FC Dallas' defense has been, to put it politely, absolutely phenomenal. Highly-touted Portland managed only a single goal against a team missing two critical defensive players in Andrew Jacobson and George John.
The Hoops, before the semi-dive DeRo took last Saturday, had not once been scored on in the first half of any game this season. I expect though, that that is no indicator of quality of defense and that FCD will come back down to earth. There is no reliability in that either, I'm sure.
Using the Portland Timbers as a barometer (the league in general is rightfully excited about their success), Dallas beats them in almost every single statistical category save a few, and have done so without the Porterball style that is earning so many plaudits.

If someone were to sit down and carefully observe the team, it becomes plain why the Toros are number one in the league.

They score a lot and concede little. What else is necessary for success than those two things?

Anyone who has watched the games extensively (as FCD fans tend to do) will note that Dallas has a very rapid attack. Dallas simply does not play a possession style game, and hasn't for quite a while. They move forward, attack, and move on. Their system doesn't have "possession" as part of its mantra. Is that a bad thing?

No one system is fool-proof. Porterball's high-tempo, high-pressure, high-line offense is very exciting to watch, and also very, very dangerous for the team that attempts it. It's very easy to get burned on the counter, and if the players are not well-suited to the system they will have to pack their bags and go somwhere else. It's not a system that is free of flaws. Barcelona recently proved against Bayern Munich that even the Most Incredible System Ever (tm) is suceptible against a team that is simply better than their opponents, tactics be damned.

What all this skepticism really does though, is reveal a bias that is a very normal every human being. People tend to prefer that which is pretty and exciting, and Porterball and Sporting Kansas City are certainly that. What it isn't, however, is superior to any other system. Kansas City, who the entire league seems desperate to see succeed, has been all over the park in terms of their form.

One week they are brilliant, the next they are unimaginative, pinging the ball around desperately and doing nothing with all their possession. Portland has succeeded, but it isn't because of a magic formula in their formation. Porter is simply adept at a certain style and is good at teaching it. Would Porter have the same success implementing a catenaccio style, a system that has proven to be enormously successful over the years?

Put simply, possession isn't a magical statistic. Simply having the ball does nothing for you unless you can put it in the back of the net.

I can already hear the explanations: "But Portland/Sporting gets so many chances!"

If they start scoring even more (which would be incredible) then that's a different conversation entirely. Chances, though, aren't goals. If chances were goals, I'm pretty sure FC Dallas would still lead Portland. How many gilt-laced opportunities have our players fluffed not 8 yards away from the net? Chances and exciting play mean nothing if they can't put the ball in the net.

Dallas is neck in neck with Portland in every category that matters, leading them in most of those categories, and leading them in points as well.

But I guess that just isn't enough to convince some people.

Poll

Is this the real FC Dallas?

Around MLS: Streakbusters and Sour Grapes

2013-05-13T17:00:06Z

You can argue that FC Dallas has yet to face the toughest part of their schedule, or that the bounces have all gone their way. What they can't be faulted for though, is the way the Western Conference seems to be intent on maximizing the Toros' lead at the top of the standings.

With only the Portland Timbers looking like serious challengers (at least at this point in the season) for FC Dallas' top spot in the West, the East is currently a more tightly packed group.

The Montreal Impact beat Real Salt Lake 3-2, in a incredibly fun match to watch that had plenty of goals and drama. When your back is pressed against the wall, when all odds are against you, when you're punched out in the 10th round and can barely stay on your feet, that's when your character shows.

Montreal showed an enormous amount of character, fighting back not once, but twice from a losing position to win in the most dramatic way possible: the last gasp, stoppage time goal. Mateo Ferrari was responsible for an own goal in the first half. That own goal put RSL up early in the 7th minute, but it didn't set the tone. It simply spurred the Impact to fight harder. Late in the first half Marco Di Vaio brought the game level, but RSL refused to and and in the 77th minute Kyle Beckerman scored to put Salt Lake in front yet again.

Beckerman's efforts wouldn't be enough, as three minutes later the Impact equalized, and it set the stage for this dramatic goal to seal the three points for Montreal.

The Seattle Sounders absolutely clobbered the San Jose Earthquakes, 4-0. Goonie magic sure is hard to work up when your team goes and out plays terrible, terrible soccer.

There isn't much to write, as blowouts tend to be short of drama. It's worth noting that with the Sounders coming up next, Dallas has been put on notice. This Seattle team is starting to look like the team many writers picked to win the MLS Cup in preseason polls. If their total destruction of San Jose doesn't worry you, you are a very confident person.

The Vancouver Whitecaps stunned the LA Galaxy, and the rest of the league, by dispatching the reigning Champs 3-1 at BC Place. While the Whitecaps didn't look organized at all in the first half, the halftime speech from head coach Martin Rennie must have lit a fire under their collective heinies, and the Canuck Club emerged from the locker room ready to put LA to the sword. The performance was night and day, and by the 75th minute the Whitecaps had a firm 2-0, and would see out the game from there on out.

Not all was glood and doom for the Galaxy, because homegrown product Gyasi Zardes scored his very first MLS goal in the 86th minute. Losing to a Western Conference opponent is never a good thing, but Zardes scoring should give LA hope that, despite the loss, a good sign has been shown in the forward depth department.

The Colombus Crew lost yet again, this time to the Colorado Rapids. It wasn't long ago when they were impressing most people with their attacking, fluid play. That has all skid to an abrupt stop, with the wheels falling off the Crew buggy while the cart crashes into innocent bystanders.

What exactly has gone wrong with the Crew? This doens't look like the fast, confident team from a month ago, and their morale is surely dropping after all the negative results. These things tend to be a vicious cycle, with low morale causing poor performances, poor performances lead to losses, losses lead to morale problems, and yada yada yada. Can Robert Warzycha stop the bleeding in Ohio before their season really begins to get in trouble?

The Rapids meanwhile, got back in the win column with a good game against Columbus. How Oscar Pareja manages to get his team to perform week in and week out, with that patient list he calls a roster, is impressive.

The Portland Timbers slapped around Chivas USA, winning 3-0 at Jeld-Wen Field. Much like the San Jose/Seattle game, there isn't much to write about this. You can tell that the Chivas players are motivated and committed to playing for their coach, they simply lack the awareness and skill to truly compete with the best. Portland was in another class entirely for most of the game, and luckil for them avoided the disappointing result they at home against the New England Revolution.

It seems like an awfully long time ago that Chivas were breathing down FC Dallas' neck. They have collapsed quickly, and are again sitting in a rather familiar spot for them: last place.

If last place wasn't bad enough, Chivas player Mario de Luna pushed a ball boy down for which he will certainly be suspended for at least a few games. What compels a man to shove a teenager to the ground? I understand the frustration he must have felt, but if that isn't the height of stupidity, I don't know what is.

Have fun on the sidelines, de Luna.

One last item on Chivas: Chelis rocked a pink sweatervest on the sidelines.

I take back everything I've ever said about Chelis.

Take a sip of sweet, vintage Schadenfreude (Viña del mar, 1981) fellow Dallas fans. The Houston Dynamo's home unbeaten streak has finally been broken, courtesy of the Greatest Team in MLS (they won, so obviously they get the title back), Sporting Kansas City.

If you did not catch the game, you missed a pretty exciting match. There was plenty of back and forth. There were cards, posts hit, altercations and macho posturing. There were goal-line clearances, close calls, and adrenaline charged free kicks. It also included several gems from the commentating team, including the line "the two best set piece takers in America are on the field", and "this is the strongest rivalry in MLS".

Aurelien Collin scored the game winning goal midway through the second half, on a long throw in that saw him head the ball past Tally Hall. My personal opinions on Collin are well-documented, but that doesn't take away from his puncturing of the Dynamo's pride. He is an absolute gem to have on any fantasy team and he comes highly recommended by Chipotle FC (only the most exciting team in the Big D Soccer fantasy league). Mr. Collin had several key interceptions and tackles to go with his goal, making him the MOTM for this game. Jimmy Nielsen would be a close second, as his saves kept Sporting ahead during critical moments of the game.

SKC celebrated their streak-killing with a huddle in midfield and by partying loudly in the tunnel. The Dynamo were quick to downplay the celebrations.

Bobby Boswell said it didn't matter to Houston, and even mocked Sporting's elation.

From MLSsoccer.com:

"I've said this since you guys have started talking about the streak, it's given teams that come in here with more motivation. ... Have you ever seen a team win a game and have a huddle after the game and go run around screamin in the tunnel and stuff like that? I haven't. Obviously they feel they've accomplished something great. Credit to them for getting the result, but it's not going to break us as a team."

I don't know who Boswell is fooling here, but I don't buy what he's selling for one second. Losing at home, to a team that is your direct rival, and have them end your streak in the process stings. It stings badly. He's right to say that the loss will not break the Dynamo as a team, but his and the rest of the Dynamo's reactions are those of a angry team that cannot stand losing (which is fine, they shouldn't like losing). They're quick to pretend it's no big deal though.

The thing is, their "we don't care" act is hard to buy because it is a big deal. Athletes don't excel because they don't care about winning/unbeaten streaks.

Your home is no longer safe, Houston. Your narrow field and physical (read: rugby-like) play couldn't save you this time.

Houston will likely carry on, with their business continuing as usual, and they will still being a solid team. They won't (sadly) go on a massive losing streak or otherwise fall apart. What might happen, hopefully, is that the loss will prevent Dominic Kinnear from appearing on every podcast and radio show in the United States (and Canada).

I have had quite enough of listening to him every other day in some form or another.

Food for Thought:

Is this recent rut a blip on the Crew's radar, or is something amiss in Columbus? Can anything be done to fix it?
What's the appropriate disciplinary measure for Marco de Luna?
Who is the best team currently in the league besides FC Dallas?
Do you believe Montreal is a legitimate threat to win the Cup this year?
Do you believe Houston's claims that the streak doesn't matter to them?