2011 MLS Season: 11 Outrageous Predictions for the Upcoming Season

One month from today, the 2011 MLS season will kick off. As hard as it is to believe given its structure, the league is still surviving. The 17th season will begin March 19 with the Seattle Sounders (once again) host the Los Angeles Galaxy. No brainer there. There is nothing for the MLS than showcasing its opening match in front of 40,000 passionate fans with the glitter players of Landon Donovan and David Beckham along with other fan favorites such as Freddy Montero, Kasey Keller and Steve Zakuani. Some predictions like the one above are easy, but predicting teams' outcomes as well as Cup outcomes come down to figuring out what teams care about what tournaments and just simply drawing names out of a hat. Alright, it was not that difficult, and this year might be the season with the most disparity in MLS, which actually might be relishing to hardcore fans at least.Begin Slideshow

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, Feb. 18, 2011

Switch It Up!After Wednesday's 4-2 preseason defeat to the defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids, Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy were split into two squads. One squad of 17 defeated the U.S. Under-18 National Team 1-0 while another squad of nine did a 90-minute pool and gym workout at Athletes' Performance.Midfielder Dan Keat and forward Chad Barrett were both nursing injuries, while forward Adam Cristman had personal business to attend to in Virginia. DeLaGarza Relishes in VersatilityDefender A.J. DeLaGarza enjoys the role he has on the back line for the Galaxy, but being versatile has its drawbacks.“I have to keep an open mind,” DeLaGarza told MLSsoccer.com. “I just want to get on the field.“I think I’ve become a better player. The thing now is just getting one position down consistently, day in and day out, and being able to play there and practice there day in and day out, just getting used to that.”Last year, DeLaGarza appeared 17 times en route to the Galaxy capturing the MLS Supporters' Shield.“I can kind of fill in at each spot more so than some of the other guys, but just being ready, as a professional you have to be ready to play when your ...

MLS: Has David Beckham Really Made an Impact in U.S. Soccer?

So the Los Angeles Galaxy continue to prepare for another season in Major League Soccer. And while the rest of the team is going through the gauntlet in Arizona as part of their training, midfielder David Beckham is wrapping up training with Tottenham Hotspur F.C. in London before rejoining the club.As the Galaxy's No. 23 prepares to rejoin his teammates back in the states, the question is posed: has David Beckham really made an impact on U.S. soccer?If you were to ask me this difficult question, the answer is...No. And here's why.I remember when it was 2007 and this then-new quirk we like to call the Designated Player Rule was born. The first player to be signed under this rule, which allows teams to compete for star players in the international market, was Mr. Beckham himself. That's why this rule is given the moniker of "The Beckham Rule."But that was really the only major contribution Beckham made to American soccer, aside from the various youth clinics and the many philanthropic and PR obligations he, his wife Victoria and some of his Galaxy teammates took part in.When Beckham made his first appearance in an international friendly against Chelsea, all he could ...

Charlie Davies Loaned to D.C. United; Comeback Begins

He's back. Nearly 16 months since the life-threatening car accident have gone by without a first-team match, let alone a “Stanky Leg” goal celebration, for Charlie Davies. But a 12-month loan to D.C. United from FC Sochaux in France means that he is finally ready to start his comeback. Davies trialed with D.C. for a week, and he proved that he can still play soccer. He’s still a little rusty, but his skill, his speed and the attention he’ll bring to the club are exactly what United needed. He’ll boost attendance, as well as the minuscule goal total the club posted in 2010. It’ll be an interesting situation for him. He’ll be in America, where the same media that gave him much publicity when he was vying for one of the final spots on last summer’s World Cup squad will be hovering, analyzing everything he does on the field. He’ll be playing in D.C., around where that horrific accident took place. He’ll be playing in RFK Stadium, the same stadium where fans gave a tribute to Davies in the ninth minute of the U.S. World Cup qualifying match the night after the crash. But Davies told the media it didn’t scare him. “I’m definitely ready for games to ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs: Feb. 17, 2011

Lousy performance leads to 4-2 preseason defeat to Colorado RapidsAside from the obvious, there is another reason why the Colorado Rapids are ranked first in the Bleacher Report Preseason MLS Power Rankings and why MLSSoccer.com may be jumping the gun in its own rendition.It's called consistency.Gary Smith's defending MLS Cup champs looked like they had not missed a beat from their successful campaign last year, as they defeated Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy 4-2.Conor Casey looked as if his form from 2010 didn't change much, as he scored a brace in the 19th and 25th minutes for Colorado. Also scoring for the Rapids were Caleb Folan in the 76th minute and Stephen Emory in the 79th minute. Emory was also responsible for Folan's goal.Landon Donovan scored on a penalty kick in the 58th minute, while Adam Cristman evened the tally at 2-2 in the 64th minute off a delivery from Frankie Hejduk.Up next for the Galaxy will be a couple of matches against the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps.Donovan puts on brave face in spite of setbackDespite the Galaxy getting their first taste of humble pie, Donovan put the whole Arizona camp in perspective.“We always feel like this is a team that should ...

New York Cosmos: A Conversation With the Artist Behind the Logo

"I love people, and I love passing on what I know. My philosophy is: if you have talent - use it." - Wayland Moore A few weeks ago I engaged in a conversation with my friend and mentor Miguel Algarin (Tio); owner and co-founder of the Nuyorican Rican Poets Cafe. During our conversation Tio had inquired if there was a piece that I was most proud off. To be honest, I never took a moment to consider which article was my Article of Articles. Slightly embarrassed, I told him no. Feeling the need to save face, I told him that my Article of Articles would have to be one of the New York Cosmos. It didn't have to be my best article but it had to be the one that I was most proud off. Following our conversation, I stayed up all night asking myself what would my Cosmos Article of Articles be about. It must have been around four in the morning when it me. After 15 minutes of staring at the New York Cosmos logo the same way Bobby Fischer stared at a chessboard, I simply wondered who was the artist responsible for creating the New York Cosmos logo 40 years ago. A ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, Feb. 15, 2011

Dog days in ArizonaBruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy arrived for training in both Scottsdale, Arizona and the Athletes' Performance Facility on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe.The first day began with some drills and possession work, as well as a 25-minute scrimmage before the team hit the weight rooms at ASU for some heavy lifting.Team captain Landon Donovan hopes the players will be able to gel together as a unit, with the season opener against the Seattle Sounders at Qwest Field a month away.“We’re still lacking understanding on the field,” Donovan said. “My belief has always been the things you do off the field then cultivate themselves on the field."Guys in groups hanging out after training, whether it’s sitting by the pool, going to dinner, watching TV, playing cards…those kinds of things allow for discussions about soccer to take place. You can understand people and talk about things that are important. Trips like this are crucial to that kind of team building.”Defender Todd Dunivant was pleased with last year's camp in the Grand Canyon State, and is optimistic that he will see more of the same...and some.“It was good for us last year,” Dunivant said. “It continued to ...

Supporters’ Shield vs. MLS Cup: Backe Considers Cup Secondary To Shield

The common, collective goal amongst Major League Soccer clubs is usually the same season-in and season-out: win the MLS Cup, the award given to the champions of MLS for that year.  For Hans Backe and Red Bull New York, the tables have turned. This morning, in an interview with the New York Post, Backe declared that New York's primary goal entering 2011 will be to win the MLS Supporters' Shield, winning the Cup is nothing more than a "nice edition".  Immediately following the news, Backe received praise and awe amongst the hardcore fans, and raised the question amongst the American soccer community: is the MLS Cup the truest way to determine the league champion, or is obtaining the most points over the regular season the real champions?  It's an enduring debate amongst the MLS community, fitting in with the argument of conference vs. the single table, open league vs. closed league models and academies vs. draft. Primarily because they are the last of their kind. These few differences MLS has with the rest of the world are the remaining Americanizations in MLS, and will likely continue until either the league disbands or docks them for good.  What's interesting about this, is that the debate is ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, Feb. 13, 2011

Jack McBean Is InLos Angeles Galaxy forward Jack McBean, signed by the club as a Home Grown Player in late January, was named to the USA Under-17 National Team squad for the CONCACAF U-17 Championships in Jamica.  He is one of 20 players named to the squad by national team manager Wilmer Cabrera.The USA opens group play on Feb. 14 against Cuba and will continue group play on Feb. 18 against Panama.  The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, where either Costa Rica, El Salvador or Haiti awaits.Quarterfinal winners advance to the FIFA U-17 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Mexico from Jun. 18 to Jul. 10.McBean officially joined the LA Galaxy Youth Academy program last summer at the age of 15, debuting at the SUM U-17 Cup in Houston, and immediately helped make the Galaxy U-16 squad one of the best in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.McBean scored nine goals in his 10 games with the club, including a hat trick against South Carolina United FC at the annual Winter Showcase in Arizona.While at the Showcase, he also played in one of the Academy Select games, which brings a number of the nation’s ...

New England Revolution: Domi, Dabo, DPs and a Missed Opportunity

While the New England Revolution fans have been waiting for news of a big dollar, big name Designated Player (DP), the team has instead added a couple experienced, if not front of mind, French internationals: Ousmane Dabo and Didier Domi. The first question across many Revolution fans’ minds: who? Tip of the tongue names or not, there is little doubt that the team is improved by addition of these players, each of which has an impressive resume that includes top European leagues and clubs.  While we don’t know how much of a hit either of them is to the team’s salary cap, this is clearly the beginning of a number of moves that will leverage the cap room opened up with Taylor Twellman’s unfortunate early retirement and the jettisoning of pricey Edgaras Jankauskus.  With news of other signings to come soon, one can also surmise we are also seeing use of some salary-dropping Allocation money, since the Revolution likely had access to more of that this year having missed the 2010 playoffs. Given the spending, there is a segment of fans that will undoubtedly bemoan the lack of a “big name” signing thus far as a continuation of disinterest from the front office because that is ...