21Mar/110
2011 MLS Power Rankings: Week 1
With Week 1 of the 2011 Major League Soccer season officially in the books, there are movers, and there are shakers in this week's MLS Power Rankings.Above the madness in March lie the Colorado Rapids, who remain at the top, while the Portland Timbers stay stuck at the bottom.We have some teams that have slid, and some that have moved up the ladder. Let's get right to it.Begin Slideshow21Mar/110
Seattle Sounders Drop Another: New York Red Bulls Take Their Opener
The Seattle Sounders played a tough 90 minutes in Red Bulls Stadium on Friday, but again could not finish well and dropped game two to the New York Red Bulls 1-0. Seattle played strong and created many opportunities in the first half, keeping Red Bulls keeper Greg Sutton busy and chasing. The highlight of the first half though came courtesy of Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, who got called for a take-down in the box, giving Red Bulls' superstar Thierry Henry a PK in the eighth minute. Henry went to his left and Kasey Keller chose correctly and sent Henry's kick packing, keeping the Sounders in the game at 0-0. The pressure on Sutton continued for the rest of the period, forcing him to make five saves before the teams broke for halftime at 0-0. The Sounders came out quickly again in the second half, but fate would change quickly and the Sounders would find themselves playing from behind. Fredy Montero lost possession in an attack and Teemu Tainio sent a long ball to up and coming star Juan Agudelo, who battled off Leo Gonzalez before poking the shot past Keller for the goal and a 1-0 lead in the 70th ...21Mar/110
LA Galaxy’s Offense Fails To Deliver in 1-1 Draw with Revolution
I have come to this cruel conclusion, this necessary evil of a assessment: The teams in Major League Soccer that will lift trophies in the fall are those that can win games in the rain. Another assessment: the match referee waving an arm up and down is, for all intents and purposes, a middle-fingered salute to bastions of fans supporting a team that supposedly scored a would-be goal.Interpretations and concessions aside, Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy needs to learn how to win matches in adverse conditions if it wants to at least defend its Supporters' Shield. Sunday's 1-1 draw with Steve Nicol's New England Revolution saw Los Angeles squander three would-be goals.Of course, it could be seen as Hilario Grajeda giving New England and Shalrie Joseph—who should have made the match a 2-1 decision to the Revs had it not been for a shot that hit the post in the second half—a free pass.I have been looking at David Beckham's mechanics when he delivers his crosses and set pieces, and they have been off. Either he gets too much elevation in his shot or not enough elevation, allowing it to be deflected or snapped up in the waiting hands of Matt ...20Mar/110
Why Fans Should Be Rooting for Charlie Davies to Make a Full Comeback
It has been 17 months since Charlie Davies played a competitive soccer match, and although the road to Saturday night's game against the Columbus Crew was a long one with a lot of speed bumps, Davies has persevered and is beginning his comeback to professional soccer with D.C. United. The hype surrounding Davies began when he came on to the big stage at the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa. Not many people expected the speedy Davies to be a main part of the American side that surprised everyone by advancing to the final before losing to Brazil. Davies only scored 26 total goals in three years playing for Hammarby in Sweden and then transferred to Sochaux in France and then the accident happened. Just days before the United States' match with Costa Rica in October, Davies was involved in a fatal car accident that he was lucky to survive. After many months of rehab, missing out on the 2010 World Cup and failing to impress back at Sochaux, the 24-year-old joined D.C. United on loan and began to impress coach Ben Olsen and his teammates. Saturday night was the beginning of the comeback for Davies, who is looked like ...20Mar/110
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. New England Revolution: Live Blog, Analysis, Reaction
Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy take on Steve Nicol's New England Revolution in the Galaxy's home opener on Sunday, March 20, 2011. The Galaxy are coming off a 1-0 season-opening victory over the struggling Seattle Sounders, while the Revs are looking to build on their previous efforts over Los Angeles at Gillette Stadium. Will the Revs get on a tear against the G's? Or will LA roll to their first win streak of the season? Bleacher Report's Jo-Ryan Salazar will provide you all the action from Victoria Street as Week 1 of the 2011 Major League Soccer season wraps up.Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com20Mar/110
Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs (March 20, 2011)
Bruce and ChadWhen asked about NFL veteran Chad Ochocinco's chances of playing MLS, the Los Angeles Galaxy manager welcomed the idea with open arms."I would be surprised (if he could play), but you never know," Arena said, "I give our sport a little bit more credit. It’s not like if our sport goes on strike that Landon Donovan’s going to go to the NFL as a free safety. "But I do love his passion for the game and I would love to see him on the field to see what he can do. Maybe I’m underestimating his ability and his desire to play."Ochocinco's decision to transition to soccer from a different sport and a different league has not been unprecedented. Former NBA great Steve Nash trained with the New York Red Bulls."He wasn't trying to make the team," Arena pointed out. "Actually, Steve Nash probably could have been a professional soccer player, from what I've seen of Steve. "He would have been a midfielder...Steve Nash probably plays 50 days a year. He's a little bit ahead of Ochocinco in that area."Change of pace for Michael StephensNow in his second year with the Galaxy, midfielder Michael Stephens is ready to pace himself after ...20Mar/110
Juan Agudelo Scores First MLS Goal As New York Red Bulls Defeat Seattle Sounders
Expecting to contend for the 2011 MLS Cup, last year's Eastern Conference regular season winners kicked off the 2011 MLS season with a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. The Red Bull Arena's boisterous crowd in the South Ward section, and the rest of the 20,982 fans, were given a preview of how dangerous the New York Red Bulls will be once they're in sync and running all cylinders. They witnessed moments of brilliance when Thierry Henry was "shaking and baking" his defenders as he passed the ball to his teammates. They cheered approvingly of the potential and game awareness of Juan Agudelo, as he beat two defenders to accept a 50-yard pass from Teemu Tainio. This led to Agudelo's first MLS goal in the 71st minute of the game. With his world-class finish, many have to wonder how many goals Agudelo capable of scoring this season. Not only was Agudelo's monumental goal important to the Red Bulls, it was also the first goal towards the team's "New York's Got Wings" campaign. For every goal the Red Bulls score this season, $1,000 in equipment and clinics will be donated to NYC ...20Mar/110
San Jose Earthquakes Come Up Short in Slippery Opener Against Real Salt Lake
The San Jose Earthquakes continue to build upon last year's success. It is clear that San Jose is eager and ready to surpass its playoff run from last season. Last season, the Earthquakes finished tied for fifth in the Western Conference with 46 points and a 13-10-7 record. The Earthquakes fell to the eventual MLS champions, the Colorado Rapids, last season. However, that small margin of defeat has not discouraged any Earthquake players. The Earthquakes have been working on improving a handful of areas which will help them advance even further toward an MLS championship. One of those areas is the depth at the goalkeeper position. With Joe Cannon gone, Jon Busch is now ready to assume the starting role. What will be interesting to watch, as the season progresses, is the competition between David Bingham and Andrew Weber to be backup goalkeeper. Also, with the Earthquakes' installation of the 4-3-3 system, many will agree that the team will certainly be making the proper strides to improve upon last year's results. In the first half, both teams had trouble establishing control of the ball at midfield. With Real Salt Lake’s physical style of play in the middle of the field, Earthquakes midfielder ...20Mar/110
Philadelphia Union Down Houston Dynamo 1-0 in Major League Soccer Action
The Philadelphia Union jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute over the Houston Dynamo and held onto the lead to give Houston its first home season-opener loss in club history. The score came on a short kick by defender Danny Califf when Sheanon Williams throw deep to the Dynamo side, taking them by surprise. While the Dynamo tried to regroup, Sebastian Le Toux shot from five yards out, hitting the crossbar. Califf got the ricochet and chipped it in for the game’s only score. The entire game was very physical, with three yellow cards issued in the game; Philadelphia’ Carlos Ruiz in the 20th minute for a reckless foul and Houston’s Brad Davis (22nd minute) and Califf (44th minute) for reckless tackles. To start the second half, the game was lost on local television and monitors in the stadium as the power supplying the transmission truck went out, and the signal was lost. It was back on line half-way though the second half. The Dynamo controlled the ball the majority of the game but could not find a way to put it in the goal. Numerous drives, break-a-ways and corner kicks failed to end in the desired result; that being a goal for the orange and white. The Union ...20Mar/110