Much-Improved New York Red Bulls Beat Chicago Fire, 1-0

It’s only one game, but it looked so much better than any game from 2009. Red Bull New York’s 1-0 victory over the Chicago Fire last night was a complete turnaround from what was only a five-win team from last year. Everything was noticeably different. The most obvious difference was the new stadium and incredible fan support. Instead of playing in front of a sparse crowd in barren Giants Stadium where the noise made, if any, would just dissipate into the wide open space, the Red Bulls were now the main event at a packed Red Bull Arena where the noise would bounce off the roof over the seats. There were finally fans at the game and they were finally glad to be there. Still, to win games things needed to be different on the pitch as well, and they were. Passing was markedly better. It all started from the back as rookie Tim Ream showed why he was so highly touted throughout the preseason. Not only was he solid defensively, but his sharp passing was on display as he looked comfortable on the ball and linked up with midfielder Joel Lindpere quite a bit in transition. Lindpere has looked like a great signing for the team in ...

D.C. United Trying To Get Back To The Playoffs But Challenges Await

One of the most successful MLS teams of all time, D.C. United hasn’t even been to the playoffs the past two seasons. It won’t be any easier for them in 2010 as some key players left the club. Gone are former MLS MVP Christian Gomez, 2009 team leading scorer Luciano Emilio, midfield maestro Fred, and 12 season D.C. United veteran Ben Olsen. There is also a new head coach, as Curt Onalfo replaces the fired Tom Soehn. How can the team possibly cope? D.C. still boasts striker and MLS all-time leading goal scorer Jamie Moreno. The Bolivian International has scored 131 goals in 11 seasons in MLS, and is also fourth all-time in assists with 102. He’s had a good preseason and if he stays healthy and fresh he could wreck havoc on a lot of opposing defenses. Supporting the elder statesman of the club are two players that were nominated for the 2009 Rookie of the Year award, Chris Pontius and Rodney Wallace. Pontius is a versatile player who can either slot in as the second forward or in the midfield. He also showed extreme poise last year scoring some extremely important goals, including putting one in the net against the Los Angeles Galaxy in his MLS ...

Will Roster Changes Make Chicago Fire Better or Worse in 2010?

For the third straight season, and the fourth out of five years, the Chicago Fire made the semifinals in the MLS playoffs. Apparently, that wasn’t enough for management. The Fire had a surprising roster turnover heading into the 2010 season. Chicago let go of head coach Dennis Hamlett and brought in Carlos de los Cobos, the former head coach of the El Salvador National Team. Forward Chris Rolfe and left fullback Gonzalo Segares left for Europe, and designated player Cuauhtemoc Blanco went home to Mexico. The most surprising move, however, was the release of goalkeeper Jon Busch just days before the start of the season. Busch was the 2008 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and started all 30 regular season games for the Fire the past two seasons. He matched a team record with 10 shutouts both years. Busch has stated he felt “blindsided by the whole scenario.” Instead, the Fire will turn the spot over to 24-year-old Andrew Dykstra. An undrafted free agent signee last year, Dykstra has yet to start an MLS regular season game. Dykstra now has pressure coming at him from a number of angles. Not only does he need to get over the nerves of his first start in the league, he has the ...

Houston Dynamo Lose Lots of Talent, Still Plugging Away

The two-time MLS Champion Houston Dynamo have lost an incredible amount of talent going into the 2010 season and will be put to the test this season if they wish to continue to be an elite team in MLS. Stu Holden, a star midfielder in the making for both the Dynamo and the United States National Team, transferred to English Premier League side Bolton. US International teammate Ricardo Clark transferred to Eintracht Frankfurt of the German Bundesliga. Also, captain and veteran defender Wade Barrett retired. Throw in forward and leading goal scorer Brian Ching, who could very well miss time playing with the US team in the World Cup, and the Dynamo look to be in trouble. But Head Coach Dominic Kinnear has put a system in place over the years and gets players that fit that system, so he will make sure that his guys are prepared for the start of the season and anything else that may come along the way. Obviously, a lot of the pressure will go on the shoulders of the veteran Ching. Even though he missed 11 games because of injury last season he still led the team with eight goals. Ching is a very good target forward. He ...

Columbus Crew Gunning For Third Straight Supporters’ Shield

The Columbus Crew is a veteran squad that has been atop the tables the past few years and are looking to stay there. The Crew won their second consecutive Supporters' Shield last season—the team with the most points at the end of the regular season—even with a brand new head coach, as Robert Warzycha replaced Sigi Schmid who went to the Seattle Sounders. This season they return nearly their entire starting 11 from 2009, minus forward Alejandro Moreno, who was selected by the Philadelphia Union in the expansion draft. Former league MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto will lead the charge. The Argentine is a lethal weapon in the attack as both a finisher and distributor. His contributions are invaluable. In 2009 he led the Crew in goals scored, with 12. The midfield is young and talented. Robbie Rogers is a good talent on the flank with good pace. He had his moments last year where he struggled and did not get on the field, but he is an asset and is currently on the bubble for a spot on this summer's World Cup roster. Eddie Gaven will play on the other side of the midfield and has continually improved ...

Seattle Sounders Outclass Young Philadelphia Union, Win 2-0

The Seattle Sounders proved to the expansion Philadelphia Union that Philly still has a long way to go before they can match Seattle’s success. The Sounders completely outplayed and outclassed the inexperienced Philadelphia side en route to a 2-0 victory. Philadelphia displayed their youth and seemed to be disjointed as a team. The starting lineup featured two rookies— five players making their MLS debut— and the starters’ total average age was 24-years-old. Two more rookies came on as late second-half substitutes. This youth movement was quite a bold move by Union Head Coach Peter Nowak, putting these young players in the pressure-filled environment of a packed house of over 32,000 at Seattle’s Qwest Field. The nerves showed as Philadelphia struggled in the first half with possessing the ball and came in with some bad challenges defensively that resulted five yellow cards total, four in the first half. Two of those went to rookie Toni Stahl, who was thus given a red card and ejected. The Union was forced to play a man down. Seattle’s veteran squad, despite the physical play, kept calm and stayed cool. They did not join in on the card party, and seized control of the match from the get-go.  Brad Evans scored ...

Colorado Rapids Trying to be More than Average

The Colorado Rapids are a competitive team. However, they have epitomized the parity in MLS. They are neither an elite team atop the standings nor are they a cellar dweller. They sit on the fringes of the playoffs each season. Last year, they were in playoff contention but lost their last two games by a total of 5-1 and missed the playoffs by tiebreaker, marking the third straight year Colorado would miss out on the postseason fun. This season they will be out to finish the job. The Rapids boast arguably the league’s best strike force, featuring forwards Omar Cummings and U.S. International Conor Casey. In 2009, Casey scored 16 goals—second most in the league—and had one assist. He does a good job of finding space, getting open, and is a good player in the air. He’s also still in consideration for a spot on this summer’s World Cup squad, so he should be highly motivated. Omar Cummings shined last year, his third in MLS. He once again set career highs in goals (eight) and assists (12)—also setting a Rapids season record and tying for the league lead—and he was named the Rapids team MVP. He complements Casey well with great speed and the two ...

Chivas USA Looking For Offensive Spark

Chivas USA is tired of being the “other team” in Los Angeles at the Home Depot Center. They are also tired of their season ending in the early stages of the playoffs. Three straight first-round playoff exits for Chivas USA—who share their home stadium with Western Conference champion Los Angeles Galaxy—also meant the exit of head coach Preki Radosavljevic. In his place is former assistant coach Martin Vasquez, who will try to transform the team into a more exciting and potent offensive squad. The franchise is known for its stingy defense. Last season, they allowed only 31 goals against. Only two teams let fewer past their keeper (Seattle and Houston, 29) and two teams tied with them (Los Angeles and Columbus). Last year, the unit was lead by 2009 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Zach Thornton and U.S. International defender Jonathan Bornstein. Thornton had a career year in 2009, his 13th in MLS, posting a career low goals against average and leading the league in shutouts—12, a career high—and goals against. Bornstein is a good MLS defender who also likes to push into the attack. However, he may be a bit limited if he starts the season as a center back instead of an outside fullback. What was ...

Toronto FC Still Trying to Figure Out How to Get Into The MLS Playoffs

One wonders how difficult it must have been to the loyal Toronto FC fans to watch the expansion Seattle Sounders make the playoffs in their inaugural season while Toronto, who entered the 2009 season with much promise, failed for the third straight time. Missing the playoffs by a single point last season, Toronto’s first move was to hire Preki as their new head coach. Preki had previously been the head coach at CD Chivas USA, where in his first season as head coach he led the Goats to first place in the Western Conference and was named MLS Coach of the Year. A talented player in his own right, Preki can still only do so much as coach though. It comes down to the players' performance on the pitch, and the team looks to be on the fringes. Toronto will experience a drop-off in production without the services of playmaking midfielder Amado Guevara, a former league MVP, who left the team to return to his native Honduras. Without Guevara, Toronto will put more weight on the shoulders of Dwayne De Rosario. The two-time MLS MVP and native Canadian enjoyed a successful first season with his hometown team. In 28 league games De Rosario scored 11 ...

Improved “D” for FC Dallas Will Be Key in 2010

FC Dallas finished with the most goals scored in MLS in 2009 (50) but fell a point short of the playoffs, largely because of an inept defense that tied for the most goals against (47). The team has taken steps to vastly improve that problem, starting at the end of last season. They acquired central defender Ugo Ihemelu from the Colorado Rapids and then signed fullback and U.S. international Heath Pearce. After Pearce was signed on Sept. 11, Dallas went 5-2-0, including wins against playoff-bound New England Revolution, MLS Cup runners-up Los Angeles Galaxy, and MLS Cup champions Real Salt Lake. They also gave up only nine goals, an average of 1.29 a game, with two shutouts. This offseason the team continued to add to its defense by signing goalkeeper Kevin Hartman. The Hartman signing is a little surprising. Dallas' goal has been manned by captain Dario Sala since 2006 (he did make one appearance in 2005). The team was looking to upgrade the position though, and they couldn’t have done much better than with Hartman. The 13-year veteran holds MLS records for most career saves, most career victories, and most career shutouts. He was also named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 1999. Even though ...