MLS Week 13 Previews

Well, I guess I wasn't gone nearly as long as I thought I was going to be. Now that the USMNT has crapped out of the World Cup, my focus can be readjusted back on MLS. We've got a full slate of 6 games this weekend and as a special treat, I'm going to start a new bonus component: the Game to Watch! (Duh-duh-duh-h-h-h!)


Chivas USA at Columbus Crew
A replay of last weekend's matchup between the two that just flip-flops the cities but not the result.
My Prediction: CUSA 3 - 1 CLB

KC Wizards at DC United
The Wizards have finally figured out how to score in multiples and DCU now is winding up with draws. Won't happen at home though.
My Prediction: DCU 2 - 1 KC

Colorado Rapids at FC Dallas
FCD doesn't like giving up results at Pizza Hut park and the Rapids are boring and average enough to not rock the boat.
My Prediction: FCD 2 - 0 COL

NE Revolution at Real Salt Lake
The Revs can't wait to get Dempsey back though who knows how long he'll stay after his WC performance. NE is also not looking as sharp as they need to be. An upset here wouldn't be shocking.
My Prediction: NE 1 - 1 RSL

Houston Dynamo at LA Galaxy
Yallop needs to start winning. His honeymoon is quickly coming to an end in La-La Land. Expect LA to pick up 3 points at the HDC.
My Prediction: LA 2 - 1 HOU

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NY Red Bulls at Chicago Fire
RBNY is in desperate need of a win. Unfortunately they won't get it in Bridgeview. Chris Rolfe, where have you gone?
My Prediction: CHI 1 - 0 RBNY

Game to Watch
This weekend, if you're going to Tivo a game or schedule two hours to watch something live, it should be Houston at LA. I know it might sound crazy, but this game will showcase a hard fought battle between the two with opportunities going back and forth and some attacking flare that we haven't seen in a while from LA.

Move along folks! There's nothing to see here!

And as quickly as it started, the World Cup is now over for the Americans.

There are many, many things we learned from this poor World Cup showing for the Yanks. I guess one of them would be for the next time bring a team of nothing but World Cup rookies since they seem to have the best showings. In 2002 it was a couple of unknowns name Beasley and Donovan that shined bright. This World Cup it was Clint Dempsey and occasionally Eddie Johnson.

People are going to crap all over the officiating in this game just like they did in the Italy game, and while there are legitimate gripes, that doesn't change the fact that we came out with only a lone striker in a 4-5-1 when we needed a win and goals (lots of goals actually). Never mind that even down a goal to start the 2nd half we still didn't bring on any more firepower until 10 minutes in or that despite poor play in the 6 months leading up to the WC, an extremely worthless effort against the Czechs, and a general bad attitude all round, DaMarcus Beasley still got the start and did very little with it (except the assist to Clint Dempsey for the US's only self-created goal of the whole damn tournament).

I will say this, and I think a lot of people know this and will be very shocked if it doesn't happen, but Bruce Arena will not be the coach of the USMNT when they return home if not before they even get on the plain. There are a variety of ways this could happen but regardless of which option is employed the end result is the same. Which is a shame. Bruce Arena is the single greatest reason US soccer is where it is (or at least we thought it was). He has been able to accomplish things that only a handful of people would have been able to do. Unfortunately that legacy has now been tarnished with the US past three performances. In time though we will remember the good much more than the bad.

Arena's tactics never jived, he played unfamiliar formations, and put players in positions that weren't really suited for them or their game; a managerial choice in extreme contrast to what he has used to get the US team where they are. He's always managed to put his players in positions to win except now in this World Cup. The best game the US had was when any preconceived game plans were rendered useless after the US lost 2 men and had to play with 9 against Italy.

But the sole blame does not lie with the coach. Heart and spirit were achingly absent in the opening game against the Czech Republic. Yes, Bruce's tactics hindered us initially but even in a perfect formation with a bulletproof game plan the Yanks still didn't come out to play (see: Beasley, DaMarcus, et al.)

The Italy game will still always hold an endearing place in my memory and in my heart as I'm sure it will in many others. That game was everything US Soccer should be: heart, courage, grit, pride, and an outright refusal ever give up. If only that could have disseminated through out all the US matches.

Many people may disagree, but more than the refs seemingly ruining games I put the blame on FIFA for making their refs ruin games. The officials called the games the way they did per FIFA's orders more than of the own volition. Yes, the PK in today's game with Ghana was dubious, but the US team should be faulted with not adjusting to the way the refs were calling the games. The tight calls and rampant yellow cards were not limited to US matches only. Throughout all the matches such calls were taking place.

This World Cup, more than anything, has just highlighted an old problem that has lingered in the USMNT for many, many years before. No matter how fit we many be, or how skilled on the ball our players may become; above having a significant height advantage over our opponents or being endowed with blazing speed, this simple fact remains that we are still woefully inept at finishing. Until we learn how to put the ball into the net all of these advancements we make will be for not. Clint Dempsey was able to finish today. This type of finish, however, if few and far between. If given a clear chance, we have to put the ball into the net (see: McBride, Brian, with perfect chance against Italy that he boots horribly wide) and when presented with a half-chance we need to convert more than not. Too many headers went awry. Too many shots on the move sailed over and away. Every set piece we have should be dangerous, unlike the beautiful setup the US had that Donovan inexcusably sends out over the touchline without a single US player touching it.

It's been a long 4 years since Japan/South Korea and it will now been an even longer 4 years to South Africa. To be fair, this hasn't been a good year for CONCACAF with Mexico the lone survivor into the 2nd round and very fortunate at that after losing to Portugal their last match. This is a little bit of the problem as well for the USMNT's development. CONCACAF just doesn't provide the level of play that South America and Europe can and that hurts.

We will be able to second guess and look back on this failed campaign for many months to come, but undoubtedly hope will slowly spring up again and when qualifying begins anew so will our high expectations and aspirations. The US team came to this World Cup with expectations and pressure higher and more intense than they've ever had to deal with and for all intents and purposes they choked. We weren't able to deal with the thing that we craved the most. Let this be a lesson we learn and next time around, fulfill the vast potential that our team, and country, has with the passion and pride that is intrinsically imbedded in each of us.

Could you water the plants while I'm gone?

My apologies to all. I really thought I could keep up with MLS action while the World Cup was on. I really did. But alas, I have failed in this task. The weekend's games have come and gone and Wednesday's matches have all had their final whistles blown.

There will be no MLS Power Rankings this week and chances are good that any weekend predictions will be absent as well. My emotions and focus are tied up with the USA's game tomorrow against Ghana. If they don't advance after tomorrow morning, there will be a period where I'm sure I'll be incommunicado, probably drooling over myself as I try to awake from my drunken stupor.

But worry not, I'm still trying to squeeze an MLS game in here and there and the league won't completely vacate my thoughts.

Good night and good luck.

Hello! Let me give you my card.

I had a few days to simmer down and look at the officiating of the US-Italy game much more objectively and these are my conclusions:

De Rossi, without question, deserved a red.

Pablo Mastroeni probably can't complain about the red he got.

Eddie Pope shouldn't have got booked twice but also shouldn't have put himself into position to get another yellow.

Of course I think the ref was a little card happy. Franz Beckenbauer and I agree on that. I think the thing that really irritates me about the poor officiating, and it went both ways for either team, was how horribly inconsistent it was.

I couldn't help but wonder why, 20 minutes from full time, the ref started letting everything go? People were plummeting to the ground just as they were the first 70 minutes, but there was a nary a whistle. He let the play go and it actually made for a more exciting game, if that was possible since it was pretty darn exciting before.

Another thing to consider as well is how little gets called in MLS games. The Pablo Mastroeni tackles highlights this. In MLS Pablo gets a yellow. In MLS, Eddie Pope maybe picks up one yellow somewhere. In MLS, half the calls don't get called? Is this an indictment of MLS for being to lenient and thugish or the World Cup being to over-sensitive and quick with punishment? It's an unhealthy combination of both I think.

If there's one thing that the US-Italy game did (other allow us an opportunity to release our pent-up frustrations) was that it helped debunk the wide-spread misconception in this country that soccer, somehow, isn't a contact sport. The image of a bleeding Brian McBride introduced millions of American people to the reality of soccer being a hard fought and, at times, rough sport and worthy of such sacrifice. Now that doesn't mean it needs to be rugby-lite.

Like most people, and maybe more than some, I deplore cynical fouling and the dreaded, so-called "professional foul". This is allowed to an unacceptable level in MLS and is something that desperately needs to change. Too often the better player is not rewarded for besting his opponent because his opponent, knowing he has been beaten, fouls and takes down the player and in turn slows the game and allows the defense to reset. This is just aggravating as is listening to the face and voice championing this boring style of play, Marcelo Balboa (but that's a topic for another day). It just lets the worse team stay in the game longer.

But soccer can be physical without fouling. Going up hard for 50/50 balls, shoulder to shoulder tackles, blocking a man off the ball, etc. Going in with all you've got to win a ball as opposed to simply tackling a person so you can catch your breath.

USA - Italy: The Rollercoaster Ride

I don't know about anyone else, but the US-Italy game was one of the best, most inspirational, gutsy, exhausting games I've ever seen. The US came out in a complete 180 of the Czech game, taking the game to the Italians, forcing the issue and playing inspired soccer. To walk off the field with a hard fought for 1-1 draw with Italy, playing with only 9 men for virtually the entire 2nd half, is nothing short of miraculous.

The officiating in this game was all over the place and as good as this game was the referee was that bad. Completely inconsistent and inept. And it went both ways. Players received yellows when all that was required was a talking to and players recieved red when a yellow would have sufficed (except for the well earned red Italy received).

The image of Brian McBride trotting off the field, bloodied, to get patched up will be an enduring image in US Soccer history.

There will be much debate to come on how this result ranks in the annals of US Soccer. Without doubt it settles comfortably along side the US beating Portugal and the US beating Mexico, both in WC '02.

The Yanks now find themselves in a must win situatino with Ghana on Thursday. That's how we want it. Leaving it all out on the field and going for broke.