MLS Five-a-side:The skinny on five things that matter this week in Major League Soccer:
1. Dynamo looking to repeat 2007 doings: It's a about this time last year that Houston got it together. Dominic Kinnear's team found offensive life, began to regularly put four or so past hapless opponents and all was swell in Dynamo-ville as the championship defense was steaming forward.
Is it going to happen in 2008? And can it happen without personnel moves?
Kinnear is still a bit coy about it all. On the one hand, he says the Dynamo can turn it around with the players on hand. He says he's "seeing signs," that things are moving in the right direction.
"But we can always improve," he says, referring to possible roster additions.
So, take that however you will.
There are sure signs that Brian Ching, as streaky a striker as you'll find in MLS, is gathering momentum for one of his big rolls. He scored in Week 9 at San Jose, and then launched Week 10 with a sweet, athletic set-up for a Corey Ashe tap-in. He was also critical in Dwayne De Rosario's added-time equalizer, crashing a header off the cross bar, which "De Ro" efficiently cleaned up to post the 2-2 tie.
On the other hand, the Dynamo are still struggling to get production from a second forward, and Kinnear would surely love to gather a little more attacking might as the Dynamo moves into a busy summer, one that includes MLS, U.S. Open Cup and SuperLiga matches.
2. Tipping is encouraged for good service: Part of the Dynamo's offensive struggles this year comes down to a lack of service. Clearly, Ching depends a steady diet of crosses, and it's not happening with the regularity of 2006 and 2007.
Brad Davis's health and fitness has been an issue. He hasn't been 100 percent fit all year, so he can't supply the goods from the left.
Brian Mullan is working hard on the right, doing some of what he usually offers: support the right back and help keep things tidy on the defensive end. But he's not beating defenders at the moment, so he's not curling in those balls that force defenders and goalkeepers into tough choices.
Kinnear and assistant John Spencer both offered the same explanation: that injuries kept the long-time right-sided incumbent away from preseason, which is still affecting his confidence and ability to gain an edge in quickness when attempting to scoot past defenders.
Plus, Mullan has been sick off and on for about three weeks, unable to finally get past the little illnesses that most of us fight through at the office. For a soccer player who needs his body in tip-top shape -- especially one such as Mullan, whose entire game depends on fitness, grit and industry -- little illnesses produce a greater point of stress.
Corey Ashe replaced a tired Mullan at halftime Wednesday. Kinnear said his veteran midfielder not only offered little resistance to the halftime change, he said Mullan all but suggested the move.
"And he never does that," Kinnear said.
On the other hand, Ashe is developing, slowly but surely. Don't think for a second that the rest of the league didn't notice something unusual about Ashe's critical cross on the late equalizer: it came off his right boot. Ashe is one of those guys whose right foot is usually just for driving.
3. Beckham's bright performance is good and bad for MLS: David Beckham looked good in Wednesday's Wembley friendly, if only for his ability to serve dead balls. His slowing pace might be a fat target for critics abroad, but most admit that his proficiency at free kicks and corner kicks leaves him a step ahead of other England candidates for the spot.
All of which helps make MLS look good. On the other hand, it's may mean more time away from MLS for England's ball striker extraordinaire.
Beckham's service into John Terry created England's first goal. And until he gets a rival on the England side for delivering precision dead balls, he'll be tough to ignore once Fabio Capello gets down to the serious business of selections for critical, upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
England's first qualifier is Sept. 6 in Andorra, followed four days later by a big match in Croatia. (It was a Croatian victory at Wembley that bounced England from the Euro 2008 field, remember.) Beckham's selection would mean missing a Sept. 6 MLS match in L.A. against Real Salt Lake. And he might be hard-pressed to be fresh on Sept. 13 in Kansas City. Galaxy manager Ruud Gullit will surely be cautious against the overuse that bit Beckham in his debut MLS season.
England has another pair of qualifiers on Oct. 11 and 15, which could eliminate his chances of MLS participation at home against Colorado and perhaps for a match at Houston.
4. Fortifying matters at RFK: D.C. United have a win at home and a draw on the road in their last two matches. If Tom Soehn's team can do that, at least most of the time, the rest of the year, all will be swell in the nation's capital.
But something may have been lost in the fog of the tough times so far this year at D.C.: Bryan Namoff has been as solid as any right back in MLS.
The Bradley University man, 29, has held down his side game in, game out. And he's getting forward with regularity, even on the road, as in Thursday's 2-2 draw in New England.
Steve Cherundolo has a stranglehold on the U.S. right side of defense. And Columbus standout Frankie Hejduk still has something to offer internationally. But Namoff will certainly be a name that Bob Bradley continues to watch.
5. The little five:
• Yes, the Sunday and Thursday stand-alone MLS matches can be tough on the gate count. On the other hand, having the matches on TV sure can be a good thing, especially lately, when most of the matches have been quite entertaining. The last three weeks of matches on Telefutura and ESPN2 have produced 24 goals, or four a game on average.
• Matt Reis has been typically heroic for New England, and if anybody sees a player working harder right now than Shalrie Joseph, they will have to point 'em out for me. On the other hand, communication in the back just doesn't look the same right now and Michael Parkhurst isn't having his best season.
• In case you're wondering, Toronto holds Brian McBride's allocation rights.
• There's a red card issue in Texas, where the Hoops have had a player tossed out in three consecutive matches. And if it's Dallas-Houston meeting up, an ejection must be lurking nearby: three of the last five matches have included a red card. Eddie Robinson, by the way, has been issued six cautions in his last six matches in the I-45 series.
• The mean season is here for international absences: Players leaving club for country this weekend include: TFC's Carl Robinson, Greg Sutton and Amado Guevara, Houston's Dwayne De Rosario and Pat Onstad, San Jose's Ivan Guerrero, Colorado's Bouna Coundoul and Dallas' Adrian Serioux.
Additional UEFA Cup berth for Bundesliga
Jose could return to England
Dynamo on unlucky side of draw
Steady Onstad doesn’t mind inactivity
